Vernon Dobtcheff

Nine years have passed since the events of Before Sunrise, when Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) had met in Vienna. Since then, Jesse has written a novel, This Time, inspired by his time with Celine, and the book has become an American bestseller. To help sales in Europe, Jesse does a book tour. The last stop of the tour is Paris, and Jesse is doing a reading at the bookstore Shakespeare and Company. It is springtime in Paris and the city is in full bloom. Jesse denies that the book is an autobiography of an actual encounter in his life. As Jesse talks with his audience, flashbacks are shown of him and Celine in Vienna. The memories of their night together have clearly remained with him despite nine years having elapsed. Three journalists are present at the bookstore, interviewing Jesse: a romantic (Louise Lemoine Torres) who is convinced the book's main characters meet again, a cynic (Rodolphe Pauly) who is convinced that they don't, and a third one who, despite wanting them to meet again, remains doubtful they actually do. Jesse says what happens next is not really important. He says that it is a good test to check if a person is a romantic, a cynic or a hopeful practical person. As he speaks with his audience his eyes wander to the side, and he can hardly believe it: Celine is smiling at him. Once the presentation is over, the bookstore manager (Vernon Dobtcheff) reminds him he has a plane to catch and must leave for the airport in a little more than an hour, and so just like in Before Sunrise, Celine and Jesse's reunion is constrained by time. Jesse and Celine are forced to make the best of the little time they have together, making it easier for their conversations to become ever more personal, beginning with the usual thirty-something's themes of work and politics and then, with ever increasing passion, approaching their love for each other, just as their time together is running out. Early in their conversation, they broach the subject of why they did not meet as promised six months after their first encounter. Celine wanted to know if Jesse showed up for the meeting, because Celine did not, because her grandmother had suddenly died before the scheduled date of the meeting. The funeral for the grandmother was held on the same day that Jesse and Celine were supposed to meet, December 16th. Because Jesse and Celine had never exchanged addresses, there was no way for them to contact each other, which resulted in their missed connection. Jesse claims that he did not come for the meeting and Celine is relieved as this question had been troubling her for 9 years. But then Celine is angry about why Jesse missed the meeting and says that she would have been there if she could. Jesse admits that he did come for the meeting. He waited in Vienna for a couple of days before leaving for US. He put up signs and posters all over the city with his number, hoping that Celine would see it and eventually get in touch with him. Jesse says that he wrote a fictional version of his novel in which Jesse and Celine did meet in Vienna, made love for 10 days straight, and then as they got to know each other better, they realized that they were very different people and parted ways amicably. Jesse says that it took him 4 years to write the book. Celine felt that her character in the book came across as a bit neurotic but admits that it might be just her own perception. Celine says that she thought Jesse would have forgotten about her. As they talk, each reveal what has happened in their lives since first meeting. Both are now in their early thirties. Jesse, now a writer, is married and has a son. Celine has become an advocate for the environment, lived in America for a time, worked on a water conservation project in India, and has a boyfriend, a photojournalist. Celine says that she studied in NYC for a few years and Jesse is distraught as he had been living in New York since Vienna. She says that she returned to Europe, after a particular incident in NYC. She heard a noise and called 911. The cops came and advised her to get a gun instead for self-protection. Celine tried to complain about the cop, but was buried in paperwork, and she had the fear of being deported, so she completed her masters degree and returned. It becomes clear in the course of their talk that both are dissatisfied to varying degrees with their lives. Jesse reveals that he only stays with his wife out of love for his son. Celine says that she does not see her boyfriend very much because he is so often on assignment. Their conversation as they traverse Paris takes place in various venues, including a cafe, a garden, a Bateau Mouche, and Jesse's hired car for his stay in Paris. Their old feelings for each other are slowly rekindled, even with tension and regret over the missed meeting earlier, as they realize that nothing else in their lives has matched their one prior night together in Vienna. Jesse eventually admits that he wrote the book in the distant hope of meeting Celine again one day. She replies that the book brought back painful memories for her. At one point, in the hired car, during a tense moment when Jesse is confessing his loveless, near sexless marriage, Celine reaches her hand out to touch Jesse but pulls back just as he turns to her. Celine and Jesse arrive at her apartment. Jesse had learned that Celine plays the guitar and persuades her to play a waltz song for him. The waltz (written by Delpy) is revealed through the lyrics to be about their brief encounter. Jesse then plays a Nina Simone CD on the stereo system. Celine dances by herself to the song "Just in Time" as Jesse watches her. As Celine imitates Simone, she playfully imitates Simone's voice and says to Jesse, "Baby ... you are going to miss that plane." As the camera slowly pans in, Jesse smiles while nervously fidgeting with his wedding ring and responds, "I know", as the film ends.

A secret agent in Turkey is persuaded by his superiors to assist a couple of English cons in the theft of a priceless Greek statue. 1908: Basil Pascali (Sir Ben Kingsley), a spy for the Sultan, sends reports to Istanbul that nobody reads. His suspicions are roused when a British archeologist appears, who may not be quite what he seems. —Cleo <frede005@maroon.tc.umn.edu>

The story of Vaslav Nijinsky, who is widely believed to be one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time. Based on Romola Nijinsky's "Last Years Of Nijinski. Set in the early 1910s at a time of passionate artistic experimentalism, and based on biographical fact, this is the story of Vaslav Nijinsky, the young and brilliant but headstrong premier ballet dancer and aspiring choreographer of the Ballets Russes. The company is managed by the famous Sergei Diaghilev, a controlling, fiercely possessive impresario. The increasing tension between these powerful egos, exacerbated by homosexual desire and jealousy, becomes triangular when young ballerina Romola de Pulsky determinedly attempts to draw the increasingly mentally-unstable Nijinsky away from Diaghilev. —Eric Wees <eric_wees@pch.gc.ca>

Martin lives alone on a Caribbean island. On an excursion to the port city, he helps Nelly, who has fled from her groom. Caracas, Venezuela. Just after her engagement to Vittorio, Nelly runs away. As he pursues her, Nelly looks to Martin, a French middle-aged man she met by accident, for help. He drives her to the airport and gives her a plane ticket to Paris. Then he thinks he can go back to his peaceful, lonely life on his island. Of course, he is wrong.

