Episode 1252: Melancholia

Bought a bunch of pamphlets today from the Salt Modern Voices series, as well as John McCullough's The Frost Fairs. I've heard particularly good things about the latter, and I was feeling mildly guilty that we're Facebook friends but I've yet to read his collection. Let's hope The Book Depository doesn't screw this order up! I went to see Melancholia at the WSC after service, and I wouldn't say the film was a complete waste of time. I'm glad that critical consensus about the film hasn't consisted of unadulterated praise, since I thought that the film, while undeniably a gorgeous work of art, is not without its flaws. Like the tedium of the first part, when the wedding party seemed to drag on forever, so that by the time I got to the second part of the film, I kind of just wanted it to all be over already. The camera work also really annoyed me because of how shots kept going in and out of focus, but hey, Lars von Trier has the right to shoot his films how he wants, just like I have the right to complain about it. What I found most intriguing about Melancholia on the whole was the casting, to be honest. Charlotte Gainsbourg didn't surprise me, since she was in his previous film Antichrist. I did like father-and-son duo Stellan and Alexander Skarsgård being in the film, but who truly surprised me was Kirsten Dunst. I can completely see why she received the Best Actress Award for this at Cannes, since for someone who quite possibly is still better known for her role in the Spider-Man trilogy, Melancholia feels like a really meaty role in comparison. Of course, she's played critically acclaimed roles in the past, like in The Virgin Suicides. Can't believe she's only 29! I was also mildly puzzled to find Kiefer Sutherland in this film. I've never seen 24, although I did enjoy the pilot of his new show Touch, but it was just weird seeing someone who's been associated with a TV role for a decade playing someone entirely different in a film.