Adina Bernstein

It has been said that a woman’s intuition is usually correct. What matters is if others listen to her or ignore what has been said because it comes out of the mouth of a female.
The new film, The Lost King, is based on a true story. After seeing a production of Richard III in 2012, Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins) is convinced that the King’s historical reputation is basically a lie. While balancing work, illness, and motherhood, she is determined to exonerate him and give him his due as a fo...

Warning: This article contains spoilers about the first season of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Photo by TOMMY VAN KESSEL on Unsplash
Since Star Wars premiered in 1977, the film franchise has become more than an iconic series of movies. It has opened the door to much-needed cultural change. Among this change is the place of women. Starting with Princess Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher), female characters are as important to the narrative and are as complex as their male counterparts.
In the recent seri...

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These days, interracial and interreligious marriage is (mostly) accepted. That does not mean, however, that the families of the engaged couples are welcoming of their child’s future spouse.
The new Netflix romantic comedy, You People, is a cinematic love child of Meet the Parents and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Ezra (Jonah Hill) and Amira (Lauren London) are in love and engaged. Ezra comes from an Ashkenazi Jewish family and Amira comes from a Black Muslim family. A clash between thes...

Photo by Natalya Letunova on Unsplash
Burger/Fast Food Restaurants
Schnipper’s
With two locations in Manhattan ( Times Square and Midtown East), this restaurant does not disappoint. Though it is fast food, it does not leave you with the feeling of eating cheap and empty calories. The menu is much more than burgers and fries, allowing almost anyone to find something to eat.
Roll n Roaster
Located in the South Brooklyn neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay, Roll n Roaster has been around for fifty yea...

There’s something fascinating about learning who a respected artist was as a child. Seeing who they were and who they grew up to speaks volumes about who they are as human beings and a creator. Recently, two new films delved into the childhoods of two revered filmmakers: Steven Spielberg and James Gray.
Over the last few months, both filmmakers released films (both of which were based on their childhood): Spielberg’s The Fabelmans and Gray’s Armageddon Time. Within each narrative, hate and pr...

Abortion is one of those topics that are guaranteed to generate strong opinions, regardless of where one stands on the political and religious scale. At the end of the day, it is just another medical procedure. But over time, it has become a stand-in for other cultural touchstones that may never be resolved.
The new movie, Call Jane, is set in Chicago in 1968 and based on a true story. Joy (Elizabeth Banks) is a traditional housewife. Happily married to Will (Chris Messina), she has a teenage...

After two and a half years, I would love to say that Covid-19 is firmly in the rearview mirror. But it is not. Approximately 400 Americans still die every day from the virus.
The Jewish High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) were two weeks ago and last week, respectively. They are three of the most important days on the calendar. Traditionally, Jews take off from work and school, ask for forgiveness, and hope/pray for another year of life.
Though the synagogue that I go to did not have ...

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Adapting a beloved novel for the screen or the stage is not as easy as it appears to be. Though the characters and narrative are already set, it is up to the writers to transport the soul of the text and the voice of the original author. Without them, the adaptation rings hollow and empty.
Recently, two different small screen rewrites of Jane Austen’s novels were released. Hulu released Fire Island. It is Pride and Prejudice set among a group of five queer friends who are going on their...

We all know the stereotype of a fairy tale princess (who may or not be unconscious) waiting for a man to rescue her and save the day.
The new Hulu movie, The Princess, takes this stereotype and smashes it into pieces. When we first meet the title character, simply known as the Princess (Joey King), she is laying on a bed and wearing a beautiful white wedding dress. Opening her eyes and sitting up, she discovers that her hands and legs are chained together. After refusing to marry Julius (Domi...

The new non-fiction book, Pandemic, Inc.: Chasing the Capitalists and Thieves Who Got Rich While We Got Sick, by J. David McSwane, was published in April. Since Covid-19 entered the United States in January of 2020, the government has spent billions of dollars to keep the nation economically afloat. One million lives have been lost. While I feel that we have to remember that this virus is new to us and therefore a medical hurdle in its own right, we also have to recognize the chaos, corruptio...

Thirty years ago, A League of Their Own hit theaters. Starring Geena Davis, Madonna, and Tom Hanks, it told the true story of the AAGBPL, an all-female baseball league that played in the lieu of the men who were fighting overseas during World War II. At the time, the movie was a massive hit. It was supposed to open the door to more on-screen female-based narratives that were based on more than love, marriage, and motherhood. “Supposed” is the keyword here.
Can There Be More Than the Token Fem...

The best stories are universal. Regardless of the period it takes place in, the language, and the culture, there is something or someone for the audience to understand as their own.
In 2002, the indie film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, became an unexpected hit. The heroine of the film, Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) is far from the usual romantic comedy female lead. She is not a size 2, not a blonde with blue eyes, and is, well, ethnic. Put upon by her large, and outspoken Greek-American family...

As an adult, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind. Work, marriage, kids, etc., can eat up our day before we know it’s gone. Sometimes we need a proverbial kick in the behind to remind us to take time to breathe and bring out our inner child.
The 1991 film, Hook, is a sequel to the beloved childhood novel Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie. It stars the late and still beloved Robin Williams as the adult Peter Pan and Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook. When his children are kidnapped by Hook, Pet...

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A Lesson About The Health Release of Emotions That is Universal, Regardless of Age
Meowy and Ruffy is a whimsical children's book that follows best friends, Meowy and Ruffy on a typical day. They imbue simple wisdom through the questions they pose while discovering the world around them. "What do you do when you feel blue?" asked Ruffy, "I close my eyes and let some yellow in," said Meowy. Coupled with magical illustrations that take a dive deep into their imaginations, the friend...

After nearly two years of living with COVID-19, I think it is pretty safe to say that most of us have been touched by the COVID-19 virus, either directly or indirectly.
Recently, two people that I am very close to have caught COVID.
In early January, one of my relations was hospitalized and caught the virus in the process. Thankfully he was home in a few days. This person is older and has a number of health problems. When I was told that given his age and medical condition, he would have been...