Posted on November 5, 2020
Fall in Calgary is like a box of chocolates—as the famous line goes—you never know what you're going to get. From unseasonably warm and sunny chinooks to bone-chilling blizzards, November in YYC can be quite the tossup, which is why for this month's picks we asked our programmers to face off films set in snowy scapes, and movies that offer a sunny escape from winter.
So whether you want to lean into impending winter, or take a movie-length vacay to somewhere sunnier, our team has got you covered.
Adam Keresztes, Shorts Programmer
KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER (2014) vs. A BIGGER SPLASH (2015)
FORCE MAJEURE (2015) vs SUNTAN (2016)
Brenda Lieberman, Lead Programmer
30 DAYS OF NIGHT (2007) vs FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (2008)
Just look at this pairing! A vampire film in the middle of winter, with no daylight in sight, paired with one of my favourite tropically-set relationship comedies, which ends no less, with a Dracula puppet comedy-rock opera!

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004) vs THE BEACH BUM (2019)
Brian Owens, Artistic Director
A SIMPLE PLAN (1998) vs. THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999)
A trip back to the late '90s, these two thrillers offer two very distinct climates and two very distinct styles. A SIMPLE PLAN takes place in rural Minnesota where a pair of poor brothers and a friend discover a crashed plane holding $4.4 million. The discovery leads to mistrust, deceit and danger. RIPLEY takes place on the sunny Mediterranean coast, and while it also involves issues of class and deceit and mistrust, it's slick style is one of its selling points - a contrast to the down and dirty simplicity of A SIMPLE PLAN.