Criterion Crazy: December 2025 Releases
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
It’s the last month of the year! Well, it is according to the Criterion Collection’s calendar. As we still await the start of autumn and winter, the Criterion Collection has unleashed its final batch of films for the year with its December 2025 lineup. Just in time during the 4K sale (ongoing by the time of the release of this article) and all of the upcoming holidays where you can gift great films to your loved ones (or you can treat yourself, since life is hard enough and you deserve small wins), these six titles are sure to bring joy to whomever receives them. Considering the variety of the slate below, I think all walks of life will benefit from at least one release here, and I cannot wait to go through this lineup.
The Favourite: Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Picking a top pick for this month was a little tricky, but I’m giving the crown to Mira Nair’s sensational breakthrough film, Salaam Bombay!. It’s about time that this preliminary release got the preservation and remastering treatment that it deserves, given how it is not just an important film but it also ages better with time. Available on 4K and Blu-ray, Salaam Bombay! is also graced with its striking case design. On the inside are some great features, including commentary, interviews, and conversations featuring Nair and other collaborators who worked on the film. There’s even a mini program about the Salaam Baalak Trust and their efforts to aid impoverished children (a major theme of the film). There is much care put into this fantastic debut film’s Criterion release, and it shows.
L̵̝̥͍̣͆͗̋̋̽̾͝e̸̢̨̥̮͈̖̹̞̝̼̞͒̂̇̓̆̆̅̒̍̊͘͠t̴̝̒̀͆̾̀̎'̷̛̰̠͈̩͉̝̜̥͕̈́̊̾̅͗̔̽̀̚̚s̷͕̞̥͎̼̟̘͎̻̘̱͙̆̆̎͛̒̍̀͠ ̸̧̨̙͚͓̯̥̾̆̈̚͜͝͝g̶̨̨̛̮͍͖̙̪̺͇̻̣͓̬̺̈́͊̇̍̎͜e̵̪͇͈̺̼͈͇̪̽͌̿͌͜t̵͔͎̟̣̻̄͛͒̿̅͆̈́̿̇̀͝ͅ ̵̡̻̟̜̫̺̔̇͐̌̽͋̚͜ş̷̢̛̥̫͉̮̥̱̯̞̅́͝͠ŭ̶̩̬̩͉̫̞̪̱̳͍̱̖͗͂͆̋͆̊̏͑̅͐̕͝͝r̴̪̐̾͛̆r̷̨̭̥͉̜̝̟̖͇͚̒e̴̢̢̟͓̮̳͍͈̟͇͐a̸͇͕̹̼̥͉͗̾̈̐͋̅́͘͝͝ͅľ̸͇͈̫̣͎̙́́͛̈̋̈́͋͘:Return to Reason: Four Films by Man Ray
I would have placed this surprising box set in the top spot, but it was hard to place Salaam Bombay! anywhere but first. If you are into surreal cinema and avant-garde films as much as I am, then Man Ray’s filmography is likely familiar to you. With four short films to his name (not including works he didn’t direct), Ray’s entire filmography is now available in this beguiling box set (this includes the films Le retour à la raison, Emak bakia, L’étoile de mer, and Les mystères du château du dé). Not only that, but there’s an extra catch that makes Return to Reason even more fascinating: these silent films are scored by the avant-rock group SQÜRL (a duo comprising of Jim Jarmusch and Carter Logan). SQÜRL’s members also have an interview included as a special feature, as well as a recording of a concert featuring their performance set to Ray’s films. Finally, author Mark Polizzotti wrote one of those classic Criterion essays that will be found in the set’s inner booklet. This set is only available on Blu-ray, and Ray’s entire filmography here is not even an hour long in length, but its price point is affordable (around $32 USD on the Criterion site) and much thought was put into this set to make it worthwhile.
THEY SAID THE SECRET WORD!: Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
It’s strange that Tim Burton was never in the Criterion Collection until now in any capacity. Perhaps as a tribute to the late Paul Reubens, Burton’s debut film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, has entered the Collection (I suppose it is similar enough to Bicycle Thieves). This bonkers fan favourite will be available on 4K and Blu-ray (the former is clearly an incentive to upgrade from any other easy-to-find copy of this title), and it will come wi-
Jesus Christ! That is the worst GIF that I ever seen.
Anyway, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure will come with some fancy bonus features. These include audio commentaries by Burton, Reubens, and composer Danny Elfman, a variety of interviews, and snippets of the fortieth anniversary screening hosted by comedian Dana Gould. I never thought that Pee-wee’s Big Adventure would be a Criterion Collection entry when I first became familiar with the catalogue, but I do feel like the company has leaned towards more commercial, fun, and entertaining fare for the past couple of years. While I would have preferred films like Ed Wood, Big Fish, or Edward Scissorhands in the Collection, I can’t complain too much about Pee-wee’s Big Adventure being here. There’s something audacious about an up-and-coming filmmaker turning a popular property into their own cinematic statement, and maybe Criterion respects that.
And You May Ask Yourself “When Will I Buy This?”: David Byrne’s American Utopia (2020)
Who isn’t a stranger to the Collection is Spike Lee, and his documentation of musician David Byrne’s American Utopia production is a feast for the mind. A conquest to navigate national miasma and find peace within urban sprawl, Byrne’s Broadway production is a highly choreographed art piece, strung together by over twenty songs. Lee’s concert film frames this ambitious project with bombastic care. Available on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD, American Utopia comes with a documentary about how both the play and the concert film were made. I do wish there were more concert films within the Collection (on the topic of Talking Heads, I know that A24 has the rights to Stop Making Sense), so having something as stylish, upbeat, and dedicated as American Utopia on Criterion is a nice change of pace.
It’s Time to Upgrade: His Girl Friday (1940)
One of the great screwball comedies of all time, Howard Hawks’ His Girl Friday is now available on 4K. While I don’t see how a Blu-ray version wouldn’t cater to your needs for such a film, part of me is curious to see how different the film would feel with this upgrade; maybe there’s an aesthetic charm that I’ve missed underneath the spitfire dialogue and hilarious performances. Besides, it’s worth buying this film on any format.
Let’s Keep Upgrading: I Know Where I’m Going! (1945)
The blasphemously underrated I Know Where I’m Going! by the Archers is now available on anything but the ancient Criterion DVD version. The art has been drastically upgraded (look at it!), and the film is now available on 4K and Blu-ray (believe me, this film is gorgeous and deserves the best format you can muster). If you want to watch a blissful, magical romantic film that has been overlooked, I Know Where I’m Going! is a must; maybe this upgrade will finally place this motion picture on the radar of cinephiles, and the film will get the adoration it deserves.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.