Adventures on the Internet

An entertaining comedy from the ever-inventive Lars von Trier.
Ravn is owner/manager of a Danish IT company, but has been hiding behind a fictitious company president (Svend, aka The Boss of it All) who carries the can for all the unpopular decisions that have to be made. When Ravn decides to sell the company to Finnur, a volatile Icelander who insists on dealing only with the company president, Ravn hires an actor to take on the role of Svend for a day.
Although Svend assigns power of attorney to Ravn to complete the deal, Finnur declares in accordance with ancient Icelandic writings, that to deal with someone holding power of attorney is to deal with a nobody, so Svend must maintain the pretence for a few more days.
Before concluding the sale, Svend gets to meet the staff, who hold diverse views of their new boss as a result of emails sent by Ravn on his behalf over the past years. Thus Svend finds he has to deal with the consequences of a marriage proposal made to a subordinate, disputing with another the humidity of the autumn season (a surprisingly contentious topic), and portraying himself as gay to another.

The pretence of being Boss of it All inevitably begins to show signs of strain, and eventually unravels in the final meeting with Finnur, who upon discovering Ravn's deception (and the consequent worthless power of attorney conferred by Svend) manages to dredge up another ancient Icelandic writing which advises that dealing with someone who does not hold power of attorney is to deal with a nobody. Hence Svend is left to make the final decision regarding the sale of the company.

Something for everyone. Essential viewing.

In this allegorical tale, Clint Eastwood tackles the subjects of religion and law and order in 19th century USA with his customary panache. Directing himself, Eastwood is cast as a mysterious preacher who rides into a remote community of gold-panners under threat of eviction from their claims by gangsters in the nearby town.
Eastwood's preacher practises a muscular form of christianity, which leads him into several armed skirmishes with the hoodlums and an exquisitely staged final shoot-out with hired lawman Marshall Stockburn and his deputies, which will determine the fate of his adopted congregation.
Throughout the film Eastwood weighs the question of whether resisting violence with force can be justified, and conducts a subtle exploration of the dangers inherent in exercising such choice.

A multifaceted masterpiece.

The release of this restored print of Bertolucci's 1969 classic is an opportunity to luxuriate in two hours of some of the very finest European cinema.
Based on Moravia's novel of the same name, the film is set in 1930s Italy, and revolves around Marcello, traumatised by childhood abuse and latterly beset by a drug-addicted mother and an insane father.
Marcello's desire to conform to the norms of contemporary society leads him into an ill-judged marriage, and to join the political police force, where he volunteers for a mission to assassinate his former professor, now an anti-fascist dissident living in Paris.
Beautifully shot by Vittorio Storaro, the use of colour and location is both symbolic and a visual delight, and Georges Delerue's bold musical score further enhances the enjoyment.

Faultless. Essential viewing.