Bucking Fastard (2026) NYFF 2026

Rooneyand Kate Mara play two sisters who speak and act as one go through their lives.

A film that only Werner Herzog could pull off BUCKING FASTARD is weird little film, supposedly based on two real life sisters who tormented a truck driver for 15 years. While the girls torment their neighbor Orlando Bloom for a bit, the film's focus is more on the women's attempt to find a place in a world. It's a weird film with a weird view of reality.

This was the last film I saw at the NYFF, and I've been sitting on it for several days now, trying to make sense of it. I've had friends explain how they see the film and I think they are all right. However, as right as they are, their takes are not mine and I am trying to sort out what I think.

After several days I'm still not sure.

It's weird. It's a wild ride. I liked it (but I didn't love it). It's a definitely a return to narrative form for Herzog whose last few narratives didn't work for me. But even liking it, I don't know what else to say.

I'm guessing you're going to have to make up your own mind...so see it.

NOMAD: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BRUCE CHATWIN plays Film Forum's Virtual Theater starting today

Werner Herzog's NOMAD is love letter to his friend Bruce Chatwin who left Herzog his rucksack when he died.

One of Herzog's poetic documentaries, NOMAD is divided up into several parts that attempt to paint a portrait of his friend. Made up of Herzog's trips to various places Chatwin lived and visited, recordings of Chatwin's words as well as interviews with the people who knew loved and admired him it is a portrait of a man as a near god. It full of gorgeous images and wondrous sounds.

It is also not for all audiences. A mix of poetic and factual there are sequences which will delight fan of Herzog's documentaries that are often not fully tethered to reality (FATA MORGANA or BELLS FROM THE DEEP) but reach a higher truth,  but at the same time it may annoy those don't like lyric passages (some in the screening I saw struggled to remain awake).

As a life long fan of Herzog was in heaven.

Recommended for those who are adventurous or those who love Herzogian cinematic poetry.

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin (2019) Tribeca 2019

Werner Herzog's second film at Tribeca is love letter to his friend Bruce Chatwin who left Herzog his rucksack when he died.

One of Herzog's poetic documentaries, NOMAD is divided up into several parts that attempt to paint a portrait of his friend. Made up of Herzog's trips to various places Chatwin lived and visited, recordings of Chatwin's words as well as interviews with the people who knew loved and admired him it is a portrait of a man as a near god. It full of gorgeous images and wondrous sounds.

It is also not for all audiences. A mix of poetic and factual there are sequences which will delight fan of Herzog's documentaries that are often not fully tethered to reality (FATA MORGANA or BELLS FROM THE DEEP) but reach a higher truth,  but at the same time it may annoy those don't like lyric passages (some in the screening I saw struggled to remain awake).

As a life long fan of Herzog was in heaven.

Recommended for those who are adventurous or those who love Herzogian cinematic poetry.

Meeting Gorbachev (2019) Tribeca 2019

One of two Werner Herzog films playing at Tribeca is being billed as Herzog's interviews with Mikhail Gorbachev, i n reality it's more Herzog's biography of Gorbachev with portions of the interview.

Very Herzogian look at life and history will be eye opening to anyone who really hasn't known a great deal of Gorbachev's story. I didn't know all the things that happened in his early years and as a result I came to better understand why things changed as they did once he took power.

As good as the film is at explaining the arc of the great man's life, the film kind of disappoints because we don't get enough of the talk between filmmaker and subject. Its clear from what we see that Gorbachev is a charmer and it's kind of sad that we get so little of the meeting between the filmmaker and the subject.

Regardless, the film is fascinating and a must for anyone who wants to understand how we got to here. And why Russia is as messed up as it seems to be.

