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 (or bi-weekly, depending on the worthy selection), 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. Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below, and shoot over suggestions to @TheFilmStage.
Behind the Candelabra (Steven Soderbergh; 2013)
“Too much of a good thing is wonderful.” So says Liberace in what might be Steven Soderbergh‘s final feature film, Behind the Candelabra. A biopic about the flamboyant Las Vegas performer whose virtuoso piano skills and over the top extravagance made him a household name, the film dives into his personal relationship with a young animal trainer from Hollywood. Starring Michael Douglas as the lavish larger-than-life singer, constantly adorned in sparkling crystals outfits, and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, the innocent young man who suddenly finds himself a boy toy, the central focus is on the couple’s burgeoning relationship and how it deteriorates throughout the years. Surprisingly less tame than one might imagine, Behind the Candlelabra is, also, unexpectedly standard fare when it comes to profiling a personality as grandiose as its central subject. – Raffi A.
Where to Watch: Amazon Video, iTunes
Boy (Taika Waititi; 2010)
Mostly thanks to Flight of the Conchords popularity at the time, Taika Waititi‘s Eagle Vs. Shark (starring Jemaine Clement) stirred some buzz stateside, but his latest feature Boy didn’t quite have the same effect. Premiering at Sundance three years ago, the coming-of-age drama went on to become the highest grossing New Zealand film, outclassing The World’s Fastest Indian. We got the film theatrically in the US early last year and now the sweet coming of age story is arriving on Netflix. It’s a charming, genuine look at growing up with little means and a fascination for Michael Jackson. – Jordan R.
Where to Watch: Netflix Instant
C.O.G. (Kyle Patrick Alvarez; 2013)
Starting off with the cliché story of two recent wealthy college grads setting off into the world to find themselves, we join David (Jonathan Groff) after he graduates Yale. He’s in Oregon and starting to work on a farm picking apples. Pompous but also curious and ignorant, David has no sense of the fact that these people’s lives revolve around what he views as a vacation. He’s supposed to meet his friend, a fellow female graduate, and they were supposed to have a journey together starting at the farm, but those plans fall through. So, he’s left there. Of course, he decides to make the best of it and see what all of this is about. The humor, in all its quirky glory, is what is the lasting impression of C.O.G. If you aren’t quick yourself, you might not catch some of the smaller details that soften the blows. But there’s an undeniable charm to C.O.G. that is part of its honesty in human ugliness. – Bill G.
Where to Watch: Amazon Video
The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko; 2010)
While I wasn’t as taken with Lisa Cholodenko‘s dramedy as many others were back in 2010, it’s a pleasant enough look at family. Serving as a dramatic break out of sorts for Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson, playing siblings who want to connect with their biological father (Mark Ruffalo), there’s a sitcom-y feel the film can’t shake, but with strong performances by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening, this one is worth a stream. – Jordan R.
Where to Watch: Netflix Instant
I Killed My Mother (Xavier Dolan; 2009)
Having celebrated his 24th birthday this year, as well as the premiere of his fourth feature film with Tom at the Farm, Canada’s Xavier Dolan is a major emerging talent. While his third film, Laurence Anyways, just enjoyed a small theatrical release this year, one can now start at the beginning of his filmography with I Killed My Mother — a semi-autobiographical that follows the strained relationship with a mother and her so — which just hit Netflix streaming. – Jordan R.
Where to Watch: Netflix Instant
Love Actually (Richard Curtis; 2003)
As the holiday season approaches, viewers will be met with the difficult decision of film to watch for the occasion. One could go the action route with Die Hard, the raunchy comedy route with Bad Santa, the classic route with It’s a Wonderful Life, but if you’re looking for a breezy, yet touching example, stacked with a varied ensemble, Richard Curtis‘ Love Actually should be near the top of your list. As his supposedly final directorial effort hits theaters soon with About Time, one can revisit this one, which just hit Netflix streaming. – Jordan R.
Where to Watch: Netflix Instant
Persona (Ingmar Bergman; 1966)
We could spend hours debating whether or not Persona is, in fact, Ingmar Bergman‘s greatest film, but there should exist little question as to its status as one of the finest ever made, bar none. Before it’s officially placed into Criterion’s mighty ranks, every cinephile’s favorite company have made the complex, sensuous masterpiece readily available, and for an entirely reasonable price. While those still lucky enough to experience it for the first time will have the advantage of exposure by way of 21st-century improvements, the familiar might, too, be well-advised to seek out this new transfer, which is more than likely to open new avenues of the picture — Bergman‘s compositions, Nykvist‘s lighting, and Ullmann & Andersson‘s faces chief among them. What else do you need to hear? It’s Persona. Go. – Nick N.
