I wrote a short hype piece about some big-name titles in preparation for the fest. It went online on Sunday and you can check it out over at I HEART BERLIN.

As an update on that piece, I’ve now seen three of the titles I mentioned in it: Those Who Make Revolution Dig Their Own Graves, Golden Exits, and The Lost City of Z.

Blurbs on those films from my Letterboxd:

Those Who Make Revolution Only Dig Their Own Graves: Pretty conflicted on this one. Which is a good way to feel about something so revolution-heavy I guess. Stylistically it has its moments and it’s nice to see something so angry and politically engaged for once…for the first half of the film. From the overture to the intermission to the quietloudquiet finish, it’s nothing if not ambitious, but winds up overwrought and ultimately a bit less brave than the initial impression it makes.

Golden Exits: A reminder of things I like about Cassavetes and Allen, only ultimately more positive. This is Perry at his most calm, almost meditative. His self-centered characters have evolved from narcissism into a meditative search for self-fulfillment.

The Lost City of Z:  It’s weird how fixated James Gray seems on the past. That said, he does decently well at making what it is he seems after; the tone and style of ’70s epic American cinema without much experimentation. Never knew I would like Pattinson so much with a beard. It took me a full minute to even recognize him, definitely a first. Dude’s building an impressive resume in terms of directors he’s worked with.

 

Favorites of the festival so far: Golden Exits, The Other Side of Hope, On the Silver Globe

Biggest disappointment: Bright Nights