Nymphomaniac Vol. I & II (Lars von Trier, 2013)

6.5/10
Nymphomaniac is less a coherent film and more a lengthy therapy session by and for its creator, Lars von Trier, as he tries, as he did in Antichrist, to pin down and figure out the fairer sex. In a 4+ hour movie, this goes in a lot of directions. Sometimes the experiences of the central female Joe are funny, sometimes erotic, sometimes hideous, sometimes silly, sometimes mundane, and everything else in between. What's disappointing about Nymphomaniac is that it's essentially what it promises on the tin - when I imagined a long movie by this title from this director starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, it wasn't worlds away from what I ended up getting. Both of von Trier's last two movies, Antichrist and Melancholia, were extremely unique. Nymphomaniac feels considerably less so, to the point of even quoting a scene from Antichrist directly.
In the end I feel like this was more of an "exploration" of female sexuality and addiction than any kind of real definitive statement. You get some glimpses of von Trier's honest opinions (male/female double standards) but it's clear he's also just as happy to be the provocateur (its main character's unsettling sympathy towards pedophiles, a misanthropic but painfully predictable ending). I thought the movie had an interesting, kind of built-in "anti-reflex" to any accusations of misogyny, as to accuse the film and the actions and desires of its female lead of being misogynyst, would, in fact, be misogynyst in itself. If it were a man as the lead instead, no one would accuse it of being misandrist. So why should the reverse be true? So I did enjoy that aspect, and that kind of way it made, I think, an empowering point about women.
I'm modestly curious about the unedited version that's supposed to be released later, but I probably won't rush to see it. If these two pared down parts are messy and scattershot, the long version is probably even more so.

Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011)

8/10
Lars von Trier destroyed genders via grief in his last movie, now he's doing away with the world altogether, this time via depression. He has a remarkable knack for portraying those emotions (and for coaxing great performances out of women in particular), as well as cataclysmic endings. As far as Melancholia goes, I enjoyed part 1 a bit more than part 2 (where it dragged a bit) but it was definitely enjoyable, even if I wasn't personally emotionally invested like I wish I was.

Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003)

9/10
I really didn't know anything about Dogville going in except that it starred Nicole Kidman as a woman on the run in a town called Dogville...so I was quite startled by the way the movie is presented, which is on a large soundstage with buildings, scenery, even the town dog outlined in paint (see here). At first I thought it was a bit gimmicky but by the end I thought it was brilliant, as was the story, which surely has to be the pinnacle of Lars von Trier's writing abilities. And the acting is fantastic all around, because it has to be - there's not much else on the screen to look at if you're not looking at the actors. The movie itself has to be one of the harshest takes on "Americana" as there ever has been, and the end credits featuring David Bowie's "Young Americans", while as subtle as a sledgehammer, work perfectly.

The Five Obstructions (Jorgen Leth & Lars von Trier, 2003)

7.5/10
Interesting semi-documentary featuring the filmmakers Lars von Trier and Jorgen Leth. Von Trier challenges Leth to remake his 1967 film The Perfect Human five times, each time with Von Trier providing a different set of obstacles. For example, the first obstruction says that the movie must be made in Cuba, with no shot longer than 12 frames. Another obstruction says that the movie must be entirely animated. It's very interesting to see Leth respond to each of his challenges (and he does, with gusto) and to see Von Trier, ego in high gear, attempting to "defeat" (althoug he would call it aiding) Leth. Lots of fun.

Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009)

7/10
Kind of ironic that on a day like Thanksgiving (in Canadaland) when every other channel has some kind of family movie on, the FNC decided to show Lars Von Trier's Antichrist at 1 in the afternoon. I dig it.
The movie ended about 8 hours ago and it hasn't been far from my thoughts since. I still don't know what to make of it, and my rating has changed wildly until I settled on a tentative 7 that could still go up or down depending on my mood. There are a lot of things to like and a lot of things to hate, and that's not even counting the graphic scenes of genital mutilation. On a whole, the movie seems to be spread thin, with LVT make half-hearted arguments and statements that you're not sure he ever believes and which dissipate as quickly as they're introduced. There is a heavy air of misogyny throughout and Von Trier seems content to approve and condemn it almost from scene to scene. But the acting is spectacular and the story is so gripping it almost seems not to matter...or it makes the discrepancies easier to overlook.
I still don't know what to think, honestly. It's definitely one of the most affecting movies I've ever seen...I felt like I was in a daze for hours after it was over. The opening sequence is one of the most tragic, compelling, arresting, best-shot pieces of cinema I've ever seen in my life and I'd contend it's worth the price of admission alone.