Anthony Zimmer
2005 by Jerome Salle with Sophie Marceau, Yvan Attal, Sami Frey.

Anthony Zimmeris the orginal french script which served for the team Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie's in The Tourist. Anthony Zimmer is one of the world’s most wanted criminals – a notorious fraudster who has a knack of disappearing without a trace. His nemesis is Akerman, a ruthless cop who is prepared to use whatever it takes to bring him to justice. On a train heading for the Côte d’Azur, an attractive young woman named Chiara makes the acquaintance of François, a translator who is taking a break after separating from his girlfriend. Chiara invites François to spend his holiday with her and, naturally, he accepts. As a gift, she gives him a watch engraved with the name ’Anthony Zimmer’. François soon realises that something is wrong, and when trigger-happy gunmen break into his hotel suite he suspects Chiara is not what she seems. Appearances can be very deceptive...

En vacances sur la côte d'Azur, François est séduit par Chiara, le genre de créature de rêve qu'il n'aperçoit d'habitude que sur des couvertures de magazines. François vit un véritable conte de fées, jusqu'au jour où on tente de l'abattre en le prenant pour un certain Anthony Zimmer. Les apparences sont parfois deceptives...

Showed on Fri. Jan 07. 2011

Zazie dans le Metro
1960 by Louis Malle with Catherine Demongeot.

Zazie dans le Metro is Zazie in the Metro — or simply Zazie, depending on the translation (original French title: Zazie dans le métro) — a French novel written in 1959, was the first major success of author Raymond Queneau. Zazie explores colloquial language as opposed to 'standard' written French, a distinction that is particularly marked in French, where correct language usage is governed by an official academy. The first word of the book, the neologism Doukipudonktan is a phonetic transcription of D'où qu'il pue donc tant ? ("How come he stinks so much?"). In the English version of the novel, this is rendered as "Holifart watastink". In the movie version the English subtitle reads "Whozit who stinks?"

Zazie, une gamine de douze ans aux manières délurées, arrive de sa province impatiente de connaitre le métro parisien. Son oncle Gabriel l'attend à la gare et, à sa grande déception, la jette directement dans un taxi piloté par son ami Charles : direction le café Turandot. Là, elle fait la connaissance de Madot P'tits Pieds, une servante au grand cœur. Chacun va désormais vaquer à ses propres occupations : l'oncle fait la danseuse espagnole dans un beuglant, Zazie découvre le marché au puces en compagnie de l'agent Trouscaillon, Charles déclare sa flamme à Mado. Après quelques jours de folie parisienne, Zazie reprend le train sans avoir vu les couloirs du métro.

Comedy, 89 minutes Showed on Fri. Jul 03. 2009

Après Vous
2003 by Pierre Salvadori with Daniel Auteuil, José Garcia, Sandrine Kiberlain.

 

English

Antoine is a maitre d' in a Paris brasserie, Chez Jean, and is so full of being of service to others that he can't say 'no'. Late for dinner with his girlfriend, Christine, he takes a shortcut home through the park but finds a stranger, Louis, in the act of committing suicide by hanging. Louis is distraught by the loss of his girlfriend, Blanche, and is so grateful that he attaches himself to Antoine. Antoine arranges a job for Louis - as a sommelier at Chez Jean and sets about trying to repair Louis' life...

French
Antoine est maître d'hôtel dans une brasserie parisienne. Un soir, en rentrant du travail, il sauve un inconnu du suicide. Se sentant étrangement coupable d'avoir sauvé la vie de cet homme, Antoine n'a de cesse de vouloir l'aider, le réparer. Mais il a beau faire, Louis n'a qu'une seule obsession, Blanche, la femme de sa vie, celle à cause de qui il a voulu mourir... Sans en parler à son nouvel ami, Antoine décide de la retrouver. Mais les choses ne se passent pas tout à fait comme prévues. Blanche n'est pas seule, et surtout elle est belle...

Comedy, 110 minutes Showed on Wed. Dec 05. 2007

Au Revoir les Enfants
1987 by Louis Malle with Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejto.

During WWII, in a Catholic boarding school in the French countryside, two boys become friends. One is a French boy, Julien Quintin, and the other is a Jewish boy, Jean Bonnet, who is being hidden from the Nazis by the friars who run the school. Louis Malle directed this film based on what actually happened when he was at a boarding school himself during the war.

