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

Roll out the red carpet. These are five flicks we can’t wait to see at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Patang
Go fly a kite. Better yet, go fly millions of them. This richly woven tale of six lives set against the backdrop of India’s largest kite festival will have its Canadian premiere at VIFF.

In Darkness
Based on true events, this Canadian-Polish co-production tells the story of a Polish sewer worker who risks his life to help Jewish families escape from the Nazis by keeping them hidden in a sewer system during the Second World War. Oscar buzz has already begun; this is Poland’s submission for the Best Foreign Language film Oscar.

Las Acacias
Road trip! This quiet Argentinian film follows a truck driver as he travels from Paraguay to Buenos Aires with a woman and her baby. It earned the Caméra d'Or at Cannes.

One Lucky Elephant
Bring your tissues. This moving documentary follows a circus producer as he tries to find a home for a beloved ten-thousand-pound performer who’s retired from the ring.

You’ve been Trumped
Jonsi’s beautiful soundtrack will make up for spending 95 minutes looking at Donald Trump’s hair in this documentary about the Donald’s plan to develop a golf course in one of Scotland’s most beautiful and ecologically sensitive areas. —Kelsey Dundon

VIFF runs September 29 until October 14, www.viff.org

It seems that Woody Allen had to move away from New York City to get his mojo back. Following his flings in London and Barcelona, Allen set his eyes on Paris in what is essentially a love letter to the city.

Midnight in Paris’ Woody Allen-esque protagonist Gill (Owen Wilson) is a Hollywood writer who longs for the Parisian jazz era. Sans the Delorean but in true Marty McFly style, Gill ends up jumping back and forth between the present and the past, rubbing elbows with Paris’ most colourful citizens like Hemingway, Stein, Picasso and Dalí.

Lit and art history weren’t this entertaining in school. —AG

At Fifth Avenue Cinemas, 2110 Burrard St., Vancouver, www.festivalcinemas.ca and International Village, 88 W. Pender St., Vancouver, www.cineplex.com

Some say the best way to cure a Saturday night hangover is to drink more on Sunday. We say sure, with a side of movie matinee.

The Waldorf Hotel’s new admission-by-donation Sunday film series, “Day for Night”, plays a range of eccentric indies, cult classics and art films, with a few NFB shorts to warm-up, in their laid-back lower-level clubhouse. There’s cocktails too. When we went to watch Johnny Depp in Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man, Caesars were the popular order.

This weekend, it’s a Valentine’s Day double bill of the Quentin Tarentino-scripted flick True Romance and Terrance Malick’s Badlands. Not your regular romance fare and we like it.

“Day for Night,” Sundays, starting at 3 p.m., The Waldorf Hotel, 1489 E. Hastings St., Vancouver, 604-253-7141, www.waldorfhotel.com

If you can’t go somewhere, go Somewhere.

The latest quietly-told film from Sofia Coppola follows Jonny Marco (played by our schoolgirl crush, Stephen Dorff), a Hollywood bad boy holed up in Chateau Marmont, slowly being changed by the presence of his 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning).

It’s the cure-all to the nightmares you had because of Black Swan and the nausea 127 Hours gave you.

Opens today at Fifth Avenue Cinemas, 2110 Burrard St., Vancouver, 604-734-7469, www.festivalcinemas.ca

While exciting for your favourite fanboy, a Princess Leia slave costume just isn’t practical for winter.

But a capsule collection inspired by TRON: Legacy by Opening Ceremony is. And with its vibrant shades, it’s on-trend for spring too.

For the bold-hearted: a funnel neck bomber in orange, fitted wool pant in royal blue or neoprene sock boot in yellow. And for the more colour-shy, there’s a laser-cut skirt in white, a bodice dress in black, or our personal fave, a ThreeASFOUR circle bag ($575, pictured).

Seeing as the future’s fair, there’s brightly-hued menswear too. Although, sadly (or perhaps thankfully), no glow-stick spandex onesies.

www.openingceremony.us

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

Staying in with a sad sentimental movie and sweets may be a clichéd plot point of chick flicks, but the truth is everybody needs a good cry and a bowl of ice cream every now and again. Up the ante from Sleepless in Seattle and vanilla with one of these three DVD and dessert pairings:

The Princess + the Warrior and Häagen-Dazs Caramel Cone Explosion
A German film deserves a German-sounding pint with extra crunch. From the writer-director of Run Lola Run, the story centers around a lovelorn psychiatric nurse and a brokenhearted bank robber who come together through a series of unfortunate events.

The Painted Veil and Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Tracks
The comfort of peanut butter will carry you through this tumultuous literary tale about a doctor (Edward Norton) and socialite (Naomi Watts) who trek into a remote village in China and turn languishing love fervent.

After the Wedding and Island Farms Rocky Road
Mads Mikkelsen (of Casino Royale) stars in this Danish film about a man who is beckoned home from India to meet his orphanage’s benefactor, but finds he’s been called back by the man for a profound, heartbreaking reason. Their rocky road is your Rocky Road.

Rent at Videomatica, 1855 W. Fourth Ave., Vancouver, 604-734-0411, www.videomatica.ca

Book a week off work, buy those cashmere sweats you’ve been eyeing and settle in for another stellar season of cinema at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Herewith, the feature flicks we’ll be queuing for based on our celluloid soft-spots:

Up-and-coming Canuck: Heartbeats
A twist on the classic love triangle, the sophomore effort from Montreal’s Xavier Dolan received a standing ovation and the Prix de la Jeunesse at Cannes this year.

Arty doc: Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
Director Tamra Davis unearths her personal footage and interviews of Basquiat kept under lock and key until now to trace the young artist’s swift rise and sudden death. We previewed the film earlier this year and walked away moved and inspired.

British romp: Tamara Drewe
This modern comedy of errors had us at “loosely based on Thomas Hardy’s Far From The Madding Crowd.” Add in a leather-clad Dominic Cooper and being charmed is a sure thing.

French flirtation: Certified Copy
Take a ten dollar trip to Italy with this film starring Juliette Binoche as an antique shop owner in Tuscany who strikes up relations with an English author. Also a Cannes winner, Binoche took home the Best Actress prize.

Period piece: Anton Chekhov’s The Duel
With glowing reviews from the likes of the New York Times and the New Yorker, this film adaptation of the 1891 novella is apt to be anything but bland and boring with critics attributing adjectives like rich, deft and evocative to it.

The film festival runs September 30 to October 15, 2010. Purchase tickets and view schedules at www.viff.org

Audrey Hepburn launched subtle-sexy and LBD chic but it might never have happened were it not for a little film called Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

It heralded the career of Givenchy and the rise of the new '60s dame, one who didn’t live in the kitchen and spoke her mind. Sam Wasson’s Fifth Avenue, 5 a.m. is a page-turning look at the making of Blake Edward’s film filled with juicy details about Truman Capote’s narcissism (he hated the script and wanted Marilyn Monroe for the lead) and how Hepburn nearly refused to eat Danish in the film’s iconic opening scene (she lobbied for an ice cream cone).

It’s the perfect cure for the mean reds.

$16.05 at Amazon.ca