[This review is a re-print of my review from the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival]

Director Werner Herzog is against the death penalty, supposedly feels sympathy for families of the victims, and asks bizarre questions when doing an interview. I have now summed up Into the Abyss, Herzog’s forgettable documentary that half-heartedly tries to be anti-death penalty propaganda and will change the minds of no one. Herzog constantly undermines his argument by glossing over the details of the murder case he’s exploring, and getting into odd tangents with whatever subject he finds most interesting at any given moment. More than making a case against the death penalty or even acknowledging the complicated feelings of the accused, their families, and the families of the victims, Into the Abyss casts Herzog as a tragedy vampire, sucking the drama out of the lives of others while offering nothing in return.

Master filmmaker Werner Herzog probes the human psyche to explore why people kill-and why a state kills in his fascinating exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas. In intimate conversations with those involved, including 28-year-old death row inmate Michael Perry who is scheduled to be executed in eight days, as well as families of the victims, a pastor and a state executioner, Herzog achieves what he describes as “a gaze into the abyss of the human soul.” His astute investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.

We sat down with Herzog at a roundtable interview to talk about what inspired him to make Into the Abyss and why he does not consider it an issue film about capital punishment but rather a sensitive examination of a senseless crime and all its ramifications. He described what it was like conversing with death row inmate Michael Perry and those affected by his crime, explained why he is not a proponent of capital punishment, and revealed how fascination and curiosity draw him to the subjects he chooses for his films. He also discussed what’s next including a four-part television documentary about inmates on death row entitled Death Row.

We’ve got a few new posters to share with you today. First up is the theatrical poster debut for Cameron Crowe’s new film We Bought a Zoo. I’m kind of in love with the design, as it’s equal parts gorgeous and adorable. The film tells the true story of a man (Matt Damon) who moves his family to a zoo following his wife’s death. Crowe wrote and directed the pic, which also stars Scarlett Johansson and Thomas Haden Church. We’ve also got a new poster for Werner Herzog’s death row documentary Into the Abyss. The film examines the death penalty through Herzog’s lens. Matt caught the film at TIFF and wasn’t a fan.

Finally, we’ve got a new poster for the documentary Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel. The pic shines a light on writer-director-producer Roger Corman and his influence on Hollywood. Matt also reviewed this flick and found it entertaining, saying it both provides an overview of Corman’s career and “provides a thoughtful look at why audiences and Hollywood owe him a debt of gratitude.” We Bought a Zoo opens December 23rd, Into the Abyss opens November 11th, and Corman’s World opens this December. Hit the jump to check out the posters.

The first trailer for Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss has been released. In the documentary, Herzog examines the issues surrounding the death penalty and interviews death row inmates, police officers, and victims’ family members. Judging from the trailer, the pic looks like an incredibly hard watch. It’s cold, somber, and confronting. The quotes given throughout the trailer from the likes of Roger Ebert and A.O. Scott make me eager to see what kind of film Herzog has put together, as it’s sure to be unlike any conventional documentary covering the death penalty.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film opens November 11th.

This is some of the best casting news in just about forever.  Writer-director Werner Herzog, who has taken the occasional minor acting role in his long filmmaking career, will play the villain in Christopher McQuarrie’s adaptation of One Shot.  Tom Cruise stars in the film as retired military investigator Jack Reacher, an ex-military investigator-turned-drifter who “gets sucked into the mystery surrounding the arrest of a sniper accused of killing five random people in a shooting.”  According to Variety, “Herzog will play The Zec, an ex-prisoner of war who arranges and stages the killing and is the head of the conspiracy.”  That’s right: Herzog’s not just playing a villain.  He’s playing a villain with an awesome name.  This almost makes up for Herzog’s latest documentary, Into the Abyss.  While his acting resume may be sparse, Herzog’s best-known character is himself and I’ll be interested to see how much Herzog is in The Zec.

The film also stars Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins, and Robert Duvall.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.  One Shot opens February 8, 2013.

Director Werner Herzog is against the death penalty, supposedly feels sympathy for families of the victims, and asks bizarre questions when doing an interview.  I have now summed up Into the Abyss, Herzog’s forgettable documentary that half-heartedly tries to be anti-death penalty propaganda and will change the minds of no one.  Herzog constantly undermines his argument by glossing over the details of the murder case he’s exploring, and getting into odd tangents with whatever subject he finds most interesting at any given moment.  More than making a case against the death penalty or even acknowledging the complicated feelings of the accused, their families, and the families of the victims, Into the Abyss casts Herzog as a tragedy vampire, sucking the drama out of the lives of others while offering nothing in return.

Yesterday, we reported on the strong documentary line-up for the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.  Today, we have the first images from four of the documentaries: Wim Wenders’ first 3D film Pina, Nick Broomfield’s Sarah Palin – You Betcha!, Jonathan Demme’s I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful, and Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss.

Hit the jump to check out the images along with a synopsis for each film.  The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8 – 18th.