Hiver 1944 dans une France occupée, Julien (12 ans), fils d'une famille bourgeoise du Nord de la France, est pensionnaire au collège Sainte-Croix qu'il retrouve sans joie après les vacances de Noël pour le second trimestre. Une rentrée presque comme les autres jusqu'à ce que le père Jean vienne présenter trois nouveaux élèves. L'un d'entre eux, le jeune Jean Bonnet, est le voisin de dortoir de Julien.Les deux élèves se jaugent, Julien est intrigué par Jean, garçon fier, mutique et mystérieux un temps rejeté par l'ensemble de la classe. Après s'être observés mutuellement, ils s'apprivoisent au jour le jour et un lien d'amitié se crée entre eux. Julien finit par comprendre le secret de son ami, son nom n'est pas Bonnet mais Kippelstein, il est juif.

Classic Drama, 104 mn Showed on Wed. Nov 28. 2007

La Môme
2007 by Olivier Dahan with Marion Cotillard, Gérard Depardieu.

English

La Mome / La Vie en Rose - 1 Hour Documentary on the film - According to Marlene Dietrich, chanteuse Edith Piaf’s voice was "the soul of Paris." This French drama explores the often troubled life of the singer as her fame took her from the City of Lights to America to the South of France. Abandoned by her mother, Piaf grew up in her grandmother’s brothel and her father’s circus, which is hardly the fun one might imagine. While singing on the streets of Paris as a teen, Piaf is discovered by club owner Louis Leplée, and this chance encounter changes the woman’s life.

Biographie musicale, La Môme retrace la vie d'Edith Gassion, plus connue sous le nom d’Edith Piaf, de 1915 à 1963, entre New-York et Paris. La légende dit qu’Edith est née sous une porte cochère de Belleville. Entre ses parents absents, sa meilleure amie, sa mère de substitution Titine, une fille de joie, Louis Leplée, l’homme qui l'a découverte, son impresario, la jeune fille se construit et se transforme. Piaf est née. La jeune chanteuse des rues de Paris se lance à la conquête de l’Amérique.

Biography drama, 141 mn - Color PG13 ***** Showed on Wed. Nov 14. 2007

Le Péril Jeune
1995 by Cédric Klapisch with Romain Duris, Vincent Elbaz.

Ten years after having left high school, four friends, Momo, Léon, Alain and Bruno meet for the birth of the child of their friend Tomasi, who has died one week earlier of a drug overdose. They remember their youthful indiscretions during their last year in their Parisian high school during the seventies, such as demonstrations, first experiments with drugs and women and also the contents of the courses.

Quatre jeunes hommes se retrouvent plusieurs années après avoir quitté le lycée. Ils assistent pendant son accouchement la compagne de leur meilleur ami, mort une semaine auparavant d'une overdose. C'est pour eux l'occasion de confronter leurs souvenirs.

Comedy, 101 mn Showed on Wed. Oct 10. 2007

Le Couperet
2005 by Constantin Costa-Gavras with José Garcia, Karin Viard.

Bruno Davert, a chemist working for a paper company, is fired. After three years he's still unemployed, too much competition for the few job position he could fit in his sector. He sent tons of resumes, he attended many qualifying courses, he tried everything but there is nothing to do: no job for him in the industry. The only healthy company in the sector is "Arcadia", but joining it is just an impossible dream. At this point Bruno is desperate. What he could do: to kill all the competitors? Could he?

Après quinze ans de loyaux services en tant que cadre très supérieur dans une usine de papier, Bruno Davert se fait licencier avec quelques centaines de ses collègues pour cause de délocalisation. Trois années passent sans qu'il ne trouve un nouvel emploi. Il est maintenant prêt à tout pour retrouver un poste à son niveau, même au pire...

Drama, 122mn. Showed on Wed. Sep 26. 2007

Le Petit Lieutenant
2005 by Xavier Beauvois with Jalil Lespert, Nathalie Baye.

Antoine is an ambitious young cop from the provinces who joins a plainclothes crime unit in Paris. Antoine spends his days eagerly awaiting his first assignment, drinking with his fellow detectives, and developing an unlikely relationship with his superior, a veteran policewoman with a troubled past. But when the body of a drifter is found murdered along the Seine, a seemingly routine investigation suddenly turns violent and forever changes all their lives.

A sa sortie de l'école de police, Antoine monte à Paris pour intégrer la 2ème division de police judiciaire. Caroline Vaudieu, de retour dans le service après avoir vaincu son alcoolisme, choisit le petit lieutenant pour son groupe crim'. Plein d'enthousiasme, Antoine fait son apprentissage du métier aux côtés de ses hommes. Vaudieu s'attache rapidement à ce jeune homme, de l'âge qu'aurait eu son fils disparu...

Drama, 110mn. Showed on Wed. Sep 12. 2007

L'Effrontee
1985 by Claude Miller with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jean-Claude Brialy, Bernadette Lafont.

