Weekly round-up

A Czech masterpiece, animated family
fun and a smattering of shorts

CANINE CAPER: Bolt

by MALCOLM FRASER,
ANNE-MARIE MARKO
and CHRISTOPHER SYKES

I Served the King of England
Czech New Wave auteur Jirí Menzel directs the journey of the charming yet morally vacuous Jan Díte (Oldrich Kaiser) in this surprisingly gleeful drama adapted from Bohumil Hrabal’s novel.

King begins with a visibly aged Kaiser leaving the Communist-run prison where he’s spent the past 15 years. The ever-smiling Kaiser reminisces about life and how he ran afoul of the law, introducing a fresh-faced Díte (Ivan Barnev) through flashbacks. His crime, it’s told, stems from being too susceptible to persuasion—and considering the list of unwelcome visitors who’ve occupied his country, it’s no surprise he’s befuddled.

Following the Nazi annexation, Barnev—gainfully employed as a server in Prague’s upscale Hotel Paris—falls for the allure of Líza (Julia Jentsch), a faithful Nazi who ignores his advances until she’s so charmed by Barnev that she traces his bloodlines back to a distant German relative. They marry and the short-statured Czech, ever eager to move up the social and economic chain, adopts the necessary mannerisms, complete with a Hitler ’stache.

As the Nazis retreat, Barnev is left with a fortune in stamps seized by Jentsch from abandoned Jewish homes. He opens a hotel, only to have it confiscated by the latest imperialists, the Communists. As he’s reached his lifelong goal of wealth, he’s all too happy to be jailed to prove he belongs among the rich.

King is a masterfully directed film that speaks volumes about Czechoslovakia’s complex past. Part Chaplin, part Fellini, it’s a modern masterpiece I can’t say enough good things about. (CS)

CZECH POINTS: I Served the King of England

Bolt
I approached this animated 3D movie expecting the same old super high-tech cool animation with the same old lame plot line and, worse, the same old lame, obvious message, often delivered in some hypocritical fashion. However, I was mistaken. Bolt may come in a familiar package, but its contents are fresh and of a higher quality than the usual maudlin, manipulative, offensive, predictable, stale goods this genre generally offers. With any hokiness tempered by a healthy wit and cynicism, Bolt is refreshing and entertaining.

Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is a dog with superpowers whose raison d’être is to keep “his” person, Penny (Miley Cyrus), safe from harm. Trouble is, in order for Bolt to act with such devotion, he cannot know that he’s acting at all. Huh? What? How? See, Bolt has no idea he’s part of a popular television series and lives in a trailer on a Hollywood soundstage.

However, when an episode ends with his beloved Penny in peril, he escapes and accidentally mails himself to Manhattan. Teaming up with a jaded stray cat, Mittens (Susie Essman), and an adventurous overweight hamster, Rhino (Mark Walton), Bolt begins a cross-country journey that starts with the realization his superpowers are as real as the lightning bolt tattooed on his side, and ends with the knowledge that the only superpower he really needs is love. Aww…

There’s no call for “Oscars all around!” but Travolta, Cyrus and Essman deliver convincing performances in this fun, family-friendly film. (AMM)

CFC Worldwide
Short Film Festival:
Best of the Fest
Now in its 15th year, the Canadian Film Centre-sponsored Worldwide Short Film Festival has been kind enough to bring a compilation of highlights from the Toronto-based fest to its rival city. The age of YouTube and ADD seems to present a renewed opportunity for the short film form, and this international selection runs the gamut across genres, styles and vibes.

Can-con gets a decent representation, with Jay White’s whimsical animation Boar Attack standing out from the pack. François Bégin and Miryam Bouchard’s Roastbeef is an inventive, slightly perverse experiment in which a butcher’s tasks create a rhythmic beat, causing a customer to unwittingly break into a modern dance routine. Only Sara St-Onge’s The Funeral, in which a young woman plans her own funeral ceremony, falls victim to the virus of over-quirkiness known to infect English-Canadian film.

Mads Matthiesen’s Dennis, from Denmark, is a standout in the program. Kim Kold plays a champion bodybuilder crippled by social anxiety; the painful but touching film shows his attempt at going out on a date. Pinny Grylls’ Peter and Ben is an unexpectedly affecting documentary on a Welsh hermit and his faithful pet sheep.

There’s loads more, from reflections on mortality to apocalyptic zombie comedy. Best of all, the one-night-only screening this Friday, Nov. 21 at the Cinéma du Parc is free. To ensure a spot, reserve your seat by e-mailing montrealrsvp@cfccreates.com. (MF)