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Oscar Nominations Snub: ‘Enter the Void’
By DJ Pangburn Tuesday, January 25, 2011
As detailed in our 2010 review, Gaspar Noe’s surreal death odyssey was one of the best films of 2010—and a prime Oscar nominations snub.
This was to be expected. Gaspar Noe is far too into transgression for the Academy. The closest they’ve come to acknowledging a transgressive filmmaker this year is in the nominations of David Fincher and Darren Aronofsky.
But, by my estimation, Noe’s “Enter the Void” surpasses both Fincher and Aronosky’s efforts in ambition, look, concept and sound design. ”The Social Network” may capture the zeitgeist and “Black Swan” may capture… well, I’m not sure what it captures exactly, but “Enter the Void” takes on the subjects of death and reincarnation and does so through the related mechanisms of psychedelics and the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Both lead to ego death. This is heady material, especially as rendered by Noe’s floating camera, day-glo colors, CGI fractals, special effects and various ambient soundscapes.
And while I respect Fincher and Aronofsky and would probably elevate them both above Noe as more complete filmmakers at this point, the fact of the matter is Fincher made a movie about Facebook and Aronofsky made a movie about a ballet dancer. Yes, “Social Network” is more than a film about Facebook’s creation, and “Black Swan” treats the ballet with a vibe not dissimilar from Dostoyevsky’s “The Double” with a bit of Polanski thrown in; but neither film cuts to the core existentially. Not in the way “Enter the Void” does for 137 minutes.
Both Fincher and Aronosfky have been compared to Kubrick in their style, approach and demands when it comes to the craft. Only Noe approached the heights of Kubrick in 2010. More than that, he echoed some of the cinematic elements that made Andrei Tarkvosky so great.
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Mallard wrote:[youtube]<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/t2yoOlicmww" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/youtube]
bah, not very good at the embed thing, but thats a trailer for Darius Goes West
Mallard, you just take the address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2yoOlicmww
and put just the part after the v= inside of a youtube wrapper, like this:
[youtube]t2yoOlicmww[/youtube]
Nordic wrote:Actually I believe Affleck directed a movie before "The Town". Maybe they wanted people to forget about that, although I heard it wasn't bad.
Yeah, "Mystic River" is pretty damn good, and is one reason why I was so disgruntled with "Shutter Island" because I believe it was the same writer, a guy who I've always admired quite a bit. He wrote a short story once that I read in Harper's (I think it was Harper's) that blew me away, and was the first time I'd ever heard of him. He writes DARK stuff, just almost unbearably dark stuff.
stillrobertpaulsen wrote:
That would be Gone Baby Gone. Affleck's directorial debut was based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River. I loved both movies. Mystic River got the Oscar noms but I would definitely put Gone Baby Gone in my top 5 list for 2007. Not sure how to insert video IDs from youtube, but here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f99Ep0koG84
stillrobertpaulsen, you just take the address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f99Ep0koG84
and put just the part after the v= inside of a youtube wrapper, like this:
[youtube]f99Ep0koG84[/youtube]
Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
Stunning film of the staged kidnapping of a child by a demented medium and her cuckolded, guilt-ridden husband. Beautifully photographed in b&W, the film has a grey, somber feel to it that illustrates the emptiness of the childless couple's lives. The plan is to kidnap the child then stage a seance to help "find" the child to further enhance the medium's reputation and career. The husband trembles with fright and guilt while the medium is convinced that this is the "answer". She is "guided" by Arthur---her "spirit" guide---that is actually the child they lost at birth as stillborn. ASTOUNDING performances by stage actress Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough as the couple carry this film brilliantly to it's gripping conclusion. The subject matter is sensitive (especially today) but the film is a powerful masterwork of mood and psychological character study. I strongly recommend this for true cinema explorers. The DVD transfer is nice and crisp and the sound is clear. It's not for everyone---especially sensitive types---but it's still a must see for those who like engrossing and fascinating films that just don't come along that often. Filmed in 1964, it's as fresh and riveting now as it MUST have been back then. A true classic.
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