Charlotte, treize ans, en a terminé avec l'enfance et si elle sait ce qu'elle ne veut plus être, elle ne sait pas encore ce qu'elle veut devenir. L'adoration que lui voue Lulu, une petite voisine de six ans, l'agace, et elle est fascinée par Clara Bauman, enfant prodige et pianiste surdouée qui a le même âge qu'elle.

Charlotte, a young girl from Savoie, quickly bonds with young visiting pianist Clara. Through her relationship with Clara, Charlotte falls in love with piano factory worker Jean, a much older man. The complex feelings that Charlotte develops for both Clara and Jean eventually allows her to understand what she really wants from life.

Drama, 92 mn. Showed on Wed. Apr 04. 2007

Fauteuils d'Orchestre
2006 by Daniele Thompson with Cecile de France, Claude Brasseur, Valerie Lemercier.

Une actrice populaire mais rêvant de cinéma intimiste, un pianiste surdoué qui rêve de jouer devant un public ignorant et naïf, un collectionneur qui vend en un soir toute l'oeuvre de sa vie, une jeune provinciale qui tente sa chance à Paris, car sa grand mère lui a dit : "je n'avais pas les moyens de vivre dans le luxe, alors j'ai décidé d'y travailler." Tous ces personnages et leurs compagnons vont se croiser et se retrouver le temps d'une soirée au Café des Théâtres, où ils viendront soigner leur névrose devant un café ou un "tartare frites".

Catherine, Jean-Francois and Jacques sometimes cross paths at a cafe where Jessica often waits on them. Catherine is an acclaimed actress who is about to open a new show; Jean-Francois is a musician who is preparing for a major recital; and Jacques is about to sell his extraordinary art collection. They are all caught between their private dreams and public images.

Comedy, 106 mn. Showed on Wed. Mar 28. 2007

Touchez pas au Grisbi
1954 by Jacques Becker with Jean Gabin, Rene Dary.

Max-le-menteur et Riton viennent de réussir le coup de leur vie : voler 50 millions de francs en lingots d'or à Orly. Avec ce "grisbi", les deux gangstres comptent bien profiter d'une retraite paisible. Mais Riton ne peut s'empêcher de parler du magot à sa maîtresse Josy. L'entraîneuse transmet la précieuse information à Angelo, un trafiquant de drogue avec lequel elle trompe Riton. Angelo kidnappe le vieux truand et demande le "grisbi" à Max comme rançon... Max, an old gangster, and his buddy Riton have got away with 50-million francs in gold bars, who think they ought to retire now. But Riton's girl-friend is tired of him, and has a new protector, Angelo, who is the boss of a rival gang. Through her, Angelo learns about his rival's "grisbi" (loot) and plots to get it. So he kidnaps Max's partner. Classic, drama, 94 mn. Showed on Wed. Mar 14. 2007

Sur mes levres
2001 by Jacques Audiard with Emmanuelle Devos, Vincent Cassel.

Carla Bhem, une jeune femme de 35 ans au physique plutôt moyen et qui porte des prothèses auditives, est secrétaire à la Sédim, une agence immobilière, mais elle est payée une misère et souffre d'un manque de considération de la part de ses employeurs. Son existence triste et solitaire va prendre une tournure différente avec l'arrivée dans la société de Paul Angéli, une nouvelle recrue de 25 ans, plutôt beau gosse, mais qui n'a aucune compétence dans la promotion immobilière. Celui-ci cherche à se réinsérer après avoir fait de la prison. Une histoire d'amour improbable, doublée de manipulation réciproque, va naître entre ces deux marginaux. Deaf secretary Carla is tired of being treated as a dogsbody at the property development company, where her office colleagues invariably take the credit for her hard work. Salvation, or at least the chance of revenge, arrives in the form of Carla's new work assistant, the greasy-haired, tattooed, ex-con Paul Utilizing her lip-reading skills, the duo hatch a scheme to rob violent nightclub-owner Marchand , who has already had Paul beaten up for defaulting on a debt. Showed on Wed. Feb 28. 2007

Le dernier metro
1980 by Francois Truffaut with Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu.

L'occupation Allemande chamboule les habitudes des Parisiens. L'électricité est parfois coupée. Et il ne faut surtout pas manquer le dernier métro. Pour un théâtre, il faut aussi ajouter la censure, les critiques des journalistes collabos, et la chasse aux Juifs. C'est dans ce cadre que Lucas Steiner, célèbre dramaturge, s'enfuit. Il laisse le théâtre à sa femme, la belle Marion, éloignée des plateaux de cinéma, obligée de diriger son petit monde, d'être dure quand elle aimerait juste s'abandonner. D'autant qu'elle n'est pas insensible au charme de la nouvelle recrue, le doué Bernard Granger. Paris, 1942. Lucas Steiner is a Jew and was compelled to leave the country. His wife Marion, an actress, directs the theater for him. She tries to keep the theater alive with a new play, and hires Bernard Granger for the leading role. But Lucas is actually hiding in the basement... A film about art and life. Showed on Wed. Feb 07. 2007

OSS 117, le Caire nid d’espions
1952 by Michel Hazanavicius with Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Béjo.

