While 2026 still has a bit of bloom on its rose—personally speaking, entirely outside the scope of world events—Criterion is already halfway through the year. They’re beginning the latter stretch formidably: July’s line-up boasts nine titles and a box set, from two (or three!) figures on American cinema’s Mt. Rushmore to a title I honestly wouldn’t have anticipated getting such treatment.
Likely engendering the most fanfare is a 4K reissue of David Lynch’s The Elephant Man, which was released by Criterion in 2020 but had already fallen out-of-print. Fresher is Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a very good film that deserves better than its current reputation (huffily being cited when its director is accused of not making enough movies about women). The same could be said for Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game, about which you likely know one detail and have the chance to learn key others with Criterion’s new edition.
Just as notable, I think, is Nagisa Oshima’s Cruel Story of Youth debuting after what seems a lifetime of streaming—some of us are old enough to remember watching this via Criterion on Hulu (Google it). The biggest release, size-wise, is a Mike Mills box set comprising Beginners, 20th Century Women, and C’mon C’mon, though I’m equally intrigued by a 4K of Hud. Meanwhile, Hlynur Pálmason’s The Love That Remains, a Criterion Editions release, is the sole Blu-ray.
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