Looking for your next binge-worthy series or film to add to your streaming queue? Check back with Village Life every Friday for Jordan Parker's comprehensive insights on the week's most buzz-worthy programs from top streaming services like Netflix, Crave, Amazon Prime, and beyond.
On Netflix – Rustin
Fresh off a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, Colman Domingo leads in Rustin, Netflix’s rousing film about racial inequity and justice.
Domingo is absolutely fantastic, and could be on an ascent to an Oscar nom for his role as activist Bayard Rustin, a man who faces incredibly prejudice as a black and gay man in the 1960s.
Rustin was a fiery, no-holds-barred man who pushed with Martin Luther King Jr. to march on Washington in 1963. His actions shaped changes in race relations, and he is an incredible historical vigour.
Domingo plays him with grace, wit and an unending charisma, despite his character not exactly landing at the top of the social ladder. Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, and Gus Halper give wonderful performances, but this is Domingo’s film.
Co-written by Oscar-winner Dustin Lance Black and Julian Breece, it maintains a mostly-successful blend of comedy and drama, thought it stumbles in the second act.
From George C. Wolfe, director of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, comes another triumph, and it’s worth your time for Domingo’s turn alone.
On Amazon Prime Video – The Apartment
This Oscar-winning comedy may be a bit dated in terms of its premise, but it is one of the absolute best of all-time in the genre.
It follows insurance clerk C.C. Baxter, a career-driven man who will do almost anything to endear himself to the higher-ups at his firm. Management are a group of philanderers who are consistently trying to find remote or secret locations to cheat on their spouses.
Through a series of circumstances, Baxter ends up letting executives use his apartment to entertain their women. But things get complicated when Baxter himself meets someone, and struggles to explain away all the comings-and-goings.
This Best Picture and Director winner is a classic of Billy Wilder’s, and the performances are just sublime. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are fantastic, and Jack Cruschen is great in a supporting turn.
I’ll say again – This film is a product of its time, but I think you’ll find plenty to love with this one.
On Apple+ -- Spirited
One of the most crowd-pleasing, welcome surprises of last year was this hilarious Christmas movie from Apple+.
A grown-up take on the classic Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’, it blends musical and comedic elements to make one of the most unforgettable holiday films in years.
When the Ghost of Christmas Present chooses his yearly Scrooge to visit, his selection Clint Briggs turns the tables, causing Present to re-examine his own choices.
Directed by Sean Anders – of Daddy’s Home and Instant Family fame – this is his funniest effort of his whole career, and the songs are so catchy.
Will Ferrel and Ryan Reynolds make a great team, and they fully commit. It’s a joy to watch, and a film that now holds a place on my yearly holiday watchlist.
On Crave – Blue Beetle
One of the most underrated films of 2023 – and the second-best superhero film (behind Guardians Of The Galaxy 3) – Blue Beetle is a sight to behold.
A celebration of Latin culture and a Marvel movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this one was so refreshing. It follows college grad Jaime Reyes, who becomes the symbiotic host of the suit and takes on its powers.
Chased by those who want to use the suit for nefarious purposes, he must fight to keep his family safe and get the suit back in the right hands.
Xolo Mariduena does an absolutely fantastic job in the lead role, and he’s joined by Bruna Marquezine, Becky G, George Lopez, and Susan Sarandon as the villain.
Director Angel Manuel Soto made a silly, absolute joyful summer blockbuster, and though it didn’t fare well in theatres, I hope it finds an appreciative audience on streaming.
On Disney+ -- Solaris (2002)
I have to be forthcoming and say the mixed-to-bad reviews for this remake of the 1972 classic kept me from seeing it for years.
The interest was always there, but I just hate being disappointed by films that have a great concept. On a whim, I threw this 20-year-old flick on the other night, and it’s bound to make it into my physical library almost immediately.
It follows psychologist Kelvin, who is recruited to a research facility in space by an old friend, who will not tell him much about the strange happenings he’s tasked his pal with solving.
So Kelvin heads to the station – which orbits planet Solaris – and soon finds his friend has committed suicide and the crew is on the edge of their sanity.
I won’t give anything away, because the major benefit for me was going into this one blind. But suffice to say, I was absolutely enthralled.
George Clooney gives one of the best performances of his career, as does Natascha McElhone. It features Viola Davis pre-Oscar fame as well as a suitably creepy Jeremy Davies.
Director Steven Soderbergh makes one of the best – and strangest – films of his career, and it’s an emotional, compelling masterpiece.
About The Author:
Jordan Parker is a freelance journalist and runs entertainment firm Parker PR. A huge lover and supporter of the local arts scene, he’s an avid filmgoer and lover of all genres.
A 2SLGBTQIA+ professional, he also works doing Events & Fundraising for the AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia and has a passion for giving a platform to queer events and artists.
His writing often skews toward local businesses, productions, events, and covering arts & entertainment. He’s also an avid sports fan and spends every May getting let down by the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs.
Jordan believes in an open-door policy and welcomes story pitches and questions from readers.
Email: [email protected]
