For those who might not want to click through to read the breathless prose associated with the thirteen films that are (mostly) in the festival, here's a list of the films:

Thurs 5/8
CRY WOLF (1947) 7:30pm

Fri 5/9
SWELL GUY (1946) 10:00am
JOHNNY O'CLOCK (1947) 1:00pm
LUST FOR GOLD (1949) 4:00pm
PAID IN FULL (1950) 7:30pm

Sat 5/10
UNMASKED (1950) 10:00am
ANGEL FACE (1952) 1:00pm
THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973) 4:00pm
THE UNSEEN (1945) 7:30pm

Sun 5/11
KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE (1950) 10:00am
ACT OF VIOLENCE (1948) 1:00pm
ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) 4:00pm
NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2021) 7:30pm*

*A "special ticketed event" with director Guillermo del Toro and co-screenwriter Kim Morgan scheduled to appear "pending availability"

No doubt but that Bob has it right in terms of the careening variety on display in this schedule. Alan Rode is definitely stretching the noir rubber band this year: no less than five of the twelve films covered by the "all-access pass" are waving at film noir from across the parking lot (CRY WOLF, more a locked room/old dark house thriller; SWELL GUY, ostensibly buoyed by its connection to Richard Brooks; THE UNSEEN, much more a ghost story than a noir, following in the footsteps of THE UNINVITED; PAID IN FULL, featuring Liz Scott as a long-suffering good girl in a film saturated with soap suds; and, of course, WATERFRONT).

These aren't bad films--they all have their moments: WATERFRONT still ranks as a classic. Alan has saved three of the best films for the final day, in what appears to be an attempt to keep the troops present & available for that curious decision to hold a special event on closing night with a long film (del Toro's bloated NIGHTMARE ALLEY clocks in at 2 1/2 hours). Presuming del Toro/Morgan appear (which is pointedly not guaranteed in the festival writeup), one is then looking at at least another 45 minutes past the film's conclusion for the Q&A--del Toro's picture is next to the word "voluble" in the illustrated dictionary--which means that out-of-town folks are going to have stay an extra night in the Coachella Valley if they want to partake.

It just seems as though such an event would make more sense for Saturday night, when most attendees are definitely going to commit to being around for Sunday (especially with that film lineup). It also makes sense in terms of how the film release dates are evolving--follow the neo-noir EDDIE COYLE with a retro-neo, and make it into a feature event that people won't be tempted to skip.

Of course there's probably something behind the scenes that has mandated it this way--celebrity couples being what they are--but it's still rather strange.

Lastly, it's also a stretch for folks to pay full price for the sixty minutes of UNMASKED--it seems as though they could have made it into a Raymond Burr double bill: a film like PLEASE MURDER ME! (78 minutes) could get folks out of the theater in time for the 1pm show. If folks need time for lunch, push the 1pm show back to 1:30.

It'll be a good time, as the Springs is a pleasant place to be if it's not too hot.