Reviews

The buzz at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on HUNGER was that it was bloody, violent, disgusting, unwatchable. Very few positive comments were floating around. My Chicago Film Festival friends had told me, however, that HUNGER should not be missed. I'm so glad I took their advice.

I won't go into a detailed review of the film, since that has been done very well by others in this section. I agree with just about all the comments. It is a masterpiece.

It's so remarkable that for his first feature film McQueen committed so completely, with such single minded concentration, to the concept and didn't hold back anything with the execution of that strategy.

Unfortunately his potential audience will be drastically reduced because of the violence and torture in the film. Everyone should see it. Most people won't.

Saw Il Divo at its US premiere last night at the Palm Springs International Festival. No applause when the end credits started to roll. A minute or two later a smattering of applause, mainly coming from the Italian/Mercedes Benz contingent. Could be the audience was stunned by the film. Whether that was a positive or negative reaction was communicated as people filed out of the theater, many with a puzzled and confused look on their faces. I've rarely seen so many unhappy expressions.

My reaction: truly magnificent and totally stunning and innovative work as far as cinematography, editing, casting, music, sound effects, art direction. The rest of the film for me was difficult to follow, repetitive and boring. My overall reaction: a beautifully-wrapped package that totally eclipsed the gift inside.

While on line for a film on the opening day (yesterday) of the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival, a woman (former film professor) I knew from the previous year's Festival, raved about seeing "The Trap."

This morning I saw "The Trap" and was overwhelmed by it. Without question the most riveting film I have EVER seen. The director has perfect pitch: the story, direction, acting, photography, music are truly perfect. It's a tense thriller which addresses many moral questions. In many ways it reminds me of last year's "The Lives of Others." If you liked that movie, this one should definitely be on your must-see list.

The audience was stunned at the end of the film and after a flurry of applause, sat silently throughout the end credits.