Truly a masterpiece
Added 12/5/2009
This movie is a spectacular gem... I do appreciate Christopher Guest's movies (particularly Best in Show), but they don't compare to Incident at Loch Ness in terms of depth or comedy... Herzog (who I did not know of until this film) gives one of the most masterfully delivered performances I've ever whitnessed... even love-to-hate-him Zak Penn is amazing... I cannot say enough great things about this movie and can only say one bad thing: it drove my wife crazy to watch it with me for her first time and my second as I was unable to hide my enthusiasm and excitement at nearly every scene, ruining it for her.. but that's more a criticism of me than the movie, so 5 stars only because more aren't available!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A dvd that I covet
Added 7/15/2009
I love the details that abound in this film. One feels like you are living out what the filmmakers are living out when they hit the boat on Lake Loch Ness. Whether or not the film has no real genre isn't something that bothers me. What bothers me is that I can't stop thinking about this movie. And I wonder what would have happened if Kitana Baker just walked around in a bikini throughout the whole film. It probably would have found a bigger box office return Mr. Zak Penn.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
An Amusing Mockumentary
Added 4/28/2009
Werner Herzog is one of the most respected filmmakers of all time and a praised documentary filmmaker. Zak Penn is a Hollywood screenwriter who has written films like Suspect Zero and The Incredible Hulk. With this film, a mockumentary, the two poke fun at these facts in what, at times, seems more like a real documentary than not.
It begins with Werner Herzog talking to John Bailey about his life and work for a documentary Bailey is making called Herzog in Wonderland. Herzog's next project is a documentary on the Loch Ness Monster entitled "Enigma of Loch Ness," which is to be produced by Zak Penn. On July 27, 2003; Herzog and Bailey's film crew depart for Scotland, with Penn noticeably uncomfortable with a crew following Herzog. With the crew soon on a boat searching for Nessie, everything begins going wrong and Penn's ulterior motives for making the film are revealed to Herzog's disdain.
The "plot" of the film is intercut with interview segments. Also in the film is a loving homage to one of the more famous Herzog myths, where Penn pulls a gun on Herzog for refusing to shoot a particular scene. And, of course, Nessie makes a few (albeit brief) appearances.
I honestly don't have much to say about the film. It's interesting and better than Christopher Guest's previous mockumentary, but Incident at Loch Ness does grow tedious at times. The Loch Ness Monster and Werner Herzog are both incredibly interesting subjects and while watching this I couldn't help but think about how a real documentary on Nessie directed by Herzog probably would've been more interesting. However, Herzog is hilarious here and his willingness to make fun of all his career achievements is almost worth the price of a rental.
If anything, Incident at Loch Ness does feature one scene which I absolutely loved. Herzog's "underwater scene" was particularly wonderful and stood apart from the rest of the movie.
Incident at Loch Ness could've been a masterpiece with the talent involved but alas it's not. However, if you're even a little bit familiar with Herzog and/or the slightest bit intrigued by the Loch Ness Monster, the film isn't a complete waste of time. A lot of it is even quite amusing. A stand-out among non-Guest mockumentaries and for that reason alone it gets 4 stars rather than the more realistic 3.
GRADE: B-
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Werner-- Where Did You Go?
Added 2/23/2009
Werner Herzog must have really fallen on hard time$$ and thin dime$$ to have become a part of this "Mockumentary." Comparable to Orson Welles making a zombie vid for MTV with an aging Michael Jackson. What? No projects out there for this icon? Sad.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Totally Real, Totally Scary...Totally.
Added 12/31/2008
A truly scary documentary about the moment man finally comes in contact with a prehistoric monster which, up to the release of this film, has totally been hailed as one of the biggest hoax of modern day. Hollywood dude Zak Penn teams up with famous German dude Werner Herzog to embark on a journey to Inverness in Northern Scotland where the Loch Ness, a lake, resides. Shortly after Werner arrives, it becomes so clear that Zak Penn, as the producer has like, a totally major Hollywood production in mind, whereas Herzog thinks he is set out to make another Herzog meditation on the human nature and the pursuit of dreams. As if!
When things start to fall apart, Herzog threatens to walk off, but instead other crucial crew members jump ship in the middle of the night. What follows is just so like... unbelievable! OMG! SHUT UP!!!!!! Here for the first time is totally clear, totally uncut totally unaltered images of the awesome Loch Ness Monster, totally unrehearsed, totally real. This documentation will finally convert all the naysayers into believers.
Yeah yeah, the bookworms might harp and carry on about this film being an allegorical vehicle on the creative act that goes into film-making, that the search for something that doesn't exist is a metaphor akin to a sea captain's white whale, a president's WMD, or every man's lifelong search for the unattainable. They may even add that Zak Penn is the embodiment of the capitalistic concept of film as entertainment, achievement as winning versus Werner's notion that film as revelation, and a discovery of the self. Or they will haughtily observe that this film may be inspired from that other film from the 60s, the happening in the park, Psychosymbioxtstatsis, or that the mythical creature of the Loch Ness, is in fact, Werner, and that the notion of adventurous film-making, which Herzog pioneered and which so many of us believed in once, is now quickly being replaced by the easy CGI computer generated films, where an ant could easily push a steam ship over a mountain without even yelling at the cinematographer for a burger. Like...whatever!
But let's face it, all these heady intellectual discussions pale to the moment you see what we all come to this movie to see.
Everyone's really mean to Zak Penn though. I deduct one star from this film for Werner being such a total jerk to Zak. It's totally uncool that a guy who does a movie about the Dalai Lama could turn out to be such a complete frienemy. If you listen to the audio commentary on the second round, you will get more of it. I honestly don't understand it.
Zak's just doing exactly what Werner does in all his films.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
