Comments on: Benny’s Video

By: Matt Gamble

Matt Gamble — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:46:16 +0000

Herzog wouldn’t be a bad choice either. He’d probably be in my top 5.

I think it says you’re an easy mark.

No, it wasn’t directed at either you or Luke (who I agree with on both Funny Games and The Strangers). Both were directed at people who responded in the comments. I’m not always very good at making that clear. My bad.

BTW, I think you and Luke make a very nice team over there. You disagree just enough to keep it interesting.

By: Evan Derrick

Evan Derrick — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:46:23 +0000

Hmmm… “best director working today”? Strong words, my friend, strong words. I will give you that he’s immensely talented. If I had to pick a “best director” I’d go with Herzog instead, or perhaps Aronofsky, although he doesn’t have much of a track record so far.

Well, perhaps I’ll just take a significant break. Funny Games left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. You are right that if you don’t realize it’s a trial going in, you’re likely to be angry. I did realize it was a trial going in and I was still angry. That might say more about me than it does about him, however.

For what it’s worth, I think your comment on The Strangers over at MZ was directed at myself, but I didn’t write that review. Luke, my colleague, did, and he actually liked Funny Games.

By: Matt Gamble

Matt Gamble — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:34:15 +0000

I love Funny Games, both the original and the remake. But for people going in that don’t realize Haneke plans to put you on trial, it can be infuriating. It’s not a movie that I can sit and simply enjoy watching though, as it is more of a film that you show to others and watch their reactions. It certainly paid of handsomely when I saw it in the theater. What started out as an audience laughing and mocking the film slowly but surely turned to eerie silence by the end of the film.

Benny’s Video is a slightly different monster, as it broaches the same subject of film watchers becoming detached from reality, it certainly doesn’t assault them like Funny Games does. Plus it throws in several other characters that are equally as terrible as Benny, and they all are firmly rooted in reality. I really hope you don’t stay away from Haneke for too long, as I strongly believe he might well be the best director working today.

And my girlfriend is probably my most frequent reader, though she rarely if ever comments. Something about “Not wanting to encourage my delusions of grandeur.” or something or other.

By: Evan Derrick

Evan Derrick — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:51:46 +0000

I think my tolerance of Haneke ended after I watched the recent Funny Games remake. I had seen Cache and loved it against my better judgement, but I found Funny Games infuriating. Not because of the content or subject matter or even the way in which he chose to present it, but the blatant contempt he displayed for his audience. Haneke said he wanted to “rape viewers” with the film (although what he hopes their reaction will be is unclear), and that casual disregard for his audience carried through loud and brazenly clear in the film. I wasn’t pissed at the film or at violence or at torture porn - I was pissed at him.

So even though I love Ulrich Muhe, and even though some part of me wants to see this, I think I’m swearing off Haneke for a long, long time. We carried on an extended debate over Funny Games at my site, and I think I’ve had all I can stomach.

Regardless, nice work here. Does your girlfriend read your blog with any kind of regularity?