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It's cold, I'm tired, my body is crashing ... and it's only day three. So far I've seen seven films here at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival, and I'm happy to report that almost all of them are worth the price of an admission ticket. Julie Delpy's 2 Days in Paris (which I saw this morning and will be filing a review of soon) was priceless and, by far, my favorite film from the past three days. However, my festival high came to an end this afternoon when I had to use every ounce of my mind, body and soul to sit through The Last Mimzy. With its boring plot, acting and lame fantasy elements, I have to say I'm glad it's the last Mimzy and not the first.

The streets around Potsdamer Platz and the Grand Hyatt (where, in case you weren't aware, is where all the deals are taking place) were buzzing come mid-afternoon when none other than Robert De Niro and Matt Damon (who are here promoting The Good Shepherd) shuffled into town. You'd think the most important people in the universe were arriving, as the streets were closed, the press area (located on the first floor of the Hyatt) was packed and all I wanted to do was get through a scheduled interview I had with the folks behind Itty Bitty Titty Committee -- which enjoyed its World Premiere in the fest's Panorama section last night -- and has, surprisingly, turned into one of the more buzzed-about films thus far.

Upon arriving in Berlin, Germany yesterday, I got my first taste of festival life when I stood next to Willem Dafoe while picking up my baggage. Dare I say it, but he looks pretty old. From there, I traveled by taxi to my hotel and continually beat myself over the head for forgetting my English-to-German translator -- making it near impossible for me to communicate with anyone, save for using these bizarre hand gestures. But then I realized most people here speak English, and so I was safe ... for now.

The 57th Annual Berlin International Film Festival begins tomorrow, and so far I've made my way over to Potsdamer Platz to pick up a festival badge and check out the scene. One word: Busy. Lots going on and, since I am by myself, I went looking for some familiar faces. Luckily, Eugene Hernandez from indieWire popped up in the press room and helped make me feel more comfortable (yay! Americans!) by showing me the ropes. Above you'll find my first attempt at a video blog (or diary) which provides you with a little taste of what I'm seeing here in Berlin. Keep in mind, it's pretty raw -- all I have is a camera and shoddy editing software -- so don't expect the works. Basically, you're seeing what I'm seeing.

If you dig it, let me know ... and also, leave a comment telling me what else you'd like to see and perhaps I can throw it into my next video diary. Until next time ...

The fourth installment of the 300 video diary is now up and, though these are never going to be as enjoyable as the (much, much shorter) missives that issue from the set of Hot Fuzz, they remain fairly informative - if you're interested in the movie, I mean. So far we've learn how director Zack Snyder feels about the Spartans (they're "badass"), about the film's look (basically, it's a big fake rock with a whole lot of CGI), and about the training they put the actors through in order to make them comic-book buff (it sucks sucks sucks). The new piece is about costume design, and it's sort of fascinating - we rarely hear about this aspect of filmmaking, and it's cool if you're a dork like me to hear about all the consideration that goes into, say, deciding what color the Greeks are going to wear.

Even though shooting really seems to be moving along, since the movie's being shot against a blue screen, 300 is going to spend about 500 years in post-production; it's not due out in until 2007.

[via Movies Online]

"Rick Kirkham recorded over 3,000 hours of video footage as his personal diary. He never watched any of it."  -- TV Junkie

"The unexamined life is not worth living." – Socrates

Playing in the Documentary section of Sundance, TV Junkie is a portrait of Rick Kirkham, whose chance teen placing as a dancer on American Bandstand and a 14th Birthday gift of a movie camera led to a lifelong interest in television and video. Kirkham wound up going from positions in smaller markets to a job as a crime beat TV reporter in Las Vegas to, eventually, an on-air position as a reporter – if, to be blunt, you can call it that – for TV's Inside Edition, engaging in wacky stunts like motorcycle jumps, Harley rides, being shot out of a cannon and race-car antics. Along the way, he was regularly setting up his camera to record a video diary. He was also smoking crack.

Co-directed by Michael Cain and Matt Radecki, TV Junkie is made solely from Kirkham's diary entries, self-recorded footage and TV broadcast footage, with a smattering of still photos along the way. And it might just be me – I do TV as part of my job, I've done TV as part of my job – but I found it fascinating. Not necessarily because of Kirkham – he seems like a joke of a 'journalist,' and the personal footage hardly presents him in the best possible light – but simply because of how it captures the poisonous neurotic narcissism of a man committing a man committing  what he himself calls "slow-motion suicide." Kirkham and his girlfriend Tammy get pregnant, get married, have kids – and all the while he's falling on and off the wagon, hating himself and smoking crack and hating himself even more for doing so.

But there's something hypnotic about Kirkham's diaries and his story: Watching his diary entries throughout a 48-hour long crack binge is terrifying, as he goes from euphoria to despair and back to the kind of 'fun' that looks like no fun at all as he explains that now "I know how horrible drugs are." And Kirkham's a natural TV presence – all-American good looks, baritone voice, easy manner – but his video diaries have this creepy sort of disconnect to them, as if he weren't living the feelings he relates but instead just reading them off a teleprompter. His speaking is flawless, but the speaker is flawed, and that disconnect is part of why you can't stop looking at his toxic, self-loathing Memorex memoirs.

TV Junkie is a chronicle of a man who recorded everything for future posterity but seemed incapable of having those confessions change his present, who seemed unable to understand the difference between watching and seeing. The unexamined life is not worth living, but is the over-examined life truly lived? TV Junkie may not resonate with everyone – but if you've ever been out with friends and wondering how, exactly, you were going to re-translate the night for your next posting on Myspace.com, TV Junkie 's Kirkham might have something to say to you as he spills his soul onto the tape.

Others on TV Junkie: Writing at Film Threat, Sally Foster described it as "an unbelievably candid glimpse into the contradictions of cocaine addiction."