Back in May, so much focus had been put on the stupid things that LvT said at Cannes - the seemingly anti-Semitic guffaws that the director meant as a silly joke that went way way awry, and got the Great Dane banned for life - that his new film, which incidentally took home the Best Actress award for Kirsten Dunst, had been lost in the mire of tabloid bullshit. Well, now here it is nearly a half a year later, and the director's eleventh feature, Melancholia, is finally getting its long-anticipated US release. As a member of the "misunderstood cinematic genius" camp that holds one side of the hill in the great divisive debate over the audacious auteur (the other side being held down by the "pretentious misogynistic asshole" camp), I am thrilled this quite stunning work of art is finally making its way to American soil (a place LvT has never stepped foot btw). When I saw it at this year's New York Festival, I was, as they say, blown away. It comes this close (picture of me holding my thumb and forefinger ever so close together) to being my choice for the best film of 2011 (sorry Lars, Mr. Malick edges you out) and will surely make many a top ten list come year's end - as well as I am sure, several worst lists. Anyway, I have already written pieces on my anticipation of the film, as well as my initial thoughts after the aforementioned NYFF screening, but now my actual review of said film is up and running over at The Cinematheque. Read it AND see the film, which will open this Friday in NY and LA, and subsequently widen its cinematic distribution swath over the next few months.
Not so coincidentally, my piece entitled "10 Best Lars von Trier Films" will be published soon over at Anomalous Material. Keep your eye out for it. And if you are still not convinced, just check out the three shots below. That Danish bastard sure can make a movie.
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