Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit (SVU)

It's been six (mostly) wonderful years of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, but on this episode, Matt and Alison say goodbye. First, in honor of JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER, which they talked about in their first episode (yup) back in 2012, they take a look at a movie that owes a lot to that documentary — Lonely Island's POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING. Then they devote the rest of the podcast to answering listener questions about everything from the future of the film industry to THE ADVENTURES OF FORD FAIRLANE. Thanks for listening, everyone! Hosts' Choice Review: "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" Useful Links: Older Filmspotting: SVU Episodes Remnants of the IFC News Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember how when we were kids we battled a nightmare clown terrorizing our small town and devouring children? No? Maybe it was just us then. On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison take a look at the 1990 TV miniseries version of Stephen King's IT, now available on Hulu, and then recommend some other clown movies, scary and otherwise, available to rent or stream right now. They also share some important (and sad) news about the future of the podcast. Listener's Choice Review: "It" (1990) Queue Shots: Clown Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases Alison: The Young Karl Marx / A Star Is Born / Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael Matt: Lady Bird / Yellow Submarine / Paramount2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your skates straight and put out that cigarette, because on this week's show, Matt and Alison are talking 2017's Tonya Harding biopic I, TONYA, which was recently added to Hulu. Then, inspired by the sport that made Harding famous (before The Incident made her infamous), they recommend some other movies (and one television series) that feature ice skating, all available to rent or stream. Listener's Choice Review: "I, Tonya" Queue Shots: Movies (And One TV Show) Involving Ice Skating Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases Alison: The Chinese Exclusion Act / Bad Genius / Boarding Gate Matt: The Disaster Artist / The Quick and the Dead / The Debt Collector 2 Listener Recommendations1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is John Woo's latest movie a return to form for the director, or something closer to self-parody? On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison debate the merits of MANHUNT, Woo's 2017 thriller, which was recently released as a Netflix original. Then, despite MANHUNT taking place in Japan, they use Woo's place as an influential force in Hong Kong film to recommend some other Hong Kong action movies, all available to rent or stream. Listener's Choice Review: "Manunt" Queue Shots: Hong Kong Action Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases Alison: Beatriz at Dinner / The Student / Shanghai JoeMatt: Evil Genius / Ace in the Hole / The Toys That Made Us2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There comes a time when a young girl blossoms into a woman, and sometimes that woman turns out to possess terrifying powers that are some kind of allegory for the female sexuality. On this episode, Matt and Alison take a wander through the genre of the supernatural coming of age story, recommending some titles to rent or stream right now. It's all the better to accompany their main review of Joachim Trier's 2017 THELMA, about a teenager from a strict, repressed background who discovers a lot about herself — a lot more than fits into the expected definition of reality — when she goes off to college. Listener's Choice Review: "Thelma" Queue Shots: Supernatural Coming of Age Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases Alison: BPM (Beats per Minute) / Psychokinesis / Murder on the Orient Express Matt: Last Flag Flying / Planet of the Apes / Manhunt 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"People come to the Oasis for all the things they can do, but they stay for all the things they can be." Presuming, that is, those things are licensable bits of IP. On this episode, Matt and Alison use Steven Spielberg's latest, READY PLAYER ONE, as an excuse to talk about all sorts of movies that turn up in the reference-heavy dystopian adventure, including their main review of Brad Bird's beloved 1999 THE IRON GIANT. And as always, the titles they talk about are all available for rental or streaming right now. Listener's Choice Review: "The Iron Giant" Queue Shots: Movies Referenced in Ready Player One Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases Alison: 24 Hour Party People / Saturday Church / Lost in Space Matt: Kodachrome / Lust for Life / The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Matt and Alison talk cults versus communes, xenophobia, sexual liberation, immigration fraud, religious freedom, and also putting beavers into blenders in order to use the resulting goo to taint the water supply. Yes, they're going deep into WILD WILD COUNTRY, Netflix's stranger-than-fiction docuseries about the 1980s clash between the followers of the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the locals in Oregon area where they attempted to