The Downstream: December 2022
10 great movies to watch before they leave streaming this month.
Here we are — the last streaming update of 2022! If you’re lucky enough to have some time to rest and relax over the holidays, consider firing up one of these 10 movies before they depart their current platform.
Along Came Polly, Hulu
It’s Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller who are front and center in the marketing for Along Came Polly, but real ones know it’s Philip Seymour Hoffman who owns the movie. When I discussed the actor’s career with noted PSH scholar Jonah Koslofsky, I picked it as my most surprising film in his solid and sadly brief filmography. If you haven’t seen it yet, give yourself this gift.
Casino Royale, Netflix
As we prepare to turn the page for a new era of James Bond, let’s not forget how great the last one was. (Or at least, how it began.) The new Bond is going to have a tough act to follow for opening salvos because Casino Royale is pretty much the platonic ideal of a franchise action film’s opening salvo. I rarely return to rewatch these types of movies and yet have lost track of how many times I’ve seen this one. It’s that good.
Celeste and Jesse Forever, Amazon Prime Video
If you’re a bit burnt out from a long year and want to enjoy a nice movie that’s not going to demand all that much of you (but is also not completely disposable), Celeste and Jesse Forever probably fits the bill for your streaming needs. This indie rom-com flew a bit under the radar upon release in 2012, even though I think it really could have played to a bigger crowd. It’s got a really interesting and largely unseen concept with stars Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg as the titular couple, divorced partners who freak out all their friends by staying amicable after the split. Those pleasantries get put to the test, though, when Jesse starts seeing someone new and sends Celeste slightly spiraling.
A Clockwork Orange, Netflix
There was a long time when I felt almost scared to watch A Clockwork Orange because people built it up as this traumatizing, borderline punishing experience. I’m not here to tell you that watching the movie is going to be all sunshine and roses. But it’s worth enduring the pain because the tactics are purposefully aligned with the content of Kubrick’s film. This savagely satirical social commentary must show the extremes of bad behavior — and its therapeutic treatment — to ask the tough questions of how we deal with and define deviancy.
Damsel, HBO Max
Subscribers heard me sing the praises of the Robert Pattinson-starring Damsel when I broke down his career choices of the last five years. But for those who don’t have access, allow me to make the case for watching this delightful revisionist Western comedy:
Pattinson undermines just about every notion of a gallant, macho Western hero as his Samuel Alabaster sets off across the frontier in search of the woman he wants to wed. The ensuing misadventures reveal his character as a pathetic patsy. I’ll hold off on any revelations from the second half when his would-be bride (played by frequent Pattinson costar Mia Wasikowska) enters the picture, but let’s just say there is plenty of room to wonder who plays the titular role.
The Descendants, Hulu
In the just over a decade since its release, The Descendants has more or less faded from memory as other than a trivia question. (“Oh yeah, that was one of the Best Picture nominees in 2011!”) It’s been a minute since I’ve revisited myself, but this domestic dramedy about a Hawaiian family man who learns a startling secret about his ailing wife is far more complex and knotty than originally meets the eye. I think it’s the kind of film that feels entirely unsurprising from Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways, Nebraska) and thus somewhat unremarkable — but it’s really worth seeing, if for nothing other than a vividly vulnerable George Clooney.
Father of the Bride Part II, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu
The Mouse House giveth, and the Mouse House taketh away. I excitedly blared the klaxon when the Nancy Meyers’ Father of the Bride movies hit streaming for the first time since I could remember this fall, and now there’s an indication they could be going back into the Disney vault. Disney+ is bad about announcing when titles leave, so it could also be leaving that platform as well. But take this as a warning that if you want the comfort watch of Father of the Bride Part II this winter, your window might be shrinking.
Pierrot le Fou, Criterion Channel
The late Jean-Luc Godard, a titan of the French New Wave who helped create the template for much of the idiosyncratic cinema we know and love today, can be somewhat of a tough nut to crack. Starting at the beginning with Breathless is always a good idea, but if you’re looking for another entry point where you can dip a toe in the vast pool of Godard, Pierrot Le Fou is a good option. This amusing, colorful tale of a man (Jean-Paul Belmondo) who abandons his life to go on a road trip with a beguiling ex-lover (Anna Karina) is quite entertaining as it also deconstructs notions of genre, spectacle, and society.
13 Going on 30, HBO Max
I mean, of course the movie that I threw a themed party around is getting a shoutout before it vanishes from streaming. 13 Going on 30 is maybe a bit more of a cookie-cutter coming-of-age/fish-out-of-water comedy than I’d remembered, but the fun sequences are still a total blast. (AKA, the “Thriller” dance.) Also, there’s a picture of Jennifer Garner’s Jenna Rink with Rudy Guiliani that plays a bit differently now!
True Grit, Amazon Prime Video
Don’t let anyone tell you True Grit is somehow a lesser Coens work! The film does feel like somewhat of an outlier among their work given that it’s fairly sincere in its approach to genre. Where the brothers normally cut against the grain, this slices smoothly. I rewatched for a piece in the last year or so, and I was startled by how well it played.
You can always keep up with my film-watching in real-time on the app Letterboxd. I’ve also compiled every movie I’ve ever recommended through this newsletter via a list on the platform as well.
As a movie, Babylon is quite bad — but Justin Hurwitz’s score has many tracks going on my movie scores to get in the zone playlist! My favorite track is (lol) “Coke Room,” which frankly tells you everything you need to know about this movie.
I loved reading Vulture’s film critics follow this line of thought in their year-end review: “Did We Want Too Much From Movies in 2022?”
A wild proposition and turn in the streaming wars that the NYT raises: “Could Theatrical Movies Shut Out Streamers for the Top Oscars?”
I found this Sight & Sound history of how digital cinematography overtook shooting on film absolutely riveting — a must-read for anyone who likes to think about how technology plays a role in the art we love.
This week, paid subscribers to Marshall and the Movies received a breakdown of how I re-ranked my top 10 movies of 2012 a decade later.
I reviewed Avatar: The Way Of Water for The Playlist and had a lot of fun!
I also had a very interesting chat with director Mark Pellington about his new Going All the Way: The Director’s Edit. To make a long story short, this ‘90s Sundance hit featuring young Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz essentially disappeared after a studio hacked it up for mass consumption. Pellington radically reimagined the tone and form of his raw material, and this new iteration of a story about male friendship is really something special. The film is great, as are Pellington’s insights about the economic realities of the industry.
For Slant, I interviewed director Marie Kreutzer about her new iconoclastic royal anti-biopic Corsage. I have to say, this is one of those chats that made me want to go back and rewatch the movie — her insight made me appreciate the intentionality more. It begins its theatrical run Friday 12/23.
For Decider, I said skip it (as opposed to stream it) to both God’s Crooked Lines and The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari on Netflix.
Later this week, subscribers will get a series of double-bills featuring great 2022 movies that didn’t make my top 10 list. If you want that inspired viewing, be sure to subscribe!
Yours in service and cinema,
Marshall