THE VALET
Seasoned French auteur Francis Veber (“The Birdcage”) creates an offhand romantic comedy that Hollywood rarely achieves. Cole Smithey.
French Cinema
THE PAGE TURNER — CANNES 2006
Style wins out over substance in this delectable low-key French thriller by director Denis Dercourt. Cole Smithey.
AVENUE MONTAIGNE
This richly layered slice of ideal Parisian life confection wafts with the smell of fresh croissants and Coco Chanel. Cole…
EXTERMINATING ANGELS — CANNES 2006
Cannes Film Festival, Capsules Blog, Erotic, French Cinema, LGBTQ, Porn, sex, Sexploitation, THREE STARS, Women's Cinema
Provocative, erotic, and unforced “Exterminating Angels” is a cautionary story about the perils of awakening useless desire. Cole Smithey.
COMEDY OF POWER
Loosely based on the corporate scandal surrounding Elf Aqutiane (now “TotalFinaElf”), director Claude Chabrol casts longtime collaborator Isabelle Hubert as…
THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP
Navel-gazing director Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) wears his developmentally arrested heart on his sleeve, on his…
LE PETIT LIEUTENANT
The rarely done genre of the French policier is alive and well in director Xavier Beauvois’s dynamic crime drama about…
THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP
Navel-gazing director Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) wears his developmentally arrested heart on his sleeve, on his…
HEADING SOUTH
A trio of middle-aged white women from different backgrounds relish the tropical pleasures of ‘70s era Haiti, which includes local…
DISTRICT B-13
French cinema cottage industry magnate Luc Besson co-wrote and produced this hit-and-miss action thriller, circa 2013, where Paris’ ghetto District…
HIGH TENSION
Gory European gothic horror doesn’t come any weirder than it does when a couple of lesbian college girlfriends retreat to…
LOOK AT ME (COMME UNE IMAGE) — CANNES 2004
Lolita Cassard (Marilou Berry) is a talented 20-year-old singer of classical music. She’s also the overweight daughter of Etienne Cassard…
COLE SMITHEY’S CLASSIC CINEMA
