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Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: May 27, 2014

Price: DVD $29.98, Blu-ray $39.98

Studio: Cohen Film Collection

The Color of Lies is one of the later movies of renowned New Wave French filmmaker Claude Chabrol (Les Cousins).

The thriller stars Sandrine Bonnaire (Queen to Play) as Vivianne, the beloved wife of Rene (Jacques Gamblin, Inspector Bellamy), a painter and art teacher who’s under suspicion when the body of 10-year-old girl is found.

Rene was the girl’s teacher and apparently the last person to see her alive and he becomes increasingly unsettled by his neighbors’ suspicions and the investigation of the inspector (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Munich). Vivianne supports Rene but gets tempted by the advances of an arrogant local TV personality (Antione de Caunes, Mumu).

Not rated, The Color of Lies looks at the culture of lies in societies, from advertising to adultery. The foreign film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: July 29, 2014

Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $39.95

Studio: Criterion

A group of reunited college friends hear it through the grapevine in The Big Chill.

The 1983 comedy-drama The Big Chill focuses on a group of thirty-somethings who reunite for the funeral of one of their friends and end up spending a weekend together, reminiscing about their shared pasts as children of the sixties and confronting the uncertainty of their lives as adults of the eighties.

Poignant and warmly humorous in equal measure, this baby boomer milestone made a star of writer-director Lawrence Kasdan (Body Heat) and is perhaps the decade’s defining ensemble film, featuring memorable performances by Tom Berenger (Inception), Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction), Jeff Goldblum (Morning Glory), William Hurt (Broadcast News), Kevin Kline (Queen to Play), Mary Kay Place (Being John Malkovich), Meg Tilly (Agnes of God), and JoBeth Williams (Timer).

Co-opted a zillion times over the...

Making lists is not my favorite occupation. They inevitably inspire only reader complaints. Not once have I ever heard from a reader that my list was just fine, and they liked it. Yet an annual Best Ten list is apparently a statutory obligation for movie critics.

My best guess is that between six and ten of these movies won't be familiar. Those are the most useful titles for you, instead of an ordering of movies you already know all about.

One recent year I committed the outrage of listing 20 movies in alphabetical order. What an uproar! Here are my top 20 films, in order of approximate preference.

1. "A Separation"

This Iranian film won't open in Chicago until Jan. 27. It won the Golden Bear at Berlin and was just named the year's best foreign film by the New York Film Critics Circle. It is specifically Iranian, but I believe the more specific...

I have very different taste in films than Roger Ebert. I know he is a big shot movie reviewer, but I tend not to agree with him most of the time. For example only two of the films in his Top 10 are in my Top 10. I won't say which ones because that will ruin the surprise! Another example is that he put The Tree of Life in his number 3 slot, and I hated that movie. We all have different tastes, but it's really interesting to see everyone's list of favorite films at the end of the year. It makes for good conversation.

Each movie on his list comes with a little thought from Ebert's article. To read his thoughts in full, go to his blog and check it out!

Go throught the list and tell us your thoughts! Do you agree with his choices? Do you disagree?

1. A Separation — “‘A...

[1] With just days to go until the end of 2011 (Where did the year go???), legendary film critic Roger Ebert has announced his top 20 movies of the year. Just as you'd expect from Ebert, his list runs the gamut from mainstream blockbusters to more obscure foreign or arthouse projects -- with enough in the latter category to offer up some useful suggestions for your Netflix queue. Read his list after the jump. I'm including the list itself alongside snippets from Ebert's post below; to read his more detailed descriptions, head over to his blog [2]. 1. A Separation -- "'A Separation' will become one of those enduring masterpieces watched decades from now." 2. Shame -- "Michael Fassbender's brave, uncompromising performance is at the center of Steve McQueen's merciless film about sex addiction." 3. The Tree of Life -- "A film of vast ambition and deep humility, attempting no less than to encompass all...

Roger Ebert has turned in his annual personal list of top 20 films of the year, naming the Iranian drama film A Separation as his favourite (or his favourite in ‘approximate preference’ as he doesn’t like to write lists). The film doesn’t open begin its limited run in Us cinema’s until the every end of the year but it has already unspooled over here and we gave the movie a very positive Five Star review at the Berlin Film Festival where it won the Golden Bear.

Ebert’s favourite American film is Shame, which comes in at two though he does say “Steve McQueen’s merciless film about sex addiction” is not one he would want to see twice. Veterans Terrence Malick and Martin Scorsese have the third and fourth spots respectively with The Tree of Life and Hugo.

The full list is below and surprisingly includes one...

Reviewer: James van Maanen

Rating (out of five): ****

A shoo-in to attract foreign film buffs who enjoy arthouse movies of the more mainstream variety, Queen to Play (Joueuse, in the original French) is a smart, small but intensely enjoyable movie -- one that I think would draw the kind of satisfied, word-of-mouth audience that made The Grocer's Son a surprise arthouse hit.