build a utopian community. Then, as a nod to the series' sibling filmmaking team, Chapman and MacLain Way, they recommend some other brother-director titles available to rent or stream. Listener's Choice Review: "Wild Wild Country" Queue Shots: Movies Made By Brothers Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases Alison: AMO / The Killing of a Sacred Deer / The Florida Project Matt: Reservoir Dogs / You Don't Mess With the Zohan / Nailed It 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pour a row of martinis and ready your finest 1930s repartee, because on this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison sample THE THIN MAN, available via TCM's new partnership with FilmStruck. And, in honor of Nick and Nora Charles making constant alcohol consumption look so good, they spend the second half of the episode recommending some other movies about drinking that are available to rent or stream right now. Listener's Choice Review: "The Thin Man" Queue Shots: Movies About Drinking Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome — in this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison pay a visit to Weimar-era Berlin by way of the German period drama BABYLON BERLIN, co-created by Tom Tykwer and streaming on Netflix. Then they talk about how the city tends to be portrayed on screen, recommending some other Berlin-set titles that are available to rent or stream. Listener's Choice Review: "Babylon Berlin" Queue Shots: Berlin Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's no sleep 'til Rego Park, Queens, in this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, in which Matt and Alison consider the uneasy charms of the Safdie brothers' New York set-thriller GOOD TIME, starring Robert Pattinson and currently streaming on Amazon. Then they recommend some other staying-up-all-night movies that are available to rent or stream, from the romantic to the nostalgic to the dystopian. Listener's Choice Review: "Good Time" Queue Shots: Movies That Take Place In One Night Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the future for original movies on the world's largest streaming service? In this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison wonder where Netflix is headed as they take longer looks at two recent acquisitions — the Hungarian Best Foreign Language Film nominee ON BODY AND SOUL and the studio-discard-turned-Super-Bowl-stunt movie THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX. Listener's Choice Review: "On Body and Soul" A Special Occasion Second Longer Review: "The Cloverfield Paradox" Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes you've got to talk your pain and frustration out — and sometimes you've got to punch a car. In this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison consider a film that tries to do both — S. Craig Zahler's brawny, wry, brutal Vince Vaughn-goes-to-prison drama BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99. Then they offer some recommendations of other movies that could also be considered neo-exploitation, all available to rent or stream right now. Listener's Choice Review: "Brawl in Cell Block 99" Queue Shots: Neo-Exploitation Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghosts — not just good for scares! In this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison take a look at A GHOST STORY, David Lowery's exploration of grief, time, and the afterlife as represented by a sheet with two eye holes cut in it. Then they run with the theme to recommend some other good ghost stories, spooky and otherwise, that are currently available to rent or stream right now. Listener's Choice Review: "A Ghost Story" Queue Shots: Ghostly Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Orcs, elves, fairies, and racial allegories — on this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison delve into the deceptively muddled waters of BRIGHT, Netflix's first homegrown attempt at a blockbuster. Then, in honor of the film's (human) lead, they look at the hit-laden career of BRIGHT star Will Smith, highlighting titles you can rent or stream right now, from early obscurities to the big successes that may or may not hold up. Listener's Choice Review: "Bright" Queue Shots: Will Smith Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2017. It was... quite a year. But at least there were some good films? On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison look back at the past 12 months of movies by way of their annual, unconventional, and highly personal year-end awards. Yes, it's the SVUvies, in which the cinematic year gets broken down by way of categories like "We Didn't Get It," "Best Music Moment," and, of course, "Best Film of 2017." Then Matt and Alison offer up some recommendations of titles that are new to streaming, and a few from SVU listeners. Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New ReleasesAlison: Free In Deed / Dawson City: Frozen Time / Better Watch OutMatt: Ash vs Evil Dead / Step / Total Recall 2 Listener Recommendations Alison: Bad Lucky Goat / Rat Film Matt: Star Treks Deep Space Nine and Voyager / Taxi 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Alison: Lagaan Matt: The Twilight Zone This episode of Filmspotting: SVU is brought to you by Dropbox and Showstopper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alison gets to take a break this time around as Matt makes his triumphant return by stepping up to the (live) mic for a very special episode recorded on stage at the inaugural Brooklyn Podcast Festival on November 18. Matt is joined by Dan McCoy and Stuart Wellington of The Flop House to create a hideous one-night-only mutant movie-talking creation — Flopspotting: SVU! And, for this momentus occasion, they’ve settled on a feature worthy of the talents of two podcasts — TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT, from one Michael Benjamin Bay. This episode of Filmspotting: SVU is brought to you by Tribeca Shortlist and Showstopper. Live! One! Night! Only! Review:Transformers: The Last Knight Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Kohn of IndieWire and the Screen Talk podcast joins Alison while on the road in the Florida Keys to discuss Dee Rees’ Netflix original MUDBOUND. Matt is still off on paternity leave, so this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit has turned the responsibility for picking the main review to our guest host. In addition to talking Rees’ ensemble period drama (an Oscar contender with an outside chance of making history) Eric and Alison recommend other films directed by black women available to rent or stream, some of whom Rees has cited as influences. This episode of Filmspotting: SVU is brought to you by Tribeca Shortlist and Showstopper. Guest Host’s Choice Review: Mudbound Queue Shots: Films Directed By Black Women: A Dry White Season Daughters of the Dust The Watermelon Woman Whose Streets? Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases Alison: Allied / Search Party / Their Finest Eric: The Persian Connection / Landline / The Dinner 2 Listener Recommendations Alison: Patton Oswalt: Annihilation / Neal Brennan: 3 Mics Eric: Life / Parents 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Alison: Boys in the Trees Eric: Narcos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Matt is off on paternity leave, this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit turns the responsibility for picking the main review to our guest host, who opts for the Netflix original movie THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED). Then, in honor of the complicated relationship between the half-siblings played by Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller in the film, they offer up some streaming recs about what happens when brothers grow up. Guest Critic's Choice Review: "The Meyerowitz Stories" Queue Shots: Movies About Grown-up Brothers In Theaters: "Thor: Ragnarok" Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" This episode of Filmspotting: SVU is brought to you by Tribeca Shortlist and Hello Fresh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freshmeeeeen! On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison haze each other with drunken parties and rabbit kidneys in preparation for talking Julia Ducournau’s body horror/coming of age movie RAW. Then they reminisce about their long-ago undergrad years with some recs of other college movies and TV series, (mostly) available to stream or rent. Listener's Choice Review: "Raw" Queue Shots: College Movies In Theaters: "The Snowman" Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison run off to the desert to start their own Keanu Reeves-centric rave cult in preparation for their discussion of Ana Lily Amirpour’s dystopian drama THE BAD BATCH. Then, in honor of THE BAD BATCH’s truly disturbing scenes of human flesh-consumption (set to Ace of Base!), they recommend some other movies in which cannibalism is featured — as an allegory, a total gross-out, or both. And, of course, they’re all available to stream or rent. Listener's Choice Review: "The Bad Batch" Queue Shots: Cannibalism Movies In Theaters: "Blade Runner 2049" Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison talk moral compromises and modern Romania in their review of Cristian Mungiu’s GRADUATION. Then, having entirely failed to find the time to watch more streaming Romanian New Wave films, as was the original plan, they instead delve into the Toronto International Film Festival. Yes, Matt and Alison both recently returned from the event that typically kicks off awards season, and each are ready to offer their top five highlights (and one lowlight) from the fest. Listener's Choice Review: "Graduation" Queue Shots: TIFF 2017 Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthology television series mean you can have a brand new cast and story in each new installment. Alas, when it comes to listening to Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, you’ll have to settle for Matt and Alison every time. On this episode of Filmspotting: SVU, they discuss the British series INSIDE NO. 9, a collection of standalone episodes ranging from comedy to horror, but all set at a location numbered “9.” Then they talk about how episodic anthology series are a kind of intersection between TV and short films, and offer some new and classic recs, all available to stream right now. Listener's Choice Review: "Inside No. 9" Queue Shots: Anthology Shows Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shall we begin? On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison dissect Adam Wingard’s Netflix original movie DEATH NOTE, based on the popular manga