Werner Herzog

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Queen Of The Desert Trailer


Gertrude Bell was a formidably intelligent British woman from the late 19th century whose travels through expansive deserts in the Middle East helped establish modern society in countries such as Iraq and Jordan, and importantly cast an enormous amount of respect on women everywhere. She didn't care for behaving like British society expected women to behave, and she proved that she could be just as skilled in the likes of cartography, archeology and politics and refused to be treated any differently than her male peers. Even when she was threatened and accused of being a spy, she never backed down and her resilience and care towards Arabic peoples have left their mark in history.

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Lo and Behold Trailer


There's no denying that we're becoming ever more dependent on robots. From machines that perform one specific skill to those that have been programmed to learn and adapt their behaviour depending on human reaction.

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Life Itself Review


Very Good

Fans of film journalism will love this documentary about the noted Chicago critic Roger Ebert, although the movie is just as much about his battle with the cancer that took his life in 2013. It's a lively, fast-paced doc, but even at two hours it feels oddly truncated as the two topics seem to fight for screen time. Fortunately both are potent: the story of Roger's love of cinema and the footage of his astoundingly cheerful refusal to let illness get him down.

Based around Roger's eponymous autobiography, the film quickly traces his background as a film lover who rose through the ranks at the Chicago Sun-Times to become an unusually resonant film reviewer, able to express opinions and even high-minded cinematic observations in ways that were never cynical or snobbish. He found national (and even global) fame through his TV programmes opposite rival Chicago critic Gene Siskel, which began in 1978 and standardised their "thumbs up"/"thumbs down" verdicts. At age 50, Roger met his wife Chaz at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and her children and grandchildren became his. In 2002, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent a series of surgeries that by 2006 made it impossible for him to speak. But he carried on writing reviews and making public appearances (speaking through his computer) until his death.

Filmmaker Steve James had startling access to Roger during the final year of his life, following him to hospitals and rehabilitation centres. Looking at his cancer-ravaged face is difficult at first, but Roger's smiling eyes and constant joking reinforces his optimistic, matter-of-fact approach to life. And he keeps reminding James that this documentary has to show everything, never flinching away from the truth. As a result, the film is a remarkably intimate look at how Roger and Chaz faced the illness and made difficult decisions along the way. This adds an emotional layer to the documentary that's remarkably moving, putting Roger's work into the context of his life and death.

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The Wind Rises Review


Essential

For what he has said will be his final film, animation maestro Hayao Miyazaki tackles a controversial biopic that could just as easily have been shot in live action. It's as if he's challenging filmmakers to use their imaginations and make the best movies they can make in whatever way they can. And the result is utterly magical, transcending the touchy subject matter to tell a story about the purity of creativity.

Based on the life of aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, this Oscar-nominated film opens in the 1920s when young Jiro (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the English version) decides to study aeronautics because his poor eyesight won't let him become a pilot. So he dreams of designing the perfect plane, and his inventive approach catches the attention of Mitsubishi, which assigns him to a secret military project working with Japan's allies in Nazi Germany. Meanwhile, Jiro meets Nahoko (Emily Blunt) and they fall for each other as she struggles to recover from tuberculosis and he grapples with the moral issues of designing a beautiful plane that will be used to kill people in wartime.

Clearly this isn't the kind of animated movie Hollywood would ever produce: it's packed with complex characters who don't always do the right thing, and it takes a perspective that requires sympathy with someone who could be considered a historical villain. But Miyazaki tells the story exquisitely, animating the scenes with such inventiveness that it's impossible not to get lost in the breathtaking imagery. Scenes are also packed with lively side characters, including Jiro's bulldog-like boss (Martin Short), a more grounded colleague (John Krazinski) and a suspicious foreigner (Werner Herzog) who seems to be following Jiro.

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The Wind Rises Trailer


Jiro Horikoshi is an aeronautical engineer whose childhood was filled with dreams about becoming a pilot. His poor vision meant that he would never realise his ambition, but he is encouraged to keep up his passion by Italian plane designer Caproni. Resolving to design aircrafts instead of fly them, Jiro studies the art at university, during which time he meets an attractive young woman named Naoko. Their relationship was born out of the dangerous circumstances of the Great Kanto Earthquake, throughout which they helped one another off a fast moving train. As their life together progresses, Naoko falls ill and Jiro struggles to bring in a regular income. He must succeed in the challenge of building the most exquisitely beautiful aeroplane in the world in order to get back on his feet, as his career could be the only thing he has left.

'The Wind Rises' is romantic, heart-wrenching animated adventure directed and written by the Oscar winning Hayao Miyazaki ('Spirited Away', 'Princess Mononoke', 'Howl's Moving Castle'). This Japanese drama, loosely based on Tatsuo Hori's 1936 short story 'The Wind Has Risen', features the voices of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci in the English version. It is due for release in the UK on May 9th 2014.

