Top 10 Best Criterion Collection Movies (2026)

Michael Haneke's most notorious provocation, Funny Games spares no detail in it's depiction of the agony of a bourgeois family held captive at their vacation home by a pair of young men. In a series of escalating games, the sadistic duo subject their victims to unspeakable physical and psychological torture.Starring: Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering, Stefan Clapczynski, Doris Kuntsmann, Christoph Bantzer, Wolfgang Gluck, Susanne Meneghel, Monika Zallinger Director: Veit Heiduschka

"The movie that inhales" is a fractured farce set on the last day of school in 1976 in which a diverse group of Austin, Texas, high school students get stoned, partake in hazing pranks, find romance, and contemplate the future. Writer/director Richard Linklater's far-out flashback stars Jason London, Milla Jovovich, Joey Lauren Adams, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, and Matthew McConaughey, and features a great period soundtrack. 102 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio; Subtitles: English (SDH); audio commentary by Linklater; "making of" documentary; interviews; behind-the-scenes footage; bonus footage; deleted scenes; theatrical trailer; essays. Two-disc set.Starring: Jason London, Joey Lauren Adams, Milla Jovovich, Shawn Andrews, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Sasha Jenson, Marissa Ribisi, Deena Martin, Michelle Burke, Cole Hauser, Christine Harnos, Wiley Wiggins, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Matthew McConaughey Rating: R

Before Psycho, Peeping Tom, and Repulsion, there was DIABOLIQUE. This thriller from Henri-Georges Clouzot (LE CORBEAU, THE WAGES OF FEAR), which shocked audiences in Europe and the U.S., is the story of two women the fragile wife and the willful mistress of a sadistic school headmaster who hatch a daring revenge plot. With it's unprecedented narrative twists and unforgettably scary images, DIABOLIQUE is a heart-grabbing benchmark in horror filmmaking, featuring outstanding performances by Simone Signoret (CASQUE DOR, ARMY OF SHADOWS), Vera Clouzot (THE WAGES OF FEAR), and Paul Meurisse (LE DEUXIHME SOUFFLE, ARMY OF SHADOWS).Starring: Charles Vanel, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Sophie Angel, Sabrina Black, Vera Clouzot, Claudia, Simone Signoret, Charles Vanei, Ivette, Lea, Noel Roquevert, Melody Magic, Nicole, Pierre Larquey, Franco Roccaforte, Sarah, Rocco Siffredi, Veronica, Camille Guerini, Georges Poujouly, Henri Humbert, Jacques Hilling, Jean Lefebvre, Jean Temerson, Noël Roquevert, Robert Dalban, Roberto Rodrigo, Yves-Marie Maurin, Therese Dorny, Michel Serrault, Jean Brochard, Georges Chamarat, Jacques Varennes Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot

The Before Trilogy (Criterion Collection) 1995, 2004, 2013The cornerstone of the career-long exploration of cinematic time by director Richard Linklater (Boyhood), this celebrated three-part romance captures a relationship as it begins, begins again, deepens, strains, and settles over the course of almost two decades. Chronicling the love of Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke), from their first meeting as idealistic twentysomethings to the disillusionment they face together in middle age, The Before Trilogy also serves as a document of a boundary-pushing and extraordinarily intimate collaboration between director and actors, as Delpy and Hawke, who cowrote two of the films, imbue their characters with a sense of raw, lived-in experience, and as they age on-screen along with them. Attuned to the sweeping grandeur of time’s passage as well as the evanescence of individual moments, the Before films chart the progress of romantic destiny as it navigates the vicissitudes of ordinary life.Before SunriseBefore Sunrise - Richard Linklater 1995 - An exquisitely understated ode to the thrill of romantic possibility, the inaugural installment of The Before Trilogy opens with a chance encounter between two solitary young strangers.Before SunsetBefore Sunset - Richard Linklater 2004 - Impelled by an urgent sense of the transience of human connection, Before Sunset remains Richard Linklater’s most seductive experiment with time’s inexorable passage and the way love can seem to stop it in its tracks.Before MidnightBefore Midnight - Richard Linklater 2013 - The conclusion of The Before Trilogy grapples with the complexities of long-term intimacy, and asks what becomes of love when it has no recourse to its past illusions.DIRECTOR-APPROVED THREE-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New, restored 2K digital transfers of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset and a 2K digital master of Before Midnight, approved by director Richard Linklater, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on Before Sunrise and 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks on Before Sunset and Before Midnight New discussion featuring Linklater and actors Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, moderated by critic Kent Jones Behind-the-scenes footage and interviews from the productions of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset Audio commentary on Before Midnight by Delpy, Linklater, and Hawke Dream Is Destiny, a 2016 feature-length documentary about Linklater by Louis Black and Karen Bernstein New documentary about the making of Before Midnight in Greece by filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari PLUS: An essay on the trilogy by critic Dennis Lim" DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater ACTORS: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke 4 3/4 hrs. Total. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio Subtitles: English (SDH) audio commentary bonus documentary "Dream is Destiny (2016) featurettes; behind-the-scenes footage. Starring: Ethan Hawke

