Inexplicable Magic of Cinema: Internet Edition
/I love listening to Werner Herzog. He has the most bizarre take on the world, one that is often dark and poignant. He's also unintentionally funny (although he knows this about himself as he appeared as himself/notself in an episode of Parks and Recreation). Whether he's talking about the madness of a man who lived and died amongst grizzly bears (Grizzly Man) or unlocking the mystery of 30,000 year old caves by way of digital 3D technology (Cave of Forgotten Dreams, his approach is unique, profound, and perplexing.
I also love watching his movies. The man literally moved a huge steamship over a mountain to demonstrate a point about madness in Fitzcarraldo. He expressed a similar sentiment about the Spanish conquistadors in Aguirre, The Wrath of God. The threads of civilization, destruction, madness, wonder, and beauty run steadily thoughout his works. And this is why I'm excited to see what he has to say about the internet. The trailer teases us with visions of crazy ("the internet is evil!"), technophobia ("the internet is killing us!"), and visionary possibility ("Elon, I'll take a ride to Mars!). One thing is for certain, this won't be a simplistic depiction of civilization on the brink of innovating itself out of existence (well, not entirely it appears), or how the internet will save us all. In true Herzog fashion, the trailer depicts a complex, fascinating, and confounding film.