We’ve already seen the heavy-hitters of non-documentary films showing at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.  Today, TIFF has announced its impressive documentary line-up along with line-ups for the interesting smaller films that are worth your attention at the fest.  The documentaries include Morgan Spurlock’s Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope, Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss, Jonathan Demme’s I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful, and Wim Wenders’ 3D film Pina. The Midnight Madness line-up includes Bobcat Goldthwait’s latest, God Bless America and Douglas Aarniokoski’s The Day starring Ashley Bell and Dominic Monaghan.

Hit the jump for the documentary line-ups (“Real to Reel”), “Midnight Madness”, “Vanguard” (international genre flicks), “TIFF Kids”, and “City to City” (an annual programme that focuses on films from one city; this year is Buenos Aires).  The 2011 Toronto Film Festival runs from September 8th to 18th.

Naomi Watts is in “serious discussions” with director Werner Herzog to star in his upcoming film Queen of the Desert.  According to Vulture, the story is based on the life of British woman Gertrude Bell, “who was alternately a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the twentieth century. While only a commoner herself, Bell was nonetheless a kingmaker, helping found the modern states of Iraq and Jordan and installing their first rulers, King Abdullah and King Faisal.”

Watts is currently filming The Impossible with Ewan McGregor, which follows a family in Thailand during the 2004 tsunami.  After that, she’s moving on to costar in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar.  Vulture reports that once she wraps on that film, she’ll take a short break and likely move on to Queen of the Desert.

A trailer for Werner Herzog’s 3D documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams is now available online.  The film, which premiered last year at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, showcases Herzog’s exclusive dive into the Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc cave in southern France.  The cave features art that is believed to be over 30,000 years old and, as a result, Herzog was only allowed to film with lights that emitted no heat so as to preserve the ancient works.

To check out the trailer, hit the jump.  Cave of Forgotten Dreams is currently looking at a UK release later this year on March 25th.

In their second major deal at Toronto, IFC Films has purchased the theatrical rights to Werner Herzog’s 3D documentary Caves of Forgotten Dreams. The deal is reportedly in the six-figure range and is set to close today. The History Channel had previously picked up television rights to the film. IFC made headlines earlier with the purchase of superhero actioner Super for seven figures. Caves documents the 35,000-year-old paintings at the Chauvet Pont d’Arc Caves in southern France, which are the oldest known example of human artistic expression. Clips of Herzog talking about the caves and the film, plus the full press release, after the jump.

During the social media Q&A for his film My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?, director Werner Herzog fielded a question from fellow director David Lynch. Lynch asked Herzog via Twitter to tell the story about the time he saved the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix near the director’s home. First Look Studios, who hosted the event, was later approached by animator Sascha Ciezata about producing an animated short  using audio from the interview. When Herzog Rescued Phoenix was posted to Youtube this past Monday, September 13th. The short relates in cutesy style what surely must have been a harrowing experience for everyone involved, a feeling that is reinforced by Herzog’s matter-of-fact voiceover. I do wonder if it was really a Prius that Joaquin creamed with his Camaro, though. Hit the jump to see the clip, as well as the original Herzog interview.

With the Toronto and Venice Film Festival’s getting ready to begin in the next few weeks, tons of new images and trailers from upcoming movies are about to get released.  I’ve already been sent a lot of great stuff and over the next few days you can expect to see tons of new images from some of the biggest films playing at these Festivals.

To start things off…how about the first images from Werner Herzog’s first 3D movie Cave of Forgotten Dreams!  While some filmmakers slow down as they get older, Herzog is operating at a whole other level with amazing results.  Hit the jump for the images and more info on the film:

Sometimes Nicolas Cage’s choice of films makes it difficult for us to remember just how good of an actor he is. Hey, a guy has to work, right?  However, Cage’s performance in Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans serves as a reminder that Cage is in fact worthy of holding the title of Academy Award winner.

Right up there with his performances in 1995′s Leaving Las Vegas and 2002′s Adaptation, Cage’s portrayal of Terrence McDonagh, the “bad lieutenant”, is something that should not be missed.  In fact, it seems almost criminal that the film only had a limited release and was overlooked completely throughout awards season. It was easily one of the best of 2009. My full review of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans on DVD after the jump:

When I first heard director Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage were going to make a remake/re-imagining /reboot of Abel Ferrara’s insane 1992 film Bad Lieutenant, I’ll admit I wasn’t excited.  For some reason I thought they’d fuck it up or the movie would be another Nicolas Cage performance where he was just going through the motions

I couldn’t have been more wrong.   The fact is, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a great movie featuring one of Nicolas Cage’s best performances.  He’s absolutely fearless; it’s like he stepped back in time to when he was an up-and-coming actor with nothing to lose.  If you want to see a great performance, you need not go any further Nicolas Cage’s latest role.

So when I sat down to talk with director Werner Herzog, we discussed how he got involved, working with Cage, how he shot a lot of the movie using just a few takes, what he has coming up, and with this being Werner Herzog, he said some quotes that must be heard.  It’s a great interview with a filmmaker I truly admire.  Watch it after the jump: