Kneel Before VOD: April 16th
In the brief time I’ve had control of KBVOD we’ve seen the streaming landscape take major shifts with the launch of Disney +. When I began doing this last June it was no problem to fill out a list of titles twice a month that were newly added to streaming and that we were excited about. In the past handful of months this has become more difficult. A trend started by Netflix has seemingly been exacerbated by the launch of Disney +, and that is a shift to platforms totally supported by new, “original” content. I’ve seen major platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and especially Hulu, add less and less older movies, and movies they don’t own in general, to their services.
This is worrisome for more than a few reasons that I won’t get into here, but I mention it to let you know that going forward I am going to try and find more older and/or obscure titles available to stream, meaning I will highlight the major platforms less in favor of places like Criterion Channel and whatever free options I can find like Tubi, Crackle, and Vudu’s “free with ads” section. I will still recommend any worthy title to hit Netflix, Amazon, etc. but it feels pointless to tell you all when the latest Marvel movie hits D+ or whatever.
In addition to that I am also going to do my best to recommend titles that are either relevant to what’s going on in the world or to what new films are on the horizon. Generally I am going to try and make this feel a little bit more like an actual film discussion and less like a list. This week that should prove to be quite easy as we are amidst the outbreak of the Coronavirus and there are plenty of titles out there to help you lean into it, provide some catharsis, or just flat out help you ignore the goings on in the world right now.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Now I am aware this movie is appropriate for just about any American national crisis, but that is simply because it is a masterpiece. I am talking of course about Stanley Kubrick's Cold War satire Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Kubrick’s absurdly funny takedown of American bureaucracy and the Nuclear age is ever present but never more when we are in the middle of a national meltdown like we are now. As we sit and watch our government fumble every single step of our response to this outbreak, there is a beautiful catharsis in watching a movie that reminds you that its always been this dumb. We live each and every day at the mercy of the fumbling bozos, and if that's too much to dwell on and you can't handle that right now then just shut your brain off, sit back, just laugh endlessly at absurdity of Sellers multiple roles, George C. Scott's General Buck, and Slim Pickens iconic Major ‘King’ Kong.
Watch now on The Criterion Channel or stream for free on Crackle
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
One of the weirder side effects of this whole situation is the new sense of distrust and paranoia you feel towards other people. A virus is an invisible enemy and so we now find ourselves looking at strangers with a skeptical eye and avoiding any interaction with people we don’t know intimately for fear of spreading the disease. Lucky for us there are plenty of films dealing with such a feeling, many of which are born out of the Cold War, and one of the best of them being the Sydney Pollack/Robert Redford starring spy thriller Three Days of the Condor. Watch as a bookish CIA researcher (Redford) is thrown unwillingly into a conspiracy much larger than himself when he comes to work one day to find his entire office has been murdered. With no one to trust it’s up to him to solve the case, no matter where it leads him. It’s one of the great Robert Redford performances with incredible support from legends Faye Dunaway and Max von Sydow, and a gripping thriller to boot. There’s never been a better time to treat yourself to the Criterion channel.
Watch now on The Criterion Channel or on Amazon Prime
Swiss Army Man (2016)
With a majority of the American population in self quarantine and working from home a lot of people are on the verge of cabin fever, so to close out this list I have two movies about how to make the best out of your isolation. The first is A24’s 2016 release Swiss Army Man, starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. It’s the story of a hopeless man (Dano) who wakes up stranded on an island with nothing and no one but a mysterious dead body (Radcliffe) to keep him company. Due to the circumstances he soon befriends the corpse, who has some gassy abilities of his own, leading him on a journey of self discovery that will change him forever. Directed by ‘Daniels’ (Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert) this is a movie unlike anything you’ve seen before. It’s extremely funny, Dano and Radcliffe have great chemistry and make a really sweet pair of friends, and it has one of the most interesting scores I’ve ever heard - making it the perfect quarantine viewing. Maybe it will inspire you to take some of this free time to work on yourself, something we all should be doing a lot more of.
Amazon Prime (2017)
A big topic of discussion during these strange times has been how to make the most of all of the newly acquired free time you have. Lots of talk of catching up on things, or starting new hobbies, or finding ways to be productive, but not everyone has that kind of motivation with the looming threat of a pandemic in the back of their head. Some of us just need to ignore all of our problems and build a giant magic cardboard maze in our house. At least that’s what Dave (Nick Thune), a struggling artist, turned to when he found himself beyond frustrated with life. He turned his frustration into a massive cardboard maze, but there's only one problem, he’s got himself lost in it. Now his friends have to navigate the physical manifestations of his fears and anxieties to help him escape his own destruction. It sounds way bleaker then it is, this movie is super light-hearted and fun and is a testament to true DIY filmmaking. People lacking the motivation to be productive will surely find it cathartic while also potentially finding some inspiration to try and create something while trapped at home, even if it’s just building a cardboard maze. Everything is scary and stressful right now and we could all use a little inspiration to help us cope with it all.
Watch now on Amazon Prime, Kanopy, or for free on Tubi
More Streaming Picks:
Netflix: Bloodsport (1988), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Criterion: Dogtooth (2009)
Disney +: Onward (2020)
HBO: The Nice Guys (2016)
