Matt Damon was right: the movie world was better off when DVDs were mainstream, selling millions of copies, allowing studios to monetize nonprofit films when they hit theaters. We don’t say that buying physical format is a form of activism, but almost. Don’t believe what you read here and there, collecting is not a form of fetishism. Whether it’s a matter of wanting to keep the films you love close to you, of being sure to be able to watch them when you want (let’s not forget that the platforms can weigh down the films on their schedule at will , even their own); whether it’s because we like the object, that we want to support an industry, that we like to lend films… It doesn’t matter. Buying films is always good. Every month, Konbini looks back on the most significant releases of the last few days. In February, there were many great outings. Whether it’s heritage, a less cult film, recent known and recognized feature films, or more obscure, there’s bound to be one you’ll want to get. Babysitter, by Monia Chokri (ESC / Blaq Out, DVD) Also to be seen on KonbiniThe second film by Monia Chokri, with disconcerting visual beauty and which already had the future Caesarized Nadia Tereszkiewicz, deserves much more than its public reception which was too cold. Perhaps the Blu-ray release would give the second life that this sparkling, intelligent, feminist feature film deserves, but questions our relationship to others. Clever, very handsome, cynical and funny, it’s a little nugget that deserves a place next to your television.Gerry, and Paranoid Park, by Gus Van Sant (Carlotta, Blu-ray/DVD)One is cult, the second much less known. The two respond to each other, however, and Carlotta and Mk2 have understood this well. The study of the United States by Gus Van Sant, which you will complete with Elephant, and the fact that these two great films deserved a job on Blu-ray with a polished edition, it’s done.Jack Mimoun and the secrets by Val Verde, by Ludovic Colbeau-Justin and Malik Bentalha (Pathé, Blu-ray/DVD) Action comedy imbued with a real love of cinema, with a great cast (seeing the triple Caesarean Benoît Magimel is particularly pleasing) , and inventive gags, Jack Mimoun was unfairly shunned in theaters, when he was at the top of the basket of what we know is produced here as a comic film. Do justice to the film by Malik Bentalha and Ludovic Colbeau-Justin, and add it to your Blu-ray library. It’s the least of things.Hail Mary, by Jean-Luc Godard (Gaumont, DVD)A film on the Bible directed by Jean-Luc Godard? A certain vision of hell for some, and yet. The filmmaker’s vision of projecting the story of Mary and Joseph into the present breaks all the classicism of a biblical adaptation, thanks to a non-linear structure that the director is used to, but also with the help of a study of beauty, sensuality and aesthetics close to those previous films (Passion in mind). The film caused controversy (Catholic protests took place, judging the film blasphemous), and deserves to be revisited in many respects. Note that this is not the only Godard to be released on DVD by Gaumont. Woman on the Moon and Spies by Fritz Lang (Potemkine, Blu-ray/DVD)After having superbly edited Metropolis, Potemkine continues to edit and offer Fritz Lang. This time with two films that the German expressionist filmmaker made after the (commercial, we understand) failure of his previously mentioned monument. Two films, different in substance (although), but carried by the same duo (Gerda Maurus and Willy Fritsch), which we know less about Lang but which deserve to be analyzed, dissected, studied, reviewed and explored, as all of Fritz Lang’s cinema, in short. But this time on Blu-ray. La Guerre des polices, by Robin Davis (ESC, Blu-ray/DVD) Jean-Pierre Melville does not have a monopoly on great detective films made in France. Even if it moves away from the imagination carried by the latter, then by a certain Alain Corneau, La Guerre des polices has the merit of drawing on the strength of these stories, while seeking what we will call the Italian neo-polars. A great discovery, with a pretty nice cast (Marlène Jobert, Claude Brasseur, Claude Rich), on a film that we probably wouldn’t have seen if ESC hadn’t reissued it on Blu-ray. For fans of the genre, it’s a real pleasure. The Strait of Hunger, by Tomu Uchida (Carlotta, Blu-ray/DVD) Uchida is far too poorly known in France. Yet his most famous film has an unparalleled reputation as one of the greatest Japanese films in history. And for good reason: for three hours, you witness a very strange object. Deceptively classic, drawing on certain aspects of the recent French New Wave, the film tells the story of the Japanese island at a crucial time while exploring its mentality and spirituality. It’s not the simplest on the