Looker

Farrah in Space

Jungle Fever

Werner Herzog is famous for his cinematic depictions of obsessives and outsiders, from the El Dorado-seeking Spaniard played by Klaus Kinski in his 1972 international breakthrough, "Aguirre: The Wrath of God," to Timothy Treadwell, the doomed bear-worshiper of his 2005 documentary, "Grizzly Man." Herzog's own reputation as an obsessive, not to mention daredevil and doomsayer, was solidified by "Burden of Dreams," a documentary chronicling Herzog's trials while filming "Fitzcarraldo" in the Peruvian jungle in 1981.

"Conquest of the Useless: Reflections From the Making of 'Fitzcarraldo' " comprises Herzog's diaries from the three arduous years he worked on that movie, which earned him a best director award at Cannes in 1982 yet nearly derailed his career. It reveals him to be witty, compassionate, microscopically observant and — your call — either maniacally determined or admirably persevering.

Read the rest of my review of Conquest of the Useless here, in the Los Angeles Times.

Memory Lane

Chris Marker's "La Jetée" has been a totem for nearly half a century. It's a haunting half-hour film enshrouded in mystique.

Marker (born Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve in 1921, either outside Paris, as many sources say, or in Ulan Bator, as the writer and director has claimed), has a godlike reputation among cinephiles, thanks both to the ingenious and often playful nature of his essayistic films (he's made dozens) and to his obscurity. He grants few interviews and almost never allows himself to be photographed. Only a fraction of his movies are available on DVD.

Thankfully, "La Jetée" is one of them. Marker's only fiction film, it was made in 1962, and chances are that either you've never heard of it or you think it's a masterpiece.

Read the rest of my review of Chris Marker: La Jetée in today's Los Angeles Times.

And You Thought Charlton Heston Was a Right-Wing Nutjob

Jon Voight speaking at a Republican fund-raising dinner at the Washington Convention Center, June 9.