A Song of Love and Memory for Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen turns 80 this weekend. Ezra Glinter takes a long look back at the songwriter’s storied career, from the cocky young poet to the old guy in a fedora feeding pigeons in Montreal.
‘High Maintenance’ Is an Elegy for a Dying Profession
Like typewriter and seltzer salesmen, the Brooklyn marijuana dealer in HBO’s show “High Maintenance” is one of the last members of a dying breed.
‘Demon’ Is a Holocaust Ghost Story That Bravely Confronts Poland’s Past
“Demon,” directed by Marcin Wrona, is a Holocaust ghost story that turns out to be a chilling portrayal of Poland’s confrontation with its past.
Why ‘Ben-Hur’ Is More Than Just Another Jesus Flick
“Ben-Hur” has been on the silver screen before, but Ezra Glinter explains that the new version starring Jack Huston might do the best job of showing what life might have been like during the time of Jesus.
Indignant Philip Roth Film Oozes With Yearning and Nostalgia
The new adaptation of Philip Roth’s “Indignation,” starring Logan Lerman and directed by James Schamus is awash in yearning and nostalgia. But the film departs from Roth’s book in some significant ways.
Woody Allen Yearns For a More Glamorous Time — Again
Woody Allen’s latest film “Cafe Society” returns to the late 1930s of his early childhood and reuses some of the most familiar tropes from his career. Not profound, perhaps, but enjoyable just the same.
I Saw the Lubavitcher Rebbe Go From Religious Icon to New Age Cliché
Recently, a 12-hour event honored the seventh and last Lubavitcher Rebbe. Our intrepid correspondent attended and wonders if the late Menachem Mendel Schneerson is being turned into the Maharishi or the Pope?
In a Horror Film, Tikkun Shows Its Dark Side
In Kabbalah, “Tikkun” describes the process of lifting up the world through Torah. In the horror film “Tikkun,” this concept has a dark side. A very dark side. Ezra Glinter reviews Avishai Sivan’s new movie.
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Alejandro Jodorowsky is best known for his trippy midnight movies “El Topo” and “The Holy Mountain.” Ezra Glinter samples from the multitalented artist’s literary oeuvre.
The Fate Sholem Aleichem Brought on Himself
100 years after his death, Sholem Aleichem is still celebrated and studied. Ezra Glinter examines how the “writer of the people” endures.