It stars a fine actress -- one who is consistently popular with this particular audience -- Sandrine Bonnaire (Angel of Mine, Intimate Strangers, Vagabond, Her Name is Sabine) and our own Kevin Kline (doing his first full-out French-language role), with help from Jennifer Beals (looking gorgeous in a small but pivotal role) and French hunk Francis Renaud (The Code, Chrysalis), who brings great warmth and humanity to Bonnaire's confused husband. Written and directed by Caroline Bottaro, a newcomer who has previously directed only one 15-minute short, the...

It's not a great week for new movies in Austin. The two big Hollywood movies are getting mixed-at-best reviews and only one arthouse film is opening (but it does have Kevin Kline in it). Frankly, I think a better option that would let you enjoy Zookeeper actress Leslie Bibb in a dark comedy about horrible bosses would be Miss Nobody, which played Austin Film Festival last year and is now available on Netflix Watch Instantly.

If none of the new movies grab you, there are not only lots of carryover options from previous weeks but special screenings galore. I am most excited that the Paramount is showing Brazil on Sunday -- twice, although I plan to see it only once. The Paramount also has an Albert Brooks double-feature of Modern Romance and Broadcast News on Tuesday and Wednesday; check their calendar for specifics. And if you're a Sam Peckinpah fan,...

Like the thoughtful, strategy-driven game of chess that is its focus, Queen to Play (Joueuse) is not for the impatient.

A study in parallels between chess and the larger game of life, this quiet French film is many things -- sophisticated, insightful, mildly funny and generally pleasant. One thing it may not be: captivating enough to hold most viewers' interest.

Which is not to say Queen to Play is a bad movie; to the contrary, it has many hallmarks of intelligent, competent filmmaking, with a believable story, great and sometimes surprising character development, and fine acting. And its pacing arguably is appropriate for its subject matter. But depending on your tolerance for slow-paced films -- and mine is quite high -- these attributes may or may not save Queen to Play from being rather dull. I'm still undecided.

Set on the picturesque island of Corsica, Queen to Play is the...

Zeitgeist will release the 2009 French comedy-drama Queen to Play, concerning a middle-age hotel maid who attempts to reinvent herself via the game of chess, on DVD on Aug. 16.

Kevin Kline teaches Sandrine Bonnaire the ins and outs of chess in Queen to Play.

In the independent film, Helene (Sandrine Bonnaire, La Ceremonie), a maid in a chic Corsican hotel, spots a couple playing a sensual game of chess on their balcony, and finds herself aroused. She attempts to fire up the desire of her husband Ande (Francis Renaud) by presenting him with an electronic chessboard but is met with bafflement.

Still captivated by the game, Helene convinces a reclusive American ex-patriot, Dr. Kroger (No Strings Attached‘s Kevin Kline, in a French-speaking role!) to instruct her in the ins and outs of the game. As her talent at chess emerges, Helene finds herself torn between her family and her new-found obsession with the game.

Chess has been around for a while, so we can safely assume it's a great game. But is chess better than sex? Bobby Fischer might have thought so and so do some folks in "Queen to Play," Caroline Bottaro's freshman feature-length entry, one that finds Kevin Kline as we have never before seen him. Based on Bertina Henrichs' novel, "The Chess Player" and adapted for the screen by the director, "Joueuse" (French for "player") takes place on the beautiful island of Corsica, a location that its principal character had never thought of leaving (and for which a lot of people would have been better off if Napoleon thought the same way).

Review by Dana Jung

Obsession is a funny thing. In love, it can lead to heartbreak and despair. But in other ways, it can be a positive force, such as a country’s obsession with putting a man on the moon, or in finding a cure for cancer. In the French film Queen At Play (Joueuse), one woman’s obsession results in a wonderfully rich character study.

Helene is a seemingly ordinary woman living an ordinary life. She works two jobs as a maid to support her modest home and family, a pleasant if somewhat dull husband and slightly spoiled teenage daughter. For Helene, every day is the same: monotonous and unexciting. Then, one day at work she enters a room to do her housekeeping chores and, to her surprise, finds the couple renting the room out on the balcony. At first, they are unaware of her, and she has...

Zeitgeist Films has acquired U.S. rights to Caroline Bottaro's "Queen to Play" (Jouese), which it plans to release theatrically early next year.

"Queen," a French-language drama set in Corsica, stars Sandrine Bonnaire and Kevin Kline as a working class wife and mother with a passion for chess and her American employer.

Produced by Dominique Besnehard and Michel Feller, the film premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.

Zeitgeist co-president Emily Russo negotiated the deal with Studio Canal's Anna Marsh.

