The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

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Peter-H
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#26 Post by Peter-H » Fri Apr 27, 2018 2:19 pm

I for one am very excited for this movie. Von Trier says it's his most brutal yet and it has an intriguing premise, so even if it's not good it'll be quite a spectacle and will generate a lot of discussion. I often enjoy the discussion about Von Trier's movies more than the movies themselves.


Peter-H
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#27 Post by Peter-H » Tue May 01, 2018 9:23 pm

The film was reportedly kept out of competition because of its controversial content
However, the festival programmed von Trier’s movie out of competition, sidestepping the potential controversy that would face a jury forced to consider the movie for the festival’s top prize.
In an email to IndieWire, Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux said the decision to put von Trier out of competition was tied to its content. “His film is out of competition because it is such a singular object, a subject so controversial, that this was his best place,” Fremaux wrote. “And whether we like it or not, we are dealing with a great film and a great filmmaker.”
Last edited by Peter-H on Tue May 01, 2018 9:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Big Ben
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#28 Post by Big Ben » Tue May 01, 2018 9:24 pm

The fact the the jury is comprised mainly of women who would absolutely not tolerate any of von Trier's shit makes me believe that that's absolutely the reason.

Peter-H
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#29 Post by Peter-H » Tue May 01, 2018 9:34 pm

But couldn't they just let it compete and not win anything? Is it that they didn't want to subject the women jurors to the movie or something?

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Big Ben
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#30 Post by Big Ben » Tue May 01, 2018 9:47 pm

I don't know how things work at Cannes specifically but if the film really is that bad I don't think it not being in competition will save it from any matter of scrutiny so reducing it's visibility is probably wise. Who knows though? Perhaps this is the "woke" serial killer drama from Lars von Trier we've all been waiting for!

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tenia
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#31 Post by tenia » Wed May 02, 2018 1:47 am

Fremaux explains it very well : they wanted to have von Trier somewhere, still. So despite the content, they managed to put it there, but out of reach of the jury.
It certainly wont indeed prevent the movie being scrutinized, but at least it wont offend the women in the jury.
It really feels like a trick more than anything, as if they couldnt pass on their von Trier fix.

Zot!
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#32 Post by Zot! » Wed May 02, 2018 4:00 am

I assume it's a lot of fuss about nothing. Cannes is first and foremost a film market, with the competition being a fun circus. I have trouble believing that had Irréversible in the main competition is going to shy away from "difficult themes" for ladies. Either that or Lars has truly outdone himself.....or the French have gone soft.

Speaking of Lars...he looks absolutely woeful in this recent video. I know he has struggled with substance abuse, but it looks like he's aged 20 years and shaking with delirium tremens....not to mention his conciliatory tone is concerning. Hope he's doing ok.

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tenia
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#33 Post by tenia » Wed May 02, 2018 4:56 am

The only things I heard about the movie (from a friend who's covering the festival) is that the von Trier is OOC because of "its ultra violence and misogyny".
I also suspect that people aren't as receptive to some difficult themes "for the ladies" now that they were 15 years ago.

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mfunk9786
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#34 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed May 02, 2018 2:00 pm

tenia wrote:OOC
?

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swo17
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#35 Post by swo17 » Wed May 02, 2018 2:00 pm

Out of competition

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mfunk9786
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#36 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed May 02, 2018 2:02 pm

Duh. Oops.

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Big Ben
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#37 Post by Big Ben » Wed May 02, 2018 2:40 pm

Regardless of how difficult it is I have no doubt we'll be spared details regarding whatever he's made. I cannot fathom how Lars could have possibly topped certain things from Antichrist but he's absolutely the kind of person who would attempt to top himself for the simple fact that he's that kind of person. Surely though a serial killer drama with Matt Dillon and Uma Thurman couldn't possibly be worse than the literal ball buster that was Antichrist?

Wondering if I'll have to eat crow because of this. Oh God how bad could it be?

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Omensetter
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#38 Post by Omensetter » Wed May 02, 2018 5:12 pm

It's probably OOC because they wanted to program something else in Competition.

It's not a testament to its quality (Fremaux seems to like it) and the five women jurors can (more than likely) handle a fictional film.

That we're talking about it seems evidence enough of a wise programming move on Fremaux's part. He already built hype for it with his comments, and Serebrennikov, Dvortsevoy, et. al can have their moment.


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FrauBlucher
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#40 Post by FrauBlucher » Mon May 07, 2018 7:33 pm

I see that IFC has picked up distribution. I guess it'll be a Criterion release if they want it.

