NATIONAL POST ARTS

Looking back on 20 years of the Toronto Jewish Film Festival

“They grew up so fast,” says Helen Zukerman, reminiscing about the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, which celebrates its 20th birthday Thursday night. In honour of the mitzvah, festival founder Zukerman shared with Ben Kaplan her 20 favourite memories of the past two decades. It’s a Canadian success story, with a side of schmaltz.

A ballad is traditionally a slow and sentimental love song, but there is nothing traditional about The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye.

The first glimpse of the documentary’s titular couple finds them dressed in matching white casual clothes, like just another bunch of tourists wandering through the museum before an afternoon picnic in Central Park. But all is not as it seems.

Friends with Kids may ultimately be pat, but in a few moments, Westfeldt pushes so many interesting buttons that you’ll be discussing it for weeks. And really, which would you rather watch? Just another perfectly formulaic rom-com, or one that, even while flawed, still gives you plenty to think and argue about?

Click here to read Nathalie Atkinson’s fill review of Jennifer Westfeldt’s film.

When it comes to handicapping the Oscars race (and winning the office pool), the films that matter are the ones the fewest people watch. Anyone can pick Christopher Plummer or The Artist as a likely winner, but what about the short films? Is Tuba Atlantic a better bet than Raju — and what do those titles mean anyway?

The Grey’s Liam Neeson lets the fur fly while Man on a Ledge’s Sam Worthington climbs up pretty high. Click on the film titles above to read our reviews of each film!

In case you missed it yesterday, here’s our complete Oscar nomination coverage:

Oscars 2012: The full list of nominees

The nine best picture contenders, reviewed

Oscar snubs: And the nominees aren’t…

Oscars 2012: Pixar snub, Tree of Life nod among Academy surprises

Philippe Falardeau goes for Oscar gold with Monsieur Lazhar

Oscars 2012: The best picture nominees, reviewed

Read our reviews of each film nominated for best picture. Hint: We loved them all!

Oscars 2012: Pixar snub, Tree of Life nomination among Academy surprises
Nine movies — including front-runners The Artist and The Descendants and the long-shot surprise Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close — are in the running for this year’s Oscar, it was announced today.

The nominees include Hugo, Midnight In Paris, The Help, Moneyball,  and — in another Academy Award surprise — Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life.

Malick was among the best director nominees, along with The Artists’ Michel Hazanavicius, Hugo’s Martin Scorsese, The Descendants’ Alexander Payne, and Woody Allen for Midnight In Paris. Conspicuous by his absence was David Fincher, director of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was also snubbed in the best picture category.

It was a good day for Canada: Monsieur Lazhar, by Montreal director Phillippe Falardeau, was nominated for best foreign film, and Christopher Plummer received a nod for best supporting actor for his role as an older man who comes out of the closet in The Beginners. (Photo: Fox Searchlight)

Ricky Gervais’ best lines from the 2012 Golden Globes

“No profanity. That’s fine. I’ve got a huge vocabulary. No nudity. See, that’s a shame. Because I’ve got a huge …”

Film Review: The Iron Lady

She is Medusa with a head of auburn snakes shellacked into a helmet, but somewhere beneath this follicular cement crown looms the elusive heart of a human being — at least, that’s how Meryl Streep plays Margaret Thatcher, the still-vilified former British prime minister who waltzed with Ronald Reagan while the masses rioted in revolt. Illustration by Steve Murray