For those weekends when you have no plans and just want to laze around the house in your jammies watching movies, consider this: Subtitles Won’t Kill You.
I was never a foreign film fan until I started watching Israeli movies with subtitles. One of the most hysterical ones I’ve come across is in a long time is Hunting Elephants, a movie about three old men and a young boy who cook up a cockamamie plot to rob a bank.
Starring Patrick Stewart, known for his role as Capt. Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, this funny, heartwarming film rates a solid 10. This film is part of Richmond Public Library’s Ben and Esther Dayson Judaica Collection.
In Hunting Elephants, the father of 12-year-old Yonatan dies suddenly, leaving his family almost destitute. So, Yonatan finds a way to save his family from losing everything. It just so happens the deceased was the head of security at a bank, so you can see where this is going.
But don’t go getting all complacent. The antics that ensue at the senior citizens home where the three old men live leave hilarious in the rear view mirror.
For something equally funny but a bit more mature in a naughty, dark sort of way, check out another Israeli film, Zero Motivation. This film won several film festival awards.
It features three young female soldiers who are so disinterested and disdainful of the Israeli army, that life is just one big joke to them.
Serving in a remote, forgotten army base and bored out of their minds working in an administration office, all they do is play computer games and snipe at each other.
Clearly, their all-business-no-fun superiors are no match for these three and their outrageous pranks.
Whether this is a realistic portrayal of the attitudes of young Israeli soldiers or simply a fictional construct, it makes no difference. It’s just plain funny. But be warned, it’s a bit racy.
And when you’re done lazing around watching movies, why not get a head start on your Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) cooking?
For some great recipes check out Jewish Soul Food: From Minsk to Marrakech, More Than 100 Unforgettable Dishes Updated for Today’s Kitchen; Chic Made Simple: Fresh, Fast, Fabulous Kosher Cuisine; Cook in Israel: Home Cooking Inspiration; and Kosher Carnivore: the Ultimate Meat and Poultry Cookbook. For other popular reading suggestions check out Richmond Public Library’s Web site at www.yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks/.
Shelley Civkin is a communications officer with the Richmond Public Library
