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.
Amour Fou (Jessica Hausner)
An ecstatically original work of film-history-philosophy with a digital-cinema palette of acutely crafted compositions. Amour Fou seamlessly blends together the paintings of Vermeer, the acting of Bresson, and the psychological undercurrents of a Dostoevsky novel. It is an intensely thrilling and often slyly comic work that manages to combine a passionately dispassionate love story of the highest order with a larger socio-historical examination of a new era of freedom, and the tragedy beset by those trapped in its enclosed world. – Peter L. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting on Existence (Roy Andersson)
The third installment in Roy Andersson’s trilogy looks and operates quite a bit like the two that precede it, thus making A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence an easy sell to the already-converted. But rather than preach to his choir, the Swedish helmer makes enough approaches to constitute an evolution, most notably in its remarkably grim, shockingly disturbing final stretch, as bleak a send-off to a series as any I can think to name. But with an eye for set construction and physical choreography that’s at its peak, the only shame is that he’s stopping now. – Nick N.
Where to Stream: Netflix
Do I Sound Gay? (David Thorpe)
Everyone who has heard their voice recorded on a video camera has wondered, “Is that what I really sound like?” This thought is typically followed up by a question to friends: “That’s not really what I sound like, is it?” As one of the most recognizable aspects of a person’s identification, it is no wonder that so much curiosity, joy and frustration goes into the acceptance of one’s own voice. For the newly single journalist David Thorpe, anxiety about vocal identity comes from what he perceives is his sissy “gay voice.” It is not that David isn’t gay and doesn’t want to be perceived as sexually attracted to men; he is gay, but remains worried that his “gay voice” carries with it a stigma that will affect not only his romantic life but his business ventures as well. Do I Sound Gay? positions David in the role of subject and filmmaker in his journey to not only change his voice, but to identify the history, genesis, and stigma behind the culturally recognizable “gay voice.” – Dan G. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
I Smile Back (Adam Salky)
Sarah Silverman shines in I Smile Back, a fairly standard, though very dark, addiction drama driven by its superb leading performance. Laney (Silverman) is married to the successful Bruce (Josh Charles) with a couple of kids. She’s also an addict, binging on alcohol, pills, coke and sex where any and all are available. The husband (Thomas Sadoski) of a friend is her coke dealer, whom with Laney is having an affair. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes
Just Jim (Craig Roberts)
After coming to our radar with Richard Ayoade‘s debut Submarine, Craig Roberts has since popped up in a variety of films, including Jane Eyre, Neighbors, 22 Jump Street, Red Lights, and more. His talents are now extending beyond acting as he recently debuted his first feature as writer-director, Just Jim, at SXSW earlier this year, and it’s now available to stream. The story follows Roberts as a fairly average teenager in his hometown, but when an older American neighbor (Emile Hirsch) moves in, he offers to help up his social status. – Leonard P.
Where to Stream: Amazon
Love (Gaspar Noé)
Gaspar Noé, author of the notorious Irreversible and Enter the Void, has been generating a lot of hype around his fourth feature Love, which at Cannes was largely referred to as “Noé’s 3D porno” in the lead-up to its premiere as an out of competition midnight screening. Though highly divisive, his previous features had notable and undeniable merits that elevated them beyond mere succès de scandale. This latest one, on the other hand, is not much of a succès of any kind. – Giovanni M.C. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon
Mistress America (Noah Baumbach)
Something happened to Noah Baumbach. The writer-director behind Greenberg, Margot at the Wedding, and The Squid in the Whale never once pulled a punch as a storyteller, telling honest and emotional stories. What’s great about his more cringe-inducing work is that, underneath all the pain, there’s still a sense of optimism; Baumbach truly roots for his characters to pull their lives together. Now, after Frances Ha, While We’re Young, and Mistress America, the director has a new demeanor; he’s making genuinely happy movies. “Warm” and “fuzzy” aren’t exactly labels associated with Baumbach’s past work, but apparently he does the two exceedingly well. If this new Baumbach is here to stay, he’s more than welcome to stick around. – Jack G. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes
Seymour: An Introduction (Ethan Hawke)
For many of us, Ethan Hawke is the playful, charismatic actor who’s had a solid career, with highlights often coming in the form of a Richard Linklater film. His work in the director’s Before trilogy and, most recently, Boyhood have made him recognizable as a likable guy struggling with questions of fulfillment and aging. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, to see him occasionally peek from behind the camera in Seymour: An Introduction, his first documentary, to tell stories and ask questions that reveal a persona not at all unlike his star image. – Forrest C. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Tangerine (Sean Baker)
Like a bat out of hell does Tangerine begin, the new film from Sean Baker. Shot entirely on iPhones, this film has a very specific style and Baker is determined to shove it down the viewer’s throat. It’s a bold, visceral piece of work about a certain part of Los Angeles and the people who live there. Our heroes are two transgender prostitutes named Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Kiki Kitana Rodriguez). It’s Christmas Eve and Sin-Dee, just back from a 28-day stint in prison, learns from Alexandra that her pimp/boyfriend Chester (a scene-stealing James Ransone) has been cheating on her with a woman whose name starts with a “D.” And so begins a day-long odyssey for Sin-Dee to find “D” and confront Chester, while Alexandra walks around town inviting anyone and everyone to a solo-singing performance of hers at 7pm. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Also New to Streaming
Amazon
Bleeding Heart (review)
The Kindergarten Teacher
The Notorious Mr. Bout (review)