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.
Between the Temples (Nathan Silver)
In a state of arrested development after his wife unexpectedly died from a freak accident, Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) is suicidal, pleading to a truck to just run him over and begging that he be fired from his job as cantor at the local Jewish temple in upstate New York. While this set-up may not scream comedy, Between the Temples is in fact hilarious, packed with endless jokes and adoration for physical gags while we witness Ben find new meaning in life through an unexpected acquaintance. Above all, Nathan Silver’s feature, from a script he co-wrote with C. Mason Wells,is a thrillingly alive, nimble piece of filmmaking: shot on 16mm by Sean Price Williams with faces of its ensemble guiding every movement, and edited by John Magary with a frenetic yet defined rhythm, Between the Temples is a witty, biting portrait of finding one’s footing in both faith and friendship. – Jordan R. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
The Fall (Tarsem Singh)
Tarsem’s The Fall is an anomaly. Since met with polarizing critical reviews and a non-existent box office in 2007, the film has earned a reputation from its lack of accessibility. It’s been one of those rare films not found on streaming, only watched (legally, at least) by a select few with physical copies and theater owners brave enough to put on a screening. The stories around the fantasy film exist as myth and precaution alike, with the Indian director sinking much of his own money into the project, traveling to 28 countries over many years, and filming solely on-location. But as Roger Ebert said in his four-star review, “There will never be another like it.” Continue reading Michael Frank’s interview.
Where to Stream: MUBI (free for 30 days)
Inside Out 2 (Kelsey Mann)
Much like the previous movie, Inside Out 2 has a predictably fun time journeying throughout the different corners of Riley’s brain. It also plays it pretty safe, careful not to disrupt too much about what its predecessor established, filtering in Michael Giacchino’s whimsical and soulful score to piano key stroke more of its connective tissue. You could argue it’s a more homogenized version of Turning Red without that movie’s vivid Chinese heritage, cultural details, and more pressing physical metaphors. But the idea that universal emotions––through the perspective of a young, overachieving white girl––provide a more “relatable” watching experience (or better understanding of puberty) is a bit fraught in this context. – Jake K. (full review)
Where to Stream: Disney+
Mountains (Monica Sorelle)
A low-key, poetic exploration of life’s ironies, Monica Sorelle’s feature debut Mountains frames the disappearance of Miami’s Little Haiti with a warm, compassionate gaze recalling the masters of social realism––akin to Roberto Rossellini with the touch of Ousmane Sembène’s lighter films. With a title drawn from a Haitian proverb “behind mountains there are mountains,” the film retains a light touch, somewhat more sad than mad as Little Haiti disappears in the city’s building boom. A modest dream home is unobtainable once the real estate vultures circle the neighborhood and Xavier Sr. (Atibon Nazaire), a demolition worker, plays a role in changing his neighborhood permanently, making way for young Whole Foods-shopping professionals to displace families and small businesses. – John F. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Sleep (Jason Yu)
Wes Craven understood, when conceiving A Nightmare on Elm Street, the creepiness of our sacred sleep time being invaded, and Adam McKay was similarly onto something when realizing how good a sleepwalking gag could be in Step Brothers. So Sleep, a new festival-minted genre picture from Jason Yu, a former underling of Bong Joon-ho, in its own blend of horror and comedy, should be able to deliver on the promise of both. Yet if accomplished in pulling off the kind of tonal shifts and formal precision you’d expect from someone who trained under that Oscar-winning genre superstar, there’s a bit of a lack of a true pulse to the proceedings––even as the terrain of pregnancy and threats to newborn children is something that will never fail to get people going (similarly a power-drill to the head near the end of the film is probably a recurring horror image for a reason). – Ethan V. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
The Slow Business of Going (Athina Rachel Tsangari)
A Mexican-Greek cyborg travels the world in this hilarious and cerebral look at globalization at the turn of the millennium. The inventive Greek director’s electric debut feature is as anarchic in its blend of genres as it is exacting in its philosophical commentary.
Where to Stream: Le Cinéma Club
Spotlight on New York Film Festival
With the 62nd New York Film Festival now underway, Kino Film Collection is spotlighting the history of the festival with over 60 films. For starters, we’d recommend Alphaville, Bacurau, Bob le Flambeur, Dawson City: Frozen Time, The Forbidden Room, France, Goodbye, Dragon Inn, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Martin Eden, Mountains May Depart, Scarlet, The Conformist, and A Touch of Sin.
Where to Stream: Kino Film Collection
War Game (Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber)
Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s War Game documents a nifty six-hour exercise in roleplay, commencing on the anniversary of the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Put on by the Vet Voice Foundation in 2023, this bit of roleplay included U.S. officials in both defense and intelligence acting out their response to a fabricated but feasible coup attempt supported by the active military. It’s a stark, scary scenario succinctly laid out by Moss and Gerber, with aide from Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of Vet Voice. The results of the planned practice aren’t very reassuring. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Wolfs (Jon Watts)
It’s been nine years since Jon Watts made a feature film that wasn’t about Spider-Man––long enough that for the past three years his MCU entries have outnumbered all others. The once-indie director of Clown and Cop Car was poached for the franchise after cranking out those two features in back-to-back years, his directorial voice put on the backburner to develop Tom Holland’s hero. Walking into Wolfs, one can’t help wondering what Watts’ taste and style has become after a trilogy of cookie-cutter superhero blockbusters fitting so cleanly and unfussily into the Marvel machine. – Luke H. (full review)
Where to Stream: Apple TV+
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Netflix
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Shudder
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VOD
The Front Room