Reviews (10) 
astonishing director does it again!!!
Atom Egoyan is a truly revolutionary director and he proves himself once again with CALENDAR, his first great film (although the ones before have been quite good)...the scenery is magnificant, the performances are so real (wife Arsinee Khanjian gives one of her best performances) and the directing style is fresh and unique (also keep in mind this is 1993)...The simple plot (engaging and absorbing as in all Egoyan films) does not unfold chronologically, which is just one of the fascinating aspects of the film...it truly is dazzling, and the mostly improvised dialogue is spectacular...(annoyed at the seemingly endless footage of the flock of sheep near the beginning? You'll appreciate it in the end.)Egoyan's films always manage to touch me in ways I never expect. That might have a lot to do with the fact that I am Armenian and a lot of his films deal with being an Armenian, but I never truly appreciated my heritage until viewing ARARAT, CALENDAR, and NEXT OF KIN. What a wonderful movie this is...what an remarkable director Egoyan is...can't wait to see what he comes up with next..
Self-indulgent and heavy-handed
I greatly enjoy Atom Egoyan's films, usually. I've followed his work since the release of SPEAKING PARTS and have seen most of his major films. I have found things to like about all of them - except this one. CALENDAR is a torturously self-conscious reflection on the ways an obsession with documenting reality can come between a filmmaker and those around him. The film has the FEEL of the confessional; to me, it seems very likely -- though I don't know for sure -- that Egoyan and Khanjian were playing, basically, THEMSELVES, and that the movie was meant as some sort of therapy for them -- Egoyan flailing around in his self-hate for being so afraid of experiencing an unmediated reality, wanting to see everything through the camera -- even his wife's attraction for another man, for example. In-between footage of Egoyan and Khanjian's trip to Armenia, we get lots of shots of Egoyan sitting around his apartment alone, contriving dates with women he doesn't really care much about and brooding over the memory of his failings with his wife. Maybe that sounds appealing to some of you -- sounds raw and daring, a filmmaker picking the scabs on his conscience aside and showing the viewer the throbbing wounds beneath; I personally found it embarrassing and somewhat distasteful. The obvious comparison, I suppose -- the film most like this one, that I've seen -- is DAVID HOLZMAN'S DIARY; but that movie only pretends to document a filmmaker's unhealthy dependancy on the camera-eye, and so never descends into the sort of psychological exhibitionism CALENDAR reeks of... If you're exploring his less-known work, or just looking for intellectually stimulating cinema, FAMILY VIEWING and SPEAKING PARTS are both incredible films. CALENDAR is one to avoid. (Sorry, Atom!)
Armenians must know their history
Our duty as Armenians is to Remember and pass the memory to next generation and make the tragedy known to the world, this movie does it the best way... excellent, something to have at home and watch it over and over..it is good acting, excellent plot, love and history...
Egoyan's only dud
Atom Egoyan is one of the most interesting directors alive. Indeed, "The Sweet Hereafter" was probably the best film of the 1990s. Practically everything Egoyan has made is worth a look.
Except for this mess. "Calendar" is repetitive, pretentious, and almost unwatchable. It's like an Egoyan parody. The content would be thin even for a short film; as a feature-length production, it's a self-absorbed, seemingly endless disaster. But *do* see "The Sweet Hereafter." And "Exotica." And "Felicia's Journey." And virtually anything else by this remarkable filmmaker.
Avoid except for true Atom Egoyan fans
I like Atom Egoyan's movies but I am not a die-hard enough fan to sit through this one. Atom Egoyan even "tries" to act in it. I think he would do well to stay behind the camera. Basically a photographer and his wife take photographs of Armenian churches for a calendar they are making. They travel to these places with a local historian who is very interested in the photographer's wife. These scenes are cut with the photographer sitting at home trying to solve his emotional problems with other women. Its pure garbage. Sorry but I could not believe I sat through this. I am a fan of the man's work but this one is a mess. I only recommend it to die-hard fans and the most extreme of art-house movie lovers. I lean a little to the art-house side but this was a way too much for me to take.
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