It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
No, not Christmas; it’s the Criterion 50% off sale at Barnes & Noble. That’s right – this is the perfect time to pick up some of the very best Blu-rays and 4K UHD releases from your favorite boutique home video label. Criterion is the home to some of the greatest, most features-packed discs, which celebrate cinema from around the world. And twice a year you can get them for half off.
We thought we’d wrangle some of our favorite titles from the sale. As always, these are only titles that have been released since the last Barnes & Noble sale, back in July. With Criterion, there’s always something new and exciting around the corner. These are our picks for the best of the best.
“The Wes Anderson Archive: Ten Films, Twenty-Five Years”
This box set, celebrating the first 25 years (and first 10 films) of Wes Anderson’s career, is one of the most sought-after home video releases of the year. And for good reason. Not only does it feature 4K upgrades of the Anderson movies Criterion had already released (from “Bottle Rocket” to “The Grand Budapest Hotel”) but also features the Criterion debuts of Anderson’s most recent “Isle of Dogs” and “The French Dispatch” (these two are also available separately). This box set features “twenty-five hours of special features, including audio commentaries, interviews, documentaries, deleted scenes, auditions, short films, home movies, commercials, storyboards, animation tests, archival recordings, still photographs, discussions/analyses, and visual essays”; essays by Richard Brody, James L. Brooks, Bilge Ebiri, Moeko Fujii, Kent Jones, Dave Kehr, Geoffrey O’Brien, Martin Scorsese and Erica Wagner; and absolutely gorgeous packaging, with the movies housed in “ten illustrated books, presented in a deluxe clothbound edition.”
“Nightmare Alley”
Sure, Guillermo del Toro has “Frankenstein,” a splashy adaptation of Mary Shelley’s beloved tale that only del Toro could conjure, now playing on Netflix. Hopefully that’ll get its own Criterion edition soon. (Del Toro has said that one of his stipulations for doing the movie for Netflix was that it have a physical release.) But until then, why not enjoy one of his recent masterpieces? “Nightmare Alley,” based on the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, stars Bradley Cooper as a huckster who joins the circus before being elevated to high society (and finding that crowd even more venomous than the sideshow). A commercial disappointment that still managed a Best Picture Oscar nomination, it remains, oddly, one of del Toro’s more underrated and misunderstood movies, one whose bleakness belies an inner sensitivity. This release features the home video debut of “Nightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light,” a newly constructed director’s cut of the film (running nine minutes longer) and desaturated into black-and-white, along with new commentaries, conversations and documentaries. Truly a smorgasbord for del Toro acolytes. Bonus recommendation: A few years ago Criterion put out the earlier adaptation of the book, Edmund Goulding’s 1947 original, which features a commentary by film historians from 2005 and a booklet written by Kim Morgan, who co-wrote the script for the newer adaptation with del Toro.
“Eyes Wide Shut”
Another one of the most anticipated home video releases of the year, Criterion is finally bringing “Eyes Wide Shut” to life as it was meant to be seen. Kubrick obsessives have been trading screen shots and comparing transfers since review copies of this new disc went out a few weeks ago. Don’t let the discussion distract or fool you; Kubrick’s final film, released months after his death, has never looked – or sounded – better. I found myself looking at things in the background of shots I had never noticed before, like how the television console in Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s bedroom changes dramatically from shot to shot (probably because the scenes were filmed 15 months apart). This is the uncut version of the movie, so no shadowy figures placed in front of sex acts during the big orgy set piece, still as beguiling and surreal as it was in 1999. And thankfully Criterion has assembled a collection of special features worthy of the film, from new interviews with cinematographer Larry Smith, set decorator and second-unit director Lisa Leone and archivist Georgina Orgill, to archival interviews with Kubrick’s wife and a host of archival materials. There are also documentaries from 2019, 2014 and 2007, and the original press conference for the film from 1999. Sadly, one of the very best Kubrick documentaries, Jon Ronson’s “Stanley Kubrick’s Boxes,” from 2008 is not included (it was made for British television). Maybe whenever Criterion gets around to doing another Kubrick favorite?
“The Breakfast Club”
Yes, this is a double dip. John Hughes’ high school classic “The Breakfast Club” entered the Criterion Collection on Blu-ray back in 2018. But times have changed, formats have evolved and Criterion is now re-releasing “The Breakfast Club” on even-more-beautiful 4K UHD. And it’s very much worth the upgrade. The 4K Dolby Vision is incredible; you’ll want to luxuriate in that gorgeous, neon-lined 1980s library where the titular band of misfits (Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall and Ally Sheedy) are stuck for Saturday detention. You have two audio options for the movie (uncompressed monaural and a newer 5.1 mix for an earlier home release), plus a commentary track with Hall and Nelson (recorded for an earlier release), nearly an hour of deleted and extended scenes, interviews with the cast, a video essay and archival promotional materials. We’ve been really lucky, over the past few years, to get a bevy of John Hughes movies on 4K (there’s a “Career Opportunities” 4K UHD disc for crying out loud), but it’s nice to now have one of his early classics in the very best format. Now who’s going to have the guts to put out “She’s Having a Baby” on 4K UHD?
“Flow”
When “Flow” was first announced, it was going to get the Janus Contemporaries (now known as Criterion Premieres) treatment – a lower price point, fewer extras and a Blu-ray disc only. But then “Flow,” the wordless odyssey that follows a band of animals who have survived a catastrophic flood, became a critical darling and the winner of the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Then the smaller release became a much bigger affair – and on 4K UHD no less! What’s great about this release is that it also includes director Gints Zilbalodis’ earlier film (also wordless) “Away” in 4K, with special features that include a new commentary with Zilbalodis, a full-length animatic version of “Flow,” a making-of documentary produced for Latvian television, two short films by Zilbalodis and various promotional materials. Plus the package comes with stickers of the animals from “Flow.” Truly an embarrassment of riches.