and anime series. After despairing at there ever being a great American anime adaptation, they offer up four anime features available to rent or stream at home right now — a kind of anime movie starter pack. Listener's Choice Review: "Death Note" Queue Shots: Anime Starter Kit Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Would you like to swing on a star? How about listen to Bruce Willis sing pop standards while stealing artifacts? On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison consider 1991’s notorious HUDSON HAWK and whether it deserves its reputation as an epic disaster. Then they talk vanity projects and what makes a film deserve that designation, recommending some fascinating failures available to rent or stream at home right now. Opening Break: "Alien" Covenant" "Chuck" "Unleashed" Listener's Choice Review: "Hudson Hawk" Queue Shots: Vanity Projects Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the era of Peak TV, it’s become increasingly common to see filmmakers crossing over to work on the small screen. But what about when it’s the other way around? This week, Matt and Alison look at the film debuts of some famous television creators and talk about how well their approach ends up translating. It’s all inspired by their main review, of Netflix’s original movie TO THE BONE, the directorial debut of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Unreal"'s Marti Noxon. Opening Break: "Colossal" "The Circle" "Fun Mom Dinner" Listener's Choice Review: "To the Bone" Queue Shots: When TV Creators Make Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Filmspotting: SVU is brought to you by Movies On Demand On Cable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To think what people could accomplish, were it not for the pesky families they love! On this episode of the Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit podcast, Matt and Alison talk ambition, sacrifice, and James Gray’s THE LOST CITY OF Z. Then, in honor of Charlie Hunnam’s career-best turn as the dashing Percy Fawcett, they recommend some other movies about explorers (of various sorts), all available to rent or stream right now. Opening Break: "A Cure For Wellness" "Kong: Skull Island" "The Last Face" Listener's Choice Review: "The Lost City of Z" Queue Shots: Movies About Explorers Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you call a fictional animal that’s adorable, intelligent, and looks like a giant pig crossed with a hippo? In the world of Bong Joon-ho’s OKJA: lunch. On this episode, Matt and Alison discuss the South Korean director’s continent-crossing, genre-defying Netflix original, and what it signals for the streaming giant’s future in movie-making. Then they recommend some other multilingual movies available to rent or stream right now. Opening Break: "Song to Song" "Certain Women" "A Quiet Passion" Listener's Choice Review: "Okja" Queue Shots: Multilingual Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wo, oh, what we want to know, are you willing to watch a nearly four-hour documentary about the Grateful Dead? Matt and Alison did, and talk all about it on this episode of SVU, which takes on both Amir Bar-lev’s Amazon original doc LONG STRANGE TRIP and the larger question of what makes a music doc worthwhile for audiences beyond the hardcore fans. Then they recommend some other music docs worth checking out, all available to rent or stream right now. Opening Break: "T2 Trainspotting" "Life" "John Wick: Chapter 2" Listener's Choice Review: "Long Strange Trip" Queue Shots: Music Docs Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With TWIN PEAKS back on the air after 26 years, Matt and Alison start this episode of SVU by taking a look at the film with which TWIN PEAKS last left off — prequel FIRE WALK WITH ME, which was booed at Cannes back in 1992, but has since been reevaluated as a David Lynch classic. Then, in honor of the way FIRE WALK WITH ME gives the spotlight to Laura Palmer, TWIN PEAKS’ murder victim, they discuss the not-always-grand tradition of the beautiful dead girl on screen, offering examples that established or subverted this trend, all available to rent or stream right now. Filmspotting: SVU is brought to you by Movies On Demand On Cable, Lexus, and Showtime’s I'm Dying Up Here. Opening Break: "A Cure For Wellness" "I, Daniel Blake" "Band Aid" Listener's Choice Review: "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" Queue Shots: The Beautiful Dead Girl Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does Hulu’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE deserve the hype it’s been getting as the most frighteningly timely series on streaming? In this episode of SVU, Matt and Alison discuss the new Margaret Atwood adaptation and how it attempts, via its visuals, to depict its horrors as experience rather than spectacle. Then, in honor of the show’s main director, cinematographer-turned-filmmaker Reed Morano, they recommend work featuring other female cinematographers, all of it available to rent or stream right now. Opening Break: "Get Out" "Logan" "Berlin Syndrome" Listener's Choice Review: "The Handmaid's Tale" Queue Shots: Films With Female Cinematographers Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s M. Night Shyamalan’s shared universe and we’re all just living in it in this episode of SVU, in which