I was frustrated when I arrived for my scheduled interview with Miguel Littin only to be advised that the interview had to be postponed due to a family emergency in Chile requiring Littin to leave for Palm Springs a day later. So with a two-hour time block at my disposal, I decided to take advantage of the press lounge. Chance morphed into opportunity when Liberation Entertainment's Director of Operations Zach Hunchar and filmmaker Caroline Bottaro sat down next to me. Eavesdropping (behind the ruse of reading Variety), I gathered that Bottaro's film Joueuse (Queen to Play, 2009) would be screening that evening and so I introduced myself and invited her--in effect--to convince me to change my schedule to catch her film instead.

 ...

The Vancouver International Film Festival closed out its run for 2009 on Friday, Oct. 16 with a gala screening of French director Caroline Bottaro's Queen to Play (Joueuse). 

I was happy with the range of films I was able to screen and review (with the sole exception of the awful Forbidden Door). 

There were a few that were on my list, though, that scheduling conflicts prevented my from seeing.

Chief among them the new film from Canadian director Atom Egoyan, Chloe. A good sign, though, that it was so popular that its two screenings sold out.

I had also hoped to catch the Wilco concert film, Ashes of American Flags. I'm a big fan of Jeff Tweedy and his band. 

I'm also disappointed that I ended up missing Roceterrania, a documentary film about Renaldo Kuhler, an artist who has, over the years, created an entire imaginary world that exists along the...

• European and French-language heavyweight Studiocanal (a production co. and theatrical release company) comes to Cannes with plenty of auteur-driven ammo. They have Robert Guediguian's The Army of Crime (L'Armee du crime) in a non-competitive slot and Nassim Amaouche's debut film Farewell Gary (Adieu Gary) is competing in the Critic's Week section. They'll be starting up sales for Atom Egoyan's latest film Chloe (see poster premiere here) which should receive a logical festival release at Venice and/or Toronto. Here is their slate of titles available.: And Soon The Darkness by Marcos Efron – Post-Production Around The World In 50 Years by Ben Stassen - Production Chloe by Atom Egoyan - Post-Production Cotton by Daniel Stamm - Pre-Production The Army Of Crime (L'armee Du Crime) by Robert Guediguian - Completed Baby(Ies) by Thomas Balmes - Post-Production Blame It On Mum (Quelque Chose A Te Dire) by Cécile Telerman -

...

I know it looks dire as it's 28% lighter (at least so far) and minus an artistic director, but no fear, there's still more to come, and with what's been announced theirs some interesting sounding stuff, especially a film we wrote about briefly called Accidents Happen. Also premiering is the comedy Stay Cool and the Danish film Original, along with the North American premier of The Exploding Girl which we also wrote about.

Check the narrative features, world documentary, and discovery lineups after the break!

World Narrative Feature Competition

A compelling cross-section of bold creative visions from every corner of the globe come together in this year’s World Narrative Feature Competition. Presenting a diverse array of unique voices, this international film collection includes premieres from a wide range of directors, such as U.S. indie veterans the Polish brothers and Tony-nominated Conor McPherson, as well as exciting newcomers. Together, these...

Jennifer Beals has joined the cast of "The Book of Eli," the action thriller from Warner Bros. and Alcon Entertainment which Albert and Allen Hughes are directing. She joins Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis and Ray Stevenson. The apocalypse has happened. Now, set in the U.S., one hero called Eli (Denzel Washington) must travel alone throughout this wasteland in order to protect a tome that may very well be the key to humanity's survival. Ray Stevenson will play an enforcer sent  to kill Eli. Beals plays Kunis' blind mother who does all possible in order to protect her child. The script is by Gary Whitta with a rewrite by Anthony Peckham. Beals in in post-production for Caroline Bottaro's "Joueuse" with Kevin Kline, Sandrine Bonnaire and Dominic Gould. Kunis was last seen alongside Mark Wahlberg in 2008's "Max Payne" as well as in the successful comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall...

NEW YORK -- In his first French-speaking role, Kevin Kline will star with Sandrine Bonnaire and Jennifer Beals in Caroline Bottaro's drama Joueuse (Queen to Play).

Bonnaire plays a hotel maid captivated by a romantic couple (Beals and Francis Renaud) playing chess while staying at the Mediterranean island hotel where she works. The doctor (Kline) whose house she cleans reluctantly becomes her mentor in the game, leading her to a chess tournament and initiating major transformations in her life.

Kline courted Meg Ryan as a Parisian in French Kiss, but this is his first role in a French production.

"He speaks good French, better than John Malkovich," said Michel Feller, who is producing the film with Dominique Besnehard for Mon Voisin Prods. and Blue Print Film's Amelie Latcha.

Joueuse is a France-Germany co-production with France 2 and Studio Canal, with the participation of Canal +, CNC, Eurimages, Cinecinema, Telemunchen-Concorde and the Collectivite Territoriale de Corse. Jean-Philippe Laroche is the executive producer.