“This Is Spinal Tap”
By all accounts the “This Is Spinal Tap” sequel was dreadful. So why not revisit the original, which is still funny as hell? Rob Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap” was one of the first Criterion releases – they put it out on laserdisc before becoming one of their first DVD releases (it is since long out of print). Thankfully, this new release maintains the original spine number (#12!) for legacy’s sake. If you’ve never seen “This Is Spinal Tap,” it’s one of the funniest movies ever made, a mockumentary following a fictitious British hard rock band that has risen to prominence despite them being very, very dumb. The disc comes with three audio commentaries, a demo reel made by Reiner two years before the movie was made, 98 minutes of outtakes, excerpts from 1992’s “The Return of Spinal Tap” and archival marketing materials. There’s so much stuff here that you’ll forget they ever made a poorly reviewed sequel earlier this year. It’s like it never happened!
“A History of Violence”/”The Shrouds”
Criterion and David Cronenberg just go together. They have released so many Cronenberg movies – everything from body horror extravaganza “The Brood” to strange, biographical “Naked Lunch” to controversial drama “Crash.” And now, they are adding two more to the collection. “The Shrouds,” released theatrically earlier this year after premiering at Cannes in 2024, sees Cronenberg confronting the horrors of AI and the death of his wife. It’s one of his very best movies and felt underrated even as it was coming out. It’s part of the Criterion Premieres line, which means “The Shrouds” is cheaper and only has a few special features. But that’s okay. Just having it as part of your collection is good enough. As for the full-fledged Criterion treatment, “A History of Violence,” Cronenberg’s 2005 return-to-form, stars Viggo Mortensen as a man living an idyllic, Norman Rockwell-like life, whose past comes to haunt him after he thwarts a violent robbery. Proof that Cronenberg was still provocative (and still wildly entertaining), “A History of Violence” is absolutely outstanding. This new release features a “4K digital restoration of the international cut, supervised by director of photography Peter Suschitzky and approved by director David Cronenberg,” which is the main draw, along with a host of special features, including commentary by Cronenberg, a new commentary with screenwriter Josh Olson, featurettes and deleted scenes. If you don’t pick up “A History of Violence,” you’re choosing violence.
“High and Low”
If you watch Spike Lee’s recent Denzel Washington-led “Highest 2 Lowest,” made by Apple and A24, you might be curious about the original film. Now it’s available in gorgeous 4K. Directed by Akira Kurosawa and based on Ed McBain’s 1959 novel “King’s Ransom,” the film stars frequent Kurosawa collaborator Toshirō Mifune as an executive at a shoe company who becomes the target of a kidnapper. (If you haven’t seen the original or Lee’s remake, we won’t spoil the twist.) Another original Criterion favorite, released yet again in a new format (it’s spine #24!), the company describes Kurosawa as he “moves effortlessly from compelling race-against-time thriller to exacting social commentary, creating a diabolical treatise on class and contemporary Japanese society.” The big draw of this release is, of course, the new presentation, which features a “4K digital restoration, with 4.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.” There are also a bevy of special features, including a commentary track with a film historian, a making-of documentary and interviews with cast members. One of Kurosawa’s major works, lovingly presented in 4K – what more could you want?
“Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me”
We lost David Lynch earlier this year, so why not honor his memory by picking up the new 4K reissue of one of his very best films? “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” an extension and expansion of his beloved television series, takes place in the week before Laura Palmer (a returning Sheryl Lee) was found dead, naked and wrapped in plastic. The movie, with its more lenient R-rating, allowed Lynch to fashion a phantasmagorical horror movie that is also a quiet, moving portrait of the much earthlier horror of familial abuse. Ideas and images spill over; there’s a prologue featuring Chris Isaak and Kiefer Sutherland as different FBI agents and a brief appearance by Kyle MacLachlan’s Agent Dale Cooper. Plus there are some of the most haunting, arresting images Lynch ever committed to film, as he turns the idyllic town of Twin Peaks truly inside out. Misunderstood upon its original release, it has since become a key text – not just to the larger “Twin Peaks” mythos but to Lynch’s filmography too. The 4K disc features a new 4K digital restoration, with 7.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, and the special features from the earlier edition remain, including “The Missing Pieces,” a feature-length collection of deleted scenes from the movie and interviews with the cast and composer Angelo Badalamenti (who passed away in 2022). Honor his genius, celebrate his work and dive back into the endlessly fascinating world of Twin Peaks, all with this brand-new edition.
“Altered States”
With “Stranger Things” ending its five-season run on Netflix this winter, why not revisit one of the texts that inspired the series the most? Ken Russell’s “Altered States” stars the late, great William Hurt as a psychology student who becomes seduced by fringe science. His experiments begin to take on a life of their own, as they pull him through the fabric of reality itself. Featuring a script by Paddy Chayefsky, adapting his own novel of the same name, and appropriately psychedelic visuals from Russell (working with legendary cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth), “Altered States” indulged in notions of sensory deprivation, remote viewing and alternate dimensions, decades before the kids of Hawkins, Indiana, explored similar ideas. The Criterion release includes a new commentary from film historian Samm Deighan, archival interviews with Hurt and Russell and a new interview with one of the special effects artists who made “Altered States” such a trippy nightmare. Plus, the 4K transfer makes the movie look better than ever. Ready to visit some “Altered States?” Reality is so boring anyway.
