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.
Amira & Sam (Sean Mullen)
While both sides of the political spectrum are debating immigration reform and American Sniper, Amira & Sam has come along as a unique paradigm-shifting romantic comedy tackling both issues. Written and directed by former Army Officer turned stand-up comedian Sean Mullin, Amira & Sam stars Martin Starr as a Iraq War vet and his unlikely love interest, Iraqi immigrant Amira (Dina Shihabi). Stuck in a sort of geopolitical limbo, Amira sells DVDs on Canal Street until she’s forced into hiding after an encounter with the NYPD. Her uncle Bassam (Laith Nakli), formerly the translator for Sam’s unit, has immigrated to the New York and works as a truck driver. – John F. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Chef (Jon Favreau)
How close is too close to home? That has to be the question going through the mind of anyone familiar with the last decade of Jon Favreau’s career while watching his latest film, Chef. Smartly made and richly told, the film follows the life of a chef that is miserable working for someone else making the “greatest hits,” and finds solace, freedom, and the ability to express himself again through the independence of running his own food truck. – Bill G. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (Ned Benson)
Following an utter failure of a release this past fall, at least one iteration of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is now available to stream: the Them version, which consolidates the story into one, commercial-friendly release. Exploring the ups and downs of a marriage between a recently split couple (James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain), it’s a respectable drama, but for those that want to see the two other versions, they will be on the Blu-ray. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
The Interview (Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg)
Who would’ve thought a movie complete with Katy Perry and fecal jokes could cause so much brouhaha? The Interview did just that by royally pissing off North Korea. The story surrounding Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s film almost makes this high-concept comedy funnier, but it’s already got enough laughs, so it doesn’t need any help from North Korea’s unfortunate threats or cyber attacks. Following the duo’s successful directorial debut, This is the End, they’ve delivered a superior sophomore effort with this rousing bro comedy. – Jack G. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy)
A stunning performance can elevate an ordinary script, yet Jake Gyllenhaal shows that first-time director Dan Gilroy has been absorbing what became of his various writing projects over the years. Here, Gilroy attacks the norm with his screenplay. We aren’t so much introduced to Gyllenhaal’s Lou Bloom as he announces his presence in the world of LA at night. Bloom is the anti-hero of the film, and yet you root for him throughout. Part of that is simply because he is the character we follow, but part of it is that he also exposes the deep-rooted reality of the news media. Bloom is a nightcrawler, who arrives on the scenes of accidents to record them with his camera and sell them to the morning news. But more than a skewering of the news, I found this to be a keenly precise character study of a man who succeeds precisely because he has a lack of empathy, a trait that might win you praise in other places. Gyllenhaal rarely blinks on camera, is visibly gaunt, and gives off an intensity that makes you uncomfortable. But the film is also brilliantly filled with touches of humor, evidenced by his long-winded rants that sound like they were stripped from a self-help book or the relationship he has with Nina (Rene Russo). Nightcrawler is intense, riveting, and darkly hilarious in all of the best ways. – Bill G.
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)
While its tone wildly varies, when it comes to the glut of horror remakes, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon‘s new spin on The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a slight step ahead of the standard batch. This is a brutal and dark slasher flick that also has time–perhaps to its detriment–to be intensely sweet at times. Building characters that one roots for, the film drops in elements that messes with their world and also maintains a duality where pop-rock music can introduce a character that is brutally murdered just minutes later. In a way it can feel refreshing, but it can often leave one mystified about what the film is trying to achieve. This pseudo-documentary-meets-slasher-flick surrounds real murders and isn’t afraid to crib off of those famous Texarkana killings and the original movie it inspired. – Bill G. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Tracks (John Curran)
A stunningly beautiful film, director John Curran‘s Tracks traces the physical and psychological 1,700-mile trek of Robyn Davidson (Mia Wasikowska) from the central Australian town of Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean. As masterfully shot by Mandy Walker, the film has images that, at times, are lucid, while its structure and Curran’s direction takes little risks. Inspired by an award-winning 1980 account (expanded from a National Geographic article published in 1979), Tracks allows us to share a journey that shaped Robyn, an awkward young woman who survived in Alice Springs doing odd jobs in exchange for a camel. – John F. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Also New to Streaming
Amazon
Netflix
Hulu
Dreams
Hot Pepper
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Love is Colder Than Death
What are you streaming this weekend?