Werner Herzog needs to eat too

I'm glad that Werner Herzog gets directing movies in Hollywood with their star cast. Hopefully he gets paid for his engagements and some money will be left for his personal projects. His latest film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans is more like work to pay bills than one of real Werner's creations. Films in Hollywood are made by producers and technical people, very little left to directors input. W. Herzog's touch in this case was to get job for Brad Dourif to play bookie (single interesting character here) and Peter Zeitlinger to put his name on credit roll as DP. Movie itself looks like directed by any nameless LA director, overproduced, simplistic a moralizing script. Camera man Peter Zeitlinger managed to snuck a couple more organic visuals with alligators, but movie has TV show look. Nicolas Cage tries to act and overacts like Robin Williams. Good movie associated with N. Cage name is a rare accident to happen, not this time either. Script idea ripped from gritty Abel Ferrara's 1992 film The Bad Lieutenant. In order to look more original Port of Call: New Orleans was added. Total lack of imagination. Besides a couple exterior shots and flooded prison scene rest of the story has nothing to do with New Orleans or Louisiana. What the point to use 50% of name for location then.

Wristcutters: A Love Story

Everything I told about "My Blueberry Nights" is opposite when I talk about Croatian director's Goran Dukic first feature length film, "Wristcutters: A Love Story". Recent discovery, joy and fresh gulp of fun. Movie makes you pee to the pants from laugh. It's a true road movie set in "hot as balls" desert environment of parallel universe inhabited by victim's of suicide and accidental death. There no aggression and screaming here, no smiles either. Plenty of beer and gas probably for free. Superb music by Russian Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello from NY serves as the sonic background in the car of Eugene (Shea Whigham), character based on real life lead of this musical combo, Eugene Hütz. The passengers Zia (Patrick Fugit), Mikal (Shannyn Sossamon) cuddly and lovable in search for something to make their lives have meaning again. Trio makes a pit stop at Kneller's (Tom Waits) Happy Campers community of retired corpses. Of course this a happy end story.

Blueberry? No, More Like a Bad Apple

I had suspicion that Wong Kar Wai's movie My Blueberry Nights will be disappointment, so it took a while to force myself and watch this Hong Kong based directors American debut. Haven't seen such a bad movie in a long time. Nothing works here. Stiff dead dialogs, bad acting and overacting, disconnected and lifeless music. Not a single character I would care or like. Cinematographer Darius Khondji obviously was trying to imitate Christopher Doyle's camera handling style instead of using his own visual language.
Hong Kong made movies which made Wong Kar Wai famous was lacking depth and lasting life, but at least they was something what was joy to watch. Like recent novelty Asian art type work what westerners like. They definitely had mood and feel of well rounded films and looked great thanks to daring and innovative cinematography of Christopher Doyle.
My Blueberry Nights was marketed as road movie, but it's more like smelly diner movie. Not sure what to blame here, dark Wong Kar Wai's shades, bloated american movie making system restrained by union rules or pop singer's attempt to act. Result is bad, uneatable piece of pie, not even a movie. It was a flop, and sunk to obscurity as soon it was released.