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I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND
Language: Czech and German, with English subtitles; Running Time: 118 min; Rated: R
Reviewed by Denise Castillón

ENJOY THE ROYAL TREATMENT

This enchanting surreal comedy from the Czech Republic, I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND, recounts a man’s optimistic quest for wealth as a youth. Using rich visuals and absurd humor, clownish Jan Dite’s fantastic mission as revealed through flashbacks during significant historical and political times of the 1930’s and until after the end of WWII.

Oscar winning director, Jiri Menzel (Best Foreign Language film, “Closely Watched Trains”), was nominated at the 2007 Berlin International Film for the Golden Bear, and won their FIPRESCI Prize for the lengthy titled film. Charlie Chaplin and Jean Renoir may be Menzel’s cinematic influences, but Bohumil Hrabal, Czechoslovakia’s most prominent writer, is his storytelling inspiration. It’s worth noting that most of the late Hrabal’s writings have been made in to films.

The screenplay focuses on two parallel stories. The first follows the youthful and ambitious exploits of the childlike Jan Dite, occurring before the War and during the German occupation. He steady works his way up to becoming a millionaire in the luxury hotel industry with apprenticeships in upscale establishments for wealthy pleasure-seekers. An apolitical Jan, (IVAN BARNEV) falls hopelessly for a fanatical German Nationalist, Liza (JULIA JENTSCH), just as Czechoslovakia comes under German occupation. After their marriage, Liza is sent to serve on the Polish front, and Jan finds himself on the side of the occupying power and working at in a Nazi SS Research Hospital producing master race specimens from German girls and full-blooded Aryan warriors. Liza returns with a bag of valuable stamps left behind by “deported” Jews, and the couple look forward to building a hotel when the war is over.

In the second part, with the end of the war, Jan has been released from prison after being jailed for nearly 15 years for his millionaire status. The matured Jan (now played by Oldrich Kaiser) etches out a peaceful existence in abandoned German village with fellow exiled inhabitants. A young Bohemian woman revives his lust and his memories of his past romantic adventures.

Fine supportive performances by Marian Labuda as the enterprising businessman “Walden”, and Martin Huba as the regal “Maitre d' Skrivanek”.

Directed by Jiří Menzel, screenplay, based on the novel by Bohumil Hrabal, by Jiří Menzel. Cinematography directed by Jaromír Šofr, AČK, edited by Jiří Brožek. Production design by Milan Býček, costume design by Milan Čorba, and music by Aleš Březina. Produced by Rudolf Biermann, Executive producers are Robert Schaffer and Andrea Metcalfe (AQS). A co-production from Barrandov Studio and TV Nova. Released by Sony Pictures Classics.

BURN AFTER READING (Running Time: 96 min; Rated: R)
Reviewed by Denise Castillón
Mix one part screwball comedy and one part sex farce, and out pours this hilarious lightweight film. The Coen Brothers’ politically-themed comedy BURN AFTER READING exposes the antics of a group middle-aged Washingtonians as they undergo a variety of personal crises.

CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) has been ousted by the Agency. Incensed, he returns to his Georgetown home to work on his memoirs and his drinking. His uptight wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) responds frostily to his breakdown. In fact, it gives her cause to leave Cox for Harry (George Clooney), a married federal marshall and sex fanatic, with who she’s having an affair.

Linda (Frances McDormand), a lonely fitness center employee, is obsessed with cosmetic surgery and internet dating. Meanwhile, the gym’s manager Ted (Richard Jenkins) secretly pines for her. When a computer disc, containing the CIA analyst’s “secret stuff”, accidentally falls into Linda’s hands, she enlists co-worker and confidante, Chad (Brad Pitt) to join her in a lamebrain scheme to exploit their find. Unknowingly, the two knuckleheads set off a series of hilarious encounters. All the while, ominous forces at work propel events to spin further out of control.

Starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins.

Written, Produced and Directed by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen. Cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, A.M.C. Edited by Roderick Jaynes. Executive Producers Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Robert Graf. Distribution by Focus Features.

RIGHTEOUS KILL

Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent, Donnie Wahlberg and Carla Gugino

Directed By: Jon Avnet

R for violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and brief drug use.

By John Delia

As far as crime drama’s go, Righteous Kill is humdrum and ordinary. This film should have been made in the 80’s while the two main actors, De Niro and Pacino were in their prime. The film does nothing to showcase their talent. However, for those who just can’t get enough of the two actors, this film would be a good choice.
The plot involves partner detectives Turk (De Niro) and Rooster (Pacino) on the New York City police force who realize that a killing they are investigating may be the work of a serial killer who leaves poetry with their victims. The two above reproach detectives have been working together for 30 years and have seen many such crimes, but this one seems to point to a member of their precinct. The oddity with this case is that each of the killings tends to be at the hands of a vigilante who has singled out victims that have come in contact with Turk and Rooster. When Perez and Riley, two fellow detectives get the impression that Turk may be their killer, they put all their efforts into bringing him down.
The film has some good things going for it including the stunning performance by Gugino (Spy Kids, Sin City, American Gangster) as the over the top tough as nails detective Corelli who gets her kicks out of masochistic love play. The ferocity she lends her character steals the show from the De Niro and Pacino.
As far as De Niro and Pacino go, I believe that it is a little to late to be pairing up and with the trivial script it made it even worse. If they had done something more their age in the fashion of The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, it would have been more enjoyable to see the two going at it on the screen. Most audiences today are craving strong performances from their “A” list stars, and individually (De Niro in Meet the Fockers in 2004 and Pacino in Any Given Sunday in 1999) you would have to go back several years in order to find their peak. They are icons in the film industry, but are sorely miscast for Righteous Kill.
But you can’t blame acting for the failure of the film, it mostly stems from the predictable plot. With so much pending on it’s revealing finish, the writer failed to realize that his prospective audience is educated adults who should be able to figure it out midway through the hour and forty minute film.
The film contains some drug use, sex and brutality so be cautioned when allowing your under 17s to attend the showing.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Unless you really want to see De Niro and Pacino together in a film, there’s not much here to challenge your mind.

