Stroszek (1977)***
A case of Werner Herzog's off-the-cuff film making style paying off. Shattering, unflinching look at the conflict of hopes and reality as played out in the bleak Wisconsin midwinter. Final sequence is unique and memorable.

Cactus Flower (1969)**
I realize the premise of the plot is preposterous and exists only to set up the "sophisticated" comedic situation, but it is appallingly misogynistic and distracting especially in a film rescued by the performances and appeal of its two leading ladies.

Bullying the Nuns by Garry Wills | The New York Review of Books:
"It is typical of the pope’s sense of priorities that, at the very time when he is quashing an independent spirit in the church’s women, he is negotiating a welcome back to priests who left the church in protest at the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. These men, with their own dissident bishop, Marcel Lefebvre, formed the Society of Saint Pius X—the Pius whose Secretariat of State had a monsignor (Umberto Benigni) who promoted the Protocols of the Elder of Zion. Pope Benedict has already lifted the excommunication of four bishops in the Society of Saint Pius X, including that of Richard Williamson, who is a holocaust denier. Now a return of the whole body is being negotiated."

Play Dirty (1969)***
Well done WWII actioner, sort of a British Dirty Half Dozen. Sharp script, enough eccentricities to push it above the average.

Rififi (1955)**
Nicely directed French noir and one of the first heist flicks.

George W. Bush and torture: America’s highest officials are responsible for the “enhanced interrogation” of prisoners. - Slate Magazine:
"That the United States operated secret prisons anywhere on earth just so we could place our prisoners and jailors outside the reach of U.S. laws prohibiting torture is outrageous, of course. But there’s something especially perverse about basing one of these facilities in a country whose 'bitter recent experiences' include first Nazi occupation and extermination camps and then four decades of communist oppression. Out of those experiences, the people of Poland created a state that embraces, without reservation, the absolute ban on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, and the first thing the United States does is degrade that state by setting up and running a secret torture chamber on Polish soil."

And that in itself was illegal, right? Hello? Is this thing on? Anybody there? Anyone at all?

via @theharryshearer

I Do (2006)**
So-so French rom-com that plays like a Hollywood rom-com which is not a good thing. Watchable for the two leads, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Alain Chabat.

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)****
Werner Herzog makes serious films, there is no doubt about that, and that deserves respect and admiration. However, his style of direction is so minimal, so matter-of-fact, it tends to minimize the impact of the what is taking place on the screen. You can read the script and be very moved by the story but you watch the film and it lays there flat. Restraint is one thing, but overwhelming lifelessness is quite another.

UPDATE 11/09/15: Second viewing experience is much improved. The casting is superb, the images quite impressive and once you know the story and the "enigma", the nuances and subtleties in the film come to life and are quite moving.

Scoop (2006)**
Enjoyable "minor" Woody Allen comedy with the director performing as a magician who could have been in Broadway Danny Rose. Top notch cast, lots of good one-liners, light, breezy and fairly forgettable.

Metropolitan (1990)***
Enjoyable Jane Austen-meets-Woody Allen light comedy about modern Manhattan young elites. Another way to describe it would be "Pretty In Pink" among the 1%-ers. Literate script, concise direction, nicely shot, appealingly cast.

The Chase (1966)***
Bizarre flick about a small Texas town that apparently goes berserk every Saturday night, fueled by an unending flow of alcohol, sex and violence. All-star cast and crew undermined by an overzealous producer. Still the film holds interest and closes with some real power.

Office Space (1999)***
Hilariously accurate depiction of the life of a modern office drone with exceptional supporting characterizations. The lead character however is vacuous and not very interesting and this weakens the film a lot. A better actor as the lead may have helped.

My Best Fiend - Klaus Kinski (1999)**
Essential viewing for movie buffs, but the casual moviegoer will be nonplussed. At the start, Kinski seems to appear insane but by film's end it is clear Herzog has the real problems.

...And They Lived Happily Ever After (2004)**
French farce about, what else, marriage, fidelity, sex, etc. Light and playful, sometimes absurd.

The Hot Rock (1972)**
Breezy heist flick with an appealing cast and smart script. Ron Leibman is a hoot.

Age of Ignorance by Charles Simic | The New York Review of Books:
"Where else on earth would a president who rescued big banks from bankruptcy with taxpayers’ money and allowed the rest of us to lose $12 trillion in investment, retirement, and home values be called a socialist?"

Banks, debt creation, and the financial takeover | eats shoots 'n leaves:
"This is the clearest explanation we’ve heard yet of the mechanisms used by politically powerful financial institutions to capture both public and private wealth.

"The fundamental principle: Creation of money by banks in the form of debt allows banks to use compound interest as a mechanism to capture the commons, while government creation of money through investment in public infrastructure and services creates wealth."

Downhill Racer (1969)****
Stellar directorial debut for Michael Ritchie in this tale of a young man with a talent for skiing and little else. Best skiing sequences on film. Tight, spare script, no filler. Marred only by the occasional heavy handed soundtrack.

Cobra Verde (1987)**
Klaus Kinski is exceptional yet again, in another Werner Herzog tale of crazy men in South American. This time he's a ruthless bandit who manages to become a slave mogul. Interesting in parts, but as a whole it feels like we've been down this road before with Herzog/Kinski.

Jeremiah Johnson (1972)**
So-so direction mars this otherwise fine character driven tale of old time mountain men. Will Geer is terrific.