Jack Reacher (2012)

Even before Werner Herzog shows up to become one of the most delicious bad guys on film I was hooked on Jack Reacher, the latest  Tom Cruise film. To be perfectly honest I'm mixed on Cruise as a person and an actor. Yes he can be really good, great even, but his persona in the press is of a nut job so I'm really hesitant to see his films. (It also doesn't help that his recent outings such as the Mission Impossible films,  Knight & Day, Valkyrie and Rock of Ages were not all that good)

Here Cruise plays Jack Reacher, ex- military cop and trouble shooter who in an effort to be truly free has no fixed anything.  He simply drifts and collects his muster out pay via wire transfers. The character was created in a series of long running novels (which I haven't read)  and I believe this is based on the third book, One Shot. (It should be note Cruise doesn't look anything like Reacher as described in the novels, a fact that has pissed off fans of the books)

Here Reacher appears in the wake of what appears to be a sniper shooting 5 random people.  Reacher knows the suspect and wants to make sure that if the person did it he is punished. When Reacher arrives he finds the suspect in a coma and that one of the last things he asked for was for Reacher to be contacted. Of course things are not as they seem and Reacher quickly realizes that the suspect didn't do it and he, and the man's attorney have turned over a hornets nest of trouble.

Right for the role or not I loved Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. He's a straight shooting, no nonsense bad ass who is going to do the right thing even if people get hurt (and they do). He's a man of action and few words, though those words are almost always choice.  He is a perfect hero in a really good popcorn film.

For much of the film's running time the film is a super "guilty pleasure sort of a film". Its witty lines, good suspense and great action. neatly packaged together. then about two thirds of the way in the film begins to slip, careful plotting goes out the window and things stop working. Worst of all they end up wasting Werner Herzog (how the hell do you mishandle Werner Herzog?) Its not fatal, but it makes what was shaping up that what was my first real surprise of 2013 (I saw this back in early January) just a really good film.

Disappointing last third aside, I still really like the film, flaws and all. I think this is a super little big budget Hollywood action film and if I am completely truthful I really hope that there is a sequel.

Definitely worth seeing.

Dinotasia (2012) (Revised)

There were just four of us in the screening of Dinotasia at the IFC Center this afternoon. Has anyone promoted this out side of the IFC Center?

Apparently not.

Bouncing through prehistoric times with an occasional (maybe five minutes of screen time) narration by Werner Herzog, this is the story of several dinosaurs in various parts of the world. Violent, bloody, gory and frequently damn funny (on purpose) this is a film that makes you go "WTF!" frequently. It's all dinosaurs doing dinosaur things in a humaan sort of way  without any narration after a set up.

The stories all involve some sort of survival. You have a bird that mimics sounds and how that keeps him alive, A dinosaur who eventually gets revenge on the beast that breaks it's jaw, a old dinosaur who leads a child to a new herd, a mother pterodactyl pitching her young from the nest and the story of a mated pair of dinosaurs in the days before the meteor hits. Most of the stories have a bitter sweet tinge to them (The one calledHerd Instinct and the final story especially)

As the film began with a story of "the great die off" I was groaning. This looked to be terrible. Then we get a story of sleeping dinosaurs with an on screen title setting the time at 3am, and suddenly what the film was clicked with me. It was a film that was going to tell short stories but with dinosaurs as main characters, it wasn't science just stories, and I was fine with that.

I have to warn parents and some adults, this is a bloody film. limbs are ripped off, heads severed, animals are impaled and the red stuff flows freely. If you are squeamish stay away.

How is it?

Not bad. Its a good little film, a bit odd in that it's not what anyone expects. I know the film has incredibly low ratings on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, but I wouldn't agree. Sure it's not the best film of the year but you have to give the film points for not following the herd and giving us the same sort of dinosaur documentary yet again. The choppy story structure does work against it (See below for an explanation of what the film's origins are, which explains why it is what it is) but it's nothing fatal.

Truth be told walking out of the film all I could think of was how this film was going to end up as a cult film. Its weird and just off center enough that it's going to find a following once this hits home video.

If you want a dinosaur film that is far from the run of the mill give this a shot. It's certainly far from the best of the year but it's out of the mainstream enough to be worth a look.