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The Wind Rises Trailer


When Jiro Horikoshi was a young boy, all he ever dreamed about was flying planes - at least he did until one night he came across Italian plane designer Caproni in one of his dreams, who subsequently told him that his poor vision means he'll never be a pilot. Jiro instead resolves to take up aeronautical engineering and design aircrafts himself . While at university, he meets a young woman named Naoko who he helps off a train during the Great Kanto Earthquake and the pair become close. His life begins to spiral, however, with his work projects becoming few and far between and Naoko's health deteriorating. But will Jiro finally realise his dream and build an aircraft of pure beauty? Or will his dream come crashing to the ground?

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Jack Reacher Trailer


Opening on a terrified-looking man in a hospital bed, we are immediately informed that Jack Reacher is a, "kind of cop", but doesn't care about proof or the law, only what's right. From the word go, we ca see that Reacher is not a man to be trifled with.

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Into The Abyss Review


Extraordinary
Herzog departs sharply from the quirky tone of his recent documentaries to offer a startlingly astute and sensitive exploration of a horrific murder case.

But more generally, he's looking at the use of the death penalty in the United States.

The only developed nation still executing its own citizens, America's history with capital punishment is baffling to Herzog, who looks into one case to try and understand the cultural mindset. After a ghastly 2001 triple murder in Texas, the 18-year-old cohorts were convicted in separate trials: Michael Perry was sentenced to death, while Jason Burkett received 40 years. Both talk extensively on camera to Herzog, who also interviews family members of the victims and locals from the town of Conroe.

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Cave Of Forgotten Dreams Review


Essential
What could have been a revealing but relatively dry documentary is given the usual twist by genius filmmaker Herzog, who turns a glimpse of rarely seen prehistoric cave paintings into a bravura 3D exploration of human history.

Discovered in 1994, the Chauvet caves in southern France were sealed by a landslide 20,000 years ago and contain the oldest paintings ever seen. More than 30,000 years old, they depict the wildlife of prehistoric Europe - horses, rhinos, lions, bison - with a remarkable sense of movement. And the caves themselves are pristinely beautiful, with stalactites, stalagmites and a remarkable collection of animal bones. But what was the world like back then, when Europe was under ice and our ancestors lived alongside Neanderthals?

Continue reading: Cave Of Forgotten Dreams Review

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams Trailer


The Chauvet caves in France were only discovered in 1994 but it's thought that the cathedral like caves hold some of the earliest cave paintings. The site is regarded as one of the most treasured prehistoric art sites in the world, on the walls you can see pictures of many animals including: horses, cattle, lions, panthers, bears and rhinos which were created by man over 32,000 years ago.

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Werner Herzog Wednesday 5th March 2008 Los Angeles film premiere of 'The Grand' held at The Cinerama Dome at the Arclight Theatre - Arrivals Los Angeles film premiere of 'The Grand' held at The Cinerama Dome at the Arclight Theatre

Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog Quick Links

News Pictures Video Film Quotes RSS

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Actor


Werner Herzog Movies

Queen Of The Desert Trailer

Queen Of The Desert Trailer

Gertrude Bell was a formidably intelligent British woman from the late 19th century whose travels...

Lo and Behold Trailer

Lo and Behold Trailer

There's no denying that we're becoming ever more dependent on robots. From machines that perform...

Life Itself Movie Review

Life Itself Movie Review

Fans of film journalism will love this documentary about the noted Chicago critic Roger Ebert,...

The Wind Rises Movie Review

The Wind Rises Movie Review

For what he has said will be his final film, animation maestro Hayao Miyazaki tackles...

The Wind Rises Trailer

The Wind Rises Trailer

Jiro Horikoshi is an aeronautical engineer whose childhood was filled with dreams about becoming a...

The Wind Rises Trailer

The Wind Rises Trailer

When Jiro Horikoshi was a young boy, all he ever dreamed about was flying planes...

Jack Reacher Trailer

Jack Reacher Trailer

Jack Reacher is a former military police officer who with the ability to make himself...

Jack Reacher Trailer

Jack Reacher Trailer

Opening on a terrified-looking man in a hospital bed, we are immediately informed that Jack...

Into the Abyss Movie Review

Into the Abyss Movie Review

Herzog departs sharply from the quirky tone of his recent documentaries to offer a startlingly...

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams Movie Review

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams Movie Review

What could have been a revealing but relatively dry documentary is given the usual twist...

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams Trailer

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams Trailer

The Chauvet caves in France were only discovered in 1994 but it's thought that the...

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