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.
2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick)
Two of Stanley Kubrick‘s masterpieces have returned to Netflix this month: 2001: A Space Odyssey and its follow-up A Clockwork Orange. While we wouldn’t recommend the experience for first-time viewings — go find the biggest theatrical screen possible — if you’re looking to re-watch, they are now easy to stream. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Netflix
Back to the Future Trilogy (Robert Zemeckis)
Well-timed with the release of his recommended IMAX 3D drama The Walk as well as the 30th anniversary of the original film, Robert Zemeckis‘ full Back to the Future is streaming for free on Amazon Prime throughout the month of October. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Amazon Prime
Boogie Nights and Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson)
A little later this month, Paul Thomas Anderson‘s new documentary Junun will hit Mubi, but first, two of his must-see early films, Boogie Nights and Magnolia, are now available to stream on Netflix and HBO Go, respectively. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Netflix and HBO Go
Black Coal, Thin Ice (Yi’nao Diao)
Despite having won the Golden Bear last year at the Berlin Film Festival, writer and director Yi’nao Diao’s acclaimed new film, Black Coal, Thin Ice somehow didn’t receive U.S. theatrical distribution. However, it’s finally available to stream. The modern noir tells the story of an ex-cop and his old parter, who reunite to investigate the chain of murders that brought their careers to an end after a series of identical murders begins to start all over again. I had the great pleasure of seeing this last year at the Tribeca Film Festival and Yi’nao has crafted an incredibly dense picture that requires multiple views to fully comprehend. The lead performances from Wang Xuebing, Liao Fan, and Gwei Lun help elevate the film to another level, so there’s no excuse to not check it out now. – Patrick D.
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Dope (Rick Famuyiwah)
Dope opens with a sense of energy proclaiming that writer-director Rick Famuyiwa has something to say, and he’s going to do it in his own particular way. Difficult to quantify, the Sundance drama is many things: a love letter to the 1990’s era of style and hip-hop, a coming-of-age story, a crime drama, a romance, an examination of social media, and an offbeat comedy. While some of these strands don’t entirely excel, Dope is often a refreshingly lively and passionate work of filmmaking. – Jordan R. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
The Duke of Burgundy (Peter Strickland)
Sometimes one just needs to cleanse their palette or expand their mind by checking out a film even the director says is all about the experience. So when Peter Strickland explains how he tried hard not to make us want to find metaphor or meaning beyond what’s onscreen, I’m going to take him at his word. He also admitted the title The Duke of Burgundy was a joke–which “ended too late to change it”–that was intentionally misleading considering a staunch period piece this most certainly is not. No, this depraved sex dream showcasing two female lovers who push each other to the brink of sanity is more of the cricket and butterfly persuasion, or at least it has crickets and butterflies. And mannequins. – Jared M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)
It can be argued that no film has dealt with memories and their repercussions with greater affection than Michael Gondry‘s crowning achievement, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Now available to stream on Amazon Prime, the drama takes place mostly in the mind of our protagonist (Jim Carrey) as we weave in and out of his memories of a relationship with an ex-girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet). – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Amazon Prime
Finders Keepers (Bryan Carberry and J. Clay Tweel)
Based on its premise, one might initially peg Finders Keepers as one of the strangest documentaries of the year, but it soon reveals itself to be one of the most emotional and uplifting. The story centers on John Wood, an amputee who is attempting to reclaim ownership of his mummified leg from Shannon Whisnant, who believes its his property and has dreams of being a reality TV star. Directors Bryan Carberry and J. Clay Tweel root themselves into the community as they explore the perils of addiction and the bond of family, all while tracking this peculiar custody battle of sorts . – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Jurassic World (Colin Trevorrow)
As all good sequels must learn, the key to success is delivering on the promise set forth by the original while also providing something fresh and improved. Just ask James Cameron, a master at the task, who injected action-packed life into both Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day without negating or watering down the mythology still relevant beneath those newfound popcorn blockbuster sensibilities. Neither The Lost World nor Jurassic Park III did it. They decided to both reinvent the wheel and forget what the appeal of Jurassic Park was. Hint: its humanistic characters with relatable, authentic wonder in their eyes at seeing a living, breathing dinosaur. Take away the theme park attraction setting and you strip away the childlike glee necessary for an audience member to step inside its science fiction and experience its adventure. – Jared M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Ned Rifle (Hal Hartley)
That the consensus choices for favorite trilogy — from Lord of the Rings and Star Wars to Three Colors and Before… — are most often defined by their overall shapes is a sign of how we even begin to conceive of and appreciate these things. One story comes to be seen in conjunction with the other (and the other[s] before or after it) because what we’ve been dealt — saving a kingdom, defeating an empire, charting intimate experiences with and through intense empathy, or riding the love rollercoaster — is so big, much more than any single film should be asked to encompass. That they’re so big is why many even care in the first place, and how they’re able to string things along a continuum — to retroactively imbue even the first moments of the first film with the crucial feeling that things must continue — is often what ultimately cements them as achievements in people’s minds. But then there’s the Grim Family Saga, writer-director Hal Hartley’s label for a series comprised by Henry Fool, Fay Grim, and Ned Rifle. – Nick N. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
The Nightmare (Rodney Ascher)
With Room 237, director Rodney Ascher provided a highly entertaining exploration of over-analyzation as it pertains to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. He now returns to Sundance Film Festival a few years later aiming to petrify with a perhaps more relatable documentary for some scourged individuals. The Nightmare, which explores the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, is an intriguing feature, but one that ends up dulling your senses with repetitive talking heads and recreated scenarios. – Jordan R. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Partisan (Ariel Kleiman)
Why You Should See It: Whether it’s Martha Marcy May Marlene or Sound of My Voice or this year’s The Wolfpack, we’ve seen a number of films at Sundance deal with communes and closed communities, but few bring the level of danger found in Partisan. The directorial debut of Ariel Kleiman (Sundance jury winner for the short Deeper Than Yesterday) is a patiently unfolding drama that displays the lengths one will go to provide shelter and community, and what happens if you step out of bounds. – Jordan R. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Also New to Streaming
Amazon
Aloft (review)
The Gallows (review)
Netflix
About Alex (review)
American Pie
American Wedding
Alexander: Theatrical Cut
Batman Begins
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Canyons (review)
Laura
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Million Dollar Baby
The Odd Couple
Set Fire to the Stars
Risky Business
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
The Wedding Singer
The Wild Bunch
HBO Now
Blazing Saddles
Blood Diamond
Brick
Burn After Reading
Lost in Translation
Mrs. Doubtfire
Shrek
The Rock
Trick ‘R Treat