We have a sound guy down!

The Movie: Man Bites Dog, directed by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel and Benoît Poelvoorde
Recommendation: Me
Reason: A mockumentary about a serial killer? Sign me up!

First, a warning. If you have trouble watching horror movies, do not see Man Bites Dog. This is a brutal movie, not in terms of gore, but in terms of unflinching psychological wretchedness. It will hollow out your soul and wear you like an Edgar-suit. There is no merciful cutaway at the last minute. There's no comfortable cushion taking you away from the action. If you see the Criterion version of this film, brace yourself. If you can make it past the twisted psyche of the film, it has a lot of interesting things to say about people, murder, death and the media.

The act of viewing something changes that which is viewed. Don't know who or what I'm quoting there, but it seems very applicable to Man Bites Dog. What starts with a flashlight ends in horror as Neitzche's oft misquoted axiom lurches to life. "When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." The abyss in this case is a harmless looking serial killer named Ben who expounds on theories about race, art, life and philosophy in between terrorizing and brutalizing people, almost at random. Those doing the looking are his proteges, a camera crew that trails him around. Though they're complicit in his crimes by the simple act of filming his actions, they become accomplices incredibly quickly. I think the only thing I missed in this film was the motivations of the crew themselves-what they wanted out of the experience. Obviously a film, but why this subject? Ultimately, of course, it's not that important in the context of the movie. Just a question I wanted answered.

See this movie if you do your research and you think you can handle it. Watch the Criterion version, to get the entirety of the film the creators intended you see. Value the humor, and think on the message. Just don't look too far into that pitch black place.

57/365 down, 308/365 to go