With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the 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.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (Michael Bay)
For better or worse, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is the purest distillation of Michael Bay’s cinematic voice. Bay’s favorite themes recur here from his brand of cheerleading GI Joe patriotism to righteous bloodlust to endlessly off-color non-sequiturs. And years of carpet bombing criticism targeted at his continued lack of political correctness and subtlety have done nothing to stymie Bay’s bold, elephantine style. And Bay’s world views have cannibalized themselves on such a grand stage that his movies have now been elevated to the level of metatextual explorations of American masculinity. – Michael S. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
The Age of Adaline (Lee Toland Krieger)
While my praise may not extend the lengths Jaden Smith is willing to go, The Age of Adaline is a refreshingly old-fashioned romantic drama that seemed to be quickly forgotten in its pre-summer-season release. Sporting a whimsical tone, thanks to a charmingly wonky voice-over from Hugh Ross, Lee Toland Krieger‘s studio debut is polished, pristine melodrama done right. In navigating this tale of immortality, Blake Lively and Harrison Ford each prove their worthy screen presence with a certain gravitas long missing in their respective careers. In fact, the latter actor is so emotionally engaged with the material that it was his best performance of 2015, even with a certain blockbuster in the mix. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Amazon Prime
A Married Woman (Jean-Luc Godard)
A Married Woman is an often overlooked masterwork from Godard’s most productive period. The plot appears to be simple: Charlotte (Macha Méril) is a young married woman having an affair with an actor. When she discovers that she is pregnant, she must decide which man is the father and which man she will stay with. In Godard’s hands, however, the film, described as a film about a woman’s beauty and the ugliness of her world, is also a biting critique of consumer culture and the media constructed obsession with image. Subtitle Fragments of a film shot in 1964, in black and white, Godard creates a modernist collage that is beautifully shot by Godard’s longtime cinematographer Raoul Coutard. The Cohen Media Group is proud to present for the first time in the US this stunning new restoration from the original negative. – Official Synopsis
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
The Brothers Grimsby (Louis Leterrier)
Crude, cruel, and uncalled-for in the best possible way, The Brothers Grimsby, like The Dictator, marks another evolution away from the guerilla theater that put Sacha Baron Cohen on the map as a sharp critic, provocateur, and button-pusher. His latest feature balances action and comedy, and, as one might expect, there’s a certain inherent cruelty that comes from the stunts. (One sequence involves bad gunshots leading to HIV infections.) While not everything lands — including a joke involving a certain Republican presidential front-runner — there are some gags one won’t be able to unsee for some time, making for a film that mostly delivers — even if you may not be proud of yourself for laughing. – John F. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Closed Curtain (Jafar Panahi)
Jafar Panahi, working with co-star Kambuzia Partovi, crafts a spiritual sequel to 2012’s This Is Not a Film that’s deeper, more mysterious, and perhaps even grimmer. What’s initially a close-quarter story of personal redemption grows into a two-headed beast: a documentary on the film you’re seeing and narrative concerning the documentation of said film. But it isn’t traveling down enough rabbit holes so as to eventually be incomprehensible — at least not when the emotional logic guiding one shot to the next is so crystal clear. 2014 offers no better option for fans of meta-textual and political cinema alike. – Nick N.
Where to Stream: Fandor
Hail, Caesar! (Joel and Ethan Coen)
Dozens of films try to copy the Coens every year, and yet no one ever comes close. They have developed such a delicate, fluid witches’ brew of talent behind and in front of the camera, and a writing style that’s consistently funny and melancholy (often at the same time), that it seems impossible to replicate. Hail, Caesar! is a film that could only ever be made by the Coens. Just as the brothers themselves love to present dialectics about the duality of triviality and seriousness, so, too, does Hail, Caesar! constantly skate back and forth between feeling slight and monumental. – Michael S. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
The Ones Below (David Farr)
With comparisons to Hitchcock and Polanski, David Farr‘s directorial debut The Ones Below starts behind the eight ball straight away. There are definite moments that conjure both masters of suspense, but I’m not sure how much further they reach beyond simply sharing a genre. This isn’t the fault of the idea or actors—the former providing room for thrills and the latter enthralling in duplicitous and psychologically damaged roles—but Farr’s inexperience behind the camera. He often shifts abruptly through time in a disjointed fashion, helping disorient us towards the truth while also increasing our frustrations stemmed from gaps in detail. In the end he still finds himself positioned to surprise with an unexpected turn, but sadly erases such promise by merely delivering exactly what we expected him to from the start. – Jared M. (full review)
Where to Stream: iTunes, Google
The Player (Robert Altman)
Hollywood executive Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) spends his days hearing screenwriter’s pitches, ideas for movies that mostly will never get made. (Buck Henry: “It’s The Graduate… Part 2!” Griffin replies: “Oh, good.”) Life should be a breeze, but with younger talent nipping at his heels, Griffin’s job is far from secure. It isn’t long before he’s receiving threatening anonymous notes from a scorned writer, which he investigates, leading to a violent confrontation in a cinema parking lot. Soon, Griffin learns it’s even harder to keep your job if you’re a murder suspect. Robbins plays Griffin with the perfect smearing of smarmy charm, a character who would be utterly loathsome were it not for his own sheer resourcefulness. We hate him, but watch with dizzying glee as Griffin wriggles himself out of harm’s way again and again. The murdered writer never liked happy endings; I wonder what he would make of The Player‘s closing shot. Despite the upbeat, Griffin Mill-esque tone of the scene, it’s a chillingly bleak conclusion. – Tony H.
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Presenting Princess Shaw (Ido Haar)
Even though Presenting Princess Shaw isn’t a film about filmmaking, you can’t help wondering about the logistics of its creation considering director Ido Haar is listed as the project’s sole cinematographer. The story of Princess (Samantha Montgomery) and Kutiman (Ophir Kutiel) focuses on music and the internet creating a community of disparate strangers miles away from one another with an ever-present potential for collaboration between them. We watch Samantha live her life in New Orleans as a nurse attending open mic nights while curating a deeply personal YouTube diary to push her drive to be heard. We also meet Kutiman in Israel tirelessly scouring the web for clips, melodies, and notes he can merge into original compositions. Their individual paths gradually move towards an inspirationally powerful collision. – Jared M. (full review)