Let’s get the annual joke about Calgary’s International Film Festival out of the way first. Yes, its acronym is CIFF. Yes, I wish they’d change it.
Okay, now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about this year’s festival which kicks off next Thursday, September 28th.
Over the next couple of days, I’ll try to go through the program and pick out some of my favourites, but for now, let’s talk about the big one’s that everyone will be talking about on OSCAR. Sure Hollywood’s biggest night is still months away, but if football games can be four hours long, than I can talk about the OSCARs.
Foxcatcher
Steve Carrell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum, Vanessa Redgrave all star in the real life story of  Mark Schultz, an Olympic wrestler whose relationship with sponsor John du Pont and brother Dave Schultz lead to…well, it’s a real life story, so I don’t want to spoil it if you don’t already know. It’s easily Carrell’s darkest role yet and the Academy loves nothing more than a comedian turned serious actor.
SUNDAY SEP 21, 7:00 PM AT GLOBE CINEMA – 18+ (NO MINORS)
I Am Big Bird
If the Oscars don’t nominated a movie about Carroll Spinney, the man who has played Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969, then I don’t know what life is about anymore.
SATURDAY SEP 20, 6:45 PM AT GLOBE CINEMA – 18+ (NO MINORS)
SATURDAY SEP 27, 2:00 PM AT GLOBE CINEMA
Elsa & Fred
Can two Oscar winners hope for more Oscar love?  Here’s hoping! Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer, star in this movie about trying to change who you are and who you aren’t, at any age. Truth be told, I would give an Oscar to these two if they just stared at each other for 90 minutes.
SATURDAY SEP 27, 7:00 PM AT EAU CLAIRE
