We are now in the month of the second Barnes & Noble sale of the year. All in-print and released Criterion releases are 50% off currently – including the recently released The Complete Kubrick boxset. To add, we have a whole new month of releases on the way – all of which will be on sale. And, it’s a humdinger of a month, cinematic grails upon grails upon grails. November’s Criterion slate has historically been heavy with greats, and this November slate will have at least one movie that will make someone happy. This month Criterion is bringing back two out of print classics that are now in beautiful 4K, five gargantuan new 4K releases – most of which have been requested for years, and one new Criterion Premieres release.
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
If not for the Variety article that came out months ago I would’ve called you crazy if you told me that this was getting a release. With that said, any animation in the Collection is a good thing. KPop Demon Hunters is Criterion’s biggest release in years in terms of mass appeal. Even if you aren’t a fan of the film itself, it’s undeniable how much it is immediately ingrained in American culture. Hell, its song, “Golden,” was used in promos for the last Winter Olympics – so it may not be outlandish to say it was ingrained into international culture. The release is gargantuan, featuring postcards and exclusive art within the release itself. When I first started buying Criterions I hit the most accessible and recognizable – so KPop Demon Hunters will be that recognizable release for many burgeoning cinephiles and film fans all over. Small note, KPop Demon Hunters joins Godzilla as the only other film in the Criterion Collection to have a Fortnite collaboration – do with that information as you will. KPop Demon Hunters is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a new 4K digital restoration approved by directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans.
Harold and Maude (1971)
I watched Harold and Maude for the first time back in January of 2021. I had put off buying the original Criterion release until the next sale. Then when it came that February, I thought “eh, I can wait for the next sale”. Then tragedy struck, the original Blu-Ray went out of print shortly after the flash sale. I never got my Blu-Ray, regret sank deep into my bones, and I have been hoping that maybe Criterion would get the rights once again. Now, a whopping 5 years later – the time has come. Harold and Maude is an excellent film and really hit me at a time when my sense of mortality was at an all time high (fresh in the thick of the pandemic). This release is now on the top of my priority list, so I can right a wrong I made back in 2021. Hopefully my struggle does not become yours, go buy this ASAP. Harold and Maude is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a 4K digital restoration.
Blue Heron (2025)
In a new release from Criterion’s ‘Criterion Premieres’ line of films, Blue Heron is the first feature film from Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari. Blue Heron takes place in the late 1990s and follows a young Hungarian immigrant girl who is adjusting to her new environment after her family immigrates to Vancouver, Canada. To make matters more difficult, her brother begins to display increasingly concerning behavioral issues. Blue Heron was recently selected by The New Yorker film critic Richard Brody as the best film of the first half of 2026. Criterion Premieres is a line of films that releases new Janus Film releases with minimal special features and Blue Heron will release on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Marie Antoinette is a film that has been requested to be in the Collection for years. Similarly to when Paper Moon was brought in – I guarantee all of your Barnes & Nobles will be swimming with copies of Marie Antoinette at 9am, then completely cleared of Marie Antoinette by 9pm. Marie Antoinette consistently ranks highly on “Best Sofia Coppola” lists – usually reserved for the #1 or #2 spots. Usually around Lost in Translation, Somewhere, or the Criterion staple The Virgin Suicides. The gravity of this release is massive and this is a damn good film to boot. Expect to see this on all forms of Criterion Closet/Top 10 Criterion lists going forward. Marie Antoinette is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a new 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Sofia Coppola and director of photography Lance Acord.
Shoot the Piano Player (1960)
French New Wave is loaded with different genres and morals sprinkled throughout and laid the framework for what the modern film would look like by modernizing different genres and filmmaking styles. With that said, one of my personal favorite genres the French elevated is the noir. Obviously, people will want to discuss the films of Jean-Pierre Melville (Le samouraï, my beloved), but Shoot the Piano Player is another slugger of a French noir. Director François Truffaut explored films of varying genres and ideas, and anything he touched immediately elevated that respective genre. Shoot the Piano Player is no different. Additionally, any film that is layered with crime, music, and questionable morals is a massive winner in my book. Shoot the Piano Player is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a new 4K digital restoration.
Wild at Heart (1990)
David Lynch needs no introduction if you’re reading this article. Similar to Marie Antoinette, Wild at Heart is a film that has been requested for years, will be in all forms of lists regarding Criterion, etc etc. At this point now, we only have a few things left for all of Lynch’s films to be added to the collection (Dune, The Straight Story, and the television program Twin Peaks). Wild at Heart is a zany, monstrously romantic film about two reckless, outlaw lovers going through the South. Adapted from the Barry Gifford novel of the same name, this film won David Lynch’s only Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. While most films have the luxury of allowing the hyperbole of their title to do the heavy lifting, Wild at Heart is a certainly a…wild… film. Wild at Heart is a 4K release featuring a new 4K digital restoration of the unrated international version, supervised by director of photography Frederick Elmes and approved by the David Lynch Estate (RIP).
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
I’m not super familiar with the films of Sergei Parajanov, aside from the fact that The Colors of Pomegranates is considered to be one of the best films ever made. Additionally, Parajanov’s career was riddled with issues of censorship and imprisonment given the governmental body of the time. Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project has brought hidden or seemingly lost masterpieces to a wider audience and it seems this film is no different. No one I know has seen this, most people I find online who have seen it praise it to no end, it seems as though this is one that will be well worth your time.Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a 4K+Blu-Ray combo pack featuring a new 4K digital restoration by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project.
The Right Stuff (1983)
Growing up, I remember my dad would fire The Right Stuff up anytime it was on television. My limited and stupid child brain couldn’t truly appreciate this film then, so what better time to make up for it now. The space race, astronauts, Ed Harris – all elements of a film that is perfect after mowing the lawn midday Saturday. Since I haven’t seen this in some time, I can’t speak to the full scope of the film, but the director, Philip Kaufman, also made one of my all time favorites (Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)), and the composer, Bill Conti, made one of my all time favorite scores (Rocky). This will be purchased expeditiously during the Barnes & Noble sale. The Right Stuff is a 4K release featuring a new 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director of photography Caleb Deschanel.
