Stephen Garrett, our tireless correspondent, is back from Europe, exhilarated yet blinded by sunlight exposure, with some final thoughts on the films to look forward to. Stephen, you have the blog.

Of all the films I’ve seen in and out of competition (too embarrassed to give you an actual number), one has lingered longest in my mind. Mat Whitecross’s Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, a biopic about Brit punk rockers Ian Dury and the Blockheads, was positively enthralling. Though it falls prey to the conventions of cinematic life-story regurgitations (the rise from obscurity, the sudden fame, the suffocating forces of self-destruction, etc.), Andy Serkis’ portrayal of the ebullient, polio-stricken musician is an absolute revelation. It’s the kind of scene-chewing that delights instead of annoys, illuminating a subversive artist’s life with prankish integrity. If you know Serkis at all, it’s as the performer behind the digitized Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies. Nice to see him for a change. Read more »

Our international man of mystery, Stephen Garrett, has heard what must count as the most upsetting rumor of several years. Also, he’s seen strong new work from the directors of The Squid and the Whale and that crazy Chinese Olympics opening ceremony.

Best movie description at the Berlinale (so far): “a documentary about two guys who live together and have sex with their dogs.” Best rumor out of the festival’s business market: Lars von Trier has successfully challenged Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro to collaborate with him on a Taxi Driver remake. Truth or fiction? One sounds amazing, the other sounds horrifying. Actually, they both sound amazing and horrifying at the same time. The Germans must have a word for that. Read more »

We’re thrilled to have a man on the ground at Berlin’s esteemed annual event—always a lip-licking collection of ambitious Hollywood fare and arty boutique titles. It’s our Valentine’s Day gift to film lovers out there. Who hearts you? TONY Film does. Take it away, Stephen Garrett.

Snowflakes are the glittering confetti for the Berlin International Film Festival’s 60th year, an unusually chilly diamond anniversary with a blanched Potsdamer Platz chock-full of shivering Kino fanatics. Colder and more weather-beaten than previous years, the Berlinale still shook off the freezing gloom by jump-starting this year’s installment with two white-hot event pictures: Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer and Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island. Still, the pairing—offered within the first 36 hours—is suspicious. An embarrassment of riches? Or is the Berlinale front-dumping instead of front-loading? Read more »

We know, we know: It’s a Transformers kind of weekend. But after having your skull numbed by Michael Bay’s explosions, we recommend you use these two films as palate cleansers. First, for kaboom done right, you must see The Hurt Locker (above). This action-packed Iraq War drama about a bomb squad’s daily routine marks the welcome return of director Kathryn Bigelow after 2002’s underrated K19: The Widowmaker. Then, for a more intimate tale of suspense and horror, head on over to Film Forum for the rerelease of 10 Rillington Place, Richard Fleischer’s 1971 true-crime retelling of the infamous murders committed by John Reginald Christie (played unnervingly by Richard Attenborough). You’ll never hear Attenborough’s plummy “Welcome…to Jurassic Park!” in quite the same way again.

When you’re choosing what movies to see this weekend, don’t shrug your shoulders and say, “whatever works.” Take a tip from us and hit the Landmark Sunshine for the stop-motion animated oddity $9.99, which is like those old Davey and Goliath cartoons with a blood-splattered edge. Then head on over to Film Forum for the autobiography-by-proxy doc The Windmill Movie, in which director Alexander Olch completes the half-finished life story of his mentor, Richard P. Rodgers. It wouldn’t kill you to then check out the 1947 British noir Brighton Rock (above), featuring Richard Attenborough as Pinkie Brown, a psychopath to end ‘em all—and a supposed influence on Johnny Rotten. Anarchy!