Anti

ANTICHRIST-2009-This is more pretentious, self indulging nonsense from Lars Von Trier. You can tell right away by the “prologue” where a couple (Wilhem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) have sex in slow motion while opera plays. While this is going on their infant son gets out of his crib and falls out a window to his death. The rest of the story (done in chapters) follows the couple as they try and come to grips with their loss. They go to a secluded cabin the the woods but things don't get any better. 

 As usual Von Trier gets actors to embarrass themselves by saying and doing stupid things, exposing their bodies and generally acting idiotic to satisfy his own warped ego mainly fueled by critics who heap inexhaustible praise on this kind of garbage. 

Von Trier doesn't need a movie camera he needs a psychiatrist. There is a dedication to Andrei Tarkovsky at the end.

Thanks for reading!

Out of My Element

THE ELEMENT OF CRIME- (FORBRYDELSE ELEMENT)-1984- This was Lars Von Trier’s first film in English. I’m not much of a fan of his so for me he shouldn’t have bothered.

This pretentious, phony noir thriller features Michael Elphick as Fisher, a washed up police detective returning to Europe after spending 12 years in Cairo. He meets his old mentor (Shakespearean actor Esmond Knight, who died in ’87) author of the book “The Element of Crime”. He asks Fisher to investigate the murders of some lottery-selling children. From a police report Fisher traces the movements of the killer, one Harry Grey. Along the way he meets a prostitute (Me Me Lai from EATEN ALIVE BY CANNIBALS) who may not be all she appears to be (despite a full frontal nude scene….). Fisher actually narrates it all to a psychiatrist while under hypnosis. Dark, talky and self important, all the ingredients to make this a pseudo-arty cult hit!

Mr. Dogma himself (who also co-wrote this) went on to make THE KINGDOM 1 & 2 and the Cannes hit DANCER IN THE DARK (with singer Bjork) and other nonsense. Star Elphick was a popular British TV (“Boon”) and movie star who died in 2002 at age 55.