Harmony Korine -- screenwriter of "Kids," director of "Gummo" -- fancies himself the enfant terrible of contemporary cinema. Well, he is . . . terrible. Certain critics have been calling him "the new Godard," and I'd agreewith that too. But when was the last time Godard made anything that played better on the screen than in theory?
Korine's sophomore effort as a director, "Julien Donkey-Boy," is pretty similar to the terrain he covered in "Gummo": freakish, random, willfully obscure and determined to push your buttons. At times it's also strangely beautiful, poignant and sad, reminiscent of the better works of Stan Brakhage or Derek Jarman.
That's the rub with experimentation: It results in a pretty high noise-to-signal ratio. The smart artist knows where to cut, has the eye to see what worked and what didn't; the self-indulgent type just leaves it all in, convinced that his every move is genius, and leaves it to the viewer to sort out. Unfortunately Korine (like Godard) falls into the latter category.