Egypte 1955, le Caire est au bord du chaos, entre le roi déchu Farouk qui veut retrouver son trône, la secte des aigles de Khéops qui veut prendre le pouvoir, les intérêts français, anglais et soviétiques. René Coty, président de la République française, envoie son arme maîtresse pour mettre de l’ordre dans cette pétaudière : Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, dit OSS 117. French superspy Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, alias OSS 117, is assigned to discover who killed a French agent in mid-fifties Cairo. A popular French pulp fiction hero of the 1950s and 1960s that got its own film series at the time is reinvented as a spot-on, straight-faced spoof of early sixties spy thrillers and particularly of early Bond films, making good fun of the genre’s outdated trappings. Showed on Wed. Jan 24. 2007

Casque d'Or
1952 by Jacques Becker with Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Claude Dauphin.

In an open-air dance hall, the members of Leca's gang are relaxing with their ladies. One of them, Marie, aka "Casque d'Or" (Golden Helmet) meets Manda, a carpenter. Her man Roland is the jealous type, and Leca himself has his eye on her. A story of love, death, friendship and jealousy during La Belle Epoque.

Classic, Drama, 94 mn. Showed on Wed. Dec 06. 2006

La fleur du mal
2003 by Claude Chabrol with Benoît Magimel, Nathalie Baye, Mélanie Doutey, Bernard Le Coq.

Anne runs for re-election for town council, shepherded by Matthieu, her fellow candidate and campaign manager. Her husband, Gérard, a businessman and a philanderer, hates the campaign and feels vindicated when a nasty flyer circulates about their family history. His son, François, just back from the U.S., is in love with his step-sister Michèle, and she with him, although something is amiss besides their being cousins. Watching it all is their elderly aunt Line, who has her own haunting memories.

Drama, 104 mn. Showed on Wed. Nov 22. 2006

Le promeneur du champ de Mars
2005 by Robert Guédiguian with Michel Bouquet, Jalil Lespert.

French director Robert Guédiguian leaves behind his beloved Marseille to offer a somber and ambivalent portrait of the late President Francois Mitterrand. Based on Georges-Marc Benamou's controversial book, the movie focuses on the final year of the socialist politician's life and is narrated by a young left-wing journalist Antoine, who's been hired to write the man's memoirs.

Drama, 117 mn. Showed on Wed. Nov 08. 2006

La traversée de Paris
1956 by Claude Autant-Lara with Bourvil, Jean Gabin, Louis de Funès.

During World War II and the Nazi occupation, a painter and a poor guy have to cross over Paris by night to deliver meat from the black market. As they walk along dark Parisian streets they encounter various characters and adventures until the German police arrests them. The film is based on a story by Marcel Aymé

Classic, comedy, 80 mn. Showed on Wed. Oct 25. 2006

Monsieur Ibrahim
2003 by Francois Dupeyron with Omar Sharif, Pierre Boulanger.

Dans les années 1960 à Paris, Moïse, un garçon juif de treize ans, habite seul avec son père dépressif, sa mère ayant quitté le foyer depuis belle lurette. Laissé à lui-même, l'adolescent organise sa vie tant bien que mal, rêvant aux charmes des prostituées du quartier avec qui il cause le soir, tout en éprouvant ses premiers sentiments amoureux, pour la fille de sa concierge. Mais c'est au contact du vieil épicier du coin, monsieur Ibrahim, un musulman soufiste qui se réfère toujours au Coran, que Moïse apprendra la vie. De son côté, le garçon donne un second souffle à l'existence engourdie du commerçant. Après le suicide de son père, Moïse se fait adopter par son nouveau mentor, au terme de longues démarches administratives. Puis tous deux partent en auto pour l'Anatolie, terre natale d'Ibrahim. 94 mn.

In the 1960's, in Paris, Momo is an orphan even though he lives with his father, a man slowly retreating into a crippling depression. His only friends are the street whores who treat him with genuine affection. Momo buys his groceries at the neighborhood shop, a crowded dark space owned and run by Ibrahim , a silent exotic looking man who sees and knows more than he lets on. After Momo is abandoned by his father, Ibrahim becomes the one grownup in Momo's life. Together they begin a journey that will change their lives forever. 94 mn.

Showed on Wed. Oct 11. 2006

Je vous trouve très beau
2005 by Isabelle Mergault with Michel Blanc, Medeea Marinescu.