This tale about a deadly assassin bent on killing French president Charles de Gaulle takes one on a cat and mouse game through the streets of Paris.

In London in the early 1900s reporter Sonya Winter (Diana Rigg) is researching the possibility of assassins using newspaper articles that serve as signals to high-profile murders that have been occurring. Winter shocked to find that businessman Ivan Dragomiloff (Oliver Reed) runs an assassination bureau, an organization that, for a price, will kill anyone in the world, but mostly certain high-profile transgressors. Sonya is a staunch supporter of womans rights and as a way of making a political statement that she can report in her newspaper, she offers to pay Ivan an enormous amount of money if he will have his bureau kill him. Ivan readily agrees thinking that the stunt will be good public relations and a boost to his business. But Lord Bostwick (Telly Savalas) wants control of the business Ivan has established and attempts to make sure that the contract is fulfilled and Ivan taken out of the way. As Winter follows Dragomiloff to report on his eventual demise, they fall in love and she finds herself reversing her feelings about his bureau, but it may be too late to avoid the onslaught of assassins.

Set in the late 1590s, the film opens when Lucentio (Michael York), a young nobleman, arrives in Padua, Italy to attend the local university with his servant and best friend Tranio (Alfred Lynch). After attending a graduate ceremony with outbound students graduating, Lucentio catches sight of the young and beautiful teenage Bianca (Natasha Pyne) the daughter of a wealthy merchant named Baptista (Michael Hordern). Bianca is eyed and courted by a number of good-looking and well-to-do young men who follow her to her home. However, Baptista announces that Bianca cannot be courted or marry until her elder sister, and his older daughter, Katharine (Elizabeth Taylor) is wed. As Katharine is out-spoken and far from demure, none of the men in the town want to marry her, so Bianca remains unwed even though many suitors hover to woo her. Lucentio sees the competition and devises a plan in which he disguises himself as a Latin tutor, named Cambio, in order to woo Bianca behind Baptista's back and at the same time has Tranio pretend to be him. Meanwhile, two noblemen named Hortensio (Victor Spinetti) and Gremio (Alan Webb), plot to try to woo Katharine hoping to either marry her or find someone to marry her off too. Their debate changes when Petruchio (Richard Burton), a rough-and-ready land owner, arrives in Pauda, accompanied by his personal servant Grumio (Cyril Cusack), having left Verona (the same city which 'Romeo and Juliet' takes place). Petruchio explains to Hortensio, an old friend of his, that since his father's death he has set out to enjoy life and wed. Hearing this, Hortensio recruits Petruchio as a suitor for Katherina. He also has Petruchio present him (Hortensio) to Baptista disguised as a music tutor named Litio (complete with a fake beard and eyeglasses). Thus, Lucentio and Hortensio attempt to woo Bianca while pretending to be the tutors Cambio and Litio respectively. The next day, Petruchio and his entourage, whom are Grumio, Hortensio, Gremio, Lucentio and Tranio, arrive at the Baptista household where he meets Katherine for the first time and falls in love with the fiery femme. After a furious, aggressive, and combative courtship he proposes to her. Katherina agrees to marry Petruchio after seeing that he is the only man willing to counter her quick remarks. However at the wedding the following week, Petruchio makes an embarrassing scene when he strikes the priest and drinks the communion wine. After the wedding, Petruchio takes Katherina to his home outside Verona against her will and through pouring rain where she gets soaking wet. Petruchio and Katherina move into his rustic mansion where their combative relationship continues challenging Katharine's sense of honor. Back in Padua, Lucentio confesses to Bianca that he is not a student, but the son of one of the most respected men in town, and the couple decides to marry with Baptista's blessing. In Verona, Petruchio begins the "taming" of his new wife. She is refused food and clothing because nothing - according to Petruchio - is good enough for her; he claims that perfectly cooked meat is overcooked, a beautiful dress doesn't fit right, and a stylish hat is not fashionable. He also disagrees with everything that she says, forcing her to agree with everything that he says, no matter how absurd; on their way back to Padua to attend Bianca's wedding, she agrees with Petruchio that the sun is the moon, and proclaims "if you please to call it a rush-candle. Henceforth, I vow it shall be so for me." Meanwhile, Hortensio has married a rich widow. In the final scene, there are three newly married couples; Bianca and Lucentio at their wedding party; the nameless widow and Hortensio, and Katherina and Petruchio. Because of the general opinion that Petruchio is married to a shrew, a good-natured quarrel breaks out amongst the three men about whose wife is the most obedient. Petruchio proposes a wager whereby each will send a servant to call for their wives, and whichever comes most obediently will have won the wager for her husband. Katherina is the only one of the three who comes, winning the wager for Petruchio. She then hauls the other two wives, including Bianca, into the room, giving a speech on why wives should always obey their husbands. The film ends with Baptista, Hortensio and Lucentio marveling at how successfully Petruchio has "tamed the shrew".