Christmas: our selection of DVDs and film / series boxes to put under the tree

Titanium, Julia Ducournau

Okay, that’s not the Christmas present to put in just any shoe. But devious minds will appreciate it. It is still a Palme d’Or, French, feminine, and presented by France at the next Oscars. A divisive film of course, but a landmark. It is about a young girl obviously haunted by evil (Agathe Rousselle, a revelation). And a firefighter who suddenly sees his son returning, who has been missing for ten years (Vincent Lindon, bodybuilder). Here, the metal becomes carnal and the borders of motherhood explode in flight. Impossible not to think of David Cronenberg, including watching Junior, an equally disturbing short film by Julia Ducournau, as a bonus.

Kaamelott (first part), Alexandre Astier

This is the ultimate gift for lovers of Kaamelott, the iconic series (six seasons) which was entitled to its version on the big screen ten years after its end on M6. A film that was one of the big cinema events of the year 2021, breaking summer records with more than 2.6 million admissions. Three versions are available. In the more maousse, an XXL box (the so-called “epic” edition), there is a making-of, audio comments, a collection of portraits of the characters and also a pewter coin from the Kingdom of Logres, hand-struck. , with the effigy of King Arthur. There will not be for everyone. And that is not wrong!

The Adventures of Antoine Doinel, François Truffaut

Worship! This set brings together for the first time in 4K version the five films by François Truffaut devoted to the adventures of Antoine Doinel
: The 400 blows, Antoine and Colette, Stolen kisses, Marital home and Love on the run. From the fugue of his twelve years to his divorce, the director’s double is embodied by Jean-Pierre Léaud in a saga that began with a triumph at the Cannes Film Festival in 1959. Beyond the films offered in unprecedented quality, this box offers many bonuses, a short film by Truffaut made before his first film or the video of the casting of the boys of the 400 shots.

“Middle Earth”, Peter Jackson

Two trilogies brought together in the best possible definition. This set includes the six films of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit, in cinema and extended versions, in Blu-ray formats and – this is the novelty – in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. Supervised by Peter Jackson, the switch to 4K brings improvements in terms of definition, color grading and sound experience (Dolby Atmos). The box itself is very well made … even if we would have preferred more modern metal boxes. We also regret the absence of the many bonuses of the long versions.

Bertrand Tavernier, The Collection

In fact, what is a work of cinema? On John Ford, Tavernier wrote that it was to have made films on the scale of a nation. Where he is, he would find the comparison flattering, but Tavernier also left a work. French? And how ! StudioCanal is releasing a sample box: 18 films, 9 hours of bonus. The large canvases are there, The Judge and the Assassin, the enormous Wipe, the diaphanous Sunday in the countryside. The last ones too, reminding him that everything that was human interested him. Thereby Holy lola, or the tribulations of a couple adopting in Phnom-Penh, their moods and moments of truth.

The purple rivers, according to Jean-Christophe Grangé

We are not talking here of Mathieu Kassovitz’s film with Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel, but of the television series, always derived from the successful novel by Jean-Christophe Grangé. A box set with the first three seasons (a fourth is expected in 2022) brings together all the investigations of commissioner Pierre Niemans (now played by the former real cop Olivier Marchal) and captain Camille Delaunay (Erika Sainte). The duo goes on missions in France (one every two episodes) to solve mysterious crimes, in always extremely dark atmospheres. Some episodes were shot in Nord and Pas-de-Calais, keep an eye out.

Cruella, Craig Gillespie

By taking on the most charismatic villain in the Disney universe, this film offers a nice surprise. Two fashion geniuses clash in a London of the 70s shaken by the punk-rock movement. Emma Thompson (the villain) and Emma Stone (the other villain) give each other a talented reply. The realization, filled with humor, connects sumptuous paintings to the sound of breathtaking rock’n’roll. As a bonus, a subtle psychological exploration: you have to stay yourself, at the risk of displeasing (… to men?). Old Walt would be surprised by this feminist turn. In the bonuses, take a look behind the scenes of the shoot.