The best 4K and Blu-ray releases coming out in April 2025

Criterion is restoring Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express, with a release that also includes an interview with longtime Wong cinematographer Christopher Doyle and an episode of the BBC 2 show Moving Pictures featuring Doyle and Wong. The colors and look of this collision course of two urban tales have evolved over the years, from the original Hong Kong release to its coming to the states via Quentin Tarantino’s Rolling Thunder imprint (introducing Americans to Wong) to its previous release from Criterion. But the lush colors, big-city motion, perfect use of “California Dreamin’,” and, yes, telltale cans of pineapple remain.

Sneakers 4K

Available April 22, 2025

One of the great unsung film ensembles (including Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Sidney Poitier, and River Phoenix) can now be ogled in glorious 4K thanks to Kino Lorber. Sneakers‘ charming hacker caper predated the internet-movie boom, but the 1992 movie still holds up better than most of the “goofing around with computers” films that would follow—particularly because its pleasures are primarily analog in nature. Phil Alden Robinson handles his old-school stars, his easygoing comic relief, and his classic heist-plan plotting with jaunty energy. Sure, the special features aren’t all that exciting—a few commentary tracks and a 40-minute making-of documentary—but Sneakers itself is fun enough to stand on its own.

Demolition Man 4K

Available April 22, 2025

Sylvester Stallone has made a surprising amount of films that double as commentaries on Sylvester Stallone films, and in the top echelons of that category is Demolition Man. The mega-macho cop/sci-fi satire from Marco Brambilla (and a post-Rocky V Stallone) is also getting the 4K treatment from Arrow this month, again with a big ol’ booklet full of writing, new commentaries, interviews, and a visual essay entitled “Somewhere Over The Rambo,” which seems worthy of a purchase in and of itself. Naturally, there are also seashell stickers.

Anora 4K

Available April 29, 2025

The big winner at this year’s Oscars, Anora is one of the rare new releases to jump immediately into the Criterion Collection. And with a Vampyros Lesbos-referencing cover to boot! Sean Baker’s romping whirlwind tale of one sex worker’s romance, then falling-out, with the lanky scion of a sketchy Russian oligarch hits home video with two jam-packed commentary tracks, a making-of doc, a couple interviews, and deleted scenes. With the Palme d’Or, and directing, editing, screenplay Oscars (not to mention Best Picture), Anora‘s henchmen-filled tale of economic struggle, strings-attached romance, and youthful ennui has everything going for it as an entryway to the rest of Baker’s filmography.

V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal Blu-ray box set

Available April 29, 2025

It’s an Arrow-heavy month, because April also features the company’s release of a cool box set featuring films that just aren’t getting highlighted any other way. Bullets & Betrayal rounds up a nine of Toei’s DTV genre films, aka V-Cinema: Crime Hunter: Bullets Of Rage, Neo Chinpira: Zoom Goes The Bullet, Stranger, Carlos, Burning Dog, Female Prisoner Scorpion: Death Threat, The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses, Danger Point: The Road To Hell, XX: Beautiful Hunter. Now, are any of these hard-to-find crime films good? That’s a question this writer can’t answer, but judging by the over-the-top titles (and by how often some of the best sleazy action movies can slip straight into the home video market), it seems like a good gamble that at least one of these releases—with the requisite video essays and introductions for context—will become a sleeper hit for a film lover who appreciates the scummier side of cinema.