Where to Watch: iTunes
Shadow Dancer (James Marsh; 2013)
James Marsh has returned with the tense, but occasionally dry IRA thriller Shadow Dancer. Andrea Riseborough stars as Collette McVeigh, whose brother is killed in an IRA conflict as a child. Twenty years later she continues her dedication to the mission, with a bomb attempt of her own in London. After it does not go as planned, McVeigh is captured by MI5 officer Mac (Clive Owen), who gives her the option to become a mole or go straight to prison. Reluctantly taking the former option, she heads back home and begins passing along information about her brothers Gerry (Aidan Gillen) and Connor (Domhnall Gleeson) in weekly meetings with Mac at a desolate park by the sea. Adapted by Tom Bradby from his own novel, Marsh’s slow-burn thriller excels when it is at its most tense. – Jordan R.
Where to Watch: Netflix Instant
Side Effects (Steven Soderbergh; 2013)
If one were to find themselves at Side Effects purely on the basis of Steven Soderbergh’s name, they’ll get more than their money’s worth. Although it’d be somewhat fair (and not at all incorrect) to just label his work “confident” and move on with your day, it’s both expected and far too simplistic, perhaps even a little dismissive of his exertion. Before things crumble in the final moments, this is easily among the most assured and taut things he’s ever done with a camera; there’s so much to praise that finding an entry point into the discussion is a bit hard, except to say that being his own cinematographer (aka Peter Andrews) and editor (aka Mary Ann Bernard) has, for years, given him as full an auteur status as any filmmaker working in Hollywood has a right to. – Nick N.
Where to Watch: Netflix Instant
Simon Killer (Antonino Campos; 2013)
Simon Killer, the sophomore effort from Afterschool director Antonio Campos, continues his series of dark, gripping character studies. Brady Corbet is Simon, a heartbroken, confused college graduate who arrives in Paris with no plans other than to visit art galleries, tourist spots and ponder over a freshly expired five-year relationship. While walking the streets one night, he encounters an easy, feeble solution to his problem, entering a whorehouse. Meeting a prostitute named Victoria (Mati Diop), the two pursue a relationship that extends beyond her work obligations. From here, the downward spiral of poor decisions begin as the layers of Simon’s psyche peel away. We hate him for his actions, yet are captivated by what he’ll do next, thanks to Corbet’s phenomenal performance. This beguiling, vexing follow-up for Campos has divided audiences since it premiered nearly 20 months ago, but I clearly fall on the side of considering it one of the finest films the year has to offer. – Jordan R.
Where to Watch: Netflix Instant
Somebody Up There Likes Me (Bob Byington; 2012)
After exploding with Parks & Recreation, Nick Offerman took part in this small SXSW hit, which arrived in theaters earlier this year. We called Bob Byington‘s Somebody Up There Likes Me the most detached comedy of the year thus far, with its intentionally lifeless performances. Also starring Jess Weixler, Keith Poulson, Megan Mullally, Kevin Corrigan, Kate Lyn Shell, Stephanie Hunt and Jonathan Togo, the film has now landed on Netflix streaming for your viewing pleasure. – Jack C.
Where to Watch: Netflix Instant
Something in the Air (Olivier Assayas; 2012)
In framing a coming-of-age story around kids with no real revolution to stage — early ’70s French youth hopelessly trying to make up for the “we blew it, man” of May ’68 — Something in the Air realizes the pains of maturing as both grasping those “in the now” emotions seemingly beyond our reach and the memories & standards entrenched in our still-limited past. With the director’s stand-in acting as a handsome cipher, absorbing supposedly radical politics and aesthetic standards — only to end up on the set of a Hollywood B-movie — it would seem that Assayas is critical of his generation, yet, being the sometimes gooey humanist he is, count on your eyes to water during a bittersweet closing few minutes set to Kevin Ayer’s “Decadence.” – Ethan V.
Where to Watch: Netflix Instant
This is the End (Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; 2013)
You’ve got to hand it to the Apatow tribe; they’ve all gotten together playing themselves in a movie about the Christian end-of-days and not a soul is spared from the fires of a self-inflicted comedy roasting. Cries of ‘vanity project’ may apply, but the gang, which includes Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, James Franco and Craig Robinson, are so merciless in their own lampooning that even jaded haters would have a hard time conjuring barbs as stinging as some of those launched here. Not content to be just an hour and a half of in-jokes aimed at Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen’s other work, This is the End makes good on its premise of a darkly-humorous celebrity apocalypse. This sometime grim, sometimes goofy miasma comes complete with horrific overtones, quasi-poignant soul searching, gleeful raunchiness and a sincere male bonding that rings truer than many of Apatow’s own films. Sure, it’s messy and scatter-shot in places, but This is the End delivers enough laughs to qualify it as this years ’s most successful mainstream comedy to date. – Nathan B.
Where to Watch: Amazon Video, iTunes
What are you streaming this week?