Sure, we focus on streaming films and television here, but the streaming world encompasses so much more. Music is the biggest media that has embraced streaming, but there’s another interesting art form that’s exploring its possibilities. For those of you who prefer their stories told on a stage in real-time, BroadwayHD is a fantastic source that offers access to see some of the best in drama from your computer screen. It’s a little more pricey than other streaming services ($14.99/month and $169.99/year packages are available), but they also have a VOD service that allows you to see a specific performance for a short time period. The service recently added British play Gypsy, starring Harry Potter alum Imelda Staunton with music by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim. If the stage isn’t your thing, here are the usual film recommendations from us featuring new titles available to stream this week:

Netflix

House of Cards (Series, Season 4)

The most binge-able show on television, the fourth season of the original Netflix original, House of Cards, hits at an incredibly timely moment. As we build up to what should be a very entertaining presidential election season IRL, incumbent Frank Underwood is embroiled in what should be an equally entertaining race. With the third season ending with Claire telling her husband that she is leaving him, Frank’s personal life may be in even greater turmoil. It’s always difficult to know exactly where House of Cards will go, but it’s pretty easy to assume that Underwood will somehow, against all logic, have a successful campaign (sort of seems like a current political figure, right?). If you haven’t already, clear your weekend calendar to streamline the 13-hour political roller as it comes to Netflix this weekend. And if you are somehow lagging behind, you can stream the previous three seasons on Netflix, as well.

Other titles new to Netflix this week:
Adult Beginners (Ross Katz, 2014)
Amal (Richie Mehta, 2007)
Blade Runner: Theatrical Cut (Ridley Scott, 1982)
Corpse Bride (Tim Burton & Mike Johnson, 2005)
Exam (Stuart Hazeldine, 2009)
The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
Heaven Knows What (Ben & Joshua Safdie, 2014)
The Panic in Needle Park (Jerry Schatzberg, 1971)
Saturday Night Fever (John Badham, 1977)
Taxi (Jafar Panahi, 2015)

Fandor

Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967)

This week’s “Criterion Picks” focuses on films with great architecture, highlighted by French comedian Jacques Tati’s epic masterpiece. Now, while I wouldn’t recommended seeing Playtime outside of a movie theater, if you haven’t seen this wonderful film you need to seek it out on Fandor. Playtime is a delight of space and physical comedy with Tati’s signature Hulot performance. The film wonderfully fits this theme as Tati built his own huge, modernist structures for the film, which led to a huge budget that threatened production. Its architecture lead to wonderful bits of satirical comedy of bureaucratic and modernist visions. Other films in the Architecture series include Antonioni’s L’eclisse, The Naked City, Antonio Gaudí, Tati’s less ambitious but highly enjoyable Mon oncle, and more. These “Criterion Picks” are available on Fandor until March 13.

Other titles new to Fandor this week:
The Heart of the World (Guy Maddin, 2000)
Journey to Italy (Roberto Rossellini, 1954)
Old Enough (Marisa Silver, 1984)
Ruined Heart (Khavn De La Cruz, 2015)
Things to Come (William Cameron Menzies, 1936)

MUBI

Cinema Paradiso (Guiseppe Tornatore, 1988)

A winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, Guiseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso is a wonderful love letter to filmmaking and film-going, alike. Set in a small Italian village, the film recounts the nostalgia of one man growing up with a fascination for a the local movie theater as he spends his days in the projectionist booth. It’s no secret that movie theaters, especially the old movie houses and independently run, have taken big hits in recent years. This will only continue as streaming films at home becomes more and more popular—so, hey, why don’t you stream Cinema Paradiso this weekend! All joking aside, the film really shines on the importance of cinema and the communal experience of going to the movies, essential things to remember in an increasingly digital age. You can watch Cinema Paradiso on MUBI until March 29.

Other titles new to MUBI this week:
Be With Me (Eric Khoo, 2005)
Dear Phone (Peter Greenaway, 1976)
Historic Centre (Pedro Costa, Manoel de Oliveira, Aki Kaurismäki & Victor Erice, 2012)
Tsotsi (Gavin Hood, 2005)
A Walk Through H (Peter Greenaway, 1978)

iTunes & Video On-Demand

Sunshine Superman (Marah Strauch, 2014)

One of the unheralded documentaries from last year, Sunshine Superman is a riveting profile of BASE jumping innovator Carl Boenish. With incredible footage of his death-defying stunts and an emotional character arc, it is one of the most complete sports documentaries ever made. Even without the archived skydiving and BASE jumping footage, the core relationship between Boenish and his wife Jean is touching and entertaining enough to sustain the film on its own. Debut filmmaker Marah Strauch brings the story together with a lot of narrative energy while patching together 16mm footage, VHS recordings and new talking head interviews. For more on Sunshine Superman check out our full review and interview with director Marah Strauch.

