With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we believe it’s our duty to highlight the recent, recommended titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below, and shoot over suggestions to @TheFilmStage.
Elysium (Neill Blomkamp)
The big budget sci-fi action spectacle Elysium, written and directed by Neill Blomkamp and starring Matt Damon, serves as a master class in how to make stupid look smart. Successfully walking the tightrope of a plot that would snap in half if you spent more than 30 seconds thinking about it, Blomkamp builds a beautifully-rendered world divided between the rich and the poor. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Everyday (Michael Winterbottom)
Filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, ever the force to be reckoned with, returns with another drama experiment that will no doubt find only the smallest of audiences. And what a shame that is, because the raw talent and emotion on display here is nothing short of masterful. The film is Everyday and the premise is simple: Karen (Shirley Henderson) struggles to raise her four children while their father Ian (John Simm) serves time in prison for drug smuggling. Shot over 5 years in 2-week intervals, Winterbottom gets to the core of both regret and perseverance without any on-the-nose monologues or over-the-top performances. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
The Iceman (Ariel Vromen)
Few actors are as naturally captivating as Michael Shannon. It’s important to remember this before he makes his big budget debut as the villain Zod in Man of Steel, only because the role is new territory for the indie star. Before his summer blockbuster reveal, however, The Icemanstands as a reminder of the understated style that caught the attention of critics and audiences inTake Shelter. As a hitman of few words, Shannon conveys more with his unusual, deadpan mug than a few lines of dialogue ever could. If only his performance wasn’t wasted on such a generic film. – Amanda W. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino)
I Am Love is an unusual film that begins as an uninviting forray into the politics of a wealthy Italian family and then quickly shifts gears to focus on a passionate love affair that resonates louder than the rest of the film. The grandiose and bravado of filmmaker Luca Guadagnino is almost operatic with both scenes and characters, so as a viewer it’s easy to be taken aback by the symphonic overtures at play. – Raffi A. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
In the House (François Ozon)
What happens inside one’s home is sacred. Your skeletons are exposed, carefully manufactured façades rest for the night, and pent up frustrations boil to the surface in a cathartic outburst of unchecked emotion and fatigued spirit. This is why voyeurism has such a psychologically sensual appeal in its incomparable way of satisfying one’s desires, fantasies, and curiosity. When our lives hit a rut of dull monotony we find ourselves searching for outside entertainment—through books, movies, videogames, hobbies, or that unavoidable satisfaction of stumbling upon a secret we simply must see through to its end. We’ll hypothesize salacious conclusions, insert ourselves into the action, and reach complete absorption to the point where our reality suffers as a result. And just as we enjoy someone else’s troubles, others will clamor for more of ours. This is the theme François Ozon toys with in his new film Dans la maison [In the House]. – Jared M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? (Michel Gondry)
Michel Gondry‘s new documentary, Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy?, is nothing more than a collection of conversations with renowned philosopher Noam Chomsky, accompanied by the filmmaker’s drawn-over animation. Luckily, this is more than enough, thanks to Chomsky’s fascinating point of view and Gondry’s endless curiosity. We are watching two very fascinating, very different minds interact, and the result is a bit inspiring. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
My Week with Marilyn (Simon Curtis)
As many will point out, My Week with Marilyn is told from the least interesting perspective. The film isn’t a biopic of Miss Marilyn Monroe – something that’s more than welcomed in a world clouded by interchangeable bios – but a coming-of-age tale of a naive chump. Underneath the never-going-to-happen non-love story between the protagonist Colin Clark, played finely by Eddie Redmayne, and Monroe (Michelle Williams) is a far more profound film about a battle of actors. The “week” with Marilyn takes place during the chaotic shoot of The Prince and the Showgirl. During the production Monroe, coming in from a changing America, does not see eye-to-eye with the more classical and respectable Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh), who’s also starring in the film. – Jack G. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Scenic Route (Kevin Goetz, Michael Goetz)
You may think of Dan Fogler as the silly guy that channels a Chris Farley zaniness, or maybe you’ve only seen Josh Duhamel in big blockbusters or romantic films, but that’s exactly why both actors took on their respective roles in Scenic Route. The film, which stars Fogler and Duhamel as two old buddies that decide to take a weekend trip away and end up stranded in the middle of Death Valley, is up to their abilities as actors to pull of the drama that ensues. Largely, the film genuinely succeeds. – Bill G.
Where to Stream: Netflix
The Truth About Emanuel (Francesca Gregorini)
Against all odds, Francesca Gregorini‘s The Truth about Emanuel swims in a bevy of indie film clichés and emerges mostly unscathed, building a quite strange, dynamic narrative about mothers and their daughters. Kaya Scodelario plays Emanuel, a beautiful teenager still coping with her mother’s death. She died giving birth to Emanuel. What results is a wise-cracking daughter with a morbid fascination with death, something her father (Alfred Molina) and new stepmother (Frances O’Connor) can’t quite wrap their head around. Cue Linda (a very game Jessica Biel), the entrancing, new next-door neighbor. She is also a doppelganger for Emanuel’s dead mother. The young woman takes an immediate interest, volunteering to serve as babysitter for Linda’s new-born baby Chloe. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Also Available:
The Burning Plain (Guillermo Arriaga)
Robin Hood (Wolfgang Reitherman)
The Sword in the Stone (Wolfgang Reitherman)
What are you streaming this week?