Werner Herzog films: c/d/s/d

something in the 80s probably. I assume he just uses his fiction feature incomes to fund his documentaries, which are by far his strength.

― Οὖτις, Monday, July 6, 2015 2:23 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i doubt that; it's probably easier for him to find financing for the documentaries than the features, which haven't made very much money lately.

i mean "cave of forgotten dreams" made nearly as much money as "rescue dawn," and the latter must have cost much, much more

when was the last decent werner herzog fiction feature?

Probably Fitzcarraldo if truth be told. Have never seen that Green Ants thing but have it on good authority that it's not very good. The ending of Cobra Verde is great but you have to sit through the rest of the film to get there. Haven't seen anything since.

and Fitzcarraldo isn't that good either

he gets funding from discovery for his documentaries.
last good fiction piece was "my son my son what have ye done" last GREAT was probably "fitzcarraldo"

honestly his documentaries are often kind of formless and lazy these days -- they skate by on the innate fascination of the subject matter + herzog's still-charming persona

that said "into the abyss" was quite powerful

but i'm not a /huge/ herzog fan to begin with

he is a great interviewer and knows how to shoot/frame things = I will always watch his docs

My Son My Son, Rescue Dawn and Bad Lieutenant are all worthwhile in different ways imo, this new one seems like bad news, though.

speaking of herzog docs, watched how much wood could a woodchuck chuck for the first time yesterday & unless i'm very much mistaken the master of ceremonies announcing the winners right at the end is the same guy that played the smarmy banker dude in stroszek

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/werner-herzog-talks-virtual-reality

Is there such a thing as a non-virtual-reality story?

I think you have to start right there. All human encounters are ambiguous. Even the perfect personal encounters are ambiguous in all societies, in all age groups, in all historical phases. And you see this ambiguity very clearly, for example, when you are on Facebook. This ambiguity, and this definition, is apparently the source of all your questions. Do we already live in a virtual reality? Did Rome, in antiquity, live in some sort of virtual reality?

Looking forward to Lo And Behold

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pv8Qj0Vkbo

" I take them as my unpaid bodyguards and let them do battle out there for me. It’s funny because there are Werner Herzogs out there who answer questions about filmmaking and do all sorts of funny things like create films I’ve never heard of."

I am Werner Herzog, the filmmaker. AMA.

Nobby Stiles? You're having a laugh, Werner.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/video/werner-herzog-picks-his-favourite-england-players

He had a new one streaming for free on MUBI yesterday, 'Family Romance, LLC', about a company in Japan that rents stand-in family members. Anyone catch it?

Not spectacular, but I liked it, and it was a nice little play with the ideas of what's real and what's fake, and was funny in a rather sad & awkward kind of a way. The company is apparently real and the main guy plays himself in this film, but acting out fictional scenarios devised by Herzog. It's filmed in a very raw style, so could feel like a basic documentary much of the time, and has an odd, stilted, rather awkward vibe as well.

Loved the short scene of the guy in the train station getting a dressing down.

there was a piece in the new yorker about this phenomenon, no ?

Didn’t get around to watching it, but it’s on MUBI now for members.

Yeah, I think that piece was what inspired the film, budo jeru. According to The Observer today it was this one from 2018 written by Elif Batuman that set Herzog to making the film: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/30/japans-rent-a-family-industry

Yesterday the film had a wee intro from Herzog and a short 10-15 min. Q&A between him and someone from MUBI... wonder if that's included with the ongoing streaming?

Saw it yesterday and agreed on its relative strengths. It felt like a scenario in an early 70s film that was transposed to a current setting where it actually happens.

Still has the 5 minute intro. Is the Q&A at the end?

Yeah, the Q&A is still at the end.

the vulcanology film, The Fire Within, is on bbc4 tonight at 9pm

We're watching WHERE THE GREEN ANTS DREAM on VHS lol. I didn't know anything about it (in spite of seeing most? many? Herzog films) so I wasn't sure what it was about or anything and have been enjoying it so far.

We also recently watched THE FIRE WITHIN and I really liked it. We tried to watch the Miranda July movie about the Kraffts ("Fire of Love") and I found it unbearable but typically (for me) the Herzog approach was significantly more appealing.

Lol, i also hated Fire of Love but liked Fire Within! Miranda July's voice is like an ointment seeping down your leg.

xpost We tried to watch that one as well and found it equally unbearable. I bailed after maybe 20 minutes, I think my wife lasted a little longer but couldn't make it until the end.

Where the green ants dream is great but it is in the shadow of Fitzcarraldo (and no Klaus Kinski)

xpost to me (The July narrated one, tbc)

I feel like I have seen more than my fair share of volcano documentaries, they all kind of blend in to another.

Miranda July's voice is like an ointment seeping down your leg.

lol

My wife was gifted a year-long subscription to that Master Class series and I actually watched a few of the Werner Herzog episodes/talks. Pretty fun, pretty interesting.

It’s not her voice specifically for me — it’s the information/content she chooses to highlight and the twee nature of all of her output. I’ve avoided her work so far because I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like it — idk why I thought this volcano movie would be any different? Joke’s on me!

hadnt realized Fire of Love was a miranda july joint, glad i dodged that bullet

It's not, though. It was written and directed by Sara Dosa. July is the narrator.

July brings her patented bored treacle vibe to play in the enunciation tho, hard to get past it.
the greater sin imo is that we get all this ephemera and personal life presumption but minimal volcanology and meaningful science. after an hour i was still like "yes but WHY are they running around next to volcanos like suicidal idiots"

real q - did MJ write the narration or did she read a script written by a different person and/or the director?

honestly for me it was the nature of the movie and the googly-eyed "aw @ their volcanic love" angle/lack of substance about wtf they were doing (as forks describes) that didn't appeal to me. it felt insipid when we're talking life and death and lava.

herzog himself is certainly no stranger to imitation and parody; i happen to enjoy his narration but i can see how easy it would be to mock it. that two such opposing narrators could even exist is somewhat amusing to me.

people who dislike miranda july are rong imo :(

maybe -- i will admit that i am unable to enjoy a certain type of wholesome entertainment.

know what earthly substance dgaf about your enduring volcanic love for each other? churning lava

ha, yes.
also the pseudo-Wes Anderson direction did this no favors with its manneristic obviousness; killed most of my interest in the leads dead in its tracks

> herzog himself is certainly no stranger to imitation and parody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y_kfWUCFDQ

july ain't anymore twee than harry crews

that's a weird comparison and i'm a big fan so i'm gonna say no and post this video of crews explaining how to cook a possum as proof otherwise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5kjm9IuIMc

we watched some shorts last night. Last Word was easily my favorite because the music was amazzzzzing. Precautions Against Fanatics runner up bc it was so quietly funny.