Our better(ish) half has seen his fair share of lady films on the big screen so we’re giving back by taking him to the Montreal leg of testosterone-filled Mountain Film Festival tour.

What we won’t tell him is that while the films are all themed around (mostly bromantical) mountain adventures – these are the best picks from the Banff Mountain Film Festival, after all – they also feature breathtaking scenery, moving storylines and heart-palpitation inducing scenes (like this image from the film Sfinga) that make them a delight to watch.

We love a win/win. —Christine Laroche

405 Ste-Catherine St. E., Montreal, 514-987-3456, www.banffquebec.ca

Over the holidays there is nothing quite as indulgent as spending an afternoon watching your favourite movie, our editors share their top picks:

The Future
The Future begins with a thirty-something couple adopting an injured cat and continues through 30 days of questioning mortality, the need for attention and profound loneliness, all told through the poetic mind of writer/director/ star Miranda July. $34.95 at www.amazon.ca —Jaelyn Molyneux, Calgary editor

Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Christmas tradition I look forward to the most is my annual viewing of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I always opt for the extended version, and it takes me a few days to watch since I usually fall asleep a couple times. There is nothing better than lounging on the sofa watching good looking, burly guys riding horses and saving Middle Earth. $68.99 for the Special Extended Edition Trilogy at www.amazon.ca. —Alexandra Suhner Isenberg, Vancouver fashion editor

Jersey Shore
I’m only slightly ashamed of my addiction to Jersey Shore, but I’ll break open the boxed wine to enjoy the gang’s pre-rehab antics in Italy from Season Four. $19.99 at  www.amazon.ca —Jennifer Nachshen, Montreal editor

Age of Innocence
Martin Scorsese may be best known for his dark, brooding crime dramas, but this adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1920 Pulitzer Prize-winning, melancholy, yet cleverly funny novel about New York's high society is just as complex. “Period drama?” he’ll ask. “It’s Martin Scorsese,” you’ll explain.  $9.49 at www.amazon.ca — Anya Georgijevic, Vancouver beauty editor

Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet
I can’t wait to grab my girlfriends and reminisce about a time when “Love Fool” was all over the radio, Claire Danes looked all of 14, and Leo was like ohmigod so cute. $16.98 at www.chapters.indigo.ca —Kelsey Dundon, Vancouver lifestyle editor

Bill Cunningham New York
The Christmas holidays can be crazy, but if I finally get to watch the Bill Cunningham doc in a quiet room with leftover turkey and trimmings, I’ll be very chuffed. $23.99 at www.amazon.ca —Athena Tsavliris, Toronto editor

Amélie
This beautiful French film (shot in Paris) takes you along on a quirky love story just perfect for a snowy day. You'll want to practice your French on your sweetie after watching this adorable film.  $15.68 at www.amazon.ca —Kelsey Mulyk, Managing editor

We may recognize them as stylemakers, but the only thing we ever learned from the Olsen Twins was how to “prune” for the cameras. That and how you can still look like a hobo whilst wearing thousands of dollars of designer duds.

Turns out Mary Kate and Ashley have an uber-talented little sister who is about to make her mark on American cinema with a star turn in the film Martha Marcy May Marlene. Elizabeth Olsen plays the title character, Martha, in the psychological thriller that explores her life and its unravelling when she returns to the real world after living as Marcy May in a cult in the Katskills.

The prune reference? Close your mouth, smile and say “prune.” Now you look like an Olsen twin! —Jennifer Nachshen

Starts Friday November 4 at the Cinema du Parc, www.cinemaduparc.com

As Canada Day approaches, we’d like to thank our country for delivering so much artistic talent. Here are some of our fave.

Author
We loved the quiet drama of Late Nights on Air, so we’re looking forward to cracking the spine of Elizabeth Hay’s newest offering, Alone in the Classroom, a multi-generational tale exploring the origins of love and hate. At www.indigo-chapters.ca

Actor
From the Sound of Music to his latest role as a gay man who comes out of the closet in his seventies in Beginners, Christopher Plummer is a class Canadian act. It doesn’t hurt that Ewan McGregor co-stars in this film about love and discovery. Now playing at the AMC Forum.

Musician
No matter what we think of her kooky outfits, Shania Twain has always stood out as a strong, sexy female artist, who has emerged from heartache only to sing again. We’re picking up her autobiography, From This Moment On, taking us on her journey from Eilleen Twain in Timmons, to country legend Shania. $14.99 at Amazon.ca

Happy Canada Day! —JN

We were thrilled to have had the privilege of seeing Leonard Cohen perform live when he came out of retirement a few years ago. Since we might not get that opportunity again, we’re grateful to watch him in any context.

