It’s been a sort of ‘Around the World in 14 Days’ experience as the 40^th CIFF counts down to its closing this week. Featuring films from 44 countries, this Chicago festival has something to hold everyone’s interests. But if there is one thing that film lovers should be aware of about how to get the most from a film festival, it’s to buy your tickets early. Most films screen a maximum of three times, and often in relatively small theaters that are subject to sell out. To purchase tickets for this week call 312-332-FILM or Ticketmaster at 312-902-1500.

Closing the festival is "The Polar Express," a film that uses a sort of "human animation" technique to tell the story of a journey of self-discovery of a young boy who takes a train ride to the North Pole. This holiday film stars Tom Hanks, who will be on-stage at the screening on Thursday at the Cadillac Palace Theatre at 7:00 PM. Academy Award winning director Robert Zemeckis ("Forrest Gump," "Cast Away," "Back to the Future") will be honored at that time.

Other Oscar potential films from this 40^th anniversary film festival are "Kinsey," "Being Julia," "Finding Neverland," "Sideways" and "Around the Bend," which opens today. Sandwiched between these big budget films, with marquee-value household names, are the films that don’t have the Hollywood marketing machine, or the conventional market tested endings, waiting for you to discover. Many of these gems should be considered for that reason…you have not heard of them. With only 111 films selected from more than 1,500 submitted to the festival, literally everything in the festival has some artistic merit.

Some of the artistic gems we’ve discovered so far are "Undertow," "Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow," "Battles Without Honor and Humanity," "The Machinist," "I Like to Work," "Nelly," "The Spectator," and "Up Against Them All." Small films of this caliber motivate us to recommend the following films during the last week of the festival. Nathalie…Lee and Shelley (Lee Shoquist and Shelley Cameron are contributors to on-line Reel Movie Critic). Kontroll…see our article from last week. Ma Mere…Lee and Shelley. Moolaade…an audience favorite and prize winner at Cannes; the "father of African Cinema," Ousmane Sembene tells a moving story about a young woman’s struggle as she rebels against the horrific practice of female circumcision. Moolaade is a protective spell, which promises misfortune to any who harm girls under the watchful eye of a person providing shelter. Cinematography is exceptional. Sideways…Alexander Payne ("Election, "About Schmidt") directs Paul Giamatti ("American Splendor") and Thomas Haden Church in a bachelor party, road trip film about best friends. Giamatti’s idea of fun is wine tasting and fine dining. He’s a would-be novelist still in a funk two years after his divorce. Church, a carefree ex soap star, surviving on free lance advertising work, wants to get as many women in the sack as soon as possible, before he ties the knot. When the men meet two intriguing women (Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh), both of them are forced to face their demons straight on.