Stream Guide: Newness & Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (February 2nd, 2018)

February 2, 2018 / Leave a Comment

NEWNESS on NETFLIX

One of my favorite directors, Drake Doremus, released his latest film, “Newness,” straight to Netflix. As the trailer was originally released on iTunes Trailers, I had believed it would get a theatrical release, but here it is, now available on Netflix. His previous work in “Like Crazy” and “Breathe In” were some of my favorite films of those years and his latest looks just as good, executive produced by Ridley Scott and starring Nicholas Hoult (who teamed with Doremus and Kristen Stewart on “Equals”) alongside newcomer Laia Costa. Doremus has a way of portraying rich and dynamic relationships on little to no scripts and “Newness” looks along the same lines, with the synopsis reading: “two millennials navigating a social media-driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.” Although I miss Felicity Jones from his work, as she is off having a huge career now, but as long as Doremus continues putting out unique and heartfelt films, I will still watch them.

Speaking of Felicity Jones, she stars in another film from the list titled “Cemetery Junction,” a British film which came out a year before her performance in “Like Crazy,” which was one of her first American roles and one that I feel like probably launched her current career trajectory. In another indie love story, “Celeste and Jesse Forever” stars Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones as young married sweethearts who are drifting apart and although they have a pending divorce on the horizon, both have mixed feelings about the final decision. Rashida Jones is also one of the writers. Oddly enough, in another bittersweet marriage film, “Band-Aid” stars Zoe Lister-Jones (“New Girl”) and Adam Pally (“Happy Endings”) as a couple that can’t stop fighting and as a last ditch effort to save their marriage and from the suggestion of their therapist, they turn all their fights into songs and start a band with their neighbor. Zoe Lister-Jones also writes, produces, and directs.

The first raunchy comedy I can ever remember seeing was “American Pie,” which came out in 1999, which made me 12 years old when I first saw it. A film about a sex pact between friends right before graduation, this same story-line is slightly being reproduced in this spring’s comedy “Blockers” where three high school girls agree to lose their virginities on prom night. I, then, remember seeing “American Pie 2” in the theater, to which my mother took me to. It came out around my birthday and I’m sure I talked her into taking me somehow, as I was only 14 years old at that time. I’m sure it was a very eye-opening experience for my mother.

Director Duncan Jones has a new film being released by Netflix this year, titled “Mute,” starring Paul Rudd and Alexander Skarsgard, but before you see that film, take a look at one of his previous films, which really is a masterpiece titled “Moon” starring Academy Award hopeful this year Sam Rockwell in a one man show set in space. He also did “Source Code” which was good in its own right and unfortunately, he also directed “Warcraft.” Hopefully “Mute” goes back to his “Moon” days. A great foreign film starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts that I think was robbed of an Academy Award the year it was released, “Rust and Bone” was beyond a memorable film with two amazing performances from its leads. The French film was nominated at the Golden Globes that year as was Marion Cotillard but no Oscar nomination was given.

My favorite movie of 2010 was “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” and the weekend it came out, I saw it three nights in a row. Since moving to Los Angeles, I’ve seen it even more times in the theaters as they do a screening at the New Beverly all the time, with the stars showing up from time to time. The last time I went, Mary Elizabeth Winstead introduced the film. The following year, along with “Like Crazy,” which I mentioned earlier, “Drive,” starring Ryan Gosling, was my co-favorite film of that year. “Drive,” too, was robbed of some Academy Award love, receiving only one nomination for Best Sound Editing despite Albert Brooks being one of the favorites to get a nomination and with Cliff Martinez composing one of his greatest scores of his career. Both “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” and “Drive” are now available for streaming.

If you’re looking for the other films mentioned above, “Like Crazy” can be found on VUDU and TubiTV as of writing this article. “Equals” is streaming through Amazon Prime. “Breathe In” can be found for purchase on iTunes and Amazon digital services. “Warcraft” is streaming on HBOGo. “Source Code” can be purchased through iTunes or Amazon digital services. “Mute” will be available through Netflix on February 23rd, 2018 and “Blockers will be released in theaters on April 6th, 2018.