10 Down and 1 to Go

“The Jews of Egypt” is, at best, a university level documentary project and it isn’t an A.  The dialogue, voice over and talking heads is mostly in French and Arabic.  The subtitles are in Arabic and English.  They read like they were translated from a dictionary with less than enough knowledge of the language.  They are also shown simultaneously, the French and Arabic, and at such a speed as to make it next to impossible to keep up.  Some of the stories are compelling but they jump all over the place trying to attach themselves to core nature of the film project.  The young director seem preoccupied with the onset of Zionist influences in the Jewish community in Cairo, painting the community as secular and its inhabitants as Egyptians [read that as quasi-Muslim] before they were Jews.

“Any Day Now“ is the last of the “Talking Pictures” program with Alan Cumming as the star guest.  It’s a lovely film, timely, touching and intelligent.  Set in the 70s it follows the uphill battle of two gay men trying to adopt a 14-year-old Downs Syndrome boy who has been abandoned by his junky mother.  The performances are so good, the writing so witty and heart felt that this film has become a darling of the Film Fest circuit.  And who know that Cumming has such a great singing voice?

“Angel’s Share” is another feel good film set in Scotland and concerning a rather odd heist scenario.  Four young people trying to make something of themselves decide to rob an angel’s share of a very rare Scotch.  It is funny and real and bloody difficult to understand.  It would be a damn near perfect movie if it had subtitles.

“Mental” stars the ever brilliant Toni Colette as a wild woman hired to nanny for 5 very troublesome girls while their mother is “on holiday” at a mental institution.  Their father, Anthony LaPaglia is a philandering politician concerned only with his campaign.  A menagerie of case studies from the DSM inhabits the neighborhood, literally.  There is lots of laugh-out-load silliness, over-the-top characters and garish color.   An addition to the pantheon of Australian humor this is a film for the whole family.