Smithsonian Magazine Blog on the film and it's history

Wild Blue Yonder (2005)

Werner Herzog's science fantasy about a trip to a far off planet. The plot concerns an alien played by Brad Dourif, who has come to this world from Andromeda when his world begins to die. He outlines the story of his time on earth and of our trip to his far off world.

Consisting of new footage by Herzog the film also contains a great deal of footage from a space shuttle mission as well as images from under the Antarctic ice (Herzog coming into possession of this footage lead to his making Encounters at the End of the World).

Its a strangely hypnotic film that's often a head trip as we are forced to look at our own world as something, somewhere than what it is. This is a heady mix of facts and fictions mixed with beautiful images set to some intriguing vocal and cello music (think Tibetan throat songs) . For much of the film the mix works as we begin to see believe that the aliens are here and that we sent a mission that went there.

The problem with the film is that there are long passages, particularly with the space shuttle stuff where its nothing but image and singing. It would be fine if there was a change of image but Herzog holds the images, say of an astronaut jogging, much too long. I don't why he felt the need to use all of the footage that was shot of some subjects. It will drive you to the point of slumber.

Which isn't to say the film is bad. Its not. The dialog, well monologue is very witty and contains some great quotes. It also presents a few facts, about distance and our ability to bridge it that is wickedly disheartening for people looking to jump in a ship one day and travel far away, while at the same time opening you up to the possibility of actually doing it.

Its a film that gets the mind going and opens you up to a great number of possibilities, which is the best thing I can say about any film.

Ultimately this is a movie that you will think about for a long time after you see it.

Currently out on DVD.

Lessons in Darkness (1992)

Werner Herzog went to Kuwait to see the fires that burned after the first Gulf War. Filming the unearthly sights he formulated a new way of seeing the events and put it together in such away that the film is a visit to an alien world.

Leave it to Werner Herzog to make a film that is about it's subject and isn't. To be certain the sights and sounds are of the Kuwaiti fires, however Herzog's narration make the film into something else. His comments both reflect on what we are seeing and turn it on it's head...and make them exactly right on target all over again.

This is a hypnotic film that I love to put on and fall into. I turn off the lights and go somewhere else. It's a film that messes with the mind and gets the grey cells going. Its amazing at how easy it is to convince ourselves that we are aliens.

This is a perfectly constructed film. Its a 50 minute head trip that runs just long enough that it never loses its grip on it's audience. I've seen most of the films that Werner Herzog has made, with the highest percentage being his documentaries. As much as I love Herzog's films I'll be the first to admit that sometimes he has things run on too long. Here that's not the case. This film starts where it should and ends the same way. Its perfect.

Currently out on DVD this is a great way to spend an hour. If you want a full evening I suggest a second Herzog film or another film that takes you on a head trip somewhere- perhaps tomorrows film.

Wheel Of Time (2003)

This is the story of the Buddhist initiation ceremonies held in 2002 in India and Austria during which elaborate sand mandalas (the Wheel Of Time of the title) were created. In India we see how half a million pilgrims come from whatever means was at their disposal to see the Dalai Lama and be blessed, while in Austria a few thousand people attended the ceremonies.

Difficult to adequately explain fully, the film is partially a document of the events, and partially a meditation on them, and larger ideas. It is a film that beautifully shows how one religion can transcend place and time. It attempts to show us the length to which the pilgrims will go in order to travel down the path to enlightenment. Since this is a trip that is only really traveled deep inside oneself Werner Herzog keeps his camera ever moving over the landscape of the people who are trying to find nirvana. We are forever looking at the faces of those deep in prayer and meditation as if we might be able to find some clue as to what is going on deep with in each person's soul. It becomes a mediation on meditation.

For the most part this film works wonderfully. It manages to give some clue into the very nature of what the ceremonies are all about. We are also drawn into a contemplative and meditative state that seems akin to, or at least approximates, those of some of the pilgrims. While certainly not the real thing, it is enough to give one a feel for deep thought.

