In this week’s FIELD OF STREAMS, Tinseltown is ready for its closeup, Mr. DeMille
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.
For the general public, springtime means daylight savings, a week off from school, and Easter. For most movie geeks, such as yours truly, it means the unveiling of the trailers for many of the titles which will make up the summer movie season, with previews for the likes of Aladdin and Toy Story 4 dominating YouTube. Yet the most intriguing by far has been the teaser for Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the story of how a faded TV actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double (Brad Pitt) navigate late-1960s Hollywood. Personally, there have been very few trailers I’ve rewatched as much as this one. The humor, the period trappings and the overall embracing of the industry and the town all come through beautifully in the well-made teaser. Tarantino’s intention to include Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and her fateful encounter with the Manson family all but guarantees that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood looks to be another undefinable Tarantino brainchild and one of the season’s most talked about movies.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is also the latest in a long line of titles featuring the movie business being satirized and put on display in lights which, although not always flattering, usually prove fascinating. In anticipation of what will hopefully be another Tarantino masterpiece, here’s a group of streaming flicks which feature Hollywood examining itself through the filter of those who have survived it.
MAPS TO THE STARS (Netflix)
David Cronenberg’s first film set and shot in Los Angeles told the stories of a group of industry players who come face to face with demons both real and imaginary while trying to hold on to their careers and sanities. Like so many of Cronenberg’s films, Maps to the Stars boasts actors taking on parts unlike any before in their careers, with Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson, and Olivia Williams all transforming themselves for the bizarre screenplay. None of them hold a candle to Julianne Moore’s Havana Segrand (don’t you just love that name?!), an aging actress whose stormy past with her famous movie star mother has left her an absolute wreck of a human being. While Maps to the Stars journeys into a variety of territories (including a sort of Bret Easton Ellis terrain), it’s in the character of Havana where Cronenberg offers up his most scathing take on the industry as he has his unpredictable character have sex with her limo driver, suffer a nervous breakdown, and cheer for joy when she learns a fellow actress’s young son has drowned, resulting in her taking the lead role in her rival’s upcoming film. Maps to the Stars is not the easiest of watches, but like most Cronenberg offerings, it’s entirely intoxicating.
HOLLY WOOD ENDING (Starz)
Like Cronenberg, Woody Allen spent as much time away from Hollywood as possible while carving out one of the most impressive careers in cinema history. Yet he too couldn’t resist the urge to send up the business which made him a household name with 2002’s Hollywood Ending. In the film, Allen stars as Sydney, a once-prominent director considered a has-been until his ex-wife turned studio head Ellie (Tea Leoni) gives him a shot at a comeback with an exciting feature directing gig. However, on the night before the first day, Val suddenly discovers he’s gone blind. Rather than tell anyone, he decides to fake his way through it all and direct the movie despite not being able to see. Made during the Woodman’s post-Deconstructing Harry/pre-Match Point era, Hollywood Ending is sorely underrated as an Allen offering. The director’s aversion to Hollywood as an industry is infamous, making his take on the world in his film so cleverly biting. The plight of his main character clearly represents both the blind creative vision of filmmakers, the studios’ willingness to proclaim unwatchable movies as works of true genius, and the business’s blind love of celebrated, if overrated, filmmakers. Hollywood Ending’s criticism of the movie world didn’t help its box office chances, but it still contains plenty of Allen laughs thanks to a fun premise and a filmmaker who knows what to do with it.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (Vudu)
The virtual creator of the mockumentary, Christopher Guest, strayed from the genre which gave him his name and crafted the comedic narrative feature For Your Consideration, the story of the cast and crew of a small Hollywood indie film who get caught up in awards talk when it’s reported that Oscar buzz is surrounding the production. All of Guest’s typical players are here and prove as game as ever, turning in hilarious portraits of Hollywood characters, from producers, to actors, to entertainment journalists. However it’s Guest’s take on the intoxicating nature of awards buzz and the promise of Oscar glory which is so easily conjured up and devoured by industry players hungry for acclaim that drives the hilarious satire. The best illustration of the movie’s theme is the character of Marilyn Hack (Catherine O’Hara), whose hope for Oscar gold grows more and more desperate as the film progresses, giving For Your Consideration its strongest, and most entertaining, element. In a case of life imitating art, O’Hara’s performance earned a bit of acclaim that awards season but fell short of an Oscar nomination for what is one of the most brilliant turns of the actress’s impressive career. Guest has since returned to the mockumentary he made famous with 2016’s Mascots, but For Your Consideration maintains the filmmaker’s unmatched flavor of comedy and his talent for exploring some of the most specific and outrageous areas of society.
IN A WORLD… (Hulu, Prime)
The representation of women in the industry has always been worthy of comment for both the strides made over time and the milestones yet to be achieved. Yet perhaps no other film gave a more thoughtful and funny take than Lake Bell’s writing/directing debut In a World… As Carol, Bell plays one of the movie industry’s most talented vocal coaches, whose dream is to succeed her father Sam (Fred Melamed) as the go-to narrator for film trailers. If the plot of In a World… screams quirky indie, the quest and struggle of the main character are both quite daring. While women have proven as capable as their male counterparts of handling most any role in front of and behind the camera, the territory of trailer narration remains uncharted. Bell hits on one of the movie biz’s mainstays, and through her film questions the patriarchal tradition behind it as she tries to move it forward with the rest of the industry. When everyone (including Sam) seems dead set against Carol’s ambitions of landing a gig of narrating the trailers for a Hunger Games-like series, her goal of shattering the glass ceiling becomes virtually unstoppable. Bell’s wonderful script doesn’t take up oodles of time with blunt “message” scenes, but instead includes great sub-plots on family, a love triangle, and a comment on legacy within the industry. Featuring great supporting turns from Ken Marino, Tig Notaro, Demetri Martin, and Geena Davis, In a World… is one of the most honest and quietly provocative films about a woman’s place in 21st century Hollywood and her mission to take it further.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED (TubiTV)
It may not have reached the same sharp-toothed satirical levels as The Player, but the 2009 Robert De Niro comedy What Just Happened had plenty to say about Hollywood and the maddening grasp it holds on even the most seemingly powerful. Barry Levinson directed a fictional account of writer/producer Art Linson’s book about a harried movie producer (DeNiro) who must contend with wrangling personal and professional woes including a faltering marriage as well as the difficult task of getting his latest film rolling before the cameras. De Niro has always been at his comedic best when playing it straight amidst funny chaos. What Just Happened takes full of advantage by giving the actor the chance to play sarcasm and silent desperation to make the film’s comedic beats hit just right. At its core however is a sympathetic ode to the harried producer trying to maintain something of a hold on his own life and the pressures of the industry. Levinson’s balance allows for an honest exploration of both worlds, from De Niro trying to communicate with his distant teen daughter (Kristen Stewart) to his character trying to convince a stubborn Bruce Willis that he must shave his beard in order to star in the movie he’s producing. The tagline for What Just Happened reads, “In Hollywood, everyone can hear you scream.” It’s a telling slogan which encompasses the film just right as a tale about a man looked on as a king, a magic maker who is really just as human and conflicted as anyone else.
There are countless services to explore and great things to watch 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.