For the Fourth of July weekend, I’m recommending going to theaters to see The Sparks Brothers or In the Heights, OR streaming Riders of Justice.
Last night I saw one of the year’s most eagerly-awaited films – and it;s great: Questlove’s Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revo’ution Could Not Be Televised). Now in theaters and on Hulu.
IN THEATERS
- The Sparks Brothers: Must be seen to be believed.
- Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation: Two giants of American literature in their own words.
- In the Heights: Vibrant, earnest and perfect for this moment. Also streaming on HBO Max.
- Summer of 85: Director Francois Ozon reflects on how we remember our youth in this romantic teen coming of age story.
- The Dry: a mystery as psychological as it is procedural. In theaters and also streaming on AppleTV, YouTube and Google Play
- Undine: slow burn, barely flickering.
- Censor: less scary and suspenseful than it is unpleasant.
ON VIDEO
Riders of Justice: It’s the year’s best movie so far. A character-driven comedy thriller embedded with deeper stuff. Marvelous. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu and YouTube.
Slow Machine: An incomprehensible art film that is surprisingly engrossing. At Laemmle now and coming to the Roxie.
The Courier: Benedict Cumberbatch stars in this true story of Cold War espionage. Amazon, Vudu, YouTube and redbox.
The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE
- About Endlessness: Damned if I know. Streaming on Amazon, Vudu and YouTube.
- My Name Is Bulger: Two brothers, two paths to power. discovery+.
- Bad Tales: perhaps too dark. Virtual Cinema, including Laemmle.
- Brewmance: barley, hops, yeast and underdogs. Amazon (included with Prime), AppleTV, Vudu and YouTube.
- Hamlet/Horatio: More tragedy, less angst. Amazon, AppleTV.
- Louder Than Bombs: An intricately constructed family drama. Amazon (included with Prime), Vudu and YouTube.
- That Guy Dick Miller: Putting the “character” in “character actor:” Amazon (included with Prime).
- Sword of Trust: comedy and so, so much more. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu and YouTube.
- Run Lola Run: you’ll never see a more kinetic movie. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu and YouTube.
- Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street: the origin story of an institution. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
- The Face of Love: Who is she really in love with? Amazon.
- Augustine: obsession, passion and the birth of a science. Amazon (included with Prime), AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube .
- The Brainwashing of My Dad: some insight into our national madness. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
ON TV
On July 3, Turner Classic Movies is broadcasting the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock suspense thriller Strangers on a Train – one of his very best. A hypothetical discussion about murdering inconvenient people turns out to be not so hypothetical.
Robert Walker plays Bruno, one of the creepiest villains in movie history. Guy (San Jose native Farley Granger) thinks that Bruno is just an oddball – until it’s too late. The tennis match and carousel finale are epic set pieces.