The Downstream: January 2023
10 great movies to watch before they leave streaming this month.
Any big important news in the movie world this week?
Ah yes, it’s about to be the end of the month, which means there will be a reshuffling of titles among the streaming platforms. January was actually pretty tough to pull ten titles for, admittedly, because I presume most contracts started anew in 2023. But here are some things you might want to keep an eye out for in this final week of the month.
Jurassic Park, HBO Max
I really enjoyed a recent article in Screencrush by Matt Singer positing “‘The Fabelmans’ Makes Bad Spielberg Movies More Interesting.” Now, I think Jurassic Park is neither bad nor uninteresting … but I do think it’s a movie that probably opens itself up to many new readings after seeing Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film. If you haven’t seen this one in a while, perhaps it’s time to return to the park — if nothing else, it will help wash out the taste of the dreadful Dominion from last summer.
Knocked Up, Amazon Prime Video
“I’m glad that people still like any of our movies,” Seth Rogen told me when I asked how he felt about Knocked Up assuming the mantle of period piece and generational touchstone for millennials. “The fact that any of them are viewed as remotely relevant in some way is lovely.” I really do think this will be a “time capsule” movie for the mid-2000s as it charts the prolonged adolescence of men and the new professional expectations for women.
La La Land, Amazon Prime Video
As someone who has been quite forceful online and IRL in my “we’re not going to say Babylon is good” stance, let me show some grace and appreciation for the tremendous talents of its director Damien Chazelle. La La Land became something of an awards season villain with an extremely long tail after the Best Picture envelope fiasco, but I think that overshadows a movie that has a lot of really wonderful elements. Namely, the studio-era chemistry between stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Their flirting and fighting over “I Ran” is genuinely electrifying!
Luce, Hulu
Who is Luce? I’ll let director Julius Onah explain the character and conundrum at the heart of this provocative drama of upper-crust race relations as he did to me: “We viewed him as this budding revolutionary, this kid who has incredible intellectual horsepower. But it’s like he’s got a Lamborghini with no license to drive. He contains all these multitudes within him, but, at the same time, has a tremendous amount of expectation on him from everyone around him who wants him to live his life on a symbolic, representational level, in order to prove whatever point they want.”
Newness, Netflix
I’ll continue to bang the drum for Nicholas Hoult being a generational talent, and if you enjoyed him do comedy in The Menu on HBO Max this month (so many people have told me about watching this movie!), you should see his serious side in Newness. I found Drake Doremus’ romance in the age of apps genuinely riveting in large part because of the soulfulness he brings to playing a twentysomething guy trying to get in touch with his sensitive side. (And if you do watch, check out my interview with the filmmaker.)
The One I Love, HBO Max
The great writer Anne Helen Petersen has a feature at the end of her Substack newsletter Culture Study called “Just Trust Me” where she gives you no grounding as to what to expect from clicking a link — hoping you’ll just take her on blind faith that it’s worth your time. I’m asking you to do the same for The One I Love. Know as little as possible (watch the trailer below if you must) and strap in for an unexpected ride.
Putney Swope, Criterion Channel
Since I count many current and former colleagues in the ad business as readers of this newsletter, this one might be of special interest for you. Robert Downey Sr. (Iron Man’s dad) absolutely ethered our industry over a half-century ago with his satire of race relations on Madison Avenue … and by extension, corporate America. A cheeky stunt installing a Black employee as chairman of their board backfires on clueless executives, absolutely going there with gonzo humor and scathing critique.
Sing Street, Netflix
You’ll be seeing director John Carney’s name again soon — his Sundance hit Flora and Son just sold to Apple TV+ for a whopping $20 million. Reviews point to another feel-good, if perhaps slight, Irish musical in the vein of Sing Street. I’m of the opinion that the music — in particular “Drive It Like You Stole It” — is quite a bit catchier than the coming-of-age tale in working-class Ireland. But if you are looking for a charming movie guaranteed to put a smile on your face, you really can’t go wrong here.
Spider-Man, Netflix
“With great power comes great responsibility.” Everyone’s been chasing a line this good ever since. A part of me wishes we could have the original Spider-Man trilogy stories, only acted by Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, for what would have been the absolute best of this comic-book hero. But the movie that really kickstarted our current blockbuster boom is still pretty darn good as it is.
Tootsie, Hulu
Don’t write off Tootsie because the premise of a struggling actor disguising himself in middle-aged female drag to get parts seems “cancellable” today! Four decades later, it’s still a perceptive comedy about gender expectations in entertainment — and still absolutely hilarious. Dustin Hoffman commits to the bit, that much is certain. Perhaps he had to walk so Robin Williams could fly in Mrs. Doubtfire.
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.
Confused about how that shocking Andrea Riseborough nomination for Best Actress came about? This episode of The Town has a great bit of background and industry knowledge to explain.
Also, genuinely adored listening to this conversation with Sarah Polley on WTF while doing apartment cleaning on Monday night. She’s just such a comforting, wise soul.
I really liked this feature on MUBI called “The Current Conversation” which traces out the contours of how critics respond to movies without indulging the dreaded “discourse” — this edition about Avatar: The Way of Water is a great read to get a wide range of opinions on the film.
This New York Times investigation into a yearly MoMA series known as “To Save and Project” is a fascinating glimpse into what movies get restored and why. I’ll be going this weekend to see one myself.
For Slant Magazine, I had the supreme pleasure of interviewing French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve ahead of her eighth feature One Fine Morning. You may not have heard the end of my raving about her work on this newsletter — I rewatched almost all of her films and found them a richly rewarding glimpse into a relaxed yet rigorous method of portraying everyday life.
You might also enjoy some of the conversations I had with some of this year’s Oscar nominees, all for Slant Magazine:
Daniels, nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Everything Everywhere All at Once
Ruben Östlund, nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Triangle of Sadness
Paul Mescal, nominated for Best Actor for Aftersun (not what I interviewed him about but so what)
Sara Dosa, nominated for Best Documentary Feature for Fire of Love
Jerzy Skolimowski, nominated for Best International Feature for EO
Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins, nominated for Best Animated Feature for Turning Red
Subscribers are getting a fun Oscar-related post this weekend!
Yours in service and cinema,
Marshall