The Upstream: November 2022
10 great movies new to streaming this month.
Hi friends! Back after a bit of a delay as my spare watching time of late has gone towards the Astros in the World Series. Don’t forget that we fall back tomorrow (pain) — so if you need something to do with that extra hour, here are 10 solid streaming picks new to streaming services in November.
Aquamarine, Hulu
Maybe I’m in a state of heightened mid-aughts nostalgia after spending much of the year planning a party with that very theme, but when I saw Aquamarine was making the streaming rounds … oh man. A young JoJo in her “Too Little, Too Late” era and pre-memedom Emma Roberts play two friends who help a mermaid find true love so they can get a wish, which they’ll use to keep one of the dynamic duo from moving away. I remember this movie being uncommonly sweet (and, of course, incredibly silly) — and it features a needle-drop of Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” so extraordinary that I think about the movie every time I hear it.
Crimes of the Future, Hulu
This movie already came recommended in my best of 2022 so far round-up, but it bears repeating that Crimes of the Future remains one of the year’s very best — and is now available on Hulu. Hard to imagine this doesn’t end up in my top 10 because I think about it more than perhaps any other movie this year. There’s a profound longing from David Cronenberg to understand what makes us human (as opposed to mere technology or machinery), and his commentary rings with the wisdom of someone who’s devoted his entire working life exploring the limits of the flesh.
Face/Off, Amazon Prime Video
There are few modes more delightful than campy action star Nicolas Cage, and the man is truly on one in Face/Off. It’s wild how straight director John Woo plays an absolutely absurd concept: an experimental face transplant allows for an FBI agent to essentially trade bodies with a criminal who knows the location of a bomb soon to detonate in Los Angeles. Is it possible for an action movie to be this campy while also being oddly earnest? Truly must be seen to be believed.
Ingrid Goes West, HBO Max
If you’re just waking up to the non-April Ludgate talents of Aubrey Plaza in The White Lotus, catch up on her exciting indie film work that has showed a very different side to the actress. While Plaza frequently plays her misanthropic tendencies for laughs, she’s revealed a darker side to her curmudgeonly charms. One such project is Ingrid Goes West, one of the few movies that I think actually understands social media for the effect it has on the brain and not just for its output. Plaza’s Ingrid becomes obsessed with an influencer and concocts an elaborate scheme to know her — and to be her, even if that means trying to replace her.
The Little Rascals, Netflix
Forever a balm. I try not to feature movies on multiple occasions if I can help it, but sometimes you just need to know that a film with the simple silliness of The Little Rascals is at your fingertips. I think I know every line in this movie after wearing out the VHS tape in my youth, but I always find something new to surprise me each time I return. The jokes really do nail that sweet spot between being easy enough for a child to understand and complex enough for an older viewer to appreciate.
Mamma Mia!, Hulu
It has finally happened: I softened my stance on Mamma Mia! after attending a raucous sing-a-long screening over the summer. I maintain that, frankly, Meryl Streep is not good in this movie and is wildly out-of-sync with the rest of the cast’s commitment to pure campiness. But I got more enjoyment from other elements this time around that I’m finally OK to move this into the “so bad it’s good” territory. I’m glad Amanda Seyfried has stopped listening to whoever told her she could be sexy crawling in the sand.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, HBO Max
A little bit of service journalism: if you’re looking for the holiday classics, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is on HBO Max (along with the truly execrable A Christmas Story). This was never on heavy rotation in my family, but I’ve come around some to the cringe comedy of this Christmas gone awry. It’s always fun seeing a young Julia Louis-Dreyfus, too.
Neighbors, HBO Max
I so desperately wish for Zac Efron to surround himself with a team that will put him into more projects like Neighbors. He’s genuinely inspired comedically and emotionally as a stunted frat boy squaring off against the family next door. Director Nicholas Stoller knows what to do with Efron’s star image, and I do think this series is one of the only places where the actor has seemed fully in his element. I so desperately want better for him than what he seems to have gotten, as indicated by this forlorn Men’s Health profile from the fall. I want this for him first and foremost, as it seems like he’s genuinely been put through it by the demands on his body, but also for us as viewers.
Stars at Noon, Hulu
Hot off the fall festival circuit is Claire Denis’ second 2022 release, Stars at Noon. I think I liked the film more than most of my critical compatriots, who were often quite harsh on the lack of chemistry between stars Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn. Yes, it’s quite risible when out of nowhere, Alwyn looks into Qualley’s eyes and says, “Suck me.” But there’s also an unapologetic steaminess that rises above pure smut thanks to the trust and care put into production, as the stars and director told me in an interview. TL;DR: I think this is better than you’d expect from something that went from theaters to Hulu in two weeks.
Talk to Her, Hulu
Hulu’s hot streak of landing rarely streamable Pedro Almodóvar classics continues in November with their addition of Oscar-winning Talk to Her. This is perhaps the legendary Spanish director’s most inscrutable films as two men form an unlikely bond while caring for comatose women in a hospital. It’s a work that expanded my mind in regards to what cinema could do and be when I encountered it as a teenager. Let it do the same for you no matter what your station in life is, although do so with full preparation that you may be disturbed and distraught by what you see
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.
Not exactly on brand for this newsletter, but I’ve been absolutely devouring the Crooked Media x Men in Blazers collaboration “World Corrupt.” It’s a funny but very informative look at FIFA, soccer, and “sports-washing” by authoritarian regimes.
On a more cinematic note, I thought The Town did a great breakdown on why movies have gotten longer:
“I’ve always been amused at the ironic notion that Avatar had no cultural impact because nobody can name its main character,” writes David Sims at The Atlantic, “maybe that’s because the story hasn’t been crammed down viewers’ throats year after year since its release.”
If you’ve got the energy for a long read, this /Film explainer on why movie dialogue has gotten harder to hear is really worth your time. (It’s also available as a YouTube video on the page, should you be more in that information reception mode.)
For Slant Magazine, I interviewed director James Gray (along with his teenage stars, Banks Repeta and Jaylin Webb) about his new film Armageddon Time. Longtime friends may recall that I hold Gray’s 2014 film The Immigrant as the 21st century’s finest film, so it was a real honor to get to tell him as much in person. I think you might be able to see a whole lot of anxieties from this interview being recorded on the last day of my twenties, too…
I had some listicles run last week as well: Decider published 11 curated horror titles based on true stories (some fun off-the-beaten-path picks in there, if I do say so myself), while /Film published my definitive ranking of all Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s movies. Believe it or not, after my notorious pan of Bardo, that was not even the lowest ranking title.
For Decider, I said STREAM IT to HBO Max’s A Tree of Life, Amazon Prime Video’s Argentina, 1985, and Netflix’s Cici (albeit a little bit less enthusiastically). I said SKIP IT to Netflix’s The Chalk Line.
Service journalism incoming! ‘Tis the awards season, so the annual checklist is coming.
Yours in service and cinema,
Marshall