Hot summer movies to watch in Israel: 'On Standby' lands well, 'Into the Blue' delivers escapism

Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Israel Culture TV Time: Israeli dramedy 'On Standby' is the standout, while 'Into the Blue,' 'The Devil Wears Prada 2,' 'A Letter to David,' and an Earth, Wind & Fire documentary round out this week's picks.Follow us on GoogleGITIT FISHER is a revelation in ‘On Standby.’ (photo credit: Moshe Nachumovich/Yes)ByHANNAH BROWNJULY 25, 2026 04:46On Standby has taken off, so to speak, showing on Yes TV Drama and Yes VOD, and it tells the story of Sagit (Gitit Fisher), a depressed security officer at the airport who feels stuck in every aspect of her life, and what happens to her when everything begins to change.If you have ever wondered whether the airport personnel who tell you to take off your belt and put your laptop on the tray are jealous of you for going away, now you know that at least the fictional Sagit is. She is in her 30s and single, living with her father, but she finally joins a creative writing workshop and writes a piece about how she loathes people she doesn’t know. In a burst of honesty, she turns her attitude back on herself, showing how she has feelings of insecurity and vulnerability. Writing this is a breakthrough for her, and reading it out loud to her group is an even bigger one.Sagit’s father (Tzahi Grad) is a gifted magician who is in his own kind of rut, teaching little kids and playing at senior centers, until he is asked to go on the road with Tislam, a real band that is very successful. You might expect that she would be happy for him, but she can’t quite manage that, and feels abandoned, knowing that it is absurd since she is in her 30s. She heads off to stay with her mother (Sarit Elad Vino), but it’s not any better for her there. Her mother has a successful career and is judgmental in ways that her slacker father isn’t, and she does not find the warm home base she craves.But more change is coming, even if she is not ready for it. Her handsome but dictatorial supervisor (Aury Albi) shows up at her writing class and, before she knows it, they have formed a strong bond that may or may not be leading to a real romance, which is the last thing the cynical, pessimistic Sagit thinks she wants.This is the kind of dramedy that seems to work best on the small screen, and Sagit is such an appealing character, and Fisher plays her so well, bringing out her sharp edges but always showing us the vulnerability she is hiding.Fisher created the series with Johnathan Gurfinkel and also wrote the script.‘INTO THE BLUE’: Turn off your mind and watch this summer adventure featuring gorgeous landscapes and beautiful actors. (credit: COURTESY OF YES)Alona Sa'ar shines as side characterAlona Sa’ar, who played the lead in Dismissed, is a real gem here as a young woman in Sagit’s writing group. In one memorable scene, she reads a piece about her struggles with her weight and says that when she heard her mother talking about diets as a child, she thought they were something wonderful and mystical, and claims, tongue-in-cheek, that diet is derived from a Greek word that means, “First change yourself and then people will love you.”The seven-episode series goes deeper and is more interesting than the standard ugly-duckling transformation story, and I would not be surprised if it gets remade abroad.A Letter to David re-releaseTom Shoval made a feature film, Youth, in 2013, starring twin brothers who had never acted, David Cunio and Eitan Cunio. They made a splash in the well-regarded drama about two teens who kidnap a wealthy classmate to pay their parents’ debts, but they chose not to pursue acting careers. Shoval went back to the behind-the-scenes footage from that movie when David Cunio and another brother, Ariel Cunio, were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and he made a moving documentary about David and his family, A Letter to David, which was screened around the world. David and Ariel were released in October 2025 after 738 days in captivity, and Shoval re-edited the film to spotlight their release. The newly expanded film can be seen on Hot 8, and the moving conclusion shows David and Ariel watching the movie at a screening in Berlin with their families. Later, it has David and Eitan recreating a scene from Youth. Not only are the two young men older now, but their eyes speak volumes about what they have endured: David in Gaza, and Eitan, who barely escaped the terrorists, worrying about him at home. The simple scene is typical of Shoval’s understated but masterful filmmaking, and it says more than words could have.There's a certain kind of summer movie that you crave at this time of the year, where you can turn off your mind and watch some kind of action-adventure or rom-com in gorgeous landscapes with beautiful actors. If that’s what you are looking for, there are a few options. One is Into the Blue on Netflix, which is really the prototype of this kind of movie. Made 20 years ago – they seem to be churning out fewer movies like this lately for some reason – it stars Jessica Alba, Scott Caan (James Caan’s son), and some other good-looking people in a story of divers in the Bahamas who find a plane underwater that seems to have crashed recently and is filled with corpses and kilos of drugs shrink-wrapped so they are not even damp. Because they have spent their lives at the gym or on the beach, the main quartet has apparently never seen another movie, and they do not know – as all regular moviegoers do – that all hell will break loose if they try to make some money out of this. But the eye candy is the thing here, and it’s the perfect movie to watch on your staycation.Another good option for mid-summer viewing is The Devil Wears Prada 2, which becomes available to stream on Disney+ on July 29. It is already available to buy on Apple TV+ and will be available to rent on the streamer on August 11. It’s the sequel to the original, beloved film about a serious girl who goes to work at a thinly veiled version of Vogue magazine, and it brings back the quartet of lead actors, Anne Hathaway as the heroine, Stanley Tucci as her mentor, Emily Blunt as her rival, and, most sublimely, Meryl Streep as the boss from hell, who nevertheless is a genius as an editor. The fun of the movie is watching them all trying to make their way in the digital age. While it lacks the freshness of the original and a few of the plot turns are clunky, it’s undeniably fun. You can also brush up on the first film on Apple TV+ and Disney+.Yet another entertaining choice is a new documentary about the group, Earth, Wind & Fire, called Earth, Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial vs That’s the Weight of the World, which will be shown on Yes Docu on July 28 and will also be available on Yes VOD and Sting TV.It’s a loving tribute to the band whose music combined so many styles, including funk, pop, gospel, soul, disco, Latin, and Afro-pop, creating such classic hits as “September,” “Shining Star,” and “Boogie Wonderland,” and a portrait of the group’s frontman, Maurice White.“You were thinking they’re coming from Africa – or outer space,” notes one commentator, while another describes their unique sound as “Jesus-less gospel music.” This comprehensive documentary will be best appreciated by fans of the group, and I wish it had included a few more tunes played from beginning to end.Follow us on Google