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Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing and Jay Roach’s The Roses hit theaters Aug 29, while Netflix premieres Jewish family animation Long Story Short.

Caught Stealing opens in theaters on Aug. 29. It’s a crime thriller. The central character, Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a former pro baseball player, gets immersed in the New York City criminal underworld. The film is set in the 1990s.

Butler, 34, has acted steadily in bigger and better roles since he was 14 years old. But he really broke out as a well-known actor in 2022 when he gave a very good performance as Elvis Presley in the hit movie Elvis. Since then, he has had his choice of star roles, including co-starring in Dune 2 (2024).

It is a compliment to Darren Arnofsky that Butler agreed to take the star role in Caught Stealing. Arnofsky, 56, directed the film. He has directed 10 feature films since 1998. All are interesting, but some haven’t made a profit. Four big box office hits he directed are Black Swan, The Wrestler, Noah and The Whale. (He also wrote seven of his films, including Noah).

A-list actors, like Butler, know that it’s worth working on an Aronofsky film — they are always intelligent movies — even if they are not always big money-makers.

Arnofsky grew up in Brooklyn. His family wasn’t very religious, but they did belong to a synagogue and celebrated Jewish holidays. British actress Rachel Weisz, now 54, was his partner from 2001-2010, and they were engaged for a time. They have a son, now 19. They shared custody after their breakup. His romantic partner, since 2017, is Aglaya Tarasova, 31, a Russian Jewish actress.

Liev Schreiber, 57, and Zoe Kravitz, 36, have star roles in Caught Stealing. Carol Kane, 73, has a supporting role.  

Schreiber’s mother was Jewish, and he very strongly identifies as Jewish. Kravitz has an unusual background that I have fully described in other columns. Here is the short version: her paternal grandfather and her maternal grandmother were (white) and Jewish. Her paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather were Black and not Jewish. Zoe identifies as an African American and as a “secular Jew.”

Roses Remake

The Roses is a black satirical comedy that opens in theaters on Aug. 29. It is a remake of the big film hit The War of the Roses (1989). The 1989 film and the 2025 film are based on a 1981 novel titled The War of the Roses. It was written by Warren Adler (1927-2019).

Here’s a short summary of the plot (except the ending): an affluent couple, Oliver Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch, 2025 film) and Barbara Rose (Olivia Colman, 2025 film), have a long-term marriage that breaks down completely. They “go to war.” The war is not just in a law court. It’s also in their home.

The biggest supporting role is Barry, a nasty friend of Oliver’s who gives him advice. He’s played by Andy Samberg, 46.

Roses was directed by Jay Roach, 68. He’s directed 11 films. His biggest hits are Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers and the three Austin Powers films.

Roach has been married to Susanna Hoffs since 1993, and they have two children. Roach converted to Judaism not long before their wedding. Hoffs, now 66, was the lead singer, and sometimes the songwriter, for the Bangles, an almost all-female band that was popular during most of the 1980s. You might remember “Manic Monday” and “Walk Like an Egyptian.”

Hoffs’ mother, Tamara Simon Hoffs, now 90, is a respected filmmaker. Tamara’s father and uncle were rabbis. Susanna celebrated her bat mitzvah at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.

Animated Series

I am a little behind noting a very Jewish animated Netflix series that premiered on Aug. 22 called Long Story Short.

Here’s the premise: The series tells the story of a middle-class Jewish family. Three siblings experience ordinary adult events while looking back on their highly religious experience.

The actors voicing the Jewish characters, listed below, are “really” Jewish. All are famous enough to easily find info about them. 

The three siblings are Avi, Shira and Yoshi Schwooper. They are voiced, respectively, by Ben Feldman, 45, Abbi Jacobson, 40, and Matt Greenfield, 45.

Lisa Edelstein, 59, plays the Schwooper matriarch and the mother of the siblings. Paul Reiser, 69, plays the patriarch of the family and the father of the siblings. Dave Franco, 40, plays a childhood friend of Yoshi.

The series was created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, 41,(Bo–Jack Horseman). It follows most of the child characters into early adulthood. A second season of the series is already ordered.

Next week: Jake Gyllenhaal is now arguably the most popular Jewish actor worldwide. Almost no one has noticed it. But, as they say, box office receipts are the best judge of popularity. I’ll explain.