French farmer Aymé loses his wife in an accident. Little love was lost between the gruff pair. When his wife's gone, Aymé's main concern is who, now, is going to do the laundry and the farm work. He can't do all that himself. So he's barely out of his funeral suit when we see him accompanying a professional matchmaking lady on a plane to Bucharest to interview prospective brides.

Comedy, 97 mn. Showed on Wed. Sep 27. 2006

Fête de la Musique : Concert Simon Dray (6:45pm) + Un coeur en hiver (A Heart in Winter) (8:15pm)
1992 by Claude Sautet with Emmanuelle Béart, Daniel Auteuil, André Dussolier.

Stephane (Daniel Auteuil) is a violin builder who works with his friend Maxime (Andre Dussollier). He is a genius at repairing bruised fiddles, and performers come from near and far to have him look at their instruments. When Maxime falls for a stunningly beautiful violinist (Emmanuelle Beart), there is trouble ahead: the triangle starts out traditionally enough.

Stéphane et Maxime gèrent une affaire de lutherie. Stéphane construit et répare les violons, alors que Maxime se charge de la vente et des relations avec les musiciens. Maxime tombe amoureux de Camille, la belle violoniste. Cet amour est réciproque jusqu'à ce que Camille rencontre Stéphane…

105mn. Showed on Wed. Jun 21. 2006

Tchao Pantin
1983 by Claude Berri with Coluche, Richard Anconina, Agnès Soral.

Lambert, a burned-out case, works the night shift at a gas station, rarely speaking, living alone, drinking. Bensoussan, raised in foster homes, now a small-time pusher for a bar owner named Rashid, comes to the station needing a spark plug for a stolen Moped. He and Lambert connect somehow, and a few days later, they go for a drink. The young man is too cavalier, and when he swipes Rashid's fancy motorcycle a couple of times, he's expendable. Lambert decides to avenge the young man and seeks information from Lola, a punk who knew Bensoussan. With surprising perseverance, she pierces Lambert's shell; he starts to feel again, tells Lola his story, and finds new enthusiasm for life.

Lambert, le regard fatigué et l'oeil rougi par l'alcool, traine sa solitude dans un garage parisien. Il est pompiste de nuit. Bensoussan, jeune dealer, fuit la police et se réfugie dans la station. Ils deviennent amis. Un jour, Bensoussan est assassiné...

Drama, 100 mn. Showed on Wed. Jun 14. 2006

La chèvre
1981 by Francis Weber with Pierre Richard, Richard Depardieu.

Unable to find the daughter of a businessman, a private eye have to work with a distracted and badlucky publicist under the theory that only someone as absent-minded as the vanished girl can find out where she is.

La fille très malchanceuse d’un milliardaire est enlevée au Mexique. Pour la retrouver, son père a l’idée d’envoyer sur ses traces un garçon aussi porte-poisse qu’elle, auquel il arrivera forcément les mêmes aventures. Pour plus de sûreté, le gaffeur est accompagné d’un vrai détective…

Classic comedy, 95mn. Showed on Wed. Jun 07. 2006

Les Diaboliques
1955 by Henri Georges Clouzot with Simone Signoret, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Véra Clouzot.

The wife and mistress of a sadistic boarding school headmaster plot to kill him. They drown him in the bathtub and dump the body in the school's filthy swimming pool... but when the pool is drained, the body has disappeared - and subsequent reported sightings of the headmaster slowly drive his 'killers' (and the audience) up the wall with almost unbearable suspense...

Michel Delasalle dirige à Saint-Cloud une "institution pour jeunes gens". C'est un homme tyrannique, odieux. Il terrorise sa femme Christina et martyrise sa maîtresse attitrée Nicole, professeur dans l'établissement. Un pacte diabolique réunit les deux femmes: elles décident de le tuer...

Classic, 116 mn. Showed on Wed. May 31. 2006

Comme une image (Look at me)
2004 by Agnès Jaoui with Jean-Pierre Bacri, Marilou Berry, Agnès Jaoui, Laurent Grevill.

Lolita, plump, in her 20s, desperately wants her father's attention. He's egotistical, a famous writer and publisher with an attractive wife little older than Lolita. She's in a choir, rehearsing for a concert; she's given her father a tape, which he's yet to listen to. Sylvia, a voice coach, is willing to help the group, knowing she'll have a chance to get her husband's new novel in front of Lolita's father. For Lolita, this is a pattern: people pay attention to her to gain access to him, something she fears is the intent of Sébastien, a struggling journalist who may become her boyfriend. The night of the concert, the music may bring out everyone's feelings.