Matt and Alison debate whether SPLIT is the comeback vehicle it’s been heralded to be for the director, as well as how the movie’s late-revealed connection to another Shyamalan title changes its context. Then they offer up recommendations for some other convention-defying superhero stories on both film and television, all available to stream right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of SVU, Matt and Alison consider the enchantments of Anna Biller’s retro-styled THE LOVE WITCH, in which Samantha Robinson plays a troubled witch whose romantic escapades have a tendency to turn deadly. Then, inspired by the film’s throwback color saturation, they recommend some Technicolor classics available to rent or stream at home, and discuss whether the full glory of Technicolor translates when it’s not being shown on a big screen. Opening Break: "The Salesman" "La La Land" "The Red Turtle" Listener's Choice Review: "The Love Witch" Queue Shots: Technicolor Classics Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken Russell’s famous/infamous 1971 horror drama THE DEVILS is available to stream for the first time ever, and so on this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison take a look at the film (available in its US cut) and discuss how its provocations hold up. Then, with minimal rending of garments and speaking in demonic voices, they offer up some other religious horror recommendations available to rent or stream right now. Opening Break: "Lion" "Queen of the Desert" "Split" Listener's Choice Review: "The Devils" Queue Shots: Religious Horror Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of the recent passing of Bill Paxton, on this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison look at the career of the actor and filmmaker. In addition to offering up some favorite roles in movies available to rent or stream right now, they do a deeper dive into his 2001 directorial debut FRAILTY, in which Paxton also stars as a single dad convinced that God has chosen him to kill demons. Opening Break: "Aftermath" "Hidden Figures" "Assassin's Creed" Listener's Choice Review: "Frailty" Queue Shots: Bill Paxton Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grab your magnifying glasses and your fake badges — in this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison do some sleuthing into the surprisingly sprawling genre of amateur detective movies. It’s all inspired by their main review of Macon Blair’s I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE, in which a lonely, decidedly non-law-enforcement-professional Melanie Lynskey teams up with Elijah Wood to figure out who robbed her house. Opening Break: "Fences" "Allied" "Mean Dreams" Listener's Choice Review: "I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore" Queue Shots: Amateur Detective Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison decide, once and for all, which of them is the true hootie tootie disco cutie, as they talk THE GREASY STRANGLER. Then they discuss what makes a midnight movie and offer some midnight movie recs, all available to rent or stream right now. Opening Break: "Manchester By The Sea" / "Jackie" / "Catfight" Listener's Choice Review: "The Greasy Strangler" Queue Shots: Paul Dano Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can a magical farting corpse also be a metaphor for self-acceptance? In this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison discuss whether <i>Swiss Army Man</i> pulls off its attempted combination of body function humor and therapeutic messaging. Then they look at the filmography of one of its stars, Paul Dano, recommending some highlights from the 32-year-old actor's career that are available to rent or stream. Opening Break: "The Edge of Seventeen" / "Moonlight" / "The Girl With All The Gifts" Listener's Choice Review: "Swiss Army Man" Queue Shots: Paul Dano Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh from Park City, and feeling anything but, Matt and Alison talk the recently concluded Sundance Film Festival on this episode of the Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit podcast — and in particular, why the dominance of Netflix and Amazon means you'll be able to stream some of the fest's most talked-about titles very soon. They also delve into cinematographer-turned-director Kirsten Johnson's beautiful meditation on what it means to make a documentary, Cameraperson. Opening Break: "Loving" / "War on Everyone" "Ouija: Origin of Evil Listener's Choice Review: "Cameraperson" Queue Shots: Sundance 2017 Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With no shortage of scary stuff happening on their home turf at the moment, Matt and Alison dedicate this episode of the Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit podcast to some of the more enjoyable sort of horror, all from international sources. After discussion the Iranian UNDER THE SHADOW and its "Babadook"-like qualities, they recommend some other foreign horror available to be rented or streamed right now. Opening Break: "Trespass Against Us" / "Claire In Motion" / "Nerdland"Listener's Choice Review: "Under the Shadow"Queue Shots: Foreign Horror FilmsBehind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recommendations 1 Random Film From Our Netflix "My Lists" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices