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.
Charlie Victor Romeo (Karlyn Michelson, Patrick Daniels, and Robert Berger)
Verbatim theatre is a genre that aims to provide a certain kind of honesty through anonymity. Performances are derived from primary source documents like interviews, or, in the case of Charlie Victor Romeo, transcripts of NTSB reports of actual aviation emergencies. Shot over the course of a few evenings in a black box theater in front of a live studio audience, the film adaptation of Charlie Victor Romeo (performed since 1999) is a harrowing psychological experience. Centered squarely on the text, the film’s sets are minimal; Flight, this is not. The utilitarian cockpit set looks like something out of 1970’s Saturday Night Live, but is used to depict six emergencies with varying outcomes and durations. Often split-second decisions are made, complicating the notion of “human error.” – John F.
Where to Stream: Netflix
Gangs of Wasseypur (Anurag Kashyap)
Densely plotted, Gangs is a stunning achievement, whether taken collectively or individually. Over the course of these five hours, we’ve experienced prison escapes, drug-addled sibling rivalries, revenge killings, tense life-or-death meetings, a Sonny-at-the-tollbooth-style esque massacre, lying politicians, “money and debauchery,” and a dash of Bollywood, with a unique use of music and lyrics to comment on the action (“This barter of bloody blows will make you cry”). Director Kashyap has succeeded in creating a gangster drama that feels fresh and realistic – no easy feat. Yes, it is unwieldy, and Part 2 lacks the visceral impact of Part 1. But there’s no doubt that Gangs of Wasseypur is an exhilarating creation, a not-to-be-missed cinematic event, and a work as sprawling, messy, and open-ended as real life. – Chris. S. (full review)
Where to Stream: Fandor
Into the Woods (Rob Marshall)
The involvement of Disney on any adaptation of beloved source material can’t help being a double-edged sword. On the one hand their clout and financial backing will ensure the production looks fantastic and attracts the type of talent worthy of the property. On the other their brand brings with it a very specific morality code and target demographic. What this means is that something as dark as Into the Woods and its satirical take on all our favorite fairy tales playing up the lecherous sexuality of princes and wolves along with the ruthlessness and selfishness of supposed kind-hearted people on a quest to have their wishes come true is bound to get rendered a tad less suggestive. These aspects are retained, but that coveted PG family-friendly rating demands their full purpose be watered down or excised completely. – Jared M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Kill Me Three Times (Kriv Stenders)
Director Kriv Stenders left the audience seated for his latest film Kill Me Three Times with the words, “I hope you have as much fun watching as we had making it.” I doubt I did, but I cannot deny it wasn’t the sort of entertaining romp that keeps you on your toes hypothesizing who—if anyone—survives. It seems such a small thing, but a movie with no fear in killing its characters is a lot more enjoyable than one forcing you to watch misfires and flesh wounds so the would-be victim can become the perpetrator later on. A few shots fired do miss their target here and the first did make me sigh as I incredulously thought, “Here’s another one.” Thankfully, however, the shooter rolls his eyes with an equal measure of frustration, retakes aim, and finishes the job. – Jared M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
The November Man (Roger Donaldson)
A few brain cells short and a handful of years too late, The November Man arrives in theaters, the longtime passion project of former James Bond player Pierce Brosnan, as directed by veteran filmmaker Roger Donaldson. Brosnan plays Peter Devereaux, a beaten-up and turned-out spy who just can’t get out of the game. Early on, tragedy strikes at the hand of his most promising protege (Luke Bracey), and the rest falls to retribution and the idea of ‘making it right.’ – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
The Riot Club (Lone Scherfig)
I’ll bet Laura Wade’s 2010 play Posh is something special to see on stage. A fictionalized take on Oxford University’s exclusive Bullingdon Club, it’s debaucherous centerpiece of a banquet has to be an invigorating experience live. I say this because its depiction in Lone Scherfig’s film The Riot Club (adapted by Wade herself) is a brilliantly choreographed sequence of status disparity, entitlement, embarrassment, and the cowardice of boys who have never been in a position where personal integrity matters above surname. And if the movie were solely this forty-five or so minute circus it’d be a resounding success. Unfortunately it isn’t, as for us to understand these rascals, we must first meet them. – Jared M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Two Days, One Night (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
This is not quite as physical as some of the Dardenne brothers’ earlier, more visceral work. Think, for one thing, of the blindsiding opening of Rosetta, in which the camera darts and races to follow Émilie Dequenne as she tries elude the grasp of her peeved boss (Olivier Gourmet). Even the plot, which is inherently formulaic and intensely organized, is less natural-seeming than the previous stuff. But their gifts — shrewd framing (notice how Marion Cotillard is constantly separated from her co-workers by some kind of barrier) and genuine human empathy — are still evident throughout. After witnessing the character’s agonizing, compressed cycle of naps, wake-ups, phone calls, arguments, rants, and pill-popping episodes, Cotillard’s short phone call that ends Two Days, One Night carries the weight of the world. – Danny K.
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
Welcome to New York (Abel Ferrara)
Note: The streaming version is the cut considerably re-edited for the IFC Films release.
A younger, unchecked Abel Ferrara might have made something louder and more aggressive out of this tawdry material, but this study of a monster is disciplined and startlingly de-sensationalized. Ferrara’s formal approach — dim lighting, long takes — prioritizes depiction over commentary; while there’s no questioning the deplorability of Devereaux’s (Gérard Depardieu) cravings, Ferrara doesn’t waste time moralizing. The reason for this is wise and ingeniously simple: after enough time in Devereaux’s company, the man will simply render himself pathetic. The project couldn’t have clicked without a committed central performance, and the one Depardieu turns in is heroically vulnerable. The excruciating, near-real-time sequence in which the actor is detained, processed, questioned, and stripped in a police department is process-oriented filmmaking at its most revealing. – Danny K.
Where to Stream: Amazon, iTunes, Google
The Zero Theorem (Terry Gilliam)
The comparisons between The Zero Theorem and Terry Gilliam’s most-beloved film are inevitable: dystopian sci-fi, a looming corporation, one lone man navigating this future yet, hopelessly, a drone to the very end. But Terry Gilliam better damn well have a reason for blatantly positioning his newest as a return to Brazil. The issue at hand is that, ultimately, The Zero Theorem seems to have no justification for itself, despite the potential of a wealth of contemporary issues, whether it’s the technological overload of social media or its ensuing series of political contradictions. Of course, the ultimate irony of this film is that it revolves around the old thematic chestnut of pointless existence, yet ultimately finds little reason for its own. – Ethan V. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon Prime
Also New to Streaming
Amazon
Apartment Troubles
Backcountry
Killers
Fandor
Netflix
Collateral Damage
Franke & Alice
What are you streaming this weekend?