by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Welcome to Buried Treasure of the Streaming World! This series will take a month’s worth of content at a time and sift out the buried treasure that exists on all forms of streaming. These films most likely fly under the radar, but now it is time to shine that spotlight on them and give them the attention they truly deserve. Time to dive in!
Anything for Jackson (Shudder)
Is there a better place to find horror right now than Shudder? They are firing on all cylinders with their streaming offerings, including this great hidden gem that has flown under the radar. Take a card-carrying Satanist couple who have lost their grandchild. What can they do to possibly bring back their love that they lost? The only reasonable option is to kidnap a pregnant patient and perform satanic rituals to imbue this new child with the spirit of their grandchild, right? It sure makes for a chilling and challenging cinematic experience in the form of Anything for Jackson! Anchored by a strong acting trio and surprisingly tangible motivations for its protagonist, this film pounds you down with incredibly staged, scary, and unnerving shocks around every corner. But the true shining stars of the film are the horrifyingly designed demonic spirits that populate most of the film. And this is all from Justin G. Dyck… best known for Christmas rom-coms. How strange?
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One (VOD)
How ready are you for the latest installment in DC’s animated shared universe? Jeph Loeb’s classic graphic novel gets the two-part animation adaptation, and we’ll begin with part one, which has hit VOD this month. Loeb’s Batman: The Long Halloween isa long-form story packed to the gills with characters from the Rogue’s Gallery. This animated feature leans heavily into the seedy mafia underbelly of Gotham, which is a refreshing turn for a Batman story. This story is personal and complicated for Bruce Wayne (voiced by fandom idol Jensen Ackles) and does a nice job of focusing on the deeper character moments. Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon are big pieces as well as the audience gets an opportunity to really connect with them on a deeper level. Do we need the Joker in this story? Is he more or less a red herring? Is he just too much fun to leave out? By the end of this first installment, you will be chomping at the bit to jump into part two soon.
Rose Plays Julie (VOD)
Aren’t families complicated? Aren’t they even more complicated when you have lived most of your life away from them? How tragic would it be to finally connect with them only to be struck with terrible truths that will be hard to live with? That is Rose Plays Julie in a nutshell. This feature, highlighted by Film Movement (a wonderful community service for cinephiles), is ready to rent right now on VOD. But are you prepared for the emotional heft that this tale will tell? A young woman finally finds her birth mother, only to find out the terrifying truth of her conception. She must play a new role to connect with her birth father. But what kind of trouble will this clandestine plan get her involved in? That is a much darker question that you might be imagining right now. Impressive performances and pitch black subject matter make for an emotionally devastating, but essential experience. Are you ready to jump headlong into the dark past… and even darker future of an abandoned young woman?
Holler (VOD)
What films hit harder than the raw and pseudo-non-fiction realm of indie dramas? Last year was highlighted by such films like Never Rarely Sometimes Always,which left its audience feeling like a fly on the wall of a young woman’s challenging journey for an abortion. Sounds devastating, right? Be prepared for what might be this year’s incredibly raw and impactful indie drama in the form of Holler. This film whisks the audience away to the small town life of the Rust Belt in Ohio as a young woman must take any step to pay her rent and utilities. Will our young protagonist be able to take care of both herself and her brother, who are left alone by an imprisoned mother? A strong central performance from Pamela Adlon and the work of writer/director Nicole Riegel make this a must-see indie gem. They make sure that you feel every feeling and emotion along the way as you get lost in this challenging and rugged life of a struggling young woman from the Midwest.
Occupation: Rainfall (VOD)
Who has heard of the Australian alien invasion action film, Occupation? Who knew that it was getting a sizable, budgeted sequel that was released this month? I did not know about either of these films… but that did not stop me from having a ball with Occupation: Rainfall! First and foremost, we get plenty of alien action throughout this entertaining sequel. Air battles, gun fights, high speed vehicle chases… this one has it all! The cast is either serviceable or a lot of fun (especially some of the alien cast characters portrayed by Lawrence Makoare and Jason Isaacs, as well as the always entertaining Temuera Morrison). But strong themes and ideas tossed in surely make the difference to make an action flick even better. The film spends a decent amount of time exploring interplanetary relationships and xenophobia. The effects are surprising for a film that is not made in the big studio system of Hollywood. The action looks strong and the effects for the alien characters are believable (or as believable an alien species can look). This Australian export is a blast and even sets you up for more.