This week’s FIELD OF STREAMS features five prizes from the popular service
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, Hoopla, and Shudder? We’ve got it all. From topical 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.
Hulu usually comes around in my rotation once a year when The Handmaid’s Tale rolls around, but in these homebound times, it might be worth checking out now. While there’s lots of television to be had on the platform, its movie offerings are top notch. Check out five winning numbers below.
PARASITE (Watch on Hulu)
This one’s a no brainer. If for some reason this has gone unwatched. it’s time to catch up with last year’s surprise Oscar winner. Surprising not because of its quality, but because of everything else. There’s a lot crammed in one film here. A tense thriller. A dual domestic drama covering two families that span the socio-economic spectrum. And a fine example of modern Korean cinema. The less said about the plot the better. It’s an unforgettable experience.
https://www.hulu.com/movie/parasite-2fd691a0-f66b-467f-8635-00d7f151f3d4
BORDER (Watch on Hulu)
This is an odd, odd film. Featuring an Iranian director and filmed in Sweden, Border is arthouse far, through and through. Starring Eva Melander as Tina, a physically unattractive woman who has a 6th sense: She can smell fear. Of course, this means she gets a banal job in airport security. Soon she meets Vore (Eero Milonoff) a kindred soul. From THERE things get weird. A fine example of European cinema with a little bit of the fantastical — okay, a lot — Border leaves an impression.
https://www.hulu.com/movie/parasite-2fd691a0-f66b-467f-8635-00d7f151f3d4
THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE (Watch on Hulu)
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots, The Art of Self-Defense is a dark comedy that is equal parts dark and comedy. Local filmmaker David Zellner has a really nice role that feels like if his character in Gigantic learned martial arts and grew a healthy ego. That doesn’t mean things end will for him, however. With nice pacing and a decent twist at the end, The Art of Self-Defense should portend more for director (and Austin native) Riley Stearns.
https://www.hulu.com/movie/parasite-2fd691a0-f66b-467f-8635-00d7f151f3d4
FLOWER (Watch on Hulu)
Think Booksmart but from the perspective of the girls who like to get in trouble. This is one of the best example of the exciting genre of girl power that’s bereft of all that Disney-fied schlock these movies featured for years. Zoey Deutch kills in the lead role. Kathryn Hahn and Adam Scott help the proceedings along, and somehow Tim Heidecker doesn’t derail.
MONSTERS AND MEN (Watch on Hulu)
It is an absolute tragedy that Monsters and Men didn’t get more play when it came out in 2018. Exploring that evergreen topic of the police killing a person of color, this film comes at the issue in a nuanced, and frankly beautiful way. With multiple characters taking lead throughout the story, the ultimate question is posed: What should one do in the face of such horrific injustice. With striking performances by Anthony Ramos (Hamilton), John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves) and many more, this is an important movie that hasn’t waned in power since it came out.
https://www.hulu.com/movie/parasite-2fd691a0-f66b-467f-8635-00d7f151f3d4
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.
Check out Cinapse’s other streaming content in the meantime, but till next week… stream on, stream away.