Thanks to Netflix Watch Instantly, a lot of us are getting to catch some movies that didn’t make it to our cineplexes the first time around. Last week I had the opportunity to watch Dogtooth, an independent film that had run the festival circuit with lots of word of mouth, but I never got to see it in my hometown.
The film has been officially nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign language film, and I must say that this is a very bold, unexpected choice for the normally stodgy academy voters. I have decided to refrain from actually reviewing Dogtooth, because I have no idea how to do so. It defies genre and logic, yet it is very interesting. Check it out, if you are so inclined.
This week I saw another film I had been hearing about for ages: Enter the Void. When I was at Fantastic Fest last fall, the single screening of this film sold out in mere moments. Following the screening, viewers were giddy, touting the film as a visual masterpiece that had to be seen on the big screen.
I, for one, am very glad that I didn’t see the film on the big screen. I had a great deal of concern over the strobe-light effects that were reported to be pervasive in the film. My fears were not unwarranted. In the comfort of my basement, I broke the film up into two viewings, which worked well for me. I am not sure that I could have sat through the entire running time in a theater.
For the uninitiated, Enter the Void is the latest film offering from controversial filmmaker Gaspar Noé. His 20o2 film Irreversible is considered one of the most disturbing movies ever made, thanks to a punishing and prolongated rape scene.
Enter the Void is already a cult classic, and deservedly so. Noé offers up one of the most innovative and visually compelling films you are likely to ever see. There is no doubt that the man is a mad genius of sorts. Based on technical merit alone, any cinephile worth their salt needs to watch this. It will be discussed for decades.
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