August Movie Nights: "Les Bad Boy" (French Gangsters)
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Tuesday August 5th @ 6:45pm
Mesrine Part.1: Killer Instinct Synopsis: Mesrine: Killer Instinct -- the first of two parts -- charts the outlaw odyssey of Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), the legendary French gangster of the 1960s and 1970s who came to be known as French Public Enemy No. 1 and The Man of a Thousand Faces. Infamous for his bravado and outrageously daring prison escapes, Mesrine carried out numerous robberies, kidnappings and murders in a criminal career that spanned continents until he was shot dead in 1979 by France's notorious anti-gang unit. Thirty years after his death, his infamy lives on. Mesrine was helped along the way by beautiful and equally reckless Jeanne Schneider (Cécile de France), a Bonnie to match his Clyde. Mesrine made up his own epic, between romanticism and cruelty, flamboyance and tragedy. Directed by Jean-François Richet Released in 2008, starring Vincent Cassel, Cécile de France, Gérard Depardieu 113mins. In French with English Subtitles |
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Tuesday August 12th @ 6:45pm
36th Precinct Synopsis: In the underbelly of the Parisian criminal world, the Police are frustrated by a gang committing a series of violent robberies. Leo Vrinks and Denis Klein are two cops seeking promotion, and the imminent departure of the Chief sets the scene for them to compete for the vacant throne. The competition between them becomes increasingly ruthless and blurs the usual lines of morality, until there seems no difference between the police and the criminals they chase. Vrinks, meeting with a source, becomes involved with a murder. Klein seizes the opportunity to up the ante and arranges for the arrest of Vrinks, but when he goes further and viciously involves Vrinks' wife, Camille, revenge is inevitable. Directed by Olivier Marchal Released in 2004, starring Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, André Dussollier 111mins. French with English Subtitles |
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Tuesday August 18th @ 6:45pm
The Beat That My Heart Skipped Synopsis: 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. He senses that this might be his final opportunity to take back his life. His piano teacher is a Chinese piano virtuoso who has recently come to live in France. She doesn't speak a lick of French so music becomes the only language they have in common. Before long, Jacques' bid to be a better person means that he begins to yearn for true love. But, when he finally has the chance of winning his best friend's wife, his passion only succeeds in scaring her. And then, one day, his dubious past comes to light... Directed By Jacques Audiard Released in 2005, starring Romain Durins, Aure Atika, Emmanuelle Devos 108mins. In French with English Subtitles |
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Tuesday August 25th @ 6:45pm
Mesrine Part.2: Public Ennemy #1 Synopsis: The story of Jacques Mesrine, France's public enemy No. 1 during the 1970s. After nearly two decades of legendary criminal feats - from multiple bank robberies and to prison breaks. Directed by Jean-François Richet Released in 2008, starring Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Matthieu Amalric 133mins. In French with English Subtitles |