I do have one problem with the film, although it's a minor one. In the central section the film seems to wander about too much with some of the pilgrims. It's a personal thing but I was not as enthralled with the journey to the sacred mountain, and I did get a bit tired of prostrating monks. It's a minor thing, but it decreased my enjoyment of the film ever so slightly.

Still this is good film that is a must see for anyone who is interested in Buddhism or the varieties of religious experience. For those who want to see a slice of life that's not in their neighborhood, I also recommend it.

White Diamond (2004)

I am a huge Werner Herzog fan. His early films filled me with a wonderful sense of what movies could do and hooked me, at a young age, on the most powerful of all drugs, celluloid. The fact that I haven't yet talked about a film of Herzog's before this is damn near criminal, but no matter the time has arrived. I am about to begin a week of talk about the documentary films of Werner Herzog.

More than his fiction films, I am a fan of Herzog's documentaries. There is something about the way he sees a subject that opens your eyes to things other than the subject at hand. Often his documentaries are almost something else, his Lessons in the Darkness about the oil well fires in Kuwait is structured as an aliens arrival on earth. Its a haunting film that is more magical and informative than the similar IMAX film Fires of Kuwait. I'm currently working on weekend double feature that will talk about that film as well as Wild Blue Yonder, which is an interesting film about an alien on earth talking about a trip by people from our planet going to his. Its a head trip. However I'm getting ahead of myself. Before that happens I'd like to ease into the films of Werner Herzog by talking about White Diamond.

The White Diamond, is on the face of it the story of the building of an airship to study the canopy of the rain forests. It is also, as Werner Herzog tells it, the story of the search for absolution for the death of the inventors friend. I will certainly buy the first part, but I highly doubt the second.

This is simply one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. The shots of the balloon in flight, the waterfall, the birds that live by the falls and the life in the canopy make this the first time I ever wanted to own the biggest and best TV ever made just so I could see these images. I doubt that other than on a rare occasion you'll ever have seen anything as beautiful.

Herzog also introduces us to some real characters Dr Dorrington, the inventor of the airship is a man of great passion. Mark Anthony Yhap, a man hired to help porter materials is probably worthy a film himself. Also the rest of the crew are also intriguing characters for the brief period they cross the screen. It is the mix of people and image that make this film work as well as it does.

(I'm about to talk about the flaws of the film which will sound a bit harsh, and it is, mostly because this is such a good film I'm kind of bothered that the film has any flaws)

The trouble is that the film almost doesn't work. As a narrative the film is sloppy and unfocused. Herzog, as great a director as he is, can often get lost in how he's telling a story, which sometimes seems he has clearer picture in his head rather than on the screen.

For example we are told about the cave behind the falls where the birds live and where no one has ever gone.We see a camera lowered down to a climber so footage inside the cave can be shot, only to be told we will not be shown the footage. Why? It makes no sense and it is a (very) minor frustration. It is only sometime later that we are told why, what is in the cave is a legend and to reveal whats there could up set the belief of the population. Its an odd way round the subject and feels completely backwards, which is both a Herzog strength and weakness (Here you wonder why tell us about the cave if you aren't going to show us, but then he explains it and in a weird way its okay).

And sometime Herzog gets lost in a story of his own making. Here Herzog hammers away at Dorrington about the death of a friend some years earlier when a ship he had made got caught up in the trees. Dorrington was in no way responsible for the accident or the death (other than he built the ship that was involved) but Herzog trumpets the point over and over in order to give some dramatic tension to what would otherwise be a pretty straight forward test flight of the airship. There is no reason for it and it adds a false note that almost sinks the film...from which it recovers from when ever we see the ship in flight or get away from the morbid subject.

And take flight it does...very much like the titled gem in the sky.

Flaws aside this is a stunning film that really should be seen on a big HD screen. It will knock your socks off and make you see the wonder of the world around us.

Definitely worth seeing. This film is out on DVD.