Attempted to be billed as an “ecological thriller” by programmers when it made the festival rounds last year, Werner Herzog’s Salt and Fire defies any of the strict genre labels that can be thrown its way. Likely to go down as an oddity even within an already eclectic filmography, the film can be considered alongside Stroszek and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans as one of the director’s funniest films, at least depending on your taste. Many critics found their patience tested by its numerous non-sequiturs, while others fell for the deft comic timing of lead Michael Shannon as the world’s unlikeliest CEO. Regardless, the film came as a nice reminder from a man who was threatening to be remembered more as a meme than great filmmaker. We were lucky enough to have a brief chat with Herzog, which also included mention of his period epic Queen of the Desert,...
- 4/7/2017
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
Author: Thomas Alexander
An ecological disaster, a running gag on missing luggage and quite possibly a tablet device with the world’s best battery life; this is the latest offering from writer and director Werner Herzog – and any film featuring the two-time Academy Award nominated Michael Shannon always has a certain level of promise of offering something a little different.
The style of Herzog seems to marry well with the weirdness of Michael Shannon who plays Matt Riley, a CEO of a company responsible for irreversible eco changes in a fictional South American country. Salt and Fire sees scientists Laura (Veronica Ferres), Fabio (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Krauss (Lawrence Krauss) on a mission to study an eco-disaster and report back to the world with their findings. For these characters it doesn’t quite pan out as such as Matt Riley and his small, borderline courteous, militia hold them captive.
From...
An ecological disaster, a running gag on missing luggage and quite possibly a tablet device with the world’s best battery life; this is the latest offering from writer and director Werner Herzog – and any film featuring the two-time Academy Award nominated Michael Shannon always has a certain level of promise of offering something a little different.
The style of Herzog seems to marry well with the weirdness of Michael Shannon who plays Matt Riley, a CEO of a company responsible for irreversible eco changes in a fictional South American country. Salt and Fire sees scientists Laura (Veronica Ferres), Fabio (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Krauss (Lawrence Krauss) on a mission to study an eco-disaster and report back to the world with their findings. For these characters it doesn’t quite pan out as such as Matt Riley and his small, borderline courteous, militia hold them captive.
From...
- 3/1/2017
- by Thomas Alexander
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The first trailer has been released for Werner Herzog's new film Salt and Fire. It's an environmental thriller that stars Michael Shannon as a scientist who "blames the head of a large company for an ecological disaster in South America." Things take a turn for the worse when a volcano begins to show signs of erupting and they have to unite to avoid a disaster.
It looks like a solid film worth checking out. I'm a big fan of Shannon and his work. The guy is a super talented actor, so for that reason alone I'm looking forward to watching the movie. The film also stars Gael García Bernal, Veronica Ferres, and Lawrence Krauss. As of right now there's no U.S. release date, but you can check out the trailer below.
It looks like a solid film worth checking out. I'm a big fan of Shannon and his work. The guy is a super talented actor, so for that reason alone I'm looking forward to watching the movie. The film also stars Gael García Bernal, Veronica Ferres, and Lawrence Krauss. As of right now there's no U.S. release date, but you can check out the trailer below.
- 10/11/2016
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
"Is it possible that there is something all pervading all around us which we are incapable of seeing?" Allocine has released a French trailer for the new Werner Herzog feature film Salt and Fire. This is the third film from Herzog this year, which is pretty damn impressive. The other two are documentaries - Lo and Behold about the internet, and Into the Inferno about volcanoes. Salt and Fire is also about a volcano and the environment, the story of a scientist who accuses a government of causing an ecological disaster. The cast includes Michael Shannon, Gael García Bernal, Veronica Ferres, Lawrence Krauss, and apparently Herzog himself in some role. I really loved Into the Inferno, and maybe Herzog stumbled upon a good story working on that film, I just hope this is better than the abysmal Queen of the Desert. Take a look. Here's the first French trailer for...
- 10/10/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Yourself and YoursDear Fern,Well, you certainly picked a strange day of cinema! I can't say I envy such a mix. Still, I also saw Walter Hill’s thoroughly ridiculous and enjoyable (re)Assignment, pleasing for this old school director’s brisk genre shorthand, extravagant tongue-in-cheek (Sigourney Weaver plays her mad doctor role as a butch Hannibal Lecter), and the unexpectedly detailed performance by Caitlin Gerard as Michelle Rodriguez’s girlfriend. And I cannot deny the force of the scene when Rodriguez’s killer, once a man, wakes up from his captive surgery and takes a first look at his nude female body: one of the most extraordinary scenes in cinema this year.Believe it or not, Werner Herzog’s Salt and Fire is an even more ungainly and confusing, though equally amusing film. You suggest, Fern, that the first half of the film mimics an eco-thriller so it may transform into something more metaphysical.
