A Look at Ten Recent Streaming Movies

 (Clockwise from top) The Old Guard, Bad Education, Eurovision, & Greyhound. Netflix; HBO; Netflix; Apple

With movie theaters continuing to be closed there's never been a time where streaming has been more dominant as the way we consume movies, especially new ones. With that in mind I've watched ten movies that debuted on streaming platforms over the last three months, one by an Oscar winning director, others by first timers, some starring bonafide movie stars, others relative unknowns, to help guide you on which ones you might want to check out. There is one glaring omission, Hulu's by all accounts fantastic Palm Springs, which I haven't seen yet, but there's still plenty of others to recommend. Without further ado...

Jake Horowitz & Sierra McCormick in the deeply engrossing The Vast of Night. Amazon Studios

The Vast of Night (Amazon Prime) - This is a movie where you know where things are headed, it's about two teenagers investigating strange sounds & sightings in 1950s New Mexico after all, & the vast majority of the 90 minute run time is simply people having conversations (often over the phone with the other person unseen), & it's the most absorbing film I've seen all year. Bathed in atmosphere, thanks to skillful direction/cinematography & an excellent but never overpowering score, with a deftly written script that quickly establishes the characters & town before building into the mystery, & great work from its two young stars, The Vast of Night is not only an exciting debut for director Andrew Patterson but one of the few must see films of 2020 thus far.

Grade: A-

Bad Education (HBO) - The true story of massive fraud at an elite Long Island school district, it's insightful, darkly funny, & even inspiring when a student reporter begins to uncover the truth. Hugh Jackman is fantastic as the superintendent, & aided by a universally strong supporting cast including Allison Janney (stellar), Geraldine Viswanathan (elevating her role), & Ray Romano (perfectly cast). It's to the film's credit that it shades in so many of its characters, showing us the conflicts & justifications that allowed people to commit theft, cover it up, & ultimately bring it to light. No one is given easy choices, which is exposes the most important thing of all in education or life - character.

Grade: B+

Spike Lee & the fantastic cast of Da 5 Bloods. David Lee/Netflix

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix) - Spike Lee's latest, about four Black veterans reuniting in Vietnam to retrieve the body of their lost squad leader & retrieve the gold they buried there, sometimes feels like two movies sewn together (Because, having been adapted from an earlier screenplay about white GIs, it is) & has some abrupt tonal changes but when it's working it's an entertaining & vital piece of filmmaking exploring race, greed, PTSD, & imperialism. It features fine works across work across the board from The Wire's Clarke Peters to The Last Black Man in San Francisco's Jonathan Majors, but it's Delroy Lindo, giving an angry, haunted, performance, who steals the show (& hopefully an Oscar next year).

Grade: B+

Leah Lewis & Daniel Diemer are a winning pair in Netflix's delightful The Half of It. KC Bailey/Netflix

The Half of It (Netflix) - The latest high school romance from Netflix is among their better efforts. It follows Ellie Chu, who writes papers for her classmates to help her widowed father make ends meet, as she reluctantly agrees to write love letters for an inarticulate jock - to the girl they're both in love with. The films ultimately struggles to bring everything home in its third act, but makes up for it with two winning lead characters/actors & a nice updating/play on the cliches of the genre. It's refreshing to have a high school rom-com that's both racially & sexually diverse, & where the defining relationship turns out to be unexpected friendship rather than romance. 

Grade: B

The Old Guard (Netflix) - I'm a fan of Gina Prince-Bythewood, but if you'd told me the director of Love & Basketball had a kick-ass action movie I'm not sure I'd have believed you. Shame on me, because she orchestrates some fantastic, almost balletic, action sequences. Now the script can be a little clunky at times, & the film could've used a more compelling villain, but between the action, cast (Charlize Theron - the best, Kiki Layne - also proving she can do more than heartfelt drama), & some strong character work, I'm all in on a sequel.

Grade: B

Christine Ko & the superb Tzi Ma, the official Chinese/Taiwanese dad of Hollywood, in Tigertail. Chen Hsiang Liu/Netflix

Tigertail (Netflix) - The lesser known of Netflix's "Tiger" releases comes from Emmy winner Alan Yang (Master of None) telling the story of Pin-Jui, a Taiwanese immigrant, inspired by his own father's immigration from Taiwan. The film ably bounces back & forth between different eras of Pin-Jui's life, primarily his time as a young adult just before & after immigrating, & then as an older divorcee struggling to communicate with his adult daughter, Angela. Yang has clear talent behind the camera (this is his feature debut), & he's aided by some fine editing, but surprisingly it's his writing that occasionally comes up short. Most notably this is the case with Angela's scenes with her father as Dave's Christine Ko struggles to overcome some rote dialogue. Still the film's strengths easily outweigh its weaknesses. Hong Chi-Lee & Tzi Ma (Continuing to corner the market on Chinese/Taiwanese dads between this, The Farewell, & Mulan) are excellent as the younger & older Pin-Jui, showing how life's constraints turn him from a youthful optimist to a lonely man searching for connection (Thankfully Yang's screenplay eventually takes some time to expand on the life of Pin-Jui's wife, Zhenzhen, as well). It all builds to a cathartic climax that's moving for the characters & viewers alike. Grade: B

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Netflix) - Despite the overly elongated title this Will Ferrell production is less outrageously hilarious, like its forbears Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy & Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, & more pleasantly humorous. This has both its ups, the characters & their journey feel more grounded & thus emotionally compelling, & downs, it's not as funny as you'd like it to be - outside a running joke about elves & an MVP turn by Dan Stevens as an outrageously sexual Russian performer. Ultimately it's funny enough, the songs are catchy, & you could do worse than spending two hours with Will Ferrell & Rachel McAdams (Once again outshining a male costar in a comedy).

Grade: B-

Hemsworth really rocks the shit in Extraction. Jason Boland/Netflix

Extraction (Netflix) - If you're looking for a straight up action movie that isn't going to get bogged down in story, & will let Thor beat up some kids, here's your movie. It's got a simple plot (Save kidnapped kid), with a haunted hero, few - if any - other notable characters, & visceral action. There's not much depth here, but how much do you need when you've got Chris Hemsworth, intense hand to hand fighting, & blood splattered gun play?

Grade: B-

Greyhound (Apple+) - Tom Hanks wrote & stars in this adaptation of a World War II novel about a Naval Commander leading a convoy of ships across the Atlantic for the first time while being stalked by Nazi U-boats. At a sparse 91 minutes, the film has even less time for supporting characters than Extract (It commits the cardinal sin of wasting Rob Morgan), but Hanks is reliable as ever & the Naval action is a harrowing reminder of the daunting risks that had to be overcome to transport the troops & supplies needed to win the war.

Grade: C+

I'm pretty sure Lovebirds is only set in New Orleans to get Kumail in this shirt. Skip Bolen/Netflix

The Lovebirds (Netflix) - Whether this movie is worth your time boils down to one simple question, do you like Issa Rae & Kumail Nanjiani? If, like me, your answer is yes then it's a breezy 86 minutes with two people you really enjoy. If not... The script has its moments, though one wonders how many of the best lines are improvisations, but the plot barely holds together. Michael Showalter's unobtrusive direction works well in a character focused dramedy like The Big Sick, here it feels like a let down as this is an action comedy devoid of any notable set pieces. Rae & Nanjiani make it work though, enlivening the screen with strong romantic & comedic chemistry. So if you're a fan of those two, give it a look. Grade: C+