Trailer - Cafe de Flore

Another Vanessa Paradis film is on the horizon! The French actress is a Reel Artsy favorite, as we've spotlighted her films of new and old (Heartbreaker, Girl on a Bridge, Elisa). The latest movie comes from writer/director Jean-Marc Vallee (The Young Victoria) in a touching tale that weaves two families together.

Cafe de Flore chronicles the parallel fates of Jacqueline (VANESSA PARADIS) a young mother with a Down Syndrome son in 1960s Paris, and Antoine (KEVIN PARENT), a recently divorced successful DJ in present day Montreal.

Opening November 16th in Los Angeles. 

Official Site: http://adoptfilms.net/cafe

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Élisa (1995)

She's a bit of a cynical rebel and she knows the score. She fights her way through a gallery of mean and pathetic creatures. But Marie is haunted by the memories of her mother, Elisa, who shot herself years ago. So here she goes with hell to offer to a man she never knew. A man who abandoned Marie 's mother. A man, no more of a shadow, said to be her father. 

And there we are, irresistibly taken in an electrifying dance written and directed by Jacques Becker, with co-writer Fabrice Carazo. Making alive such wild animals torn between despair and salvation takes more than actors. It takes beautiful souls, willing to jump in the fire of a raw and magnetic confrontation echoing the savage landscapes of French Britain. In Elisa, it took two fierce and delicate monsters of French cinema, Gérard Depardieu and the absolutely breath-taking Vanessa Paradis. 

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Mariages! (2004)

[Editor's Note: This is the first review from our latest French contributor Marc Omeyer]

In a charming little village in the south of France, on a sunny week end, all is set for the mariage of Johanna and Benjamin. Both young and charming. All is going to be fine, the kind of perfect ceremony every girl dreams of. Nothing must break the romantic atmosphere of this wonderful moment. Nothing. Except the best man, Jean Dujardin. Has he forgotten the rings? What about discovering his wife having an affair at the very moment he should go on stage for his congrats speech?

While all goes out of control, in an exhilirating twister of wonderfully written scenes, the two young lovers will face the tornado of hopes, delusions, revelations and bitterness of everyone around them. Will they find their own way to love? Will they marry at all, with the full understanding of what it takes to engage oneself on this adventurous trip?

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Poster - Late Bloomers

Official Site: http://trois-fois-20-ans.gaumont.fr/

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The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch

Tomer Sisley makes a compelling lead in the action-suspense The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch. Sisley plays the title character, an adopted son who rises from obscurity to reclaim his father's empire. This movie is the fast paced, high-voltage kind of variety, but when Kristin Scott Thomas is involved it adds a certain validity to the project (with her being one of the best working actresses). But back to Sisley... the guy is truly magnetic: handsome, bilingual and full of machismo. If it were a different movie, he would be James Bond. He's that smooth.

Now playing in select theaters.

Official Site: www.musicboxfilms.com/largo-winch

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La Chamade (1968)

La Chamade is a stylish French film in the vein of Breakfast at Tiffany's about two "kept" people who meet and fall in love. Catherine Deneuve (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) stars in this beautifully crafted tale about the power of money vs. the allure of romance.

Available on Netflix.

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The Girl on the Bridge (La fille sur le pont)

Can two unhappy people be happy together?

The Girl on the Bridge is one of my favorites. It captures quirky and heartfelt in a compelling cinematic swirl of emotions. 

A despondent girl named Adele (Vanessa Paradis) is about to take a swan dive off a bridge into the Seine River when she's rescued by Gabor (Daniel Auteuil), a knife thrower who needs a human target for his show. The luckless Adele agrees, and together the pair thrives.

Paradis and Auteil offer magnetic performances wrapped in beautiful cinematography making every scene count.

Available on Netflix. 

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The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a French musical that was nominated for five Academy Awards including best original song and best screenplay. If it's not on your classic quirky list then it should be. The film centers around two young lovers, a store keeper and a mechanic, and their quest to stay together despite their different social standings.

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Trailer - Heartbeats

Writer/director Xavier Dolan's film tells the story of a very common French theme, the love triangle. In case you're wondering, the delightful song from the trailer is Dalida's cover of Cher's 'Bang Bang'. Opens in limited release today.

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Poster - Rubber

[click for bigger version]

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Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur)

Cute. Hilarious. Must-watch! If you like romantic comedies then Heartbreaker belongs on your list. Romain Duris oozes charm in this French tale of opposites attract that includes sparkling performances from co-star Vanessa Paradis and its supporting cast. If you liked Priceless (Hors de Prix), then you'll love this.

 

In theaters September 10th.

Official Site: www.heartbreakermovie.com 

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Séraphine

Séraphine is a quiet yet stirring film about a woman's struggle between reality and spiritual devotion. Wrapped in beautiful cinematography Séraphine scrubs and cleans most of the day, yet her hard labor inspires something fierce inside: the need to paint. Yolande Moreau gives a wonderful performance as Séraphine and the film went onto win several awards. I caught it at the City of Angels Film Fest and unfortunately it's one of those cinematic gems that little coverage in the States.

