Every July and November, Barnes and Noble does a public service in exchange for their decimation of the Mom and Pop bookstore and to stave off the abyss known in some circles as “the internet”: They mark down the entire Criterion Collection by 50 percent (10 percent extra if you’re a member) and film nerds everywhere rejoice.
Criterion releases are among the most expensive DVDs/Blu-ray discs available for purchase on the market, with your average Blu running about $40, but they’re well worth the cost: The transfers are utterly incredible works of film restoration, and the context-providing extras are considerately selected and fascinating. Today, July Eleventh in the Year of Our Lord Twenty Seventeen, the sale begins, and it’ll last through August 7.
We’ve provided you with a handful of choice cuts (Blu-ray emphasized — it’s 2017) for your shopping perusal (we wish we could have included more films from before 1960, but what can you do), and also highlighted some of the best ways you can spend during this sale to maximize the value of your dollar.