This week, FIELD OF STREAMS highlights a decade of great independent film
Welcome to Field of Streams, Cinapse’s weekly guide of what’s playing on your favorite streaming services. What’s new on Netflix and Amazon Prime? What do we recommend on Kanopy, Fandor, and Shudder? We’ve got it all. From monthly roundups, to curated top 5 lists, to reviews of our favorites available now… it’s here. We built it for you, so come and join us in the Field of Streams.
THE SEARCH FOR ONE-EYE JIMMY (Prime, Kanopy)
This one hits lots of indie high points. It’s a movie about the making of a documentary, takes place completely in Brooklyn, and features some of the most “independent” actors of the entire decade: Steve Buscemi, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Turturro. Ostensibly about the disappearance of local goofball Jimmy, this quirky flick is funny and raw. It feels very much like a film from early days, which it was.
KICKING AND SCREAMING (Netflix)
Noah Baumbach’s initial foray into film set up the critically lauded director for a career worth of chatty, relational dramas. Set in the aftermath of graduation, Kicking and Screaming shows a group of characters who just can’t move on from their college town. Parker Posey, Eric Stoltz, and Olivia d’Abo headline the film.
LIVING IN OBLIVION (Fandor)
This film takes meta all the way, telling the story of the making of an independent movie. What could be navel gazing is a cultural phenomenon captured in amber. Buscemi appears for the second time on this list, accompanied by Catherine Keener, James Le Gros, Kevin Corrigan, and featuring Peter Dinklage in his first movie role. It’s indie-riffic!
SMOKE (Hulu)
More Brooklyn. More talking. But this one takes the acting chops up a notch with Harvey Keitel and William Hurt leading the way. Keitel’s smoke shop is the epicenter for the stories of many of the neighborhood’s cast of characters. Forest Whitaker, Stockard Channing, and many more make this film worth your time.
MARY JANE’S NOT A VIRGIN ANYMORE (Fandor)
If a Riot Grrrl album could magically turn into a movie, this would be it. Directed by Sarah Jacobson (who would tragically pass away at a young age a few years later) and starring a cast of unknowns, this movie is an honest exploration of all the angst Generation X built up over the Clinton years. Set in a dingy Oakland movie theater, the story revolves around young Mary Jane figuring out her future while surrounded by 20-somethings who may have wasted theirs.
It’s getting a full restoration courtesy of the American Genre Film Archive and will be screened at this year’s Fantastic Fest. Be ahead of the curve, and get your 90s on!
There are countless services to explore and some great 90s fare films on all of them. Which ones did we miss that you would suggest to us? And, as always, if you’ve got thoughts on titles we’re missing out on or new services to check out, leave a comment below or email us.
Till next week, stream on, stream away.