Available on Netflix.

Official Website: www.seraphinemovie.com

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Trailer - The Illusionist

Oscar-nominated French director Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville) has completed his new animated film. The Illusionist is one of a dying breed of stage entertainers. With emerging rock stars stealing his thunder, he is forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theatres, at garden parties and in bars and cafés. However, whilst performing in a village pub off the west coast of Scotland, he encounters Alice, an innocent young girl, who will change his life forever. It’s based on an unmade script by acclaimed director Jacques Tati, upon whom the main character is based. I love Chomet's offbeat style and this looks amazing.

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TCM Classic Film Fest: Breathless

Don't miss the opportunity to see Jean-Luc Godard's French New Wave classic Breathless on the big screen. The showing will include an appearance from star Jean-Paul Belmondo at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. 8pm.

For ticket info visit www.tcm.com/festival

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Notable New Releases

Crazy Heart
It's a lot like The Wrestler, but with country music. Very simple and very effective. Jeff Bridges' performance as washed out country singer Bad Blake is magnificent. He completely inhabits the role and does all his own singing and playing. Maggie Gyllenhaal is just as great, playing opposite him as struggling single mother Jean. The music is of course amazing and the final song (which we see Blake writing throughout the film) will break you.

Extras include:

• Deleted Scenes
• Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Robert Duvall interviews (BD exclusive)

The Lovely Bones
Missed this one and it got terrible reviews, but i'm willing to give Peter Jackson a chance and it has a really extensive making of doc.

Extras include:

• Introduction by Peter Jackson
• Filming 'The Lovely Bones' - a three hour documentary that chronicles the making of the film (BD exclusive)

The Young Victoria
Nothing new but a solid period romance. Emily Blunt does great work here.

Extras include:

• Deleted Scenes
• Making of The Young Victoria
• The Real Queen Victoria
• The Coronation
• The Wedding
• Lavish History: A Look at the Costumes and Locations

[READ MORE...]

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Micmacs

The director of Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet) brings us a new offbeat tale with Micmacs. It's the story of a guy who's had misfortune with weapons in the most quirky ways. Later on he teams up with a group of misfits to seek revenge on the companies who manufactured the products. I'm not sure what his "revenge" entails but the journey looks extremely funny...

In theaters May 28th (NYC & LA).

Official Site: www.sonyclassics.com/micmacs

[H/T Sergio]

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Chloe

The new film by Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter, Adoration) stars Julianne Moore as an untrusting wife who attempts to prove that her husband is cheating by hiring an escort to seduce him. Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried co-star with a script by Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary, Fur). It is based on the French film Nathalie. Egoyan always manages to make complex, thought-provoking films and I look forward to seeing these three great actors clash together.

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Notable New Releases

Black Dynamite
This blaxploitation parody looks hilarious and has gotten great reviews for its spot-on take on the genre.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• 'Lighting The Fuse' Making-of Featurette
• The 70's: Back in Action
• The Comic-Con Experience

Law Abiding Citizen
Didn't look great but everything I've heard suggests it's actually a pretty fun over-the-top revenge flick.

Extras include:

• Commentary
• The Justice of 'Law Abiding Citizen'
• Law in Black and White - Behind the Scenes
• Preliminary Arguments - Visual Effects Progressions
• The Verdict - Winning Trailer Mash-Up

Hunger (Criterion Collection)
Michael Fassbender's fearless performance has been earning rave reviews and I can't wait to check out the story of political prisoner Bobby Sands.

Extras include:

• Steve McQueen interview
• The Making of Hunger
• Michael Fassbender interview
• 'The Provos' Last Card?' 1981 News Program
• Booklet - a 16-page illustrated booklet containing Chris Darke's essay 'On The Threshold'

[READ MORE...] 

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A Woman is a Woman (Une femme est une femme)

If you enjoyed 500 Days of Summer then you'll probably like Jean-Luc Godard's classic French film A Woman is a Woman. Pay special attention to the clothes, in some scenes it looks like Anna Karina rummaged through Zooey Deschanel's closet, or vice versa. They definitely share a similar style:

If you look real close you can see how Godard paved the way for director's like Marc Webb.

Angela, a striptease artist, wants to have a baby and tries to persuade her boyfriend Emile to go along with the idea.

The trailer doesn't nearly do justice to how good this film is...

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Priceless (Hors de prix)

Priceless is an adorable romantic comedy starring Audrey Tautou (Amélie) and Gad Elmaleh (The Valet). If you're familiar with their previous work then you'll understand why they make a fitting onscreen couple. This movie is cute, sweet and full of charming scenes.

Through a set of wacky circumstances, a young gold digger mistakenly woos a mild-mannered bartender thinking he's a wealthy suitor.

Official Site: www.pricelessthemovie.com

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