FIELD OF STREAMS spends the final weeks of the season with these great streaming picks
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 school supplies are flying off the shelves and students are moaning about who they have for Geometry, but for the rest of us, it’s still effing summer! There’s still plenty of time to down some margaritas at the local Tex-Mex restaurant, hit the beach with a piece of escapist lit or check out some outdoor concerts. FYI, I’ve got all three lined up for myself in the next week. It also means there’s still time to soak up some worthwhile summer-themed streaming picks. Each of these sun-drenched titles encapsulate some part of the summer season when people venture for a vacation in ways both literal and metaphorical hoping for a renewed vigor that will carry them through the rest of the year. Each of these titles couldn’t be further apart in tone, execution and especially locale. Yet all of them manage to scratch that summer itch by commenting on the season with pure cinematic style.
FYRE (Netflix)
Now known as the greatest party that never happened, Fyre chronicles what surely went down as the worst vacation ever for a handful of unlucky individuals. The documentary examines the origins and eventual collapse of the ill-fated Fyre Festival; a supposedly lavish three-day concert in the Caribbean which ended in disaster for everyone, not least of all Billy McFarland, the event’s founder. The whole affair plays out like the unbelievable train wreck the news made it out to be. Commentary from everyone including organizers, staff and attendees bring to life this tale of a young entrepreneur whose grasp on reality paled in comparison to an ambition that bordered on the maniacal. There’s a certain squeamishness at watching the events unfold as the cameras watch everyone try and put together an event that the fates clearly never intended to happen. At the same time it’s hard not to be glued to the screen by every suspense-laden turn as all the players involved sunk deeper into legal quicksand. An exercise in the dangers of excess, nerve and believing your own publicity, Fyre is one of the most telling of documentaries of the current millennial-driven era.
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (Starz)
Northern Italy in the summertime rarely looked as exquisite as it does in one of 2017’s most acclaimed films. When a visiting research assistant (Armie Hammer) arrives to lend his services to a renowned history professor (Michael Stuhlbarg), he awakens feelings in the man’s 17-year-old son (Timothee Chalamet) leading to a sweeping love affair between the two. Call Me By Your Name got a lot of buzz upon its Sundance debut for its sole existence as a homosexual love story between two of the most camera-ready actors in film. Watching the movie however, it’s hard not to get caught up and eventually taken by the pure romance at the story’s core. The movie features two fascinating protagonists; one of whom is a mystery to the world and another who is a mystery to himself. Watching them take part in the emotional dance which will eventually unite them can’t help but pull the viewer in, reminding them of the first time they experienced a love that profoundly changed them. Cruelly released in December, the Italian seaside is captured as a true paradise where the magic of romance is at its strongest. Eternally gorgeous and forever moving, Call Me By Your Name is the kind of love story whose future status as a classic is guaranteed.
TO CATCH A THIEF (Amazon)
Alfred Hitchcock reached the height of his Hollywood glamour period with this elegant caper featuring a former cat burglar (Cary Grant) who is forced to deal with his past when a copycat seems to have all of Monte Carlo, not to mention a beautiful tourist (Grace Kelly), thinking the infamous thief has come out of retirement. The elegance of To Catch a Thief can be found in its gorgeous Riviera setting, it’s luscious costumes and in the sparkling chemistry between the two starry leads. The movie is the kind of European crime caper that set the standard for photogenic stars in tales of intrigue set against continental backdrops. Yet Hitchcock’s film is the only one that takes full advantage of the trappings to the point that you can’t help but feel as if you’re on vacation alongside the stars themselves. Although there’s a subtle theme the director plays with about a man having to deal with a past life he fought to escape, this might be the least Hitchcockian entry on the legendary filmmaker’s resume. Still, the overall sumptuousness and lushness of To Catch a Thief is enough to keep those watching it from wishing it were anything else.
YOU MIGHT BE THE KILLER (Shudder)
What room is there left to explore within the beloved slasher genre? How about a movie where the main character, the one you root for, just might be the one unknowingly causing all the mayhem in the first place? The minds behind You Might Be the Killer attempted this experiment with a tale about a head camp counselor (Fran Kranz) who finds his fellow counselors being gruesomely knocked off by an unseen killer. The summer camp descending into lakeside horror motif has been done, famously, making the challenge for You Might Be the Killer all the more real. Yet the setup has never gotten this kind of treatment before. The movie has a wonderfully self-contained feel to it that’s appropriate and heightened by the script’s architecture which goes back and forth, playing with the sequence of events. The deaths are illustrative enough to satisfy gore fans and Allyson Hannigan makes for a great female lead as Kranz’s BFF/comic book store manager to whom he repeatedly calls for help. Her deducing of her friend’s possible killing spree is delivered brilliantly by the actress, likening it to contracting an STD as opposed to mass murder. That, along with the steadfast denial that Kranz’s character clings to, is the kind of pitch perfect humor which makes the innovative slasher soar.
SEPTEMBER (Vudu)
Since its release, and probably until the end of time, September’s reputation in the eyes of many cinephiles remains the movie Woody Allen shot twice. Indeed, Allen was famously unhappy with the results upon seeing the first cut of September, that he re-cast virtually every part and shot it again. The result is simultaneously one of his most overlooked titles and possibly his most involving movie experience. September tells the story of Lane (Mia Farrow), who is dodging the affections of her neighbor Howard (Denholm Elliott) due to her attraction to writer Peter (Sam Waterston), who in turn has fallen for Stephanie (Dianne Wiest), who has retreated to Lane’s house for a much-needed break from her husband and children. The appearance of Lane’s movie star mother, Diane (Elaine Stritch) and stepfather Lloyd (Jack Warden) sets the stage for the perfect chamber piece with characters confronting their respective feelings, and each other, as another Connecticut summer comes to a close. If the plot sounds stagey, it’s because that’s its purpose. Allen’s desire to create a cinematic theater piece is gloriously realized in this drama that’s rich in the kind of genuine human conflict that is universal. Excellent performances (especially an Oscar-worthy one from Stritch) anchor one of the most poetic of the Woodman’s efforts where characters face their fears as both them and the season transition towards an unknown future.
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.
