Lars Von Trier

Code Unknown is itself about figuring out behavior, trying to deduce and comprehend the meaning behind individual actions and expressions, to solve a cryptic code of conduct and human interaction

On Halloween, the tradition is to indulge in films replete with monsters, zombies, and creatures that go bump in the night. But those types of films don’t always provide the psychological terror cineastes may be craving. International and alternative cinema has always been willing to tread where conventional genre cinema dares not be it in …

All movies have rules, even parodies… especially parodies. Ranging from the virgin being saved in a horror film to the black person usually being killed first in the same genre, movies have limitations and constructs that they all must abide by. Accordingly, film enthusiasts around the world have seen enough movies to create lists of …

In this new golden age of television that we are currently living in, the television industry is poaching some of cinema’s greatest minds more than ever to create their own long form stories after being restricted to the hour and a half to maximum four hours that film allows. The gap is getting increasingly small …

30. Conspirators of Pleasure (1996) Directed by: Jan Švankmajer We’ve already seen two films from Jan Švankmajeron the list, but this elaborate movie about a number of separate, but connected people takes the cake. Conspirators of Pleasure follows six people, each with their own incredibly unsettling fetish. A letter carrier ingests dough balls every night before …

Lars Von Trier is returning to television for the first time in two decades with The House That Jack Built.  The Hollywood Reporter details the announcement from Von Trier’s producer Louise Vesth from the Venice Film Festival. Other than the title, there are no other details at this time other than the show will be …

“This remarkably affecting film is a powerful work that delves deeply into often unspoken and unconventional recesses of faith and love. Its themes are profound, its performances staggering throughout, and its visual palette and filmic technique are replete with saturated hues, vigorous camera work, and an unabashed intimacy.”

Nymphomaniac Written and directed by Lars von Trier Denmark, Belgium, France, and Germany, 2014 Lars von Trier will never change, nor should he.  Being a showman at heart, his career and image have been referred to as both serious and preposterous, and his latest work, Nymphomaniac, will not settle the debate, as it embodies the …

Gerontophilia, or the sexual preference for the elderly, is the eponymous subject of the new film by Bruce LaBruce, iconoclastic Canadian director of subversive narrative porn such as The Raspberry Reich and Hustler White, among others. Given what goes on in other LaBruce films, amputee sex, “terrorist chic” sex, zombie sex, etc., the subject matter of his newest didn’t necessarily alarm the way it would for nearly other living filmmaker, Lars von Trier being a potential exception.

Halley Directed by Sebastian Hofmann Mexico, 2012 Flies in a jar, basking in filth: grimy, unclean, and uncaring for the dirt – clamouring for it, even. The scurrying bugs constitute natural life at its base level, most negligent and sickly. Their movements form the opening and closing shots of Halley, forming an opening statement that …

E. B. White once wrote, “Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.” Analyzing trilogies seems to the same. The entire point is to enjoy them. Still, given the many sins to be found in film, there are worse things than movie trilogies but few have …

Melting Away Written and directed by Doron Eran Israel, 2011 It’s rare to see something you’ve never seen before, and even rarer to see something that you categorically have. Doron Eran’s Melting Away, a story about a family rocked by cancer and transexualism, falls into the class of the latter. Schmaltzy, saccharine, and emotionally manipulative, …

Though time will only tell if Baz Luhrmann is the right filmmaker to tackle The Great Gatsby, I remain a skeptic. The material may suggest a certain grandiosity that Luhrmann has proved to be able to bring to life but the story remains fundamentally simple and down to earth. The novel is highly critical of …

Melancholia Directed by Lars Von Trier Written by Lars Von Trier Denmark, 2011 A wedding, a sister and an apocalypse: These are the essential narrative pieces of Lars Von Trier’s newest film Melancholia. The film combines a high level psychological-surrealism and Dogme-esque hand-held cinematography as means of creating a very funny, misanthropic portrait of the …

Melancholia Written and directed by Lars Von Trier 2011, Denmark Let it be known that I have never been a huge fan of Lars Von Trier. Sure, I can recognize the talent that he has and his utilization of it when making films, though it may or may not bring him a certain amount of …

Melancholia Directed by Lars Von Trier Written by Lars Von Trier 2011, Denmark Melancholia refers to a planet hidden behind the sun that is on a direct course for Earth, along with the crippling state of mentally ill Justine (Kirsten Dunst), whose case is so severe that she destroys her relationship with her groom during …

Dogville represents a controversial and compelling entry in arthouse cinema of the 21st century. A response to Trier’s work in the Dogma 95 movement, Dogville attempts to invoke the mystery and essence of cinema. Narrative filmmakers often rely on techniques that break the fourth wall to create an awareness of the cinematic process. Pacing often …

The above photo perfectly sums up my reaction to Lars Von Trier’s latest outlandish remark.  You have Charlotte Gainsbourg looking bemused while Kirsten Dunst can’t believe what she’s just heard.  The man who proclaimed himself to be “the best filmmaker in the world” two years ago at Cannes has said something even more outlandish and …

Every year in January or February I put together a predicted list of my favourite films of the year. Not only am I usually completely wrong, but about half of my predicted picks never even see a release. It is, nonetheless, a fun little project and is a good exercise in getting a sense of …

“Lars von Trier has unleashed his most audacious creation to date…” Antichrist Directed by Lars von Trier Written by Lars von Trier Denmark, Germany Plunging headfirst into a realm of depraved evil, leaving behind him any and all polite norms of filmmaking (mainstream, independent or otherwise), Lars von Trier has unleashed his most audacious creation …

Lars Von Trier, the director of Melancholia, has released more information about the movie. The known aspects of the plot are as follows: The story revolves around two sisters (Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg), one of will marry Alexander Skarsgard. Other members of the cast include Stellan Skarsgard, John Hurt and Kieefer Sutherland. Originally, Trier …

According to The Playlist, various sources from the European media are reporting that Lars Von Trier told Danish television that Penelope Cruz will take the lead in his psychological disaster film, Melancholia. Shooting will reportedly take place in Sweden and Germany on a $5 million dollar budget with the ultimate goal to premiere the film …

49- District 9 (2009) Directed by Neill Blomkamp Genre: Sci-fi District 9 is an allegory for our time, bursting with contemporary themes such as oppression, greed, power and propaganda and while the metaphor itself is pretty clear, Blomkamp goes for the visceral quality of the images and situations proving that sci-fi thrillers don’t have to …