Now in its eleventh year, the Calgary International Film Festival has become a mainstay for Canadian cinema enthusiasts. The festival, which runs from September 24th to October 3rd, will be screening 220 films from over 100 countries. Named one of the "top 25 film festivals in the world worth its entry fee," by MovieMaker Magazine, the CIFF looks to outshine that reputation again with this year's great picks.
1. Howl
After the 1956 Allen Ginsberg poem of the same name, Howl is a biopic of Allen Ginsburg, centering around his 1957 obscenity trial. The film is written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. James Franco is a critical darling as Ginsberg, with an outstanding performance by Jon Hamm (of Mad Men fame) as his attorney, Jake Ehrlich.
2. Barry Munday
This R-rated comedy based on Frank Turner Hollon's novel, Life Is A Strange Place, looks to be, well, strange. I will say very little of the plot here (it concerns the misadventures of a womanizer), but I will say that the cameos by Billy Dee Williams and Malcolm McDowell are quirky and hilarious. Patrick Wilson is great as the title character, as he easily recalls a character type that is very familiar. The film also stars Judy Greer, and is directed by Chris D'Arienzo.
3. Roll Out, Cowboy
One of the more intriguing looking documentaries screening at the CIFF, Roll Out, Cowboy, follows Chris "Sandman" Sand - the rapping cowboy- on tour. Director Elizabeth Lawrence and Chris Sand himself will be attending the screening, with a Q&A following the screening.
4. Valhalla Rising
Directed by the inscrutable Nicolas Winding Refn (Pusher trilogy), Valhalla Rising is an epic of Norse legend. It follows the warrior One-Eye (Mads Mikkelsen) in the year 1000 AD as he journeys to Jerusalem and North America. The film has sharply divided critics, as most hail it as either a masterpiece or a self-indulgent piece of trash, so I would reccomend seeing it to form your own opinion.
5. Let Me In
Directed by Matt Reeves, this remake of the acclaimed Let The Right One In- which is an adaptation of the Swedish novel of the same name- tells the story of a vampire child who befriends a young boy in 1980s Mexico. Early reviews say that the movie lives up to its predecessors.
Special Mention: Dirty Oil
Though this film hardly needsme to pay it more lip service, with all the controversy currently swirling around it Dirty Oil has become a must-see for its cultural impact.
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