When it comes to the cream of this week’s crop, the buck stops with Criterion. Only two titles, but they both pack a masterly punch. The first is a new release that’s getting a deservedly royal treatment for its home video bow, and the second is a bona fide classic that never fails to shock and wow:
A Christmas Tale (Criterion) — Arnaud Desplechin might very well be our most precociously exhilarating modern director. Just in time for this year’s holiday, Criterion has teamed up with IFC Films to release Desplechin’s 2008 gem. The basic description for A Christmas Tale—a dysfunctional family reunites for the Christmas holiday—doesn’t begin to do it justice. In Desplechin’s hands, this familiar premise is merely a frail skeleton upon which to build a dizzyingly boisterous body. In addition to the film, which features standout performances from Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, and the entire ensemble cast, this release contains: L’aimee, Desplechin’s 2007 doc about the sale of his family home; Arnaud’s Tale, a 35-minute documentary featuring Desplechin and members of his troupe; and an accompanying essay by Phillip Lopate. Buy it on DVD
Gimme Shelter (Criterion) — If you haven’t seen this Maysles Brothers classic, a waking nightmare guised as a tour documentary about the Rolling Stones’ impending 1969 concert at Altamont that goes horribly awry, now’s your chance to see it on Blu-ray
— Michael Tully
