February 5th, 2024

DOWN LOW - Netflix

Arriving on a major streaming service a few days after Dicks: The Musical launched on Max, Down Low is another example of ambitious queer filmmaking that’s getting showcased on a major platform. The fact that both films received love-it-or-hate-it reactions is evidence of progress. Queer art has a storied history of being polarizing, provocative, and yes, sometimes messy. Down Low will be introduced to a huge audience when it launches on Netflix, and though it’s likely to shock the Heartstopper crowd, it joins the ‘gays behaving badly’ canon, whether you love it or hate it. That’s progress.

February 6th, 2024

AMERICAN FICTION - $19.99 Sale

When Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut won the People’s Choice Award at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, Oscar prognosticators took notice. The award is often a bellwether of Oscar success. So when the film received 5 nominations (Best Picture, Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright), Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K. Brown), Best Adapted Screenplay (Jefferson), and Best Score (Laura Karpman), it wasn’t a surprise. But we should take a moment to celebrate this film’s unlikely success. Yes, it’s from a major studio. But it’s a low-key comedy, from a first-time filmmaker, with a mostly black cast that has none of the usual Oscar-bait-y elements. More movies like this, please! Please note: Amazon MGM has neither confirmed nor announced this release date.

CAMP HIDEOUT - Hulu

With the break-out success of SOUND OF FREEDOM, we were destined to see a slew of crowdfunded, faith-based copycats hit the market. Camp Hideout is the first out of the gate, though to be fair, Called Higher Studios (the film’s production company) has been around since 2019. The studio is ‘owned’ by over 5,000 Christian fans across the country. Their mission, as CEO (Chief Evangelist Officer) Jason Brown describes it, is “[W]e want to go make movies that spread the name of Jesus through film and TV.” Camp Hideout seems innocuous enough, and maybe that’s why it flopped in US theaters. We applaud the ambitious Jack Davis/Mad Magazine-inspired poster, even if it likely scared audiences away. That kid in the yellow t-shirt looks possessed.

THE END WE START FROM - $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

Though it received a limited theatrical release in the US at the end of last year, this is basically a straight-to-streaming release from Paramount’s revived Republic Pictures brand. The film does have some pedigree: It received nine nominations for the 2023 British Independent Film Awards, including Best Lead Performance for Jodie Comer, Best Supporting Performance for Katherine Waterston, Best Cinematography for Suzie Lavelle, and Best Costume Design for PC Williams. We’re looking forward to checking it out.

February 7th, 2024

THE MARVELS - Disney+

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! It’s arrival on Disney+ marks the end of its release cycle, so we can all take a deep breath and move on.

February 8th, 2024

JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM - Netflix

The latest from faith-based studio Affirm Pictures (a division of Sony Pictures), Journey to Bethlehem is an ambitious holiday film that weaves classic Christmas melodies in to new pop songs, creating a music-infused retelling of the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. Unfortunately, it was Affirm’s second big bomb of 2023. Their spring film BIG GEORGE FOREMAN landed with a thud in theaters and was an expensive flop. Journey to Bethlehem could have a longer shelf life. It got decent reviews, and if it finds an audience on Netflix, could become a Christmas perennial.

February 9th, 2024

CAT PERSON - Hulu

Cat Person will probably go down in history as one of the Sundance Film Festival’s greatest cautionary tales. The film sparked a bidding was after its premiere, and….well…this tweet nicely sums up what happened:

So now it gets a second chance to find an audience, arriving on Hulu next week. From what we’ve heard, the film is pretty good, before it completely falls apart towards the end. We’re curious and will definitely check it out.

COBWEB - $19.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Not to be confused with last year’s Lionsgate horror film COBWEB, this South Korean import comes from director Kim Jee-woon, who’s probably best-known in the US for his brutal revenge film I Saw the Devil. Cobweb is less brutal. It takes place in Seoul in the early 1970s, where film director Kim Ki-yeol (Parasite’s Song Kang-ho) is obsessed with the fact that the ending of his already wrapped film Cobweb would be better if remade. The film premiered out-of-competition at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and has received mixed reviews from critics.

SUNCOAST - Hulu

This coming-of-age drama is the feature directorial debut of Laura Chinn, who has assembled an impressive cast, including Laura Linney, Woody Harrelson, and newcomer Nico Parker. Parker is the lead here, and she impressed us with her brief turn on HBO’s The Last of Us. Suncoast premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month, and Searchlight Pictures gave it a brief theatrical release this week. Reviews have been mixed/positive, but the consensus is that Nico Parker is an actress to watch.

UPGRADED - Prime Video

This Prime Video romantic comedy features Riverdale’s Camila Mendes in the lead, with supporting turns from Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei, and Oscar-nominee Lena Olin. But the real breakout might be leading man Archie Renaux. Best known from the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, Renaux has popped in Lena Dunham’s underrated Catherine Called Birdy and Peter Farrelly’s properly forgotten The Greatest Beer Run Ever. Later this year he’ll have his most high-profile role yet: He’s co-starring with Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny in Fede Álvarez’s ALIEN: ROMULUS, which is getting great buzz.

February 11th, 2024

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER - Paramount+ w/Showtime

Whether it was the confusing title, middling reviews, or Dracula overload, The Last Voyage of the Demeter just never caught on with theater audiences. It’s the sort of mid-budget thriller we need more of from the studios, so it’s a shame it was such a money loser. The consensus seemed to be: Great concept (Dracula on a ship), poor execution. We have to admit we’re suckers (pun intended) for this kind of story, but haven’t yet caught up with Demeter. That’ll change when it hits streaming next weekend. Our expectations are very low, so we’re hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

Happy Streaming Everyone!

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