list, we grant you that, but it remains one of those that you can be particularly proud to display in your DVD library. we wait to be happy, by Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre (M6 Video, Blu-ray/DVD) One of the most beautiful films of 2022. Animation as we rarely see, both in form (the drawing of Sempé really comes to life in front of our amazed kids’ eyes) than in substance (we follow Sempé and Goscinny giving life to the cult character, at the same time as we see segments from the Petit Nicolas comics). A little gem, to see and see again. The Secret of the Pyramid, by Barry Levinson (Paramount, Blu-ray Steelbook limited edition) at the underside The Bay or at Sleepers. Probably not at Secret of the Pyramid, Young Sherlock Holmes in English. And yet you should. This Blu-ray release proves that this Amblin production (Spielberg and written by Chris Columbus anyway) is worth the detour — and that’s not the nostalgia talking. It really is a solid investigative film, with a sense of adventure reminiscent of Indiana Jones (and thus Stevy) at times, a few moments of pure horror carried (the hallucination sequences are a reminder of how Spielberg was a fan of Tintin), and impressive visual effects. Aging, yes, but impressive. Put into perspective in the career of its producer, its screenwriter (who will make the first Harry Potter 15 years later), and its filmmaker, it’s fascinating – and the copy is beautiful, moreover. The Sixth Child, by Léopold Legrand (Pyramide, DVD)A debut of such great quality and such force is rare — and it’s good to underline when it is the case. Léopold Legrand’s film is relentless, moving and suffocating. It tells of the agreement between two couples, one being about to have a sixth child despite not having the salary for it, and the other failing to have children. The Sixth Child is carried by an incredible quartet, including Sara Giraudeau, Judith Chemla, Benjamin Lavernhe and Damien Bonnard. A beautiful object, which we probably haven’t talked about enough. Lee Rock, by Lawrence Ah Mon (Spectrum Films, Blu-ray) You liked Andy Lau as a great romantic in Wong Kar-wai or as a mafia in the incredible Infernal Affairs? You should appreciate the latter as a kind of Serpico in 1950s Hong Kong, in this unjustly overlooked, very well written film, depicting a city in metamorphosis. A really effective thriller, and as often with Spectrum, with a nice surprise: the sequel, being offered in a second Blu-ray. Who says better? Letter from an unknown person, by Max Ophüls (Jokers, 4K / Blu-ray) Since its theatrical release by Jokers in February 2022, we wondered when the physical version would land. We did not expect to have such a beautiful edition, in Blu-ray and in 4K, with booklet, and as a bonus, an interview with Olivier Minne (yes!), who, when he is not presenting Fort Boyard, writes biographies, here that of the actor Louis Jourdan. But in addition to the form of the object, it is the power of this melodramatic romance of rare visual beauty and which touches the heart.The Origin of Evil, by Sébastien Marnier (Jokers, Blu-ray/DVD)Unfairly Shunned at the Césars this year, Sébastien Marnier’s paranoid thriller had everything of one of the great films of 2022. Well written, perfectly executed, carried by a huge cast, The Origin of Evil will draw on the side of the masters of the genre to a film that can be seen, and seen again with the same malice. Indispensable.Seven Swords, by Tsui Hark (Spectrum Films, Blu-ray)You probably know the American part of the career of the immense Tsui Hark (yes, we are talking about JCVDs like Double Team), or his masterpiece work The Blade or Time and Tide. Spectrum Films, which is doing a colossal job of safeguarding Hong Kong cinema in distress, makes us discover, once again, a nugget of Asian cinema. Here, a falsely more classic wu xia pan from one of these most important authors, going to draw from Kurosawa and on the side of Hollywood. Assuming the chivalrous aspect, with a contemporary staging and carried by the future very great Donnie Yen. A great moment in cinema, in a splendid Blu-ray version, with a plethora of bonuses (+1 for the one-hour interview with Tsui Hark), and a complete book on the history of this sub-genre of film. ‘martial art. In short, a real great moment of cinephilia.X, by Ti West (Kinovista, Blu-ray)One of the most beautiful, most stylish and most interesting horror films of 2022, which we did not expect to see out in France soon, is coming to Blu-ray. Whether for Mia Goth, for this universe (we are still awaiting the release of her two sequels in France), for Jenna Ortega, for Kid Cudi as a porn actor, or for crass gore or a horrifying meme, there are 1,000 reasons to jump on it.
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