weekend watchlist: a stark new adaptation of Macbeth; more...
foul is fair in Joel Coen’s monochrome drama of magic and madness
Don’t spend hours scrolling the menus at Netflix or Amazon Prime. I point you to the best new films and hidden gems to stream.
both sides of the pond
Joel Coen — half of the Coen Brothers — debuts his striking new take on Shakespeare’s tale of royal betrayal on Apple TV+ worldwide today.
The Tragedy of Macbeth stars Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as the original power couple who plot to steal the throne of Scotland. Coen’s stark vision melds noirish shadows and postwar expressionism in a gripping miasma of magic and madness… and the way his depiction of the trio of witches who egg on Macbeth (all played by one actor, Kathryn Hunter) is a horrific thrill.
US
Hulu hidden gem
My best film of 2020 went under the radar with a lot of other critics, but director Josephine Decker’s Shirley is a stupendous experience that deserves a wider audience than it got. Fictionalizing a moment in the life of author Shirley Jackson, this is a beautiful-ugly movie, a work of domestic gothic grotesquerie, of women’s suffocation and sacrifice, pain and isolation. Elisabeth Moss’s central performance is next-level glorious in its wackadoo intensity. (Read my review.) Streaming on Hulu. Also for rent or purchase on Prime US and Apple TV US.
Prime hidden gem
Snarky Awkwafina finds a softer side as a Chinese-American woman who confronts immigrant disconnect when she heads to China for one last family gathering to say goodbye to Grandma… who, granddaughter is horrified to discover, is being kept in the dark about her terminal illness. The wonder of Lulu Wang’s charming and bittersweet The Farewell comes in its wisdom and its compassion, which transcend culture, even when it seems that will be impossible. Streaming on Prime, free to members, or for rent or purchase. Also for rent or purchase on Apple TV US.
UK
new on Netflix
You don’t need to be a fan of sailing to be absolutely thrilled by Maiden, Alex Holmes’s terrific documentary about Tracy Edwards and her first all-women racing-yacht crew. This riveting tale of the misogyny-busting sailor is as beautifully modulated as fiction, full of twists and turns and delicious ironies, and even sports a perfect ending. Yet it’s all true. (Read my review.) Streaming on Netflix. Also for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime UK and Apple TV UK.
leaving BBC iPlayer soon
The wonderfully old-fashioned tearjerker The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society leaves BBC iPlayer on January 18th. A thoroughly delightful cast — including Lily James, Michiel Huisman, Matthew Goode, and Penelope Wilton — shines in this gentle dramedy in which cosy quaint Englishness is leavened by a harsh reality of World War II that pop culture has ignored. (Read my review.) Also for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime UK and Apple TV UK.
find lots more movies to stream at Flick Filosopher
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