This week’s films take us from 1932 to 2019, from Israel to New York, and from heists to heroes to hotels. On Wednesday, we start off our screenings with the romantic comedy “Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive,” which follows a young Israeli man working to overcome his fears with the help of an ex-Jerusalemite living in Barcelona. On Thursday, we’ll show “Inside Man,” Spike Lee’s classic heist thriller, and on Friday we’ll bring you the action-packed Batman tale “The Dark Knight,” featuring the late Heath Ledger as the Joker. Finally, on Saturday, we present pre-code drama “Grand Hotel”—interestingly, the only film to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture without being nominated in any other category.
c/o jff.org.il
“Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive”
- Israel. Dir: Yossi Atia, David Ofek. With Atia, Lihi Kornowski. 83 min.
Wednesday, February 19 th. 8pm. Free.
Jerusalem native Ronen overhears a sanitized tour of his hometown’s recent history and gets inspired to begin his own “Terror Tour” of famous bombing sites. Ronen meets Asia, an ex-Jerusalemite living abroad, and their relationship challenges him to begin healing from the trauma that envelops his emotional life.
c/o IMDb.com
”Inside Man”
- USA. Dir: Spike Lee. With Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster. 129 min.
Thursday, February 20 th. 8pm. Free.
Lee’s biggest box office hit-to-date was this tight, twisty genre piece in which Denzel’s detective coolly matches wits with Clive Owen’s bank robber and Foster’s fixer during a hostage crisis. While”Dog Day Afternoon” (which played on Feb. 8) was an influence, Spike’s singular style makes this another lively, funny, and smartly conscious take on American values.
c/o amazon.com
“The Dark Knight”
2008. USA. Dir: Christopher Nolan. With Christian Bale, Heath Ledger. 152 min.
Friday, February 21st. 8pm. $5.
“Ya wanna know how I got these scars?” Nolan tackles crime, corruption, and calamity in his second Batman movie. Featuring thrilling action sequences and a career-high performance by the late Ledger as the Joker, the film offers a gritty look at a world inhabited by imperfect heroes and convincing villains. No Arthur Flecks here; just an agent of chaos.
c/o IMDb.com
“Grand Hotel”
1932. USA. Dir: Edmund Goulding. With Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford. 112 min.
Saturday, February 22nd. 8pm. Free.
The lavish Grand Hotel hosts a variety of guests whose interpersonal affairs intersect unexpectedly over the course of two days. Set in Berlin between the World Wars, this early ensemble film is considered to be one of the first “all-star cast” pictures; Garbo, Crawford and Barrymore shine in this scintillating pre-code, Academy Award winning drama.