Up until Monday, the experience had been slightly disappointing. I was waiting for some fives. You see, I have a rough five point scale which helps me track which films I'll eventually choose as Top Picks for which I'll write reviews. A five means I can't wait to buy the DVD, four means I'd see it again, three means I'd recommend it to others, two means I was disappointed and really don't recommend it, and one means you should stay away from this movie at all costs.

Fortunately there haven't been any ones, and Burn After Reading, which I wrote about earlier, has been the only film I rated a two. There have been several threes and fours. But it's the fives that excite me, and they're finally showing up.

I actually just saw three films in a row which I gave top ratings to: Pride and Glory, Lymelife, and Adoration. Also looking good are Acolytes, Patrik, Age 1.5 (one of the big audience favorites so far), and a couple of films I mentioned earlier. Until I get a chance to write about them in depth, please check the links for synopses, casts, directors, and other details.

Most of these films don't have distribution yet -- these were almost all World Premieres and had never been seen before -- but a few do. The rest will get picked up here or after the festival, I'm sure, and it's likely you'll be able to see all these films at a theater near you in the next year or so. In the meantime, they'll likely show up at other festivals and some of you may have the opportunity to enjoy them as much as I have. Still a bunch more to see, though...