Other titles new to VOD this week:
Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015)
Heart of a Dog (Laurie Anderson, 2015)
Flowers (Jon Garaño & Jose Mari Goenaga, 2014)
Ratter (Branden Kramer, 2015)
Sisters (Jason Moore, 2015)

Director Ross Katz (Taking Chance) has a bit of fun without leaving the shallow end of the pool in his sophomore full-length feature, Adult Beginners. It’s a generally tame but warmly entertaining familial dramedy steered by three very talented grown-ups: Nick Kroll, Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale. The former two play an estranged brother and sister reconnecting at a pivotal time in their lives; the latter two play a relatively happy married couple whose world is consumed by their young, wily son. The drama that ensues is packed on pretty light. Low-stakes affairs don’t typically go over well at the movies, but this thing, as it turns out, has just enough charm and humor to make it pleasurable, especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon, cuddled up in your favorite onesie, a heaping bowl of cereal at the ready.

A flash of comedic buffoonery opens the movie, the high energy of which is never revisited again. We meet entrepreneur Jake (Kroll) celebrating the launch of his new startup with his tech-bro business partners in his expensive Manhattan apartment, making rich douchebag jokes, making out with his hot girlfriend, and snorting blow. Before the opening credits end, Jake’s business abruptly crashes due to a logistics oversight he made, losing he and all his buddies a ton of cash. Dejected, dumped by said hot girlfriend, and nauseous from riding the train backwards, Jake returns to his hometown of New Rochelle where his sister, Justine (Byrne), is raising a family in their childhood home. Her husband, Danny (Cannavale), persuades her to hire Jake (now broke as a joke) as their son Teddy’s babysitter.

Justine’s faith in Jake is rightfully uneasy. He’s a self-absorbed, pig-headed bellyacher who easily rivals the bouncing 3-year-old as the most high-maintenance person in the house. She needs the help, though: On top of being constantly pressured at work, she’s got another baby in the oven. Danny, while unquestionably in love with Justine, is sexually stonewalled due to her high-demand schedule and brother issues. Naturally, as per indie comedy tradition, he has a moment (or two, or three) of weakness, seeking affection outside the relationship. Just as naturally, Jake starts to get pretty good at being an uncle. He goes from rolling Teddy around in a suitcase (he can’t figure out how to configure the stroller) to eventually preparing the tyke’s favorite snacks and lulling him to sleep with old story-time cassettes.

Throughout, Adult Beginners is schematic and derivative, but the three mains are game enough to keep things interesting surprisingly soulful. In almost everything she’s in, Byrne is the pick of the litter. As a gift to Katz and writers Liz Flahive and Jeff Cox, she breathes life into scenes that on paper are kind of flaccid and uninspired. Cannavale isn’t the most versatile actor, but the fact that he and Byrne have been dating in real life for years obviously makes for an easy dynamic between them. Kroll’s humor is admittedly not up my alley. Sometimes he hits me in the gut and I burp up a laugh, but he throws a lot of big whiffs too, especially when he tries to be a funny asshole (all I see is asshole). He’s actually most useful when he’s being sincere, a pleasant surprise considering his background.

It’s hard to shake the similarities between Katz’s movie and Craig Johnson’s The Skeleton Twins, if you’ve seen it. That indie sibling dramedy, which has Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader filling Byrne and Kroll’s shoes in a broadly similar narrative, has a much larger spectrum of emotion: the laughs are louder, the drama is more heightened and deepened, and the actors showcase more of their talent. Adult Beginners feels too stabilized and mild-mannered to warrant more than a sick-day rental.

It’s about time. Nick Kroll has been a consistently funny presence everywhere he’s popped up over the last few years (Kroll Show, The League, and as The Douche on Parks and Rec), so it’s safe to say we’re pretty excited to watch him lead a film.

Adult Beginners sees Kroll play Jake, a guy who has recently destroyed his career, lost all of his money, and made some enemies. To get away from it all he sneaks away to his sister’s (the woefully underrated Rose Byrne) to hide out and cool down, only to become the nanny of her baby and clash with her husband (Bobby Cannavale).

The dramedy, co-written by Kroll and directed by Ross Katz, looks to set Kroll a little out of his abrasive comfort zone (though not too far) and place some real emotional heft on his shoulders. So, while comedy and drama can be a tough nut for most films to crack, the supporting cast alone is enough to ease some worry; Byrne (Neighbors, This Is Where I Leave You) and Cannavale (the still-wonderful The Station Agent) both tend to bring searing depth to even the most minor roles (see: The Place Beyond The Pines and Blue Jasmine respectively).

Adult Beginners came out of TIFF 2014 on a high note, not to mention the trailer is hilarious. Check it out below.

Adult Beginners trailer