The Criterion Collection Complete

BYRNE, David (United States) David Byrne's American Utopia [2020] Spine #1294 Blu-ray David Byrne meets America’s fractious political moment with the transcendent power of song in this ecstatic documentary of the Broadway adaptation of his acclaimed  American Utopia  tour. Captured with immersive immediacy by director Spike Lee, this uplifting spectacle interweaves twenty-one songs, both new and classic, with Byrne’s singular observations on the state of the nation—its perils, promises, and possibility for transformation. Choreographed by Annie-B Parson with the inventive minimalism that has become a signature of Byrne’s live performances,  David Byrne’s American Utopia  moves between moments of communal exuberance and hymnlike grace, making the case for music as an agent of protest, change, and above all unity. 106 minutes 5.1 Surround Color 1:85:1 Criterion Release 2025 Director/Writer David Byrne  was 68 when he directed  David Byrne's American Utopia ....

BURTON, Tim (United States) Pee-wee's Big Adventure [1985] Spine #1293 Blu-ray One of the most eccentric comedies of the 1980s,  Pee-wee’s Big Adventure  is a pop-culture touchstone that helped make a manic oddball named Pee-wee Herman—the creation and alter ego of actor-comedian Paul Reubens—into an icon for outsiders of all ages. It also established the distinctive style of director Tim Burton, whose eye-popping visual sense is already on full display in this, his first feature film. Following the gleefully irreverent Pee-wee as he embarks on a road trip to recover his beloved stolen bicycle, the movie unfolds with the antic invention of a live-action cartoon, combining a gallery of memorably wacky characters, colorful, kitschy Americana, and surreal flights of fancy into a joyously uninhibited paean to creativity and the spirit of childhood. 91 minutes 2.0 Surround Color 1:85:1 Criterion Release 2025 Director/Writer Tim Burton was 27 when he directed  Pee-wee's Big A...

NAIR, Mira (India) Salaam Bombay! [1988] Spine #1292 Blu-ray A kaleidoscopic portrait of Bombay’s teeming street life, Mira Nair’s first narrative feature,  Salaam Bombay!,  combines a documentary-like sense of place with a poignant exploration of everyday resilience. After the young Krishna (Shafiq Syed) is cast out by his family, he makes his way to the city, where he encounters love, friendship, and tragedy in the face of extreme poverty. Drawing compellingly naturalistic performances from a cast consisting largely of children she met on the streets, Nair creates an intimate human drama that is by turns heartbreaking and life-affirming, an ode to childhood that overflows with colorful urban chaos and a deep compassion for those who live on society’s margins. 114 minutes Monaural Color in Hindi 1:85:1 Criterion Release 2025 Director/Writer Mira Nair was 31 when she directed  Salaam Bombay! The Film Other Nair films in the Collection: #489: Monsoon Wedding (1991) #1127...

MAN RAY (France) Return to Reason: Four Films by Man Ray [1923-1929] Spine #1291 Blu-ray The swirling surrealist dreams of Man Ray are high-water marks of 1920s avant-garde cinema, a nexus of cryptic themes, dark eroticism, and playful abstraction. Seemingly plucked from an unconscious realm, these four shorts— Le retour à la raison, Emak bakia, L’étoile de mer,  and  Les mystères du château du dé —find the visionary artist experimenting with the limitless possibilities of montage, superimposition, distortion, and even the application of objects directly onto celluloid. Set here to an ethereal score by the Jim Jarmusch–Carter Logan collaboration SQÜRL, these cine-poems are optical carnival rides that surprise, delight, and unsettle with each tantalizing frame. 70 minutes 5.1 Surround Black and White/Color in French 1:33:1 Criterion Release 2025 Director/Writer Man Ray  was 33-39 when he directed  Return to Reason: Four Films by Man Ray . The Films Le retour à l...