French movies to get you through l'hiver

Here in New York's Hudson Valley, as in much of the Northeast, it's been a snowy, cold winter (l'hiver), Fortunately for we francophiles, Netflix has a nice collection of streaming French movies to get you to le printemps.

Le Chef  Not to be confused with the Jon Favreau movie "Chef," this one stars the wonderful  French actor Jean Reno playing, not a tough cop (or assassin) for a change, but a tough chef trying to hang on his Michelin stars. You'll need to suspend disbelief at times, but it's a lot of fun  to watch Jean play against type and to watch the French skewer Spanish-inspired molecular cuisine

Bicycling with Moliere  Life imitates art imitates life in this fascinating psychological study which will, if nothing else, make you feel totally culturally inferior to the French. Which, by the way, you are.






 

The French Minister  A young man navigates the perilous corridors of power in France. A nice little French comedy if you need a diversion.

On My Way  Catherine Deneuve, still beautiful at 70, gives an acting seminar in this beguiling movie, which costars a pack of cigarettes.






 

Venus in Fur  Roman Polanski brings the Broadway play to the screen. I loved the play, and the movie almost as much.

Aliyah   A secular Jewish, low-level drug dealer thinks about escaping to the Promised Land. I love films that make you root for a drug dealer.

Blue is the Warmest Color - If  nothing else, this movie should warm you up. But some terrific performances make it much more than the soft porn it was peddled as.








Only 42 days till spring! Bon courage!