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- DirectorLucas BelvauxStarsYvan AttalAnne ConsignyAndré MarconA rich industrialist is brutally kidnapped. While he physically and mentally degenerates in imprisonment, the kidnappers, police and the board of the company of which he is director negotiate about the ransom of 50 million euro.Françoise Fabian
- DirectorEmmanuel MouretStarsJulie GayetMichaël CohenVirginie LedoyenWhen Gabriel and Emilie meet totally by chance, they don't know it is the start of a long story. A story that Emilie tells Gabriel to explain why she refuses an innocent, meaningless kiss.
- DirectorJacques RivetteStarsJuliet BertoBulle OgierJean BabiléeThe Queen of the Night battles the Queen of the Sun over a magical diamond that will allow the winner to remain on Earth, specifically in modern day Paris.Jacques Rivette, France.
- DirectorJean-François RichetStarsVincent CasselCécile de FranceGérard DepardieuThe story of the notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine, with the focus on his life before the early 1970s and the events that led to him being declared Public Enemy No. 1 in France.Cécile de France (Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1)
- DirectorEmmanuel MouretStarsCécile de FranceEdouard BaerAlice IsaazFooled by a notorious libertine, a widow plans her revenge.aka Mademoiselle de Joncquières. With Cécile de France. - I'm not big on costume dramas but this was an excellent script that explored the intricacies of human relationships, including love, duplicity, heartbreak, revenge, Don Juanism, class distinction and more. Even my annoying, off-mentioned ADD in these capsule reviews, I was never bored or distracted, except when I had to take the trash out. :-)
- DirectorRuben AlvesStarsRita BlancoJoaquim de AlmeidaRoland GiraudFor thirty years now Maria and José Ribeiro have been living on the ground floor of a Haussmannian building in one of the most exclusive districts of Paris. Everybody loves this nice couple of Portuguese immigrants, Mario for being a topnotch caretaker, José, a construction site supervisor by trade, for helping to do all kinds of jobs in the house. So, the day Maria and José announce their wish to return to Portugal, everybody is crushed. No, they just can't let them do a thing like that...!Alice Isaaz - Two family family soap/drama benefits from the Portuguese/French collaboration. The characters are likeable, the story is genre-typical, fun but non-essential. There's some interesting social politics regarding blue-collar foreign workers that gives it a little more weight than something this lighthearted. Actress Catarina Wallenstein is apparently also a fine singer, and is featured with a band in a scene towards the end. It's a nice touch. (Prime Video)
- DirectorMathieu KassovitzStarsVincent CasselHubert KoundéSaïd Taghmaoui24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.Regional Cinema college class assignment.
- DirectorJean-François RichetStarsVincent CasselLudivine SagnierMathieu AmalricThe story of the notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine, with the focus on his life and death as France's Public Enemy No. 1 in the 1970s.With Cécile de France. / Oops, watched the second one first. Entertaining dramatized version of the notorious Mesrine (pronounced Mare-EEN). Hollywood-style film that starts of in a heist/arrest repetitive mode, with plenty of action but not much else. The movie gets more interesting at the halfway point, as more time is spent on Mesrine's personal life. Entertaining overall, but not Scorsese great.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsIrène JacobJean-Louis TrintignantFrédérique FederA model discovers a retired judge is keen on invading people's privacy.Krzysztof Kieslowski's style is perfect here. It adds to the film's grace without taking you out of the story. The film has a quiet beauty to it. A random incident influences the life of two people in a poignant way that is beautifully realistic. There are interesting subplots as well, but they mostly compliment the main theme. I saw "Blue" many years ago and it didn't affect me the way this movie did. Maybe it is time to watch it again.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsZbigniew ZamachowskiJulie DelpyJanusz GajosAfter his wife divorces him, a Polish immigrant plots to get even with her.Watched Feb 2021
- DirectorOlivier NakacheÉric ToledanoStarsFrançois CluzetOmar SyAnne Le NyAfter he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.Without the command performance by Omar Sy, this movie would simply be a well-done copy of a Hollywood-style buddy comedy mixed with a twistily-plotted-but-barely-there rom-com. Cluzet reminds me a bit too much of Dustin Hoffman, who already gave me the creeps before all the allegations emerged. Still, I was entertained and enjoyed what appears to be a breakout role for Sy.
