Halfway through the year now and Criterion is dropping a whopping NINE releases in June. The Barnes & Noble flash sale is happening next month, everything is going to be at a devious 50% off, prime time to up your collection (especially if you’re seeing what Criterion is dropping in July – insane cinema on the way). Criterion is releasing two 4K+Blu-Ray upgrades, two new Blu-Ray releases, one new Criterion Premieres release, three new 4K+Blu-Ray releases, and a Blu-Ray upgrade to a long out-of-print Eclipse boxset.
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Five Easy Pieces was the first step to the formation of the cinematic studio, BBS Productions. A major pillar of the New Hollywood movement, Five Easy Pieces starred Jack Nicholson in what would be one of his breakout roles (that with the BBS-produced masterpiece Easy Rider). The film follows Nicholson as a former piano prodigy and now oil rig worker who returns home after learning his father is dying. These early Jack Nicholson films, and the films of BBS in general, are gritty and never shy from the reality and pain of life. Five Easy Pieces is a tough pill to swallow in cinematic form and is foundational to what the modern American film would look like. Five Easy Pieces is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a new 4K digital restoration.
Charade (1963)
The ’60s era of Stanley Donen’s films I’d best categorized as ‘martini cinema’. Decadent visually, witty in dialogue and characterization, and sensible fashion that rarely is superseded all these years later. Charade is the epitome of this mantra, gin and dry vermouth is screaming to hit your lips as you watch Charade. Audrey Hepburn & Cary Grant in a screwball romantic comedy spy thriller? I don’t even need to spell it out anymore, this is the type of stuff everyone needs in their collection. Charade is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a new 4K digital restoration.
West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty (1979)
Prior to this film’s inclusion in the collection, I was unfamiliar with it. But an African musical about French imperialism in Africa sounds, pardon my French, kickass. Even in the snippets I watched while researching the film it oozed the confidence and boldness that is needed to make an audacious anti-imperialism musical work. West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty is one of the largest films to come out of Africa and the production value seems to show for every penny used on its USD $1.5 million budget. I am now immensely interested in this release, and I think you should make it a priority of yours as well. West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty is a Blu-Ray release featuring a new 4K digital restoration.
High Art (1998)
Similarly to West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty, High Art is a film that I wasn’t familiar with prior to its announcement of being added to the collection. High Art is one of the few films from filmmaker Lisa Cholodenko and is highly regarded by legendary critics such as Roger Ebert and Janet Maslin. High Art follows a young editor of a photography magazine, named Syd, intertwining with retired, renowned, and heroin addicted photographer Lucy. Similar to love jones, this film seems like a case where a brilliant film debut doesn’t propel the filmmaker forward enough to maintain a consistent and lucrative career (to add, I adore love jones, so that pains me to see). The praise alone intrigues me to seek this out, and it should for you as well. High Art is a Blu-Ray release featuring a new 4K digital restoration supervised and approved by director Lisa Cholodenko.
Magellan (2025)
In a new release from Criterion’s ‘Criterion Premieres’ line of films, Magellan is a freshly released film from Filipino filmmaker, Lav Diaz. Magellan follows explorer Ferdinand Magellan on his odyssey across the Pacific Ocean which captures the imperialism and Christian imposition that followed. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025. Criterion Premieres is a line of films that releases new Janus Film releases with minimal special features and Magellan will release on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Hairspray (1988)
Hairspray was the final collaboration between John Waters and Divine. A collaboration of which would go on to be one of John Waters’s biggest films. Hairspray was adapted into a Broadway musical and would go on to win 8 Tony awards, and has cemented itself as one of the greatest musicals of all time. Criterion’s release of the original John Waters classic is a milestone of preservation and is easily John Waters’s most accessible film. Furthermore, any Waters film with Divine is lightning in a bottle – which is insane considering there are multiple Waters/Divine films and Hairspray is no different. Hairspray is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a new 4K digital restoration supervised and approved by director John Waters.
Desperate Living (1977)
John Waters is a one-of-one filmmaker. While Waters’s frequent collaborator and muse, Divine, does not star in this film, Desperate Living is just as outlandish and trashy as you would hope. Desperate Living is the third and final film of Waters’s “Trash Trilogy” (which also includes Criterion releases Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble) and holds true to its trash moniker. Rabies, phalloplasty and a subsequent penectomy, and a shantytown ruled by a fascist Queen – Desperate Living has all of the depravity your sick heart has been searching for. Desperate Living is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a new 4K digital restoration supervised and approved by director John Waters.
It Was Just An Accident (2025)
I’m not going to pretend like I know anything about this film. I attempted to stay completely spoiler-free because I do want to see It Was Just An Accident, I just haven’t gotten to it yet. With that said, I admire the film’s director, Jafar Panahi, immensely. Pursuing art while being persecuted for doing so has to be one of the bravest displays I’ve ever seen and that alone compels me to purchase this release despite my lack of knowledge on what occurs in it. That’s all, I will be buying in support of Panahi and I can’t wait to (finally) watch this. Go buy this. It Was Just An Accident is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a new digital restoration approved by director Jafar Panahi.
Eclipse Series 6: Carlos Saura’s Flamenco Trilogy
Filmmaker Carlos Saura was one of Spain’s greatest auteurs – along with Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar. While Saura started his film career in neorealism, he transitioned to films that merged drama with music and dance. Criterion had this set previously during its initial Eclipse run, but went out of print and remained that way for some time. Now, with this boxset, the films of Carlos Saura are now more accessible than ever – including his incredible Flamenco trilogy. Each film adapted from existing works in the style of flamenco, and is one of the most inventive pieces of art put to film. The films in this set are Blood Wedding, Carmen, and El Amor Brujo and they are all featured in a Blu-Ray box set.
