We thought French authorities were overreacting a tad when they decided to pursue criminal charges against Lars von Trier, who apparently violated a law that prohibits justifying war crimes when he acknowledged that he identified with Hitler at the Cannes Film Festival back in May. Now, thankfully, those same authorities agree. “In my clear opinion von Trier should not be prosecuted,” Grasse public prosecutor Jean-Michel Cailleau told a Danish paper. The case has reportedly been closed, and the filmmaker is no longer at risk of serving a five-year prison sentence. For Melancholia fans like us, who can’t imagine waiting half a decade for von Trier’s next masterpiece, this is good news indeed. Now, if only we could get him to start giving interviews again. [via TheWrap]

Lars von Trier is a great filmmaker, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy you’d much like to hang out and have a drink with. Aside from all that Nazi stuff, his films tend to traffic in the grimmest possible subject matter: he’s tackled rape, slavery, the death penalty, paralysis, and genital mutilation, so it somehow seems logical that his latest picture, Melancholia (on demand now, in theaters Friday) is about nothing less than the end of the world.

Apocalypses are a popular topic for filmmakers — though most are more interested in the narrative possibilities of the post-apocalyptic world than the event itself. Melancholia distinguishes itself by being something of a pre-apocalyptic picture, delving into the anxiety and fear of those who are awaiting the earth’s possible collision with a foreign object (timely!). After the jump, we’ll take a look back at a few of our favorite cinematic apocalypses. Read More »

Hollywood wouldn’t be the obsessive, all-conquering dream factory that it is if people weren’t fascinated with the on-screen and off-screen antics of their favorite stars. But for many cineastes, the same preoccupation extends to their favorite directors, who occasionally wield unorthodox techniques to craft their cinematic masterpieces. Some of these fascinating filmmakers are merely eccentric, while others seem to be toeing the fine line between genius and insanity. Regardless, the filmic fusion of their quirks, phobias, chutzpah, and bizarre stunts combined have helped to shape some cinema’s most memorable works. Here’s our dossier of famed filmmakers and their weird ways that proves sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Who would you add to the list?

Read More »

It was over four months ago that incendiary filmmaker Lars von Trier made a few very stupid comments at the Cannes Film Festival about identifying with Hitler. Although he apologized profusely and clarified that what he meant wasn’t nearly as offensive as what he said, we decided it was time to forgive him. But many disagreed. At the time, Cannes banned him from the festival — now, it turns out the scrutiny didn’t end there. The Associated Press reports that von Trier is currently facing charges of justifying war crimes, which is illegal in France — meaning that he could actually serve time for his controversial remarks. The director has said in a statement that Danish police questioned him earlier today in relation to the French case. Von Trier also announced that the fallout from his comments have made him realize that “I do not possess the skills to express myself unequivocally,” and as of now, he’ll no longer be speaking to the press.

Welcome to “Trailer Park,” our regular Friday feature where we collect the week’s new trailers all in one place and do a little “judging a book by its cover,” ranking them from worst to best and taking our best guess at what they may be hiding. This week, we’ve got seven new chunks of varyingly interesting fall fare; check ‘em all out after the jump.

Read More »

Today at Flavorpill, we transported back in time thanks to a few of the titles on BuzzFeed’s list of 35 VHS tapes that your parents wouldn’t let you rent when you were a kid. We watched alternative opening credits for some of our favorite TV shows. We felt sorry for Bjork’s TV — to be taken apart under such scrutiny! We surprised by some of the names in Mental Floss’s roundup of five artists reportedly held at gunpoint by Phil Spector. We couldn’t wait to print out this Ron Swanson paper doll and dress it up in outfits. We imagined that if MTV was having a 30th birthday party, then Justin Vernon would not be getting an invite. We hoped to spot iPad head girl walking the streets of New York City. We read some competing accounts of who invented the high five. We wished Herman Melville a happy birthday. And finally, we felt like Lars Von Trier’s latest project — which is about “the erotic life of a woman from the age of zero to the age of 50″ — has to be some kind of self parody. Right?

Lars von Trier has always been a polarizing director, but until recently, most of the controversy has been over his perceived misogyny. And while feminists and film buffs have been fighting over von Trier’s treatment of women for a few decades now, it only took one interview in which the filmmaker professed to identify with Hitler to get him banned from Cannes.