Filmed in 1972 by British filmmaker, Tony Palmer, Bird on a Wire follows Leonard Cohen on his European tour, with glimpses of the singer-songwriter-poet in the studio, on stage, and off-duty. Released in 1974, the original film was lost for decades, only to be found in 2009 in rusted old cans in a Hollywood warehouse. Recently restored and re-edited by Palmer the film will be screened at the Corona Theatre at 7 p.m. tonight, with Palmer on hand to tell us what it was like to make, lose, find and re-make this cinematic tribute to a Montreal legend. —JN

Purchase tickets (starting at $18.50) online or at the Corona Theatre, 2490, Notre-Dame St. W., Montreal, 514-931-2088.

We’ve visited rescued elephants in Thailand and spotted an orangutan or two in Africa, but it’s pretty difficult to get up close and personal with these marvellous creatures in Montreal.

From April 8, 2011 the Montreal Science Centre is showing the 3D IMAX experience, Born to be Wild. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this 40-minute film starts in the rainforests of Borneo, where Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas rescues orphaned orangutans, and then brings you to Kenya to watch Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick fostering infant elephants. You’ll coo and ooh and ahh over the adorable bottle-fed babies, but you’ll also hear the movie’s important message about conservation.

Extremely loud. And incredibly close.

Buy tickets ($11.50 for adults) online or at the Montreal Science Centre, Quais du Vieux-Port, Montreal, 514-496-4724.

We’ve never found babysitting to be much of a good time, but somehow Charlotte Brontë’s famous novel, Jane Eyre, made the life of a governess sound awfully romantic.

In the latest film version of the quintessential childhood reading-list tome, Alice in Wonderland’s Mia Wasikowska plays the famously plain Jane while Michael Fassbender offers a crush-worthy performance as the damaged Mr. Rochester (Dylan McKay’s got nothing on him).

However, the real star of the film may be the breathtaking cinematography directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, whose vision of the stunningly somber British moors is as haunting as Rochester’s first bride.

Reader, imagine how messed up we were after watching The Sound of Music.

In theatres March 25, http://focusfeatures.com/jane_eyre

Lights, camera, couch! Herewith, four DVD picks for a night of home entertainment.

Kick-Ass
If you’re feeling frumpy after too many holiday treats, pick up Kick-Ass to get yourself feeling more like a superhero. Aaron Johnson and Nicolas Cage do a pretty good job of defending the world from villains, but it’s Chloë Moretz’s portrayal of Hit Girl that will get you practicing your knife skills and high kicks.
Jennifer Nachshen, Montreal editor (English edition)

Heartbreaker
What’s better than a rom-com? A French rom-com complete with a tribute to Dirty Dancings and some Wham thrown into the mix. Starring the ultra cool Vanessa Paradis and handsome Parisian Romain Duris, Heartbreaker is the story of Alex, a professional Lothario who loses his cool when his latest assignment gets a tad too personal.
Malwina Gudowska, Calgary editor

Winter’s Bone
Justin Bieber isn’t the only teen phenom headlining a film these days. Actress Jennifer Lawrence was 18 when she starred in this book adaptation about twisted family ties in the Ozarks. Her performance already has a Golden Globe nom and the same is sure to come from Oscar.
Joy Pecknold, Vancouver editor

Smash His Camera
Artist, stalker, scumbag—photographer Ron Gallela has been called all of the above, and more. The documentary, spanning decades in the career of the man who was sued by Jackie Kennedy, socked in the jaw by Marlon Brando and adored by Andy Warhol, is a nostalgic and insightful look into the life of a celebrity paparazzo.
Maria Tallarico, Managing editor

Our most anticipated movie of the year is Black Swan. In part because the media has been referring to it as an “erotic ballet thriller,” and we’d like to find out what that means.

Beautiful and unsettling, Black Swan stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as competing ballerinas who wind up entangling lithe limbs off-stage as well as on. Winning rave reviews at the Venice International Film Festival and TIFF, Black Swan finds Tchaikovsky meeting director Aronofsky with stunning results.

Did we mention Winona Ryder stars as the aging Prima Ballerina replaced by the younger starlets? Reality bites.

In select theatres on December 1, www.foxsearchlight.com/blackswan

We may watch Mad Men obsessively, but we haven’t seen a real commercial in years, thanks to the magic of our PVR.

Now we’re buying a ticket to go see hours of ads. Starting November 19 the Cinema du Parc will be presenting the 2010 Cannes Lions, awarding the best ads of the world. This multicultural romp through consumer culture will leave you laughing and crying, but most of all, wondering why ad men aren’t always this creative.

And why more of them don’t look like Jon Hamm.

Until November 25, tickets from $8 at Cinema du Parc, 3575, Park Ave., Montreal, 514-218-1900 and online.