Leigh Paatsch’s guide to what to stream this weekend
Three weeks out from Christmas and there’s a bunch of new TV shows and movies to stream this weekend, including a timeless holiday classic that’ll no doubt be played everyday in the lead up to December 25.
Leigh Paatsch
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Three weeks out from Christmas and there’s a bunch of new TV shows and movies to stream this weekend, including a timeless holiday classic that’ll no doubt be played everyday in the lead up to December 25.
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THE ONE WITH THE WILD WEST AT ITS BEST
THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (MA15+)
****
NETFLIX
The times, they must be rapidly a’changin’ when first-rate filmmakers of the likes of the Coen Brothers are sidestepping a traditional cinema release and choosing to premiere their work on a streaming platform. More will be following their lead from hereon in. In the past decade, the Coens have been at their very best when roaming the badlands of the American west with movies as magnificent as No Country for Old Men and True Grit. So the good news here is that The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is chock-full of cunning cowpokes, ornery outlaws and frontier freaks doing their thing in the wild, wild west of yesteryear. The movie is best classified as an anthology piece, where six radically differing stories of deception, heartbreak, revenge, murder and madness are told on a chapter-by-chapter basis. There is a stack of great actors drifting in and out of frame, including James Franco, Brendan Gleeson, Zoe Kazan, David Krumholtz and an inspired Liam Neeson as a carny-cum-undertaker not to be trusted.
THE ONE MAKING A CLASSIC OFFER YOU SHOULDN’T REFUSE
THE GODFATHER COLLECTION (M)
*****
FOXTEL NOW
Finally, all parts of The Godfather trilogy can be found in the one streaming place thanks to Foxtel. Feel free to give the much-derided Part III the heave-ho, but never ever forget Parts I and II are among the greatest movies ever made. By coolly snapping off the twigs of an Italian-American family tree one by one, these flawless works capture how absolute power can corrupt absolutely. The big trifecta of what makes a good film great — direction, script and performance — achieve the maximum payoff possible. A miraculous outcome considering the difficult circumstances under which these masterpieces were created. Simply untouchable. Stars Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro.
THE ONE YOU SECRETLY LOVE OVER AND OVER AGAIN
LOVE, ACTUALLY (M)
***1/2
NETFLIX, STAN
Everyone’s favourite sneaky Christmas guilty pleasure returns to streaming just in time for the silly season. Ten tales of relationships starting, ending and changing shape are explored with considerable wit and eloquence. Does get very, very mushy at times, but the overall excellence of a stellar ensemble (Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson and Laura Linney) more than compensates. The most inspired piece of casting will always be Hugh Grant (yes, Hugh Grant!) as a British Prime Minister game enough to tell a US President (played by Billy Bob Thornton) where to get off.
THE ONE WITH THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL
WHITNEY (M)
****
GOOGLE, ITUNES
This is the second recent documentary to chart the irresistible rise and irreversible demise of American singing legend Whitney Houston. Let the record show that Whitney is clearly the superior offering, digging deeper and pushing harder for a fuller understanding of its talented, tragic subject. (2017’s Whitney: Can I Be Me? is currently available to stream on Netflix if you need to compare and contrast.) Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald skilfully reminds us there was more going on with Houston than just an extensive vocal range, or precision pitching. There was passion. There was soul. There was belief. There was beauty. However, whenever Houston stepped away from the microphone, an ugly reality was soon there to surround and consume her. Macdonald’s film expertly isolates the disconnect between the joy Houston found only in music, and the betrayals, denials, addictions and abuses that ultimately ended her life at just the age of 48.
THE ONE WITH TWISTS, TURNS … AND TOURISM!
THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY (M)
***1/2
SBS ON DEMAND
The year is 1962. While on an idyllic summer holiday in Greece, a wealthy married couple (Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst) experience a spot of bother with the local police. Their only way out of the tangle is a wily young American tour guide (Oscar Isaac). This expertly executed adaptation of a second-tier novel from esteemed author Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr Ripley) is all about making a little niggle go a long way. Though there is unmistakeable unease in the air from the outset, first-time filmmaker Hossein Amini very skilfully keeps tension levels rising steadily throughout. Before you know it, The Two Faces of January has got you in its grip, and won’t be letting go in a hurry.
THE ONE THAT’LL KEEP YOU WONDERING
A WRINKLE IN TIME (PG)
**1/2
FOXTEL NOW
A lavish and rather angular adaptation of the much-loved 1962 book A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Newcomer Storm Reid stars as Meg Murry, a lonely, sensitive teen who reluctantly journeys into an alternate dimension to find her missing father (Chris Pine). Along the way, Meg, her precocious brother (Deric McCabe) and sweet could-be boyfriend (Levi Miller) regularly call upon the ancient wisdom of a trio of astral guides (Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and, umm, a 50-metre-high Oprah Winfrey). Despite a vividly immersive production design, what should have been a consummate crowd-pleaser can often become a habitual head-scratcher.
THE ONE WITH THE TRUTH ON YOUTH
THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (M)
****
STAN
The superb drama-comedy missed out on finding its rightful audience in cinemas last summer, but there’s no excuse for you now. In her best work since her Oscar-nominated debut in True Grit, Hailee Steinfeld plays Nadine, a precocious16-year-old girl whose life goes into free fall after being dealt what she feels is a low blow by her longtime best friend. Without any sensible adults at home, Nadine begins acting out in a way that could end up putting her in danger. The only voice of reason that could put her back on track is her unconventional English teacher (Woody Harrelson, whose scenes with Steinfeld are a dynamically sarcastic delight).
Originally published as Leigh Paatsch’s guide to what to stream this weekend
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