- DirectorCéline SciammaStarsNoémie MerlantAdèle HaenelLuàna BajramiOn an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.Call the authorities, someone has kidnapped and replaced the writer/director of "Girlhood" with a retro arthouse movie hack! This movie's glacial pace will challenge anyone with the slightest case of A.D.D. and some of the dialogue will horrify even half-assed self-published writers. On the bright side, if you want to spend a lot of time watching someone paint, or two women staring into each other's eyes and then looking away, this is the movie for you! NOTE: I gave it some points for a few effective scenes, the character of the maid, and because I appreciate that this was a movie written, directed and starring women. I don't know why critics lap this pretentious approach up, though - maybe they all grew up in the seventies?
- DirectorLadj LyStarsDamien BonnardAlexis ManentiDjebril ZongaA cop from the provinces moves to Paris to join the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, discovering an underworld where the tensions between the different groups mark the rhythm.Wathced becuase of La Haine comparisons. Meh.
- DirectorJacques RivetteSuzanne SchiffmanStarsMichèle MorettiHermine KaragheuzKaren PuigFollowing the May 1968 civil unrest in France, a deaf-mute and a con artist simultaneously stumble upon the remnants of a secret society.Jacques Rivette, France. Watched Part 1 of 13. May be for fans of experimental theater only. Barely introduced to two main characters. I'm off Rivette for now but may return to try Part 2.
- DirectorAlexandre de La PatellièreMatthieu DelaporteStarsPatrick BruelValérie BenguiguiCharles BerlingVincent is about to become a father. At a meeting with childhood friends he announces the name for his future son. The scandalous name ignites a discussion which surfaces unpleasant matters from the past of the group.Template family/friends dinner party comedy/drama. Fun for a while but got more tedious as it went on, with a lot of yelling and revelations that weren't worth all the trauma. With Françoise Fabian.
- DirectorGuillaume CanetStarsFrançois CluzetMarion CotillardBenoît MagimelA near-fatal accident leaves one friend in the hospital while the rest go on their annual vacation. But their secrets and personal grief threaten to drive them apart.François Cluzet / 2.5 hour long French film with a Big Chill-ish motif. Goes on too long and has an unsatisfying ending. Still, it kept me somewhat interested throughout so I'm being generous, rating-wise.
- DirectorOlivier NakacheÉric ToledanoStarsOmar SyCharlotte GainsbourgTahar RahimSenegalese Samba has worked 10 years in France. He's arrested and befriends the woman helping him with legal matters as volunteer after a burnout at work. He's released after being told to leave France. Chemistry?I was unaware that this was written/directed by the same guys who did Untouchable until after I watched it. Interesting that they would follow that one up with another semi-buddy romantic comedy drama. I think this is on par with Untouchable and they actually did a better job of highlighting the main character's life difficulties (which had to do with immigration). Omar Sy does just as good an acting job, although the part calls for him to be a more subtly (is that an oxymoron?) charismatic here.
- DirectorSydney SibiliaStarsElio GermanoLeonardo LidiMatilda De AngelisAn idealistic engineer builds his own island off the Italian coast and declares it a nation, drawing the world's attention. Values are tested when the Italian Government declares him an enemy, but to change the world risks must be taken.François Cluzet (Intouchables) / Mostly lighthearted look at the story of Rose Island circa 1968. They didn't try too hard to get the sixties look, but the soundtrack and the feel of the film helped to compensate. This is no classic, but a fun ride with a mildly dramatic finale. The subject matter deserves a serious documentary. In the meantime, check out YouTube ("real story of Rose Island") and the Wikipedia page about the "Republic of Rose Island."
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsPierre NineyPaula BeerErnst StötznerIn the aftermath of WWI, a young German who grieves the death of her fiancé in France meets a mysterious Frenchman who visits the fiancé's grave to lay flowers.Paula Beer / Beautiful, melancholy film that examines the pain of war through the eyes of a man and a woman who have lost love ones. The script is emotionally complex, which adds to the power of this story.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsIrène JacobWladyslaw KowalskiHalina GryglaszewskaTwo parallel stories about two identical women; one living in Poland, the other in France. They don't know each other, but their lives are nevertheless profoundly connected.With Irene Jacob. Self-consciously arty film is basically a mediation on the beauty of Irene Jacob. The plot, such as it is, seems to have no point, or, at least for me, doesn't emotionally connect. There are a few lovely moments, but I would seek out "Three Colors: Red," by the same director, and also starring Jacob, instead.
- DirectorClaude ChabrolStarsIsabelle HuppertMichel SerraultFrançois CluzetBetty and Victor are a pair of scam artists. One day Betty brings in Maurice, a treasurer of a multinational company. Maurice is due to transfer 5 millions francs out of Switzerland, and Betty is convinced he plans to steal that money.Chabrol. Glacially paced caper movie spends a full hour on set up and it's another 20 minutes before anything dramatic happens. The last half hour has some tension, but the ending is half-hearted and trite.