What’s this?  Two film reviews in two days? Back to back even?  Wow.  I moved to NYC to watch movies, this site should be nothing but film reviews.  However, I decided that taking photos of DJ’s and cute girls was more important than my film education so I have been super slack.  But this weekend was pretty good.

Anyway, if you know anything about me you should know that Werner Herzog is my favorite director.  As of yesterday have now seen 52 of his 54 films.  One thing you need to know about Herzog is that all of his films are really about him.  I think this is important to note for someone who is walking into one of his documentaries thinking that they are going to see a straight doc.  He talks to the camera, often putting himself in his opinions into the films more directly than most people are used to.  One of the biggest complaints about Grizzly Man was that they didn’t know who this narrator was butting into the film.  Well the problem is that you need to understand the man, to really get the films.  Herzog has spent his life making both documentaries and standard narrative films about people who are obsessed with something, and maybe a little bit crazy.  This describes Herzog perfectly.  Even the “bad” protagonists in his movies tend to reflect as much about the director as anything else.  In truth he is often far more interesting than any of his subjects and hopefully someone will do his life story justice on celluloid.

Anyway, his newest film, Encounters At The End Of The World at times reads like a nature film about Antarctica and in fact it is produced by the Discovery Channel’s film division, but at other times it is gloomy and depressive look at the end of the world.  And at other times is absolutely laugh out loud hysterical.   In order to prepare for the feirce snow storms one might expect in Antarctica people train with buckets on their heads painted with faces that had the packed Film Forum crowd crying with laughter.  The film is Herzog’s second film to deal with Antarctica , but his first time he actually set foot on the continent.  (Wild Blue Yonder was assembled from footage a friend of his shot.)  He has now made a movie on all seven continents.  So here, for the first time, is my list of my favorite Herzog films by continent!  Click description for trailers/ clips!

Africa: Cobra Verde
Antarctica: Encounters At The End Of The World
Asia: Little Dieter Needs To Fly
Australia: When Green Ants Dream
Europe: Even Dwarves Started Small
North America: Stroszek
South America: Fitzcarraldo

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMBnl2_e46k[/youtube]

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