Peter-H
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#41 Post by Peter-H » Sat May 12, 2018 5:12 pm

More buzz
From The Idiots to Nymphomaniac, no other filmmaker working today can outrage and convulse an audience as thoroughly as von Trier – and the buzz around his 14th film, a serial-killer bildungsroman called The House That Jack Built, suggests it will be gut-wrenchingly on-brand. Premiering at Cannes on Monday night, and described to me by two people with knowledge of the project as “an obscenity” and “staggeringly misogynistic”

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Lost Highway
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#42 Post by Lost Highway » Sun May 13, 2018 3:20 am

Peter-H wrote:More buzz
From The Idiots to Nymphomaniac, no other filmmaker working today can outrage and convulse an audience as thoroughly as von Trier – and the buzz around his 14th film, a serial-killer bildungsroman called The House That Jack Built, suggests it will be gut-wrenchingly on-brand. Premiering at Cannes on Monday night, and described to me by two people with knowledge of the project as “an obscenity” and “staggeringly misogynistic”
Nothing new there then. Sums up why I can’t take most of his work seriosly and why I find his as films tiresome as an attention seeking toddler. The only thing Von Trier did which I genuinely love is Riget/The Kingdom.

Zot!
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#43 Post by Zot! » Sun May 13, 2018 6:27 am

Funny that you are able to take Riget seriously, when its a total farce, as well as pushing the same obscene buttons as usual. I would think the only film of his that doesn't manipulate its audience is Boss of it All.

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Lost Highway
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#44 Post by Lost Highway » Sun May 13, 2018 7:33 am

Zot! wrote:Funny that you are able to take Riget seriously, when its a total farce, as well as pushing the same obscene buttons as usual. I would think the only film of his that doesn't manipulate its audience is Boss of it All.
That’s exactly why, Riget is meant to be an absurdist comedy (but it also genuinely works as horror for me, unlike Antichrist for instance). Many of his films others find profound or moving like Breaking the Waves, Melancholia and Dancer in the Dark I found unintentionally funny (though I’m sure someone will tell me they are meant to be that way.)

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Randall Maysin
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#45 Post by Randall Maysin » Sun May 13, 2018 10:11 am

I sort of like Von Trier, he has some usefulness I guess and Europa and Dogville are fun. But I will never, ever understand what people see in Breaking the Waves. He forgoes his usual flamboyance in that one and for me this just serves to reveal how crude, stunted and barren his writing, or at least dialogue, is. The screenplay, and the 'social observation', LOL, or whatever it is he was trying to do, is just a fucking joke, so crude and empty. And the doctor's line at the end,
SpoilerShow
'She died of...being good'
, may be one of the worst lines I've ever heard.

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Lost Highway
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#46 Post by Lost Highway » Sun May 13, 2018 10:32 am

I always kind of root for Von Trier. Nazi jokes or not, I find him engaging and funny in interviews and I find what he says about his films more interesting than the films itself. I nearly always go see his work (Nymphomaniac defeated me) and hope to like one but I always find the ideas trite and even visuallly they are hit and miss. Loved the forest imagery in Antichrist for instance but rolled my eyes at the b&w slomo kiddie death vs fucking parents.

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bainbridgezu
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#47 Post by bainbridgezu » Mon May 14, 2018 9:11 am

Trailer
Not exactly what was I was expecting, but an even better surprise. While this will surely be a hard watch, it somehow looks less grim than anticipated. Von Trier is juggling tone like a restaurant's worth of plates and looks to be on fire here.

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Lost Highway
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#48 Post by Lost Highway » Mon May 14, 2018 9:19 am

Looks more like a black comedy and actually promising. Will I have to eat my words on Gaspar Noé’s and Lars Von Trier‘s new films ?

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bainbridgezu
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#49 Post by bainbridgezu » Mon May 14, 2018 9:29 am

The Noé looks really great as well, and I'm not often receptive to his work. A24 just picked it up for US distribution (IFC has the von Trier), giving me some hope I might be able to see it in a theatre. Hopefully an experience on par with the screening of Neon Demon I attended, where one of only three other patrons fled around the halfway point after springing to his feet and crying, with an imperiled angst I can't fully convey, "Why is it so goddamn hot in here? Does it have to be so loud?"

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mfunk9786
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Re: The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)

#50 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon May 14, 2018 10:48 am

Not sure what it is about von Trier's work that makes me assume that somehow the new one is going to somehow look less photographically ornate or stunning than the others, I'm always proven wrong. Somehow the cast list here made me wonder if perhaps he was going for something a little more gritty or seat-of-his-pants, but the trailer looks gorgeous. Not entirely sure about the plot, as he seems to be falling back on the structure of Nymphomaniac a little by the looks of it, and absolutely everything that has ever been worth saying about serial killers has already been said in popular media twice over. But goddamn if I don't want to see that ASAP.

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