Yikes!

This is the less patient and thoughtful version of the post I made the other day on "Torture Porn" at Cannes:

What is up at Cannes this year? There are at least three films -- Kinatay, Antichrist, and Enter the Void -- that, based on all descriptions, I will have to steel my nerves to watch, and I cannot guarantee that I will be able to do so. I've been postponing watching Salo for one reason or another for thirty years now! Yes, I am a big chicken. But is this the future of cinema? Because, if it is, I may just have to withdraw from the scene and retire to a country cottage with a stack of Barbara Pym novels, and read about spinsters and curates.