Herzog is way overrated

How can you possibly say that Grizzly Man isn't interesting subject matter. It says something incredibly important that everyone can relate to on some level and isn't at all cynical when it easily could have been.
Herzog exercised incredible vision to see the potential for a film in Treadwells footage.

That film alone makes your whole opinion on him seem very mis-judged. If you haven't seen it you should.

It's interesting to me that you say Herzog "is content making movies that almost say something important...".

If you can sense that he is almost saying something, do you really need him to say it? Is it possible he is paying you the respect to allow you to say it, or think it, for yourself, without saying it for you?

Isn't life full of interesting moments when there is something to be said, but when someone actually says it, there is left only a banal, empty feeling?

I think Herzog is making films for those who don't want him to say that which he is coming so close to saying. It could be seen as a kind of intellectual flirtatiousness.

Also, his wife is quite a hottie.

Barely interesting?
Listen, I'm not going to jump down your throat for thinking that Herzog is not a great filmmaker. He's not for everyone. I am a huge fan however and dissagree with about everything in your post, which is fine...but to say that the subject matter is barely interesting just confounds me. Your telling me that Dieter Dengler's life story isn't interesting? That hauling a steam ship over a mountain isn't interesting? Wild-boy Kasper Hauser not got your attention fully? Grown man living with wild bears not peaked any interest?
You must lead an amazing life jwegraham to not find much interest in any of these things. You must own a jetpack or something.

Broad sampling indeed.

As Dorrington puts it so well at the end of "The White Diamond": "Perception is a strange thing."

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His subject matter is usually human nature, or nature in general, his clarity is in saying there are no easy answers. Or there is not only one truth, or one definitive answer to some questions.

I think your will to prove how different & clever you are has seriously impeded your judgement.

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"I think his philosophy would appeal to the well-read, and probably amaze the simple-minded... but would not even barely scratch the surface as visionary..."

I don't think you have any genuine opinion of your own regarding Herzog's films you seem to be reacting against the kind of people that you imagine to yourself that might watch them. Also, are you describing yourself as one of the almost mythical elite that has the rarefied capacity to recognise visionary works of true artistic genius? Amusing.

Usually when I see words like genius directed toward filmmakers I'll put it down to over enthusiastic appreciation and fandom, your comments I'll just put down to aimless and reactionary obnoxiousness with a dose of baseless arrogance thrown in for petty measure.