I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND

Starring: Oldrich Kaiser, Ivan Barniv, Julia Jentsch, Jeri Labus, Josef Abrham and Milan Lasica

Directed By: Jiri Menzel

R for sexual content and nudity

In Czech with English Subtitles

By John Delia

I Served the King of England is a charming adult film that sets itself in motion and moves along at a steady pace delivering an amazing storyline that should delight most film lovers. Whether you are a film buff or just want an afternoon or evening of distraction, this film should fill the need.
The story of Czech born Jan Dite starts with his release from a Czechoslovakian prison where he has been officially pardoned following 15 years of incarceration. Being that the Czech’s wrongly imprisoned him after the fall of WWII German domination, Jan is awarded a backwoods shanty as compensation. We then are treated in flashbacks to his remarkable past from a provincial waiter in a pub to employment in a luxury brothel and finally an elegant restaurant in a fashionable hotel in Prague. His desire to become a millionaire in the face of amazing odds against him is at the center of the storyline. Jan meets and marries Laza (Jentsch), a Sudeten German living in Czechoslovakia during the Nazi takeover, which keeps himself out of harms way. But when Laza decides that she must fight for the Nazi’s and goes to the warfront, things start to take a downward turn. When the Germans take over the hotel in which he works and turn it into a birthing place for Aryans, Jan’s fate becomes in doubt.
The acting directing and cinematography in the film are magnificent, but the storyline does tend to be quite whimsical. Following Dite’s lengthy odyssey does tend to make the movie a bit involving, but it was overshadowed for me by the unusual journey in life Dite had to make in order to find his ultimate goal. Add to this some amazing cinematography of the hotels, restaurants, villages, hillsides and even the celebration of the birthing rights by a luxurious pool.
Topping the talent is a pair of actors who play Dite, Kaiser and Barniv. Both do a teriffic job in bringing Dite to life as the short in hight but high in ambition main character. I give a tip of the hat to Menzel for drawing out great performances from both.
The film contains a lot of nudity, sex and some visions of gore and should be viewed only by mature adults. I Served the King of England is presented in the Czech language with English subtitles. I found the titles easy to read and visually acceptable.

FINAL ANALYSIS: If you like your foreign films unusual and engrossing than I Served the King of England is your cup of tea.

BURN AFTER READING
Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton and Richard Jenkins

Directed By: Joel and Ethan Coen

R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence

By John Delia
Burn After Reading tops the charts as one of the Coen Brother’s most quirky films they ever made. It’s a mix of comedy like their O’ Brother Where Art Thou and the wackiness as in Fargo. If you like the Coen type of humor and storylines, then this film should be at the top of your list to see.
The film is a situation comedy where we find elderly CIA analyst Osborne Cox (Malkovich) quitting after being demoted. His wife Katie (Swinton) prods him on what he’s going to do to make up the loss of income, as she certainly doesn’t want to carry him the rest of his life. So Osborne decides to write his memoirs. In the meantime, Katie decides to file for divorce because her affair with federal marshal Harry Pfarrer (Clooney) has escalated and she subsequently has been advised by her lawyer to get her hands on all of Osborne’s financials before she serves the papers. When a computer disk with some unusual information involving CIA financial records belonging to Osborne turn up in the locker room of a Washington DC fitness club, employees Chad Feldheimer (Pitt) and Linda Litzke (McDormand) find personal reasons why they should blackmail Osborne for a huge sum of money. This sets off a cornucopia of comical situations of which some however end in disaster.
Malcovich and Pitt are hysterical as two men at odds with each other over what Pitt’s character thinks are secret CIA documents. Their confrontation in Osborne’s car had me rolling with laughter. Clooney does his best acting when it comes to the Coen’s characters. His portrayal of the cheating husband who finds himself in the middle of a blackmail scheme is a scream. Swinton and McDormand take on the pivotal roles of two very dysfunctional characters that make Coen’s film work. As Osborne’s disenchanted wife, Swinton rants and snarls until she achieves what she wants, even if it takes some devious means to accomplish it. Playing an out of control fitness associate McDormand finds herself conflicted when she can’t raise enough money to pay for some plastic surgery she is obsessed over. Her vanity continuously gets in the way when she teams with Chad in their blackmail scheme. I especially liked her on line dating scenes, which are hilarious.
The Coen Brothers are at the top of their game with Burn After Reading. The nonsense that’s created in most of their films shows very prevalent in this one. Taking simple characters and putting them in their signature no-win situations brings about laughter even when some of their subjects are shockingly murdered.
Burn After Reading contains pervasive language, sexual content and violence so the film may have a negative affect on immature children.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Burn After Reading is a hilarious romp that should please all Coen fans. 4 of 5 stars