- 9/15/2016
- MUBI
Since 1969, Werner Herzog has chased mirages in the Sahara desert, examined the plight of Nicaraguan child soldiers and documented the harrowing lives of Antarctica scientists. But in his new film Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, the 73-year-old director tackles the most expansive project of his career: the Internet.
Told through a revolving series of profiles, Lo and Behold examines the history and future of the online world, dissecting everything from Internet addiction to hacktivist culture and self-driving cars. "Each one of them could have been a movie by itself,...
Told through a revolving series of profiles, Lo and Behold examines the history and future of the online world, dissecting everything from Internet addiction to hacktivist culture and self-driving cars. "Each one of them could have been a movie by itself,...
- 8/15/2016
- Rollingstone.com
It's almost September, which means a whole new slew of titles on Netflix! August proved pretty lucrative on the quality title front, but it looks as though September it's going to blow the rundown out of the water.
TV takes spotlight this month, with the latest full seasons of "The Walking Dead," "New Girl," "The League," "The Blacklist," "Arrow," "Bones," and "Parks and Recreation" primed and ready for streaming before their fall premieres. And fans still mourning the loss of "How I Met Your Mother" (in more ways than one) can rewatch the ninth and final season to their heart's content. Ah, memories. Showtime's recently departed "Californication" can be seen in its entirety (Seasons 1 -7) as well, starting September 1. That's a lot of TV.
Movie fans have plenty to look forward to from Netflix in September, too. Sam Raimi's undersung 1998 thriller "A Simple Plan" hits the streaming service September...
TV takes spotlight this month, with the latest full seasons of "The Walking Dead," "New Girl," "The League," "The Blacklist," "Arrow," "Bones," and "Parks and Recreation" primed and ready for streaming before their fall premieres. And fans still mourning the loss of "How I Met Your Mother" (in more ways than one) can rewatch the ninth and final season to their heart's content. Ah, memories. Showtime's recently departed "Californication" can be seen in its entirety (Seasons 1 -7) as well, starting September 1. That's a lot of TV.
Movie fans have plenty to look forward to from Netflix in September, too. Sam Raimi's undersung 1998 thriller "A Simple Plan" hits the streaming service September...
- 8/28/2014
- by Tim Hayne
- Moviefone
There are a lot of documentaries out there in the world that purport to prove all sorts of things, from "The Secret" to conspiracy theorist David Icke. As it turns out, one documentary filmmaker managed to trick two rather prominent people into participating in their bananas documentary about Geocentrism, "The Principle." (Geocentrism is the "belief" that the sun revolves around the Earth.)
One was scientist and author Lawrence M. Krauss, who wrote an entire article entitled "I Have No Idea How I Ended Up in That Stupid Geocentrism Documentary" for Slate. The other is Kate Mulgrew, who narrates the trailer for the documentary.
As the former Captain Janeway, Mulgrew's voice causes a Pavlovian reaction among "Star Trek" fans who associate her with bad-ass Captain Janeway. When she says at the beginning of the trailer, "Everything we think we know about our universe is wrong," it's hard not to agree. Of...
One was scientist and author Lawrence M. Krauss, who wrote an entire article entitled "I Have No Idea How I Ended Up in That Stupid Geocentrism Documentary" for Slate. The other is Kate Mulgrew, who narrates the trailer for the documentary.
As the former Captain Janeway, Mulgrew's voice causes a Pavlovian reaction among "Star Trek" fans who associate her with bad-ass Captain Janeway. When she says at the beginning of the trailer, "Everything we think we know about our universe is wrong," it's hard not to agree. Of...
- 4/9/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
(Wait, what?)
So here’s the situation: On Monday, word broke that Kate Mulgrew — best known these days for playing Red on Orange Is the New Black – is the narrator of an upcoming documentary called The Principle. Spoiler alert: The principle is that contrary to Copernicus and, you know, centuries of documented science, the sun revolves around the Earth.
This is notable for several reasons, including but not limited to these:
1. If anyone should know how space works, it’s Mulgrew, who also starred as Capt. Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Nemesis.
2. It is the year 2014.
3. And,...
So here’s the situation: On Monday, word broke that Kate Mulgrew — best known these days for playing Red on Orange Is the New Black – is the narrator of an upcoming documentary called The Principle. Spoiler alert: The principle is that contrary to Copernicus and, you know, centuries of documented science, the sun revolves around the Earth.
This is notable for several reasons, including but not limited to these:
1. If anyone should know how space works, it’s Mulgrew, who also starred as Capt. Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Nemesis.
2. It is the year 2014.
3. And,...
- 4/8/2014
- by Hillary Busis
- EW.com - PopWatch
Such is the Bible-based atmosphere of hostility toward legitimate scientific authority these days that Scientific American recently disabled reader comments on its online articles. In this age of disenlightenment, mass media is too willing to give scientific inquiry and irrational voodoo sorcery equal weight.
