Both are completely uncompromising and, within their respective mediums, at the forefront of challenging convention in all its forms. Von Trier and co have spent the last few years shaking everyone up with. Grabbing a DV camera and a load of actors, and following the Dogme rulebook, certainly doesn't get you anywhere near, as anyone who's ever tried it will tell you in no uncertain terms. In The Dark' isn't really the kind of film you want to review. It's not really suitable .
Film criticism is a strange thing at the best of times.
A person spends an hour or so hacking to pieces the end product of over a hundred peoples' work that has taken them nigh on five years from script to screen. One hour vs five years. And yet the voice that emerges from the hour is often given more gravitas than the voice that emerges from the five years of truly dedicated work - the kind of dedication a critic couldn't usually comprehend. With the 'Mission Impossible 2's of the world the whole thing makes about as much sense as it's ever going to. The critic is there to act as a filter between the mass marketing hype machine and the innocent, gullible Joe public.