Sure Fire Streaming: Windfall, Imperium, Blackbird, and more
By Jordan Parker
https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com/
The best in TV and film from your living room.
Windfall - Available On Netflix
In a time and place where attention spans are reduced to TikTok clicks and 140 characters, Windfall dares to be different.
This slow-burn, beautiful thriller has an simplicity that focuses on the splendid, little moments. From the lingering, sparse shots to the lack of tension-ratcheting music or explosions, it succeeds on story and acting alone.
It follows a robber who breaks into the home of a tech billionaire. But when the man returns to his vacation house with his wife in tow, the robbery quickly becomes a hostage situation.
Your stomach will drop as you see things slowly slip out of control in this fantastic film, starring and co-written by How I Met Your Mother alum Jason Segel.
He’s joined by Lily Collins and Jesse Plemons, all in roles that represent some truly masterful prowess.
Co-written and director by The One I Love helmer Charlie McDowell, this is unlike cinema produced in 2022, and I loved every second.
Rescued By Ruby - Available On Netflix
Every once in a while, you truly just need a no-brainer, uplifting and adorable film to take you out of a funk.
You can entirely escape into Rescued By Ruby, a man-meets-dog story for the entire family. In fact, live-action movies this wholesome rarely get produced these days.
It follows a man taking his final chance to make the K-9 unit, and the shelter dog that he picks to help him get there. You’re going to know every step and beat of this film, based on a true story, but it’s so enjoyable you won’t care.
Starring Grant Gustin – of The Flash fame – this may be the charismatic turn that pushes him into more film roles. Scott Wolf and Kaylah Zander also star.
It’s a wonderful little drama that everyone can enjoy, and we need more films like it these days.
Imperium - Available On Prime Video
Daniel Radcliffe fought for years to shake his Harry Potter beginnings and prove he had more within him than the storybook role.
With films like Kill Your Darlings and Imperium, he proved exactly how good an actor he truly is.
Director Daniel Ragussis creates a stunning, difficult debut film that represents a true actor’s showcase.
It follows Nate, a young FBI agent who goes undercover as a white supremacist. With fantastic turns from Radcliffe, Toni Collette, Sam Trammell, Tracy Letts and This Is Us star Chris Sullivan, these character actors really shine here.
It’s difficult subject matter, but they pull off a really fantastic, interesting little thriller here.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always - Available On Netflix
One of the most heartbreaking films of 2020, Never Rarely Sometimes Always was lost amidst the pandemic shuffle.
Now it’s coming to Netflix, and you simply have to see this incredible drama for yourself.
It follows two teenage girls who leave their rural Pennsylvania town to travel to New York City. One of them is seeking an abortion after an unintended pregnancy.
The film takes a lens to abortion without ever becoming too preachy, and it’s frankly heartbreaking to watch.
Writer-director Eliza Hittman creates a disquieting, difficult film, and performances from Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder are pitch-perfect.
This will cause a lot of discussion in your home, but it’s an incredibly well-made endeavour.
Blackbird - Available On Prime Video
This movie went almost entirely unnoticed in 2019, and I absolutely loved it from first to final frame.
A remake of 2014 Danish film Silent Heart, it follows a terminally ill matriarch who gathers her family together one last time. But they don’t know her prognosis.
The screenplay from Christian Thorpe is fantastic, and Notting Hill director Roger Michell makes another fantastic drama.
But the strength is in the ensemble, which includes Susan Sarandon, Sam Neill, Kate Winslet, Rainn Wilson, Mia Wasikowska, and Lindsay Duncan is incredible.
This is a really, really sad movie, but I adored it, and I can’t recommend it enough.