Despite my ambivalence about his female characters, I’ve always been a fan of von Trier’s. I think his films are challenging and shocking and sometimes brilliant. Even my least favorite of his movies are striving to express something (infallibly depressing) about the human condition. Von Trier may be misanthropic, but he’s no sociopath. So, when the news broke that the director had said he was a Nazi and understood Hitler, I knew there had to be more to the story.

Read More »

1. Thanks to raking in $90 million from her Monster Ball tour and an unparalleled social media presence, Lady Gaga has stolen Oprah’s number one spot on this year’s Forbes Celebrity 100 list. Rounding out the top five are Justin Bieber, U2, and Elton John. [via MTV]

2. So, according to The Huffington Post, Lars Von Trier’s not-hilarious-to-anyone-else Hitler comments actually got him kicked out of the Cannes Film Festival — although, it’s unclear if the ban is permanent. From the official statement: “The board of directors profoundly regrets that this forum has been used by Lars von Trier to express comments that are unacceptable, intolerable, and contrary to the ideals of humanity and generosity that preside over the very existence of the festival. The Board of Directors firmly condemns these comments and declares Lars von Trier a persona non grata at the Festival de Cannes, with effect immediately.”

3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, British comedienne Catherine Tate is producers’ first choice to replace Steve Carell on The Office. If you’re unfamiliar with her work on Doctor Who, you’ll get a chance to check her out in tonight’s season finale.

4. Last night Beyoncé debuted the post-apocalyptic video for “Run the World (Girls)” on American Idol; this morning, we get the kind of naked cover of her new album, 4, which is due out on June 28th. [via Vulture]

5. In case you were curious, Gawker has put together a possibly NSFW encyclopedia of every other awful thing Arnold Schwarzenegger has done.

Bonus link: 21 Pop Cultural Signs Of The Apocalypse

We haven’t seen either film yet, but ever since we heard that Lars von Trier’s Melancholia and Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life were both screening in competition at Cannes this year, we’ve assumed they’d be an epic match-up. Both are hotly anticipated, beautifully shot movies by world-class auteurs with polarizing histories, and it seemed like each would tackle ambitious, cosmic themes. Now, the lucky souls who got to see them have confirmed our suspicions: almost every review we’ve read of Melancholia (and so far they’re hard to find, considering they’ve been drowned out by the noise around von Trier’s publicity-courting “Nazi” comments) makes some mention of The Tree of Life. Critics are split on which they prefer, but the early verdict seems to be that fans of both directors — and moviegoers in general — have much to look forward to. Read what the critics have to say about Malick vs. von Trier after the jump.

Read More »

1. In case you’re curious as to what happens in Oprah’s second and third final shows, The Hollywood Reporter was part of the 20,000-person, celebrity-filled crowd at yesterday’s four-hour taping, and has a detailed record of the entire thing (which includes Aretha Franklin performing “Amazing Grace”!). The episodes will air on May 23rd and 24th.

2. Danish director Lars von Trier loves saying crazy things to journalists, especially when he’s at Cannes. Lucky for us, Vulture has rounded up the 10 most controversial things he said at the Melancholia press conference, which includes some rambling about being a Nazi and his sympathies for Hitler.

3. The Austin City Limits music festival has announced its 2011 lineup, and it includes headliners Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, Coldplay, and Kanye West. [via Pop Candy]

4. The Who’s Pete Townshend will release his long-awaited memoir Who He? — which he has been working on for 15 years now — in the fall of 2012. Regarding a 2003 child pornography incident, which was part of his “background research,” he now says: “I believe I was sexually abused between the age of five and six and a half when in the care of my maternal grandmother who was mentally ill at the time. Some of the things I have seen on the internet have informed my book.” [via NME]

5. So this bodes well: Michelle Williams will play Glinda the Good Witch in Sam Raimi’s Wizard of Oz prequel, Oz, the Great and Powerful. She joins a cast that already includes James Franco (The Wizard), Rachel Weisz (the Wicked Witch of the East), and Mila Kunis (The Wicked Witch of the West). [via Moveline]

Bonus link: Download Bon Iver’s 10 Best Cover Songs