What’s Streaming This Week (1/14 - 1/21)
January 16th, 2024
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT - TBD Sale / TBD Rental
George Clooney’s filmography as a director is littered with ‘looks good on paper, doesn’t quite work on screen’ movies. Leatherheads, The Ides of March, The Monuments Men, Suburbicon, Midnight Sky, and The Tender Bar is a murderer’s row of forgettable misfires. The Boys in the Boat isn’t exactly a triumphant return to his Good Night, and Good Luck form, but it did become the dad-movie of choice over the holidays, and should reach that same audience when it arrives on home screens. Note: Amazon MGM has not announced or confirmed this title for launch on Tuesday. We’re reporting this date based on two sources, but as always, dates are subject to change.
THE MARVELS - $19.99 Sale Only
Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels became the punching bag of the last part of 2023, so when it ended up the lowest grossing Marvel movie all time (taking that distinction away from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk), many cheered the film’s failure. But here’s another record The Marvels achieved: It became the highest grossing film ever directed by a black woman (besting 2018’s A Wrinkle in Time, directed by Ava DuVernay). That’s pretty cool! But also an indication that black women should be getting more projects with larger commercial potential. Now that The Marvels is hitting digital, here’s hoping it finds its audience that can appreciate it without all the noise.
NEXT GOAL WINS - $19.99 Sale Only
Taika Waititi’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2019 film JoJo Rabbit felt like it was never going to hit theaters. It wrapped filming in January 2020, and then was pushed off several dates on the calendar until finally arriving on November 17th of last year. That’s a near four-year gap between filming and release! When it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, critics were not kind. The consensus was that Waititi had delivered a standard inspirational sports comedy, but nothing special. When it hit theaters, audiences liked it better, giving it a B+ CinemaScore. But like most films that stay on the shelf too long, the box-office was DOA. We’re actually quite interested in catching up with it.
January 21st, 2024
INVISIBLE BEAUTY - Hulu
This doc explores the life and career of Bethann Hardison, who has broken ground as a model, modeling agent, and activist. Hardison co-directs with Frédéric Tcheng, and it features interviews with Whoopi Goldberg, Zendaya, Naomi Campbell, Tracee Ellis Ross, Fran Lebowitz, and Tyson Beckford. In addition to being a fashion icon and trailblazer, Hardison is also the mother of actor Kadeem Hardison, who played the iconic Dwayne Wayne in the 80s/90s sitcom A Different World (with baby Marisa Tomei!).
January 19th, 2024
FALLEN LEAVES - MUBI US, TBD Sale Only
Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves comes to MUBI US and digital with a lot of wind in its sails. At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, it won the Jury Prize, which placed it in third behind Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. Not bad company! Since then, it has racked up an impressive number of accolades: 2 Golden Globe nominations (including one for Best Actress - Comedy for lead actress Alma Pöysti), Best Foreign Language Film from the National Society of Film Critics, and Top Five International Films from the National Board of Review. It’s widely expected to receive an Oscar Nomination for Best International Feature, so the timing is perfect to catch up on this acclaimed romantic comedy/drama.
THE KITCHEN - Netflix
Daniel Kaluuya makes his feature directorial debut (co-directing with Kibwe Tavares) with this dystopian sci-fi drama that takes place in a future London where all social housing has been eliminated. Within that world, two young men, Izi (Kane Robinson) and Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman), fight to navigate the city as residents of The Kitchen - a community that refuses to abandon their home. From what we’ve seen in the trailer, it looks pretty bleak. But reviews have been encouraging, so we’re definitely excited to see what kind of chops Kaluuya has as a director.
THE ORIGIN OF EVIL - AMC+
This is the kind of film that makes us happy to have IFC Films still in business. Who else would release a movie that’s described as a French-Canadian Knives Out? Bring it on! It stars Laure Calamy, who was terrific in last year’s French thriller Full Time. She plays a character named Stéphane, a fish cannery worker who discovers that she is the biological daughter of wealthy businessman Serge (Jacques Weber), and is introduced to his established family despite their unwillingness to accept her. Sounds like a great double feature with Saltburn!
January 21st, 2024
DUMB MONEY - Netflix
The influence of The Social Network continues. That film started the trend of the ‘recent events’ genre, with films like The Big Short, Moneyball, The Bling Ring, and Hustlers all tackling stories not long after they occurred. In fact, Dumb Money is based on the book The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich, who also wrote the book The Accidental Billionaires, from which Aaron Sorkin adapted the script to The Social Network. While Dumb Money might not reach the heights of that fantastic 2010 film , it does sound like director Craig Gillespie delivered an entertaining addition to the genre. But just like almost every other comedy in 2023, it tanked in theaters. It’s now primed to be resurrected on Netflix, where it’ll likely be watched by millions.
Happy streaming everyone!
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