Tag Archives: Lars von Trier

“My films are about ideals that clash with the world. Every time it’s a man in the lead, they have forgotten about the ideals. And every time it’s a woman in the lead, they take the ideals all the way.” — Lars von Trier

It’s his birthday today. So … happy (?) birthday to this provocative sometimes-maddening always-fascinating auteur. Question mark due to the doubt that “happy” has anything to do with the Danish film director, who has been poking the bear from the … Continue reading

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December 2018 Viewing Diary

Swimming with Men (2018; d. Oliver Parker) A rather slight little comedy about men forming a synchronized swimming team. I reviewed for Ebert. Zama (2018; d. Lucrecia Martel) One of the best films of the year (I saw it after … Continue reading

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March 2018 Viewing Diary

Supernatural, Season 13, episode 14 “Good Intentions” (2018; d. P.J. Pesce) Probably not a good sign that I can’t remember anything about this episode. Queer Eye (2018) My friend Mitchell has been raving about the new version of Queer Eye … Continue reading

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Lars von Trier’s Melancholia: Open Thread

It’s hard to “get into stuff” on Twitter, so I’m opening up a thread to discuss Lars von Trier’s Melancholia. I reviewed it when it first came out in 2011, and I also wrote the capsule review of it in … Continue reading

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Year in Review: Shooting My Mouth Off in 2014

I may write some magnum opus in the next two days, you never know, but here are links to some of the things I’ve written in 2014, here and elsewhere. I have worked hard to keep my site an eclectic … Continue reading

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My Favorite Films of 2014

My Top 10 (more in-depth commentary, and other writer’s choices over at Rogerebert.com): 1. Beyond the Lights, directed by Gina Prince-Blythewood. 2. Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater. Review here. 3. Closed Curtain, directed by Jafar Panahi. Review here. 4. Force … Continue reading

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Review: Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2014)

Part II of Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac. I loved Vol. I. Vol II is a bit more uneven, more conventional in many respects. I think a little Charlotte Gainsbourg (a very little) goes a long way, and Vol. II has … Continue reading

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Review: Nymphomaniac, Vol. I (2014)

The movie people have already been talking about for a straight year. I went in curious. The experience of the film is so much fun, something I was not expecting at all. I knew it would be provocative, disturbing, possibly … Continue reading

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Melancholy Manifest

I first saw this film at the NYFF in 2011, and have seen it 5 or 6 times since. It won’t let me go, and some of its images have actually been incorporated into my own psyche. I have felt … Continue reading

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NYFF 2011: Lars von Trier’s Melancholia

Originally published at Capital New York, for my coverage of the 2011 New York Film Festival From its magnificent opening, reminiscent of a high-concept couture spread in Vogue Italia, with excruciating slo-mo, and a parade of surrealistic tableaux, all to … Continue reading

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