Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Circus Maximus
Before their collaboration Aggro Dr1ft heads to the fall festival circuit, Travis Scott and Harmony Korine’s Utopia album companion Circus Maximus is now available to stream for free. Also featuring segments directed by Gaspar Noé, Nicolas Winding Refn, Valdimar Jóhannsson (Lamb), and music-video maestro Kahlil Joseph, the release follows a brief theatrical run a few weeks back.
Killer Joe (William Friedkin)
Somewhere between greasy leftover fried chicken and stale half-finished beer cans sits Killer Joe, filmmaker William Friedkin’s fresh adaptation of Tracy Letts’ 20-year-old play. Young Chris (Emile Hirsch) has an idea: have his mother killed and collect on her insurance in order to pay off a batch of drugs that’s gone missing. Chris’ father Ansel (a particularly schlubby, inspired Thomas Haden Church) shrugs in agreement, the motley pair deciding it best not to explain their plan to Dottie (Juno Temple), Chris’ sister and the official benefactor of the insurance policy. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Prime Video
Kokomo City (D. Smith)
Some films seem heavy from the outset. Taking on a number of Black transgender sex workers as its subject while splitting time between New York and Georgia––culturally different, if still not completely free nexuses of American culture––Kokomo City might appear this way. A documentary where its subjects are amongst the most vulnerable people in the country, you’d expect maybe something akin to the more seemingly downbeat tone of a recent documentary on the same subject, The Stroll, which positioned itself as an official history of sorts. – Ethan V. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
No Hard Feelings (Gene Stupnitksy)
When the trailer for Gene Stupnitksy’s No Hard Feelings made the rounds online, it felt like a mild event. Not only for a return to big theatrical releases for star Jennifer Lawrence, but also a return of the big-budget, theatrically released sex comedy, a genre that has been mostly relegated to streaming. It was great to see one of the few remaining stars who can draw an audience throw her considerable influence behind a straight-up comedy. But for No Hard Feelings to salvage comedy it must actually be funny. And overall it is. – Gabrielle M. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Stay Awake (Jamie Sisley)
Ethan (Wyatt Oleff) doesn’t have to say anything when he appears at his brother Derek’s (Fin Argus) work unannounced. They’ve gone through this too many times not to know the reason for any impromptu visit: Mom (Chrissy Metz’s Michelle) is missing again. So they get into the family car, flip their middle fingers at the office of the doctor who prescribed her first bottle of medication (and continues to refill it despite years of failed rehab stints), and check all the usual places. Eventually they exit whatever alley they found her stumbling around in, load her into the sedan, and play a game of “guess that tune” at full volume to ensure she doesn’t pass out. The ER nurses know them by name, always holding a bed. – Jared M. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
To Catch a Killer (Damian Szifron)
To Catch a Killer’s logline is about as familiar as its title: a rookie cop with a detective’s intelligence and drive, Eleanor Falco (Shailene Woodley) finds her burgeoning career prospects perpetually dragged down by the demons that haunt her. Yet when a mass killer strikes the city, the chance for personal catharsis and her future in law enforcement firmly intersect. – Ethan V. (full review)
Where to Stream: Hulu
Also New to Streaming
MUBI (free for 30 days)
The Last Picture Show
Black Book
Netflix
The Pope’s Exorcist
Peacock
Every Body
Prime Video
Cocaine Bear
Cutter’s Way
Of An Age
Shudder
Bad Things
VOD
Elemental