The film is beautiful and compelling. The protagonist, Timothy Treadwell, was clearly as crazy as a loon, and yet endearing and delightful despite, or rather because of, his craziness. Looking to give his life meaning and stability, he embraced the bears as a drowning man clutches a life preserver. He anthropomorphized the bears in ways that bordered on delusional, leading him to take risks that leave the viewer awed by his courage and astounded by his foolhardiness, and resulting in astonishing footage that is both gorgeous and tinged with anticipated dread.

Herzog's treatment of Treadwell is both sympathetic and ironic, as he watches Treadwell's obsessive pursuit slowly hurtle to its terrible conclusion much like a train wreck in slow motion.

Highly recommended.

• Grizzly Man

Sorry, perhaps I didn't provide enough background 'cause I assumed everyone was generally familiar with it. Yes, the protagonist spent 13 summers in the Alaska wilderness, months at a time on his own (or with one companion some years), with no weapons. He literally lived with the grizzlies, spending hours and days within feet of them. He named them and talked to them in a high sing-song voice, much as I talk to my cats. In the process, he made about 100 hours of video showing himself with the bears. Selections from these videos make up most of the film, together with Herzog's voiceover and post-mortem interviews of friends and acquaintances.

At the end of the 13th year, the day before he was due to be picked up, he and his companion were killed and eaten, probably by an elderly bear he wasn't familiar with which had not yet gone into hibernation and roamed into the area because it looking for food and still trying to put on fat for the winter.

Although audio of the actual attack was taped (the camera was on with the lens cap on), we do not hear it. At one point we do see Herzog as he listens to the tape with headphones, and there is one brief medium-distance shot of the gory scene, apparently filmed by the authorities who came in response to the bush pilot's call for help. Small kids, no; teens who have seen "Saw", no problem.

If you haven't seen it, do. It's one of the finest movies I've seen in a long time. It's haunting, it stays with you, and I'm going to watch it again this weekend.

Seriously, that's one I'll have to check out. Thanks for the heads-up.