Sex, Desire and Spies for Hire: February’s Best Streaming, News and Reviews
Our remotes are running hot. After a writer’s strike slowdown, streaming goodness is back at full speed! Here’s the best of what Feb had to offer.
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a year ago
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Watchlist Worthy? A Quick Review Can Help
From epic features and undiscovered indies, to the latest in bingeworthy streaming, good.film is your launchpad to stories worth discovering. And a big part of discovery is hearing what others have to say. A good recommendation goes a long way!
Here’s some gems that good.film users like you reviewed in February. Anything grab you? Just click a title, then click ‘Watch later’ to add it to your Watchlist : )
“I can see why this film has gotten so much attention last year. Scripted in a way that feels more like watching someone’s life than a drama, it's a fantastic reflection on what we leave behind when we go somewhere new.”
@jamesh
“Did you know that some swans will viciously attack anything they perceive as a threat? In Feud: Capote vs The Swans, we see them in human form doing just that. Each episode gives you a glimpse into the rarified air of the wealthy elite… completely addictive.”
@alisonmclennan
“Explores some really nuanced themes of discrimination and power, but without skimping on the swordfights and backflips. And the visuals are absolutely stunning. I've honestly never seen anything like it - it's like stepping inside a painting.”
@sally
Here’s Our Streaming Pick of the Month
Here’s a series that might’ve been considered too taboo for our screens even half a generation ago. Fortunately, our viewing appetites - and hunger for authentic stories - have grown up since then. But you should probs put the kids to bed before hitting play on this one.
Three Women is based on the non-fiction book by American author Lisa Taddeo, which was described as “a portrait of contemporary female desire and sexuality.” Taddeo condensed thousands of hours of interviews with three real-life women about aspects of their sexual past and present, and now those stories hit the screen in this dramatised 10-part series.
Starring Emmy nominees Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies) and Betty Gilpin (GLOW), it’s a multi-generational peek into the intimate lives of three very real, very different women: Christian mum Lina, whose husband has withdrawn from sex; working-class Maggie, who’s weighing up reporting her former teacher for sexual abuse, and wealthy Sloane, whose husband chooses experimental sexual partners for her. All fascinating, and all based in truth.
As summed up by The Age, “the common terrain here is women’s sexual desire, power and frustration, and the bravery they each exhibits in making changes for themselves.” And for an applause-worthy bonus, the entire series was directed by women, including Australia’s Cate Shortland. You can check out every episode of Three Women now streaming on Stan.
Not for you? How about…
This isn’t your Brad & Ange popcorn flick. Amazon’s series reboot, co-created by acclaimed performer Donald Glover (Atlanta) and co-starring Japanese-American actress Maya Erskine (PEN15) puts a whole new spin on the spy genre, turning something “light and silly into a show that’s dark, smart, and hard to categorise.” (Empire Magazine)
That’s because the show combines the droll wit both leads are known for, with fun action thrills and genuinely important social themes. Paired up by a mysterious agency and tasked with a string of exotic missions, “John and Jane” negotiate racial profiling, some deeply embedded broken-family issues and their own romantic boundaries while the bullets fly.
Sounds like a weird mix? We get it. But the unlikely genre-combo is one of Mr & Mrs Smith’s greatest strengths. As The Independent writes, “For a show about two superspies based on a nonsensical Brangelina thriller, it is remarkable for its honest, relatable depiction of a relationship between two disaffected millennials.”
If authentic character-driven stuff is what you’re into - and the odd bit of espionage and explosions are a bonus - then this is one to add to your Watchlist.
A Whale of a Time! Whale Nation’s Screening Success
It’s a few weeks since our Whale Nation screenings in partnership with Kismet Movies, and we’re still basking in the buzz of bringing the impact of this one-of-a-kind nature film to audiences across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart!
A big thanks again to our ocean partners Sea Shepherd, AMCS and ORRCA, and to all the experts who joined us on the day, including Marine Socioecologist Professor Gretta Pecl, Marine Predator Ecologist Professor Mary-Anne Lea, and wildlife scientist and author Dr Vanessa Pirotta.
We wanted to support Whale Nation in cinemas because we believe its message of planetary conservation and cooperation is vitally important. So it’s a thrill to hear that message echoed back to us from audience members like you, who felt an impact from the film.
Take this review from @tehtharrik, who wrote that Whale Nation “doesn't just show you whales; it kind of gently nudges you towards thinking about the bigger picture—our planet, the life it sustains, and how we're all just trying to make it work together.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. You can check out more reviews at our Whale Nation page - and if you missed the film, click ‘Get Updates’ so we can let you know when it’s available to stream!
A Sneak Peek at Origin, Our Next Impact Film
From the Oscar-nominated Selma, about the Black voting rights marches led by Martin Luther King Jr., to her award-winning documentary 13th exploring the US prison industrial complex, acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay has never held back in using her singular voice.
Now comes her new masterpiece: Origin, based on the New York Times bestseller Caste by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Isabel Wilkerson. And here at good.film, we’re incredibly proud to be partnering once again with Kismet Movies to bring Origin to Australian audiences this April.
The film is a deeply personal story of grief and love, but it also tackles an epic, global question: what causes discrimination? Boldly played by Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Wilkerson sets herself on a quest to discover what divides us - and ultimately, unites us.
For Australians, the insights are stark: Origin brings our own history, from the Stolen Generations to the White Australia policy, into sharp new focus. Want to be part of the conversation from day one? Click here to get updates from us on this stunning new film.
2023… An Award-Winning Year for Impact Films
It’s just a few days until movie’s biggest night! If you’re not a big Oscars buff, you might not think much of celebrities handing each other shiny gold trophies. But this year’s crop of nominees honour a slate of films that are about much more than just selling salty snacks.
From Indigenous rights (Killers of the Flower Moon) and immigration (Past Lives) to LGBTQ+ themes (Maestro) and female empowerment (Barbie, Nyad, Poor Things), 2023 was a year of meaningful cinema, chock-full of imaginative stories that sparked our sense of connection.
And we should know. We’ve explored the deeper themes within 12 of this year’s Oscar nom’d films in our Impact Guides. They’re free to read (and spoiler free), so you can use them to reflect on a film you’ve just seen, or as a primer for a movie you’re about to catch up on.
Will one of your favourite films of 2023 win an Academy Award? Be watching from 11am AEDT next Monday, March 11 to find out!
