Movies at Home: Five Great Michael Haneke films on Amazon Prime

Happy Birthday, Michael Haneke! Well, no matter how much you prepare for one of Haneke’s films, he always surprises, but it’s no shock that “Amour”, his 2012 movie about dementia, won the 2013 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Not just dementia, but this writer/director isn’t afraid to explore other pitch-black material, and in fact, he’s made a bright career in doing so.  Now, Haneke’s films aren’t apocalyptic, not on a grand scale, but instead, they sear into vastly troubling relationship or family dramas and are wrapped in disturbing intimacy. Since…

Haneke’s ‘Happy End’ illustrates that money can’t buy happiness

“Happy End” – Money can’t buy happiness. After watching writer/director Michael Haneke’s new movie, one could easily picture the aforementioned, famous saying as the film’s title, because the wealthy family featured – the Laurents – lumber in a constant state of dysfunction.   Most Haneke fans – who appreciate this filmmaker’s frequent and wholehearted dives into cynical, offputting material – will embrace “Happy End” and leave the theatre satisfied, but not necessarily happy. With Haneke, that’s generally the point. Rather than driving home his points through a specific, sweeping story arc,…