C'est l'histoire d'une jeune fille de vingt ans, Lolita Cassard, qui en veut au monde entier, parce qu'elle ne ressemble pas aux filles des magazines, en tout cas pas à sa jeune belle mère, et qui aimerait tellement se trouver belle, au moins dans le regard de son père, trouver son regard tout simplement. Mais c'est aussi l'histoire d'un homme, Etienne Cassard qui regarde peu les autres, parce qu'il se regarde beaucoup lui-même et qu'il se sent vieillir, et qu'il a sûrement manqué d'amour lui aussi et qu'il a dû se battre pour trouver sa place.

Prix du Scénario Festival de Cannes 2004, 110 mn. Showed on Wed. May 24. 2006

De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (The Beat That My Heart Skipped)
2005 by Jacques Audiard with Romain Duris, Niels Arestrup, Linh Dan Pham.

Twenty-eight-year-old Tom leads a life that might be termed as criminal. In doing so, he follows in the footsteps of his father, who made his money from dirty, and sometimes brutal, real estate deals. Tom is a pretty hard-boiled guy but also strangely considerate as far as his father is concerned. Somehow he appears to have arrived at a critical juncture in his life when a chance encounter prompts him to take up the piano and become a concert pianist, like his mother.

A 28 ans, Tom semble marcher sur les traces de son père, agent immobilier véreux : magouilles, délogement musclé de locataires indésirables et négociations financières impitoyables forment son quotidien. Une rencontre fortuite le pousse à croire qu’il est encore temps pour lui de devenir autre chose, et plus précisément le pianiste concertiste qu’il rêvait d’être, à l’image de sa défunte mère. Sans cesser ses activités, il prépare une audition.

César du meilleur film 2006, Drama, 107 mn. Showed on Wed. May 10. 2006

School night: La guerre des boutons (free movie)+ Monsieur Batignole
2002 by Gérard Jugnot with Jules Sitruk, Gérard Jugnot, Michèle Garcia and Jean-Paul Rouve.

First movie: La Guerre des Boutons (6pm)

An unforgettable movie about poor, rural French kids who battle each other as representatives for the "republic" or for the "monarchy" in the woods after school. The loser has his buttons knifed off by the winner; since the loser has only one pair of trousers he must ask his mama to sew on his buttons.

Deux villages, Longeverne et Velrans, sont en guerre. C'est la guerre que mènent chaque année les écoliers des deux communes. Quand la troupe de Longeverne commandée par le grand Lebrac fait un prisonnier, on soustrait à ce dernier tous ses boutons.

Classic comedy with Jacques Dufilho, Yvette Etiévant, Michel Galabru. 90 mn. Second movie: Monsieur Batignole (8pm)

The film begins on July 15, 1942. In an empty Paris street, early morning, a small boy scrambles from a tiny cellar window in the Batignole family butchery. It's the day before the French police began rounding up large numbers of Jews in Paris, mostly the stateless and foreign-born.

Sous la France occupée de 1942, à Paris, Edmond Batignole, un boucher sans histoire, tente de survivre comme tant d'autres. Il peut se laisser entraîner par son entourage et sa lâcheté sur les pentes de l'infamie. Mais il va choisir de lutter pour sauver la vie de Simon, un petit enfant juif.

Drama, 100 mn. Showed on Wed. Apr 05. 2006

Indochine
1992 by Regis Wargnier et Erik Orsenna with Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Perez, Jean Yanne.

Indochina during the 30's. One of the largest rubber-tree plantations is owned by the French colonist Eliane, a proud but imprudent woman. She lives with her father and her native adoptive daughter Camille. At an auction Eliane gets to know the young officer Jean-Baptiste; after a short affair she refuses to see him again. But in the meantime Camille falls deeply in love with the young man. Saigon, 1930.

Eliane Devries dirige une gigantesque plantation d'arbres à caoutchouc. Tout son amour est voué à sa fille adoptive, Camille, jeune princesse vietnamienne. Un bel officier français, Jean-Batiste Le Guen, va bouleverser leurs vies. Lorsqu'il est exilé dans les îlots lointains, Camille part à sa recherche.

Drama, 159 mn. Showed on Wed. Mar 22. 2006

Jacques Brel night with L'emmerdeur + concert de Simon Dray
1973 by Edouard Molinaro et Francis Veber with Lino Ventura Jacques Brel.

Ralf Milan, a hitman, arrives in Montpellier to kill an important witness. He checks in a hotel without knowing that his neighbour has become neurotic after his wife left him.

Ralph, tueur à gages, attend patiemment dans une chambre d'hôtel l'heure à laquelle il doit abattre un certain Randoni. Mais c'est sans compter sur la présence de Pignon, dans la chambre d'à côté. Quitté par sa femme, ce représentant en chemiserie choisit le même moment pour mettre fin à ses jours.

