The Criterion Collection always kicks off its releases for a new calendar year with a couple of big titles. And 2024 starts off very strong for the boutique DVD series, with Danny Boyle‘s “Trainspotting” leading the way. Criterion released Boyle’s modern classic on Laserdisc in 1997, but the film didn’t re-enter the Collection as a spine number until now. In other words, that’s big news for CC collectors.
Criterion’s new release of “Trainspotting” features a new 4K restoration supervised by Boyle, with the set including both a 4K UHD and a Blu-Ray editions. There’s also an audio commentary with Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, screenwriter John Hodge, and actor Ewan McGregor, deleted scenes, and two documentaries on the making of the film. Even better: the release features glow-in-the-dark packaging, with pieces written by critic Graham Fuller and “Trainspotting” author Irvine Welsh in the booklet.
But “Trainspotting” is just one of six enticing new releases Criterion has for January. Most exciting of the lot? How about a Chantal Ackerman boxset that features all of the filmmaker’s works made between 1968-1978. “Chantal Akerman: Masterpieces 1968-1978” features some of Akerman’s best work, including 1975’s “Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” and “News From Home” from the next year. The three-disc set features 2K and 4K restorations of all nine films, Akerman’s 1973 unfinished film “Hanging Out Yonkers,” and an essay and notes on the films by critic Beatrice Loayza.
Up next: 2017’s “Mudbound” enters the Criterion Collection with a new 2K digital master supervised by director Dee Rees and director of photography Rachel Morrison. The release also features audio commentary for the film by Rees, two documentaries and an essay by critic Danielle Amir Jackson.
John Sayles‘ “Lone Star” is the last new addition to the Collection this January. Sayles’ Western mystery with Chris Cooper, Matthew McConaughey, Kris Kristofferson, and Elizabeth Peña gets a new 4K restoration for the release, which features a new conversation between Sayles and filmmaker Gregory Nava and an essay by critic Domino Renee Perez.
There are two upgrades of former Criterion releases for January 2024, too: Satyajit Ray’s “The Apu Trilogy” and Joel & Ethan Coen‘s debut “Blood Simple.” Both releases get 4K restorations.
So, a little something for every kind of cinephile in Criterion’s January 2024 releases. Check out trailers for the new releases below.