“Godard is counterfeit money. Rouch is rock solid.”

Dictated by staunch opinions and unpredictable whimsy, Herzog’s unique taste in media is uncanny for its specificity. He boasts of a longstanding affinity for “The Anna Nicole Show” and its late star. “Years ago, when everybody dismissed it as vulgar and cheap, I kept saying, ‘Watch it closely. This is big. This is important,’” he says. “It depicted something in our civilization that is very important. Now that she has died, all of a sudden it dawns on everyone how important this phenomenon has been. I wish I could’ve made a film with Anna Nicole Smith.” - from this article on the Werner Herzog documentary retrospective at the Film Forum in NY

Don't worry, Deuce Bigalow is well-repped too.

I just discovered Nostalgia Party No. 2, a livejournal community that posts film stills. Lots of 'em. These may serve as highly effective rental suggestions, or maybe just reminders of what you liked about a particular film. Or in some cases, maybe the only thing you liked. Here's a bunch I selected that should give you the idea... you'll just have to be a slave to my taste and click on them:

01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Speaking of movies, I was recently flabbergasted (as opposed to merely flummoxed) after reading this quote from Universal exec Cathy Schulman that ran in Variety a couple of weeks ago:

A highlight of the Mandalay Pictures’ slate at Universal is the remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” scheduled to be in production by early fall.

“We think we have a very contemporary take,” Schulman said. “In the original, the birds just showed up, and it was kind of like, why are the birds here? This time, there’s a reason why they’re here and (people) have had something to do with it. There’s an environmental slant to what could create nature fighting back.”

I've gotta say, I can't fault their logic here. I can't tell you how long that lack of explanation bothered me... and the reason why I can't tell you is because it never did. Because I can actually, y'know, grasp the point of things. Wait 'til their next remake when they reveal the REAL reason James Stewart had Vertigo: he was stressed out about Colony Collapse Disorder.

Oh, and just who's directing the Birds remake? None other than Michael "I want Armageddon in the Criterion Collection" Bay. Forget explaining the birds' motivation, I'm still waiting for him to explain why he had Ben Affleck incorporate animal crackers into a love scene.