A. Melancolia by Lars von Trier
The film kicks off with nothing less than the End of the World in glorious CGI, our globe pounded to dust as it collides with a bigger planet to the overpowering swell of Tristan und Isolde.
This is only part of an extraordinary opening that’s one of the strangest, most beautiful things in recent cinema.
Source: The Independent, October 2
B. Toronto Interview with Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner, recently retired as foreign minister from French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government, declared that the European enterprise is still alive, if not entirely well, and will survive its current travails….
Surveying the turbulence now roiling global waters, Mr. Kouchner is loath to forecast outcomes. But he knows this: it’s wrong to place our faith in dictators. “They wanted us to believe that they, the torturers, formed an indispensable rampart against the barbarians. It was not true. Democracy is the only rampart. So we don’t know how it will turn out, but the crisis is positive. You see? I’m an optimist.
Source: Michael Posner in The Globe and Mail, October 1
Eric Koch’s book, The Weimar Triangle, is available at Indigo-Chapters and in your local bookstore. 
