Movie Madness

Fall is officially here when the Calgary
International Film Festival comes to town. Launching today, the
10-day fest is a whirlwind of movies, galas and events. If you dont know
where to start, herewith, five picks to get you going:

1. Based on the Allen Ginsberg poem of the same name, Howl
is split up into four interweaving segments and features an all-star
case including Mary Louise Parker, Jon Hamm and James Franco (a.k.a. the
guy that does everything) as Ginsberg.

2. Its hit or miss when it comes to remakes but were willing to take a
chance on Let
Me In, a remake of the original Swedish vampire flick and cult
favourite, Let The Right One In. Adorable young actress Chloe
Moretz adds her own twist to the dark role.

3. When a movie is described as part High Fidelity, part The
Office with a dash of Spinal Tap thrown in for good
measure whats not to like? The
Untitled Work of Paul Shepard is about one mans journey into
past relationships in hopes of discovering what went wrong.

4. Les
Amours Imaginaires
(Heartbeats) is Xavier Dolans follow-up to the much
praised, Jai Tue Ma Mere (I Killed My Mother). The
Canadian director once again explores turbulent relationships; this
time, its a love triangle involving two friends and a mysterious
newcomer.

5. As part of the Film
Talks series, get in on whats new in independent cinema as a couple
of filmmakers talk about how the Internet has changed filmmaking
forever, using their web series Bunny Hug as a case study.

CIFF runs until October 3. For complete schedule and tickets, go here.