Stream Guide: The Zookeeper’s Wife & Black Mirror: Season Four (December 29th, 2017)

December 29, 2017 / Leave a Comment

THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE

My ultimate hope this Oscar season is that Jessica Chastain can pull off a nomination for her role in Aaron Sorkin’s “Molly’s Game,” despite being up against ladies like Meryl Streep and Judi Dench, who are both seemingly vying for that fifth slot after Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird”), Frances McDormand (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Sally Hawkins (“The Shape Of Water”), and Margot Robbie (“I, Tonya”). But earlier this year, Jessica Chastain starred in another film, this one a period piece set in 1939 where she plays the title character, the wife of a zookeeper during the Nazi invasion of Poland. Her and her husband set out to use the zoo to save as many people as possible. Daniel Brühl also starred.

The rest of the list contains performances from Michael Peña as Cesar Chavez (“Cesar Chavez”) and Arnold Schwarzenegger as a hitman (“Killing Gunther”). There are two documentaries, one featuring the graffiti artist Banksy (“Bansky Does New York”) although unlike “Exit Through The Gift Shop,” this one is not directed by him, as well as a documentary about a Minnesota filmmaker who ended up dead along with his whole family with people crying for a conspiracy (“A Gray State”). There’s also three new releases from this year that landed on my streaming list, including the second sequel to the American version of “The Ring” (“Rings”), an artsy film starring Kirsten Dunst (“Woodshock”), and a dark comedy featuring Justin Long attending his ex-girlfriend’s wedding, played by Colbie Smulders (“Literally, Right Before Aaron”). Plus, Nicolas Cage takes on John Malkovich in a ’90s action flick (“Con Air”) which also stars John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, and Dave Chappelle. The last featured pick is Season Four of the Netflix Original Series titled “Black Mirror,” which is an anthology series much along the lines of “The Twilight Zone,” exploring strange themes in darkly toned shorts with several different directors. The directors this season include John Hillcoat (director of “The Road” and “The Proposition”), Jodie Foster (star of “Silence of the Lambs”), and David Slade (director of “Hard Candy” and “30 Days Of Night”).