Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Cool mostly for the fact that the cave exists, and that they got extended access to it. I saw some pictographs out in Utah a couple years ago, maybe a square meter or so’s worth on a cliff wall, and still think of them with awe. Can’t imagine what a whole cave-ful is like in person. Filed under: Werner Herzog.
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga. It tracks a year in the lives of Siberian trappers, mostly. Deep Russia is such a strange place. I’m both in love and terrified. Definitely want to see more Herzog, documentaries in particular. So far I’ve only seen Grizzly Man a couple times, and The Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans.
Grizzly Man. Second viewing. (The first.) I found myself less sympathetic and more disturbed and saddened the second time around.
Jack Reacher. I liked it the first time, but I appreciate it so much more now. More subtlety than I remembered, like starting with a solid 8-10 minutes without dialogue. More great humor than I remembered, like Reacher sometimes acknowledging that he’s a bit ridiculous. And the mouthing off before the fight outside the bar. Love the dynamism in the car chase, great filming there. Also LOVE how he takes control of the hostage negotiation on the phone. There’s nothing else like it. This, then Oblivion then Edge of Tomorrow is a solid three-year run.
Jack Reacher. Pulpy, ridiculous, and just barely passable thriller. Tom Cruise, though. I love how pretty much every female in the movie starts drooling whenever he passes by. He’s a pretty remorseless “hero”, but interesting to see him enact a very personal brand/blend of justice and opportunism.
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. It’s an odd one, and that is enough sometimes. Unexpectedly dark/funny. No one measures up to Cage, so if you can ride along with his zaniness, you’ll probably like it.
Grizzly Man. What some call crazy, others call really living. Herzog and I disagree, but that’s totally fine. Too long, but interesting, outside most everyone’s experience, and I can’t think of any comparable nature films.
Mark Larson 