Comedy, 85 mn. Showed on Wed. Mar 08. 2006

Capitaine Conan
1996 by Bertrand Tavernier with Philippe Torreton, Samuel Le Bihan, Bernard Le Coq.

Balkan region, near the end of World War I: Conan, warrior and wolf, leads a band of 50 ruthless French fighters who love hand-to-hand combat. Their motto: "We forgot to take prisoners, Captain." At war's end, the unit goes to Bucharest, where Conan tries to keep them out of trouble, defends them when they behave as warriors, and finds he's unsuited for peacetime. His friendship with Norbert, a teacher turned lieutenant, is tested when Norbert accepts a job as court-martial prosecutor because he's learned that Conan will be facing charges and he wants to protect his friend. When they are sent to the Russian border to fight Bolsheviks, Conan is back in his element and Norbert is off the hook.

Les Balkans, 1918. Le capitaine Conan nettoie les dernières tranchées avec ceux qu'il appelle ses guerriers. Méprisant l'armée régulière, il n'a de respect que pour de Sceve, ancien noble et d'amitié que pour le jeune Norbert. Mais c'est à ce dernier qu'échoue la délicate mission de faire arrêter les hommes de Conan, soupconnés de pillage.

Drama, 130 mn. Showed on Wed. Feb 22. 2006

Sous les toits de Paris
1930 by René Clair with Albert Préjean, Pola Illéry, Edmond T. Gréville.

In René Clair's irrepressibly romantic portrait of the crowded tenements of Paris, a street singer and a gangster vie for the love of a beautiful young woman.

Albert, chanteur des rues, et Louis, camelot, amis inséparables, rencontrent une jeune étrangère. Albert s'en éprend mais accusé par erreur d'un vol, il est emprisonné.

Classic, 96 mn. Showed on Wed. Feb 08. 2006

L'Auberge Espagnole + Les Poupées russes
2005 by Cédric Klapisch with Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Cecile de France.

First movie: L'Auberge Espagnole (6pm)

As part of a job that he is promised, Xavier, an economics student in his twenties, signs on to a European exchange program in order to gain working knowledge of the Spanish language. Promising that they'll remain close, he says farewell to his loving girlfriend, then heads to Barcelona. Following his arrival, Xavier is soon thrust into a cultural melting pot when he moves into an apartment full of international students.

Romain est parisien, il a 25 ans. Il a décidé de partir à Barcelone pour faire sa dernière année d'études en sciences économiques. En arrivant à Barcelone, il va chercher un logement et finalement trouver un appartement dans le centre qu'il va partager avec 6 autres personnes. Chacun de ses colocataires vient d'un pays européen différent.

Second movie: Les Poupees Russes (8pm)

Xavier is now thirty. No longer a student, he is not yet a well-balanced, fullfiiled adult either. His career is unsatisfying : far from being the renowned novelist he aimed to be he must be content with little jobs such as reporter or ghost writer. His greatest "achievement" in "literature" is his collaboration to the script of a corny TV soap ! His sentimental life is not much better, rhythmed by one night stands and unfinished romances.

Dans cette suite de L'Auberge Espagnole, nous retrouvons Xavier, 30 ans. Après l'Espagne, cette suite nous fera visiter Londres, Saint-Petersbourg et Paris. Le jeune homme est toujours à la recherche de la femme idéale, malgré ses nombreuses aventures amoureuses.

Comedy,125 mn. Showed on Wed. Jan 25. 2006

Bon voyage
2003 by Jean-Paul Rappeneau with Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu, Yvan Attal, Virginie Ledoyen.

At the start of World War II, the fate of the free world hangs in the balance at the posh Hotel Splendide in Bordeaux. Cabinet members, journalists, physicists, and spies of all persuasions gather in order to escape the Nazi occupation of Paris. High society socialites hobnob with jailbirds. Murderous intrigues, scientific secrets and love affairs flourish.

Alors qu'en juin 1940, ministres, journalistes, célébrités, demi-mondaines et grands bourgeois se retrouvent tous à l'hôtel Splendid de Bordeaux, un jeune homme devra choisir entre une actrice célèbre et une étudiante passionnée, entre les politiques et les voyous, l'insouciance et l'âge adulte.

Drama, 114 mn. Showed on Wed. Jan 11. 2006

Le Père Noël est une ordure
1982 by Jean-Marie Poiré with Thierry Lhermitte, Gerard Jugnot, Marianne Chazel, and Le Splendide.

Félix, disguised as Father Christmas, hands out leaflets advertising a sexy Christmas party. His place is taken by an African Santa Claus and he returns to his caravan only to find his girlfriend Josette about to leave him. When he comes after her, she takes refuge at "SOS Distress", run by two neurotics, Thérèse and Pierre.

