happy new year, losers

Last night we went to see Grizzly Man on campus which was followed by a Q&A with the director Werner Herzog. While the movie itself was sufficiently entertaining, the Q&A had me doubled over in delight. Silly Germans. At one point Herzog declared the entire twentieth century a mistake, comparing modern psychology to the Spanish Inquisition. I kept waiting for Tom Cruise to leap out from behind the curtain.

Herzog then went on a rant against cinema verite, the 'fly-on-the-wall' style of documentary films, which he thinks is a waste of time. He said that while at a documentary film festival in January he got on stage, lambasted the film makers, and then concluded by saying 'Happy New Year, Losers." (I think you have to imagine this being said in the thick governator accent to truly appreciate the comedic effect).

He also took many (MANY) cheap shots at film students (who had reserved seats for the screening) and asserted that film school simply corrupts anything marginally good.

I checked out his book 'Herzog on Herzog' on Amazon (how I wish to someday be enough of an egomaniac to write such a book) and his opening advice to readers might be my new go-to mantra: 'never ever forget the shower curtain.'

Sehr gut!