But when, at the outset of The Unbelievers, physicist Lawrence Krauss expresses anthropological condescension about some Muslim kids outside bowing toward Mecca, viewers who agree with his opinions on religion in the public space might wish he would just shut his piehole.
A study in the frustrating insufferableness of people you probably agree with, the film follows Krauss and venerable biologist Richard Dawkins on their joint books-and-smugness tour,...
But when, at the outset of The Unbelievers, physicist Lawrence Krauss expresses anthropological condescension about some Muslim kids outside bowing toward Mecca, viewers who agree with his opinions on religion in the public space might wish he would just shut his piehole.
A study in the frustrating insufferableness of people you probably agree with, the film follows Krauss and venerable biologist Richard Dawkins on their joint books-and-smugness tour,...
- 12/10/2013
- Village Voice
‘The Unbelievers’ Review: It’s a Choice Between Fact and Fiction and the Whole World Has Gone Astray
There’s an argument to be made that atheists are one of the last groups of people (along with vegetarians and gingers) that you can still verbally discriminate against without fear of reprisal from society’s yappy watchdogs. “Hate” speech against Christians, African Americans, midgets, or the obese will be quickly and publicly chastised, if not charged with legal action, but atheists can be derided with little to no backlash. A 2011 North American study found that non-believers are considered less trustworthy than just about every other option, from Muslims and Jews to feminists and homosexuals. The only other group (in the study) to come close to that same level of mistrust? Rapists. Not so coincidentally, recent years have seen a surge in high profile and very vocal opponents to religion, faith, and the concept of creation. Christopher Hitchens found a late-career boon from the topic, Bill Maher welcomes every opportunity to crack wise against the faithful, and...
- 11/25/2013
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Far from stripped down, the massive 2013 edition will kick off with the world premiere of The Manor, a documentary by first-time Canadian director Shawney Cohen, about a Jewish family running a Guelph strip club. Growing in popularity and acclaim with each edition, the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival is one of North America’s most anticipated film festivals and a haven for lovers of great documentaries — its sold-out screenings and long line-ups attest to the festival’s ever-growing importance and impressive status. Yesterday, Hot Docs unveiled its full line-up (which runs April 25th to May 5th) of 205 official selections from 43 countries, chosen from over 2,300 submissions, with 44 World premieres.
If the subjects and titles are any indication, it promises to be yet another fascinating year in documentaries. 2012 was highly successful for the festival with 9 of its selections making up the 15 documentaries shortlisted for the Best Feature Documentary at the recent Academy Awards.
If the subjects and titles are any indication, it promises to be yet another fascinating year in documentaries. 2012 was highly successful for the festival with 9 of its selections making up the 15 documentaries shortlisted for the Best Feature Documentary at the recent Academy Awards.
- 3/20/2013
- by Moen Mohamed
- IONCINEMA.com
Hot Docs is pleased to announce 28 documentary features that will be part of the Special Presentations program at the 2013 Hot Docs Festival, April 25 to May 5. The program will include three world premieres: Aj Schnack’s Caucus, a behind-the-scenes look at the Republican candidates of the Iowa caucus; Barry Avrich’s Prepare For The Worst, a portrait of comedy icon David Steinberg; and Gus Holwerda’s The Unbelievers, which follows Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss as they spread the word about the importance of science and reason. Award-winners from the recent international festival circuit include Blood Brother (Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, and Audience Choice Award: Documentary, Sundance 2013), Gideon’S Army (Documentary Editing Award, Sundance 2013), Pussy Riot-a Punk Prayer (World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize, Sundance 2013), The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear (World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic, Sundance 2013), and Who Is Dayani Cristal? (World Cinema Cinematography Award: Documentary, Sundance 2013). See The Full List Of Films!
- 3/6/2013
- by hnblog@hollywoodnews.com (Hollywood News Team)
- Hollywoodnews.com
The mind of a theoretical physicist must be a wonderful place. It can consider things that for me are only words, and will always be words. It can make play with multiple dimensions. It can contemplate black holes. It can not only theorize the existence of the Higgs boson, but can devise an experiment to find it--an experiment that succeeds. This has been called the God Particle, but the one thing it doesn't establish is the existence of God. It proves the existence of something that is capable of being observed by scientific experiment, and this something is said to account for the existence of matter.
Obviously you are not here today to learn anything useful from me about the Higgs boson. I am unqualified. What I am is a curious person who, like all thoughtful people possibly from the dawn of thought, have asked myself:
Why is there something instead of nothing?...
Obviously you are not here today to learn anything useful from me about the Higgs boson. I am unqualified. What I am is a curious person who, like all thoughtful people possibly from the dawn of thought, have asked myself:
Why is there something instead of nothing?...
- 7/10/2012
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
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