Showed on Wed. Dec 14. 2005

Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien
2000 by Dominik Moll with Laurent Lucas, Sergi López and Mathilde Seigner.

On a hot day in a highway gas station men's room, a man Michel doesn't recognize says they went to school together. He's Harry. He suggests they have a drink, so he and his girlfriend follow Michel and his family to their summer place. Michel is amazed when Harry quotes from memory a poem Michel wrote in school. Harry thinks Michel is a great writer, and he's distressed that Michel hasn't written in years. Harry stays awhile (since his father's death, he's a man of leisure) and sets out to eliminate distractions that might keep Michel from writing. First he buys Michel a car (with air conditioning) and then suspicious things happen. Michel picks up a pen, Harry is gratified, but he's not finished being Michel's self-appointed patron.

Showed on Wed. Nov 30. 2005

Les Choristes
2004 by Christophe Barratier with Gerard Jugnot.

Set in 1948, a professor of music, Clement Mathieu, becomes the supervisor at a boarding school for the rehabilitation for minors. What he discovers disconcerts him -- the current situation is repressive. Through the power of song, Clement tries to transform the students.

Showed on Wed. Nov 23. 2005

On connait la Chanson
1997 by Alain Resnais with Sabine Azéma and Agnès Jaoui.

Simon aime secrètement Camille. Mais suite à un malentendu, Camille s'éprend de Marc Duveyrier, un séduisant agent immobilier qui n'est autre que le patron de Simon et qui tente de vendre un appartement à Odile Lalande, la sœur de Camille. Odile est décidée à acheter cet appartement malgré la désapprobation muette de son mari, Claude. Ce dernier supporte mal la réapparition après de longues années d'absence de Nicolas, un vieux complice d'Odile. Ce film musical d'Alain Resnais, figure emblématique de la Nouvelle Vague, a été couronné par sept Césars, et a attiré plus de trois millions de spectateurs en France.

Parisian tour guide Camille Lalande bumps into Nicolas (Bacri, who also co-scripted), former flame of her sister Odile. He is invited to dine with his former girlfriend, despite her husband's objections. In the intervening years, Nicolas has married an Englishwoman and is looking to bring his family over to France. Odile is restless and seeks new accommodation but when she arranges a meeting with estate agent Marc and Camille turns up in her place, the pair finds an instant attraction. Marc's employee Simon is distraught, having hidden his obsession with Camille. As Nicholas confesses an attraction to Odile, the scene is set for a series of anxious reappraisals of life and love. This musical movie, directed by Alain Resnais, who initiated the Nouvelle Vague, won seven César (the French Oscars), and was seen by over three millions people in France.

Showed on Wed. Nov 09. 2005

Un long Dimanche de Fiançailles
2004 by Jean-Pierre Jeunet with Audrey Tautou Gaspard Ulliel.

Unwilling to accept that her beloved Manech is lost to her forever, Mathilde embarks herself to discover the fate of her lover. At each turn, she receives a different heartbreaking variation on how Manech must have spent those last days. With a steadfast faith, strengthened by hope and a stubbornly cheerful disposition, Mathilde follows her investigation to its conclusion. As she draws closer to the truth, she is drawn deeper into the horrors of war.

Showed on Wed. Nov 02. 2005

Les aventures de Rabbi Jacob
1973 by Gérard Oury with Louis de Funes and Claude Giraud.

In this riot of frantic disguises and mistaken identities, Victor Pivert, a blustering, bigoted French factory owner, finds himself taken hostage by Slimane, an Arab rebel leader. The two dress up as rabbis as they try to elude not only assasins from Slimane's country, but also the police, who think Pivert is a murderer. Pivert ends up posing as Rabbi Jacob, a beloved figure who's returned to France for his first visit after 30 years in the United States. Adding to the confusion are Pivert's dentist-wife, who thinks her husband is leaving her for another woman, their daughter, who's about to get married, and a Parisian neighborhood filled with people eager to celebrate the return of Rabbi Jacob.

Showed on Wed. Oct 19. 2005

La vie est un long fleuve tranquille
1988 by Étienne Chatiliez with Benoit Magimel, Helene Vincent.

Two babies are switched at birth. When the mistake is discovered 12 years later, it leads to complications in the lives of both families...

Showed on Wed. Sep 28. 2005

Le diner de Cons
1998 by Francis Veber with Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret.

Each week, Pierre and his friends organize what is called as "un dîner de cons". Everyone brings the dumbest guy he could find as a guest. Pierre thinks his champ -François Pignon- will steal the show.

Showed on Wed. Sep 14. 2005