Nothing is quite as it seems in Incident at Loch Ness, an entertaining pseudo-documentary conceived and directed by Hollywood screenwriter Zak Penn (Elektra) that begins with a masterstroke by casting German director Werner Herzog as himself, on the verge of leaving for Scotland to make a documentary about the mysterious Loch Ness Monster. To make matters more convoluted, renowned cinematographer John Bailey is shooting a documentary about Herzog (called Herzog in Wonderland), and it's within this latter film-about-a-film that we watch "producer" Penn rise to apparently impossible heights of ineptitude, until it becomes obvious (indeed, it's the film's near-fatal flaw) that there is no "reality" here at all, just an amusing pileup of falsehoods. Penn's onto something good here, and Herzog is by far the film's greatest asset, maintaining a credible commitment to the ruse with a hilarious and fiercely believable performance. Still, the concept is better than the realization, and viewers are left to play along for too long after the film's ploy becomes clear. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by filmmakers Zak Penn and Werner Herzog, and a purported Fox employee (as well as two "real" Easter egg commentaries, with Penn and Herzog, and Penn and crew), six brief segments of “Professor Karnow's Kabinet of Kuriosities” featuring costar Michael Karnow and including “The Value of Evidence,” “Tools of the Trade,” and “Adawhapu, The Jungle Pig”; four short “The Life of a Hollywood Producer” segments featuring Penn and including “Location Hardships,” and “Shoes Are My Peccadillo”; two brief “Werner” segments: “Herzog in Wonderland” and “Herzog on French”; and 12 “extras” segments including “Pimps?” “Experts Speak,” “24p,” “Nude Sunbathing”; and three minutes of “Testimonials.” Most of the extras, however, are found in the ton of Easter eggs (each menu has hidden Nessie-silhouetted icons--some of which require two clicks to find--leading to a 22-minute "making-of" featurette, script stills, production stills, and various "real" behind-the-scenes clips). Bottom line: a great extras package for a clever if uneven mockumentary.] (J. Shannon)
Incident at Loch Ness
Fox, 94 min., PG-13, DVD: $27.98, Mar. 1 Volume 20, Issue 2
Incident at Loch Ness
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