ARCHIVES

I saw Melancholia

The Von Trier gaffe: telling it like it is

The news is that I saw Melancholia here in Paris where it came out on Wednesday (since France’s Wednesday is our Friday). I understand that Melancholia will come out in the U.S. at the end of September. My review will appear in these columns on the day of the release. I’ve been watching a lot of video interviews of the actors and Lars Von Trier, and was struck by what appeared like major ... more >

Antichrist

We loved it and you will, too
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe
Directed by Lars Von Trier

Has Lars von Trier ever made an accomplished film? To be sure, the man who stated flat out in Cannes that he was “the best director in the world” has an impressive filmography. But “Dogville,” “Breaking the Waves,” “Dancer in the Dark,” are any of these films actually good? One can argue, of course, that only the most pedestrian mind would expect art to be “good” when it can be so many other ... more >

Golden Door (Nuovomondo)

Storytelling that's original - finally!
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato and Aurora Quattrocchi
Directed by Emanuele Crialese

This is everything we want a film to be: imaginative, engaging, surprising, highly entertaining. It is also a microcosm of the millions of immigrants who came to this country at the turn of the last century. Never have the huddled masses been more tired or poor than the Sicilian brothers who manage to get on a boat that will take them to America, the land of milk and giant vegetables. The hoops ... more >