The Best Movie Collection Ever Just Went On Sale. Here’s Your Shopping List.

Even in this age of on-demand, streaming media, nothing beats adding a new DVD or Blu-ray to your permanent collection. And there’s no marker of quality for a movie quite like the Criterion Collection, the ever-growing library of critically acclaimed and artistically significant films maintained by a small staff of cinephiles in New York City.

As a sort of late Valentine’s Day gift to film buffs, the Collection, which reissues select films with a boatload of special features, is hosting a 24-hour flash sale, in which its entire inventory is available at a 50 percent discount. If you’ve got some spare cash, you’ll want to head over to Criterion’s online store before the sale ends on Wednesday at noon EST. Here are a few recommendations from the Yahoo Movies staff, based on what we want to buy for ourselves.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
It’s about time my 3-year-old learns about the Criterion Collection, and I couldn’t think of a better movie to introduce her than Wes Anderson’s whimsical stop-motion animation gem. This film is the Cuss. – Kevin Polowy

Medium Cool (1969)
Years before he was full-on cool in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, Robert Forster stepped into the eye of the political storm in this drama/documentary hybrid set around the Chicago Democratic Convention in 1968. In a year that could vault a reality TV host to the White House, its take on the blurring line between real-life and fiction seems timely again. – Steve Korn

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
Few writer-directors have had as great a run as Preston Sturges did in the 1930s and 40s, and this scathing satire of Hollywood and Depression-era America is the crown jewel of his output. The final scene will make you laugh and cry and shake your head all at once. – Jordan Zakarin

Mulholland Drive (2001)
Does David Lynch’s neo-noir mind-bender make any more sense on Criterion? Only one way to find out. – KP

Speedy (1928)
As a young Yankees fan, it was always amazing to me that Babe Ruth played himself in Pride of the Yankees. Who knew the Sultan of Swat in his prime was also in a silent comedy with Harold Lloyd? Plus: vintage views of Jazz Age New York City. – SK

The Blob (1958)
Considered a B-movie and given mixed reviews by critics upon its initial release, The Blob became a beloved genre flick through years and years of TV play and nostalgia. It’s fun to see a somewhat schlocky film in this elite collection, and it’s a reminder that highbrow films are great, but sometimes nothing beats some good dumb fun. - JZ

On the Waterfront (1954)
For a classic pick, I coulda gone with the New York story The Sweet Smell of My Success, but in this case I would rather spend endless hours on the docks of Jersey with Marlon Brando. – KP

Robert Downey Sr. box set (1969)
His son is a global star as the center of the world’s biggest superhero movie franchise, but to New Yorkers and film fans of a certain age, Robert Downey Sr. is the real icon in the family. The experimental filmmaker thrived in the counterculture and created outrageous and absurdist satires, including the ad world farce Putney Swope, which highlights this DVD collection. - JZ

The Naked City (1948)
While many classic noir films were shot on film sets, much of Jules Dassin’s great procedural takes place on the actual streets of a post-war New York City that seems like a million years away. It’s worth watching just for the glorious architecture and hustle and bustle of industrious New Yorkers, The final scene on the Williamsburg Bridge is unforgettable. - JZ