Jeff Kanew Movies

Filmmaker Paul Mazursky was having his annual eye checkup when his ophthalmologist told him about an annual religious celebration in the Ukrainian village of Uman, where twenty-five thousand Hassidic Jews from around the world come to observe Rosh Hashanah in the town that is the final resting place of the celebrated teacher and spiritual leader Rabbi Nachman (1772-1810). While raised in a Jewish household, Mazursky by his own word has little interest in religion; however, the more he heard about the yearly gathering, in which spiritual fellowship is accompanied by ecstatic singing, dancing and chanting, the more fascinated he became, and he decided to not only travel to Uman to witness the celebration, he brought along a small camera crew to capture it on film. Yippee: A Journey to Jewish Joy is a documentary -- Mazursky's first -- in which he offers a glimpse of the religious festival and the men who take part in it, as well as sharing stories of Rabbi Nachman's life and teachings, interviewing the non-Jewish residents of Uman as they observe the proceedings, and sharing his own thoughts as a "cultural" Jew. Yippee: A Journey to Jewish Joy received its North American debut at the 2007 Palm Springs International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

On the eve of the Nazi invasion of Kiev in 1941, two families -- one Jewish and the other Ukrainian -- ponder what the future may hold for them in director Jeff Kanew's 2003 war drama Babij Jar. Genady Lerner (Michael Degen), a Jew and the patriarch of a relatively large extended family, watches with profoundly mixed emotions as the Russian army retreats from the Ukrainian city under intense bombardment from the advancing Nazi army. Skeptical of the rumors abounding regarding the Nazis' extermination of the Jewish race, Genady opts to remain at the family home. Meanwhile, Genady's longtime neighbor Lena Onofrienko (Katrin Sass) decides that assisting the invading army may be in her best interests, in spite of her friendship with the Lerners. Soon, both families are caught up in what became one of the largest Nazi atrocities of World War II, in which 35,000 Ukrainian Jews were slaughtered and incinerated over a period of two days in the nearby ravine called Babij Jar. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

The popular daytime TV show "Breakfast with the Baxters" has been cancelled, and hosts Betsey and Bud Baxter (Tess Harper, George Dzundza) are out of work. As they sit in their home ruminating over their bad luck, Betsey and Bud are visited by their two biggest fans--who bear a remarkable resemblance to angels Monica (Roma Downey) and Andrew (John Dye). As the evening progresses, the Baxters reveal that they've put up all sorts of emotional roadblocks to shut out their past--and all because they've never forgiven themselves for aborting their baby 15 years earlier. Only when all defenses are down do Monica and Andrew reveal their true identities...and their true purpose of their visit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Kathleen Turner stars as V.I. Warshawski in Jeff Kanew's film version of the hard-boiled detective character from Sara Paretsky's series of crime novels. Warshawski is a freelance private investigator in Chicago, who lives the part of the hard-boiled detective. But in her heart of hearts, she is a softy. One night, while she is drinking at her favorite bar, she meets an ex-Blackhawks hockey player named Boom-Boom Grafalk (Stephen Meadows). The two connect and a romance appears to be in the making. But Warshawski is nevertheless surprised when Boom-Boom appears at her doorstep later that night with his 13-year-old daughter, Kat (Angela Goethals) in tow. He asks Warshawski if she could watch her and Warshawski agrees. Later that night, Boom-Boom is killed in a boat explosion and Kit hires Warshawski to track down her father's killer. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas team up one last time in Tough Guys. Harry Doyle (Lancaster) and Archie Lang (Douglas) are two old-time train robbers, who held up a train in 1956 and have been incarcerated for thirty years. After serving their time, they are released from jail and have to adjust to a new life of freedom, now as old men. Harry and Archie realize that they still have the pizzazz when, picking up their prison checks at a bank, they foil a robbery attempt. Archie, who spent his prison time pumping himself up, easily picks up a 20-year-old aerobics instructor named Skye (Darlanne Fluegel). Harry, on the other hand, has to waste away his days in a nursing home. They both have festering resentments --Archie for having to endure a humiliating job as a busboy; Harry for having to endure patronizing attitudes toward senior citizens. The two old pals finally go back to what they know best. After successfully robbing an armored car, they decide to rob the same train that they robbed thirty years ago. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Revenge of the Nerds is the juvenile sex comedy perhaps most synonymous with the 1980s, alternating gags and scantily clad women with a power to the underdogs mentality that prompted three sequels. The handsome jocks of Alpha Beta, led by Stan (Ted McGinley), run Adams College, which means that when they burn down their house after a stunt involving grain alcohol and an open flame, they kick a bunch of socially inept freshman out of their dorm and into the gymnasium. But sleeping on cots is only the beginning of their worries, as the so-called nerds soon become the target of pranks by Alpha Beta, assisted by Betty (Julie Montgomery) and the gorgeous gals of Pi Delta Pi. Instead of taking the abuse sitting down, the displaced freshman, led by Gilbert (Anthony Edwards) and Lewis (Robert Carradine), buy a ramshackle house, affiliate themselves with the only national chapter who will take them (the all-black Lambda Lambda Lambda), and use their superior intellect to launch a counterstrike. The bespectacled but loveable geeks set up surveillance cameras in the Pi bathroom and put liquid heat in the athletes' jock straps, then draft a sister sorority of misfits (Omega Mu) to strengthen their resources. The frats quickly become bitter rivals, and the goal is to win the annual fraternity decathlon, which involves such feats as a burping contest and a go-cart race, with bragging rights (and perhaps peace of mind) at stake. Look for John Goodman and future thirtysomething cast member Timothy Busfield in small roles, and expect a torrent of nasal laughter. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Robert Redford's directorial debut ended up the 1980 Oscar winner for Best Picture. It is a simple but painfully emotional story of the disintegration of a "perfect" family. Teenager Conrad (Timothy Hutton) lives under a cloud of guilt after his brother drowns after their boat capsizes in Lake Michigan. Despite intensive therapy sessions with his psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch), Conrad can't shake the belief that he should have died instead of his brother; nor do his preoccupied parents (Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore) offer much in the way of solace. The boy is brought out of his doldrums through his romance with Jeannine (Elizabeth McGovern). A winner in every respect, Ordinary People (adapted from the novel by Judith Guest) scores highest in the scenes with Mary Tyler Moore, who superbly and perceptively portrays a blinkered, ever-smiling suburban wife and mother for whom outward appearance is all that matters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This strange, disjointed feature film boasts a performance by Muhammed Ali as himself, clowning his way around a Black rodeo held near Harlem at Randall's Island, NY. Among the features of this film is an extended discussion by actor Woody Strode on the long-suppressed history of the Black Cowboy. Another unusual feature of the film is the running commentary by rodeo spectators, as they relate what it means to them to be at such an event. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi