Year: 2017

‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ drops the hammer in theatres on Aug. 25

Jeff Mitchell

Twenty-six years ago, director James Cameron’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” dazzled movie audiences everywhere, and in the process, granted Arnold Schwarzenegger a chance to redefine himself from an unrelenting cybernetic bad buy to a good guy.  With mind-bending special effects and a wild premise, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” became the highest grossing film of 1991 and influenced science fiction films for a generation. On Aug. 25, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” drops the hammer and returns to the big screen (AMC Theatres), and this time, Arnie, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward…

Looking back at director Taika Waititi’s wonderful New Zealand film catalog

Jeff Mitchell

On Aug. 7, Art House Film Wire looked back at four fantastic four-star Australian thrillers on Netflix and/or Amazon, and the land Down Under has certainly raised the cinematic bar.   Well, Australia’s nearby neighbor, New Zealand, is not new to the movie-making business either.  Like the Aussies, the Kiwis have churned out terrific movies too, and no, New Zealand cinema is not limited to the “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” series.   Specifically, let’s look at one director, Taika Waititi.   We’ll, he’s not just a director, because he…

‘Menashe’ effectively voices a familiar struggle in an unfamiliar environment

Jeff Mitchell

“Menashe” – “You must find a new wife.  She will run your household.  She’ll keep your home clean.  It will be a fine, pious home.” – Rabbi Yaakov (Meyer Schwartz) Menashe (Menashe Lustig) is a widower who lost his wife, Leah, about a year ago.  He lives alone in his Brooklyn, NY apartment but does not urgently feel the need to remarry.  Unfortunately, his rabbi (Schwartz) says that he must marry again in order to be reunited with his son, Rieven (Ruben Niborski). You see, Menashe is a Hasidic Jewish…