Barnes and Noble Criterion sale July 2022: 6 box sets worth buying

It’s that time of year again, friends: Barnes & Noble’s 50% off sale for the Criterion Collection is back. It’s a dangerous time for the wallets of movie fans everywhere, but we’re here to help you out with some recommendations.

You can find all the titles available in the sale on Barnes & Noble’s website. Sale ends July 31.

The collection has a lot of amazing movies, and the sale can be a great opportunity to get a set. The Criterion Collection’s box sets are often terrific, collecting multiple great films with terrific box art and a lot of wonderful supplementary material. These are our top picks for this season.

Image: Criterion Collection

Martin Scorsese directed many classic films, but the World Cinema Project will be his most lasting contribution to the cinematic world. An invaluable series of collections featuring incredible movies from around the world, Scorsese’s dedication to the preservation of international and historically significant cinema is something to be admired and held on to. As part of The Criterion Collection, four boxes set volumes featuring classic films are also available. You can’t go wrong with any of them. —Pete Volk

Image from the Criterion Collection

Arguably the most influential movie star in the history of cinema, Bruce Lee’s short-lived action career is collected in this gorgeous box set, with cover art by Gian Galang. This includes his first film about martial arts.The Big BossThe oft-repeated sequel (Fist of FuryMy personal favourite (his directorial debut), is ) The Way of the DragonThe most famous film he made (The Dragon is waiting for youThe movie that he had just finished when he tragically lost his life at 32.Game of DeathThis is a must-have collection. —PV

Image from the Criterion Collection

The incomparable Agnès Varda effortlessly blended fact and fiction in a glorious career that spanned genres, mediums, and decades. It is organized chronologically and thematically. There are sections about Varda’s California time, Paris movies, films about her husband, Jacques Demy, as well as essays for each section. Through this unconventional organization, viewers can see how Varda’s work is in conversation with itself over time, particularly when some of her later pieces are paired with some from earlier in her filmography. —PV

Image: Criterion Collection

Criterion’s 1000th release is as massive as the king of the kaiju himself. Boasting 15 digitally restored films including Ishiro Honda’s 1954 original and beloved fan favorites like Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster And Godzilla vs. MechagodzillaGodzilla! The Showa-Era Films collection is jam-packed with essays, archive interviews and special features. Not to mention gorgeous commissioned illustrations by many artists such as Geof Darrow (Ronald Wimberly), Yuko Shimzu (and many others). —Toussaint Egan

Image: Criterion Collection

Jacques Tati, a French actor and director who is known for his comedy roles as Monsieur Hulot (bumbling but benevolent), has been regarded among the most important comedic directors of the 20th Century. He is best known for playing the role of Monsieur Hulot who acts as a benevolent, yet awkward, man. Tati worked hard to perfect his unique mix of architecturally-focused, cerebral comedy across several shorts, features and his 1967 epic masterpiece. Playtime.

The Complete Jacques Tati Criterion box set collects all six of Tati’s features, his shorts, and a wealth of archival interviews and featurettes, including the English-language version of Mon oncle (My Uncle) and several documentaries dedicated to Tati’s films and on-screen persona. Lastly, there’s the illustration packaging by David Merveille, a fantastic Belgian children’s book illustrator who art perfectly captures the characteristic whimsy and effortless wit of Tati at his best. —TE

Image: Criterion Collection

Based on Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s iconic manga series, the Lone Wolf and Cub films are iconic installments in the genre of samurai cinema. The story of the itinerant assassin Itto Ogami and his infant son Daigoro’s adventures across the conflict-torn plains of Japan has inspired Western artists as far afield as Frank Miller, Genndy Tartakovsky, Jon Favreau, and the Wu-Tang Clan. Cub Criterion’s Lone Wolf and Cub Criterion Box Set includes six of the most adored series. The 1980 English-dubbed films are included. Shogun AssassinThe re-edit includes an essay booklet written by Patrick Macias as well as archive interviews with Kazuma Nazawa and Kazuo Kike. Paul Pope illustrated the liner and packaging illustrations. Batman, Year 100And Heavy liquid fame. There’s even a cool accordion-fold schematic illustration of Ogami’s baby cart arsenal! —TE