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The Paris-set thriller “As Above, So Below” hits theaters Friday. Check out these Parisian alternatives.
Paris, je t’aime (2006)
Directors like Alfonso Cuarón, the Coen brothers, Olivier Assayas and Gus Van Sant all contributed to this swoony anthology film, which is as much a valentine to lovers as it is to the City of Lights. Among the stars who appeared in the movie’s 18 shorts are Maggie Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood and Juliette Binoche. The film was a hit and spawned the like-minded (if less exceptional) “I Love New York.”
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Woody Allen’s most successful film is an ode to the bygone era of Paris in the 1920s and also a cautionary tale about the peril of clinging to bygone eras. Playing an Allen-esque romantic is the winning Owen Wilson, who playfully encounters such cultural icons as Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody), Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) and Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) as he learns how to live in the present.
Before Sunset (2004)
The greatest piece of Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke’s “Before” trilogy is actually its middle chapter — a rare feat when it comes to cinematic franchises. The beauty of this Paris-set, 2004 sequel to “Before Sunrise” is it hangs in the air more enticingly and precariously than both its predecessor and successor, with a flirtatious afternoon powerful enough to cause someone to miss his plane.
Mata Hari (1931)
One of Greta Garbo’s signature roles was as the eponymous femme fatale in this pre-code 1931 head-turner. Capable of entrancing nearly all the men of Paris, courtesan and performer Mata Hari doubles as a dangerous spy, and this film popularized the Mata Hari legend for a generation of enticed filmgoers.
Dangerous Liaisons
Before there was “Cruel Intentions,” there was Stephen Frears’s devilish adaptation of Christopher Hampton’s play, itself drawn from the 18th century French novel of the same name. Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer lead the cast as three tortured corners of a depraved love triangle, all dependent on a delicate balance of power and appearances. We’re all familiar with characters like Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil; this may mark their definitive screen appearances. ■
Mata Hari (Greta Garbo) prefers to deal in secrecy in the World War I-set film.
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