Now Streaming: Movies to Watch at Home This Weekend – April 3

For anyone living in the Midwest or East coast, it finally feels like spring! After another brutal winter, temperatures are coming back to a reasonable level. Baseball is coming back this weekend. But who really needs the outdoors when you have millions of great films and television shows to stream on demand? Stay inside, crack the windows, and check out the newest titles to stream this weekend.

Netflix

Kicking and Screaming (Noah Baumbach, 1995)

Just in time for Noah Baumbach’s latest, While We’re Young, his first feature is now available on Netflix. One of the best movies ever made about the post-college transition, this slacker comedy is the story of a group of friends that try at all costs to hang onto their college lives. Kicking and Screaming is heavily influenced by Richard Linklater’s Slacker, and along with Reality Bites and Singles, make up the short-lived GenX comedy genre. Before you check out Baumbach’s latest indie, see where his work started.

Other new titles new to Netflix this week:
American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000)
Approaching the Elephant (Amanda Wilder, 2014)
The Big Lebowski (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1998)
Bound (Andy & Lana Wachowski, 1996)
The Devil’s Rejects (Rob Zombie, 2005)
Driving Miss Daisy (Bruce Beresford, 1989)
Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000)
Open Water (Chris Kentis, 2003)
Three Kings (David O. Russell, 1999)
This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)

Amazon Prime

Groundhog Day

It may be two months past the holiday, but there is never a wrong time to watch this masterpiece comedy. Bill Murray stars as smarmy weatherman Phil Connors, in the signature role of his fine career, who gets stuck in a curious time loop. One of the most complex comedies ever written, the film has been read as Buddhist theology, a video game adaptation, time travel film, and just about everything in between. It is impeccably directed by Harold Ramis (who died just over a year ago) – he hits every conceivable joke out of this bizarre set-up. We were all a little depressed when Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this past February, but the eight weeks are gone and we can celebrate with this fine film.

Other new titles new to Amazon Prime this week:
The Better Angels (A.J. Edwards, 2014)
Death Wish (Michael Winner, 1974)
Saved! (Brian Dannelly, 2004)
Submarine (Richard Ayoade, 2010)
Tusk (Kevin Smith, 2014)

Fandor

Manuscripts Don’t Burn (Mohammad Rasoulof, 2013)

A new entry in the wonderful new Iranian cinema movement, Manuscripts Don’t Burn is a gripping thriller about one of the country’s darkest times. In the film, two men are on a mission to commit murder and cover it up as a suicide, but their plans suddenly change once the deed is to be done. The film screened Un Certain Regard at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the International Federation of Film Critics prize. It is one of the most critically acclaimed and underseen films of 2013, and now you can catch up with it on Fandor.

Other new titles new to Fandor this week:
Black Moon (Louis Malle, 1975)
The Devil and Daniel Webster (William Dieterle, 1941)
Les visiteurs du soir (Marcel Carne, 1942)
Princess from the Moon (Kon Ichikawa, 1987)
Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (Masahiro Shinoda, 1975)

Video On-Demand

Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, 2014)

The most visually ambitious film of 2014 hit DVD and VOD this week. Though it was Christopher Nolan’s least celebrated and successful film since he started making the Batman pictures, it will delight any fan of the auteur. It may not have the same impact on your home television as it did on IMAX, but the visual marvel will still play for its large landscapes and big ideas. Interstellar is perhaps his most emotional film, as well. Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain really ground the film on a human level even while the film is so fascinated with space and science. It isn’t Nolan’s best film, but in this respect the cool, clinical filmmaker turned a corner.

Other new titles new to VOD this week:
Cut Bank (Matt Shakman, 2014)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Peter Jackson, 2014)
The Imitation Game (Morten Tyldum, 2014)
Island of Lemurs: Madagascar (David Douglas, 2014)
Last Knights (Kazuaki Kiriya, 2015)