Welcome to our brand new format for streaming recommendations! Streaming Weekly is just like our old Netflix Your Weekend recommendations, but we’re including other streaming mediums like Amazon Prime and Hulu! Of course, what hasn’t changed are the incredibly diverse and excellent picks from our retinue of contributors. Here are three picks to make sure your weekend is filled with quality movies and TV shows.
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via AP Johnson
Stonehearst Asylum (Netflix Instant) – I’ve been in a mood lately for psychological thrillers as I am writing my own screenplay of the same nature. My favorite sub-genre is the asylum thriller. I was happy to discover 2014’s sleeper, Stonehearst Asylum. The story follows a young doctor who visits a mental hospital and becomes smitten by one of the patients. However, he is unaware of the recent, disturbing change in staff. I am a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe and this was based on his short story “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether.”
I knew the film had a solid cast of British greats, but thought it was mostly likely another piece of B-movie claptrap. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the story, the lovely, subtle romance, and the fun thrills therein.
Additionally, you can expect creative camera work, stunning lighting, and a beautiful score. It’s not the sort of film you’d give an Oscar to, but it’s a good watch for those of us who dig a gothic period piece.
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via JR Forasteros
Catastrophe (Amazon Prime): An American business man spending a week in London, meets a British woman, and they spend the week… um… getting to know each other. Very well. He returns to the States, and she ends up pregnant. So he moves to the UK to make it work with her. Catastrophe is hilarious and fun, avoiding the usual romantic comedy tropes in favor of humor that comes from adults acting like actual adults. It’s crazy, fun and has a lot of heart.
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via Josh Crabb
White God (Netflix Instant) – The newest and one of the better foreign language films you are going to find on Netflix Instant. White God is a Hungarian film centering on the relationship between a 13 year-old girl, Lili, and her dog, Hagen. When the two are separated at the behest of Lili’s father, Hagen and Lili go their separate ways but follow eerily similar journeys. Lili holds out hope she can find her lost dog and Hagen suffers at the hands of one brutal taskmaster after another. The final third of the movie is intense, brilliant, and lyrical.
Equally amazing is the significant screen time devoted to Hagen and other stray dogs he meets. The dogs are never given the “Homeward Bound” treatment, but act like dogs and make decisions like dogs. However, the ability of the director to patiently get exactly what he wanted out of some incredibly emotional, comedic, and even dramatic scenes from dogs is deft and exquisite. They even give every dog their due in the final credits!
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