March 26th, 2024

DRIFT - $19.99 Sale / TBD Rental

The first English-language feature from Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, Drift debuted at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and received terrific reviews. It stars Cynthia Erivo as Jacqueline, a Liberian refugee, who flees to a Greek island and develops a friendship with an American tour guide (played by Alia Shawkat) while coping with her past. Erivo is about to level up with the release of the two Wicked movies, but it’s great to see her carry a movie even without using her powerhouse voice.

ORDINARY ANGELS - $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

Despite getting a rare ‘A+’ Cinemascore, this inspirational drama never really took off at the box-office. It stars double Oscar-winner Hilary Swank as a hairdresser who rallies the community to help a widowed father (not-Tom Cruise-Reacher Alan Ritchson) save the life of his critically ill young daughter after Louisville is hit by a major snowstorm. The film got its start from a pitch from Dave Matthews (!), and one of the credited screenwriters is actress Meg Tilly (!!). Kelly Fremon Craig, who directed last year’s terrific Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is the other credited screenwriter, so it’s no surprise this was an audience favorite. Should have great word-of-mouth once it hits streaming.

THE PEASANTS - $19.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Written and directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman, The Peasants is an adaptation of Władysław Reymont's Nobel Prize-winning novel of the same name, and was produced using the painted animation technique similar to the pair's previous film, Loving Vincent. That film was Oscar-nominated in 2017 for Best Animated Feature. The film was initially shot with actors, and then more than a hundred painters in four studios in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Serbia painted oil paintings based on the shots, which became frames in the film. Animators then worked to supplement the paintings to make the whole film seamless. The artists spent over 200,000 hours in total working on the project. The results are gorgeous, though critics grumbled the story was less compelling. Still, it became the most popular release of 2023 in its native Poland.

STOP MAKING SENSE - $19.99 Sale Only

Jonathan Demme’s landmark concert film returned to theaters, and debuted on IMAX screens, last fall to great success. The film’s reissue actually out-grossed its original 1984 run, though only if you don’t adjust for inflation. A24 did a terrific job making an event of it, and while it only earned a fraction of what Taylor Swift’s concert film would gross later in the year, it felt like the film (and the band) was introduced to and embraced by a brand new audience. A24 is planning to offer a deluxe blu-ray in May, but this digital release will be the first time it’s available at home in 4K.

March 28th, 2024

THE TASTE OF THINGS - $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Vietnamese filmmaker Tran Anh Hung burst on to the world film stage in 1993 with The Scent of Green Papaya, which was Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film (as it was still called then), losing the prize to Fernando Trueba’s Belle Époque. When France made the controversial decision to submit The Taste of Things as their International Feature entry over Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall, the knives came out for the film. How could they pass up such a sure-thing nominee? As it turned out, the criticism was warranted. The Taste of Things failed to received a nomination, and Justine Triet’s drama became an Oscar darling. But The Taste of Things is no Oscar villain. It’s an immensely charming and satisfying love story, and one of the all-time great food movies. Not to be missed.

WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD - Netflix

This feature directorial debut of Jesse Eisenberg premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and received a brief theatrical run from A24. It’s based on Eisenberg's 2020 audio drama of the same name, and stars Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard as a mother and son who navigate their contentious relationship while trying to connect with other people. Nice to see it finally hit streaming. Eisenberg is gearing up for a big 2024. He co-stars in the upcoming surreal comedy Sasquatch Sunset, and then will launch his second directorial effort, A Real Pain, which was bought in a bidding war at Sundance by Searchlight Pictures. That one’s getting Oscar buzz, especially for Eisenberg’s co-star Kieren Culkin.

March 29th, 2024

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME - Netflix

The Homeless World Cup is an annual association football tournament organized by the Homeless World Cup Foundation, a social organization which advocates the end of homelessness through the sport of football (soccer, to us Americans). First held in 1999, the organization puts together an annual football tournament where teams of homeless people from various countries compete. The Beautiful Game follows a squad of English homeless footballers, including the talented but troubled striker Vinny (Michael Ward), who are led by their coach Mal (Bill Nighy), to compete in Rome at the global annual football tournament. Reviews have been good, so we’re excited to check it out.

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT - MGM+

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. The film is a solid, down-the-middle drama that’s delivers exactly what it says on the package. Boys. Boats.

IMAGINARY - $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

Not to be confused with the upcoming John Krasinski/Ryan Reynolds comedy IF, this Jeff Wadlow film got tepid reviews, but like most Blumhouse Productions, made back its money quickly. The studio did its best to try to make Chauncey the Bear in to the new M3GAN, but it mostly felt cringe. And look…we get it…you gotta go out and promote the movie. But please don’t drag national treasure Annette Bening in to it:

LISA FRANKENSTEIN - Peacock

The latest from Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer’s Body), this teen horror comedy is directed by Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams. Kids of the 80s will recognize the title is a play on Lisa Frank, a company whose colorful, day-glo aesthetic was ubiquitous in the 80s and 90s (is it still? We’re old). Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse co-star, and we admit we still flashback to Friends anytime we see Sprouse in anything. He, of course, play Ross Geller’s son Ben (see below), though many probably remember him from Big Daddy (again, see below) with Adam Sandler, or his Disney Channel show The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (see below, Bieber hair era). Or maybe you know him from Riverdale? Anyway, the kid’s had a career! Lisa Frankenstein kinda tanked in theaters, here’s hoping it finds an audience on Peacock.

LOUSY CARTER - $16.99 Sale - TBD Rental

We love David Krumholtz. He first got our attention in the 1993 sequel Addams Family Values, where he played the hypochondriac love interest to Christina Ricci’s iconic Wednesday Addams. He continued to impress throughout the 90s with supporting parts in The Santa Clause, The Ice Storm, Slums of Beverly Hills, and 10 Things I Hate About You. As he aged out of teenage roles, he settled in nicely as a comedic character actor. It was his turn in last year’s Oppenheimer that reminded audiences what a great actor he is. And now he’s finally has a lead role, and it sounds like he delivers. We root for David Krumholtz. We want more Krumholtz.

THE SETTLERS - MUBI US

The Settlers (Spanish: Los colonos) is a revisionist Western drama directed by Felipe Gálvez Haberle (in his directorial debut). The film world premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique), which is given by the International Federation of Film Critics. It’s sprawling vistas and brutal depiction of cruelty and power have drawn comparisons to Sergio Leone and John Ford, and though the film was submitted by Chile for Best International Feature, it was not nominated. Still well worth checking out.

Happy Streaming Everyone!