Granted unprecedented access from David Bowie's estate, documentarian Brett Morgen delivered a sweeping and visually stunning celebration of the Thin White Duke's career, as the always-shifting course of Bowie's artistic development, as actor and painter as well as musician, is explored through a combination of rare and powerful performance footage and eye-popping animation. Whether your fandom is hardcore or casual, it's an experience not to be missed. 134 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Atmos, Uncompressed PCM stereo; Subtitles: English (SDH); audio commentary by Morgen; interviews; theatrical trailer; essay. Two-disc set.Starring: David Bowie Rating: PG13

For ever-hustling NYC jeweler Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), the plates that he spins to maintain both business and gambling addiction are starting to drop. His Hail-Mary attempt to keep the legbreakers at bay-by procuring an Ethiopian opal for a big-profit turnaround-falls apart when a very unlikely customer, for a just as unlikely reason, chooses to relieve him of the gem. Flavorful and acclaimed crime comedy also stars LaKeith Stanfield, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch, Julia Fox. 135 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Atmos; Subtitles: English (SDH); audio commentary; interviews; documentaries; bonus shorts "Goldman v. Silverman" (2020), "Question & Answer" (2020); deleted scenes; extended scenes; theatrical trailer; essay; more. Two-disc set.Starring: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, LaKeith Stanfield

Criterion Bluy-Ray. An island off the New England coast, summer of 1965. Two twelve-year-olds, Sam and Suzy, fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As local authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing offshore... Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom stars Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the young couple on the run, Bruce Willis as Island Police Captain Sharp, Edward Norton as Khaki Scout troop leader Scout Master Ward, and Bill Murray and Frances McDormand as Suzy's attorney parents, Walt and Laura Bishop. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban. The magical soundtrack features the music of Benjamin Britten. Bonus features in a restored 2K digital transfer, supervised by director Wes Anderson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, audio commentary featuring Anderson, behind-the-scenes tour hosted by Bill Murray and Welcome to New Penzance, hosted by Bob Balaban.Starring: Bruce Willis, Bill Murray/Jan Vogler And Friends, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, Robert Schleinig, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Lucas Hedges, Charlie Kilgore, Andreas Sheikh, Chandler Frantz, Rob Campbell, L J Foley, Gabriel Rush, Seamus Davey Fitzpatrick, Tommy Nelson, Larry Pine, Marianna Bassham, Neal Huff, Eric Chase Anderson, Jake Ryan, Tanner Flood, Wyatt Ralff, Max Derderian, Hugo Deascentis, Liz Callahan, James Demler, Christine Noel, Jean-Michael Pion, John Peet, Carolyn Pickman, Ada-Nicole Sanger, Isabella Guinness, Violet Guinness, Caris Yeoman, Lily Tiger Mcenerney, Kevin Decoste, Harvey Keitel, Tyler Metivier, Cooper Murray, Coledyn Garrow, Ben Haffner, Michael Malvesti, Richie Conant, Johnathon Deneault, Jack Tejean Hartman, Preston Hatch, Alex Milne, Jordan Puzzo, Dakota Pimentel, Roman Keitel, Derek Sardella, Peter Jarvis And His Drum Corps, Steve Smith

Lars Von Trier shook up the film world when he premiered ANTICHRIST at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. In this graphic psychodrama, a grief-stricken man and woman - a searing Willem Dafoe and Cannes best actress Charlotte Gainsbourg - retreat to a cabin deep in the woods after the accidental death of their infant son, only to find terror and violence at the hands of nature and, ultimately, each other. But this most confrontational work yet from one of contemporary cinema's most controversial artists is no mere provocation. It is a visually sublime, emotionally ravaging journey to the darkest corners of the possessed human mind; a disturbing battle of the sexes that pits rational psychology against age-old superstition; and a profoundly effective horror film. Directed by Lars Von Trier. Starring Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Special Features include commentary, interviews, documentary, booklet and more.Starring: Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Storm Acheche Sahlstrom Director: Meta Louise Foldager

Starring: Bill Murray, Eric Anderson, George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe

Seven hundred years from now, humanity has abandoned a trash-filled, ecologically ravaged Earth, leaving a planet full of garbage to be compacted by robots like little WALL-E (voiced by Ben Burtt). When a sleek "female" robot is sent to Earth to search for signs of life by the captain (Jeff Garlin) piloting mankind's spaceship home away from home, WALL-E finds both love and a renewed purpose. Pixar's sweet, satirical animated film co-stars the voices of Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger. 98 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio, Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English (SDH); audio commentary; featurettes; bonus documentary "The Pixar Story" (2007); deleted scenes; theatrical trailers; more. Two-disc set.Starring: Ben Burtt, Macintalk, Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Benjamin Burtt, Elissa Knight, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver Director: Jim Morris, Joseph Pipher, Melissa Dino, Tim Carter Rating: G