Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to celebrate all the good things in life with family and friends. But it seems like the holiday is slowly becoming overshadowed by the absurd and incredible shopping deals of the day after. This year, fans of streaming movies and television will reap some of that benefit, as Roku has announced a low-cost streaming player that will be sold as part of their Black Friday push. The device, which will regularly be sold for $50, will be only $25 online and at participating retailers. Despite the low-end cost, the Roku SE will still have access to all of their apps and can stream at 1080p. This could be a good push for those who haven’t already jumped into the streaming world or are still stuck to their computers. Now that we’re all done obsessively watching a Shia LaBeouf watch all of his own movies (we admit, it was surprisingly entertaining), check out these new titles streaming online this weekend.

Netflix

W/ Bob and David (Series, Season 1)

I discovered Mr. Show with Bob and David in college and it became one of the things my friends and I quoted endlessly. Even though some of its episodes were nearly 10 years old, it was so different and so special, that it seemed something just for us. Seventeen years later (can you believe it?) Bob Odenkirk and David Cross are back with a vengeance in a short series that is sure to capture the same rogue comedic spirit. In the years since their landmark first run, Odenkirk has reached critical acclaim and an Emmy nomination for best actor in a drama series (for Breaking Bad) and Cross created one of the most lovable losers in sitcom history (in Arrested Development). Seeing their incredible success over the years makes W/ Bob and David even more interesting—now they are back to claim the throne in sketch comedy once more.

Other titles new to Netflix this week:
Anna Karenina (Joe Wright, 2012)
Call Me Lucky (Bobcat Goldthwait, 2015)
Dear Jack (Joshua Morrisroe & Corey Moss, 2009)
Mala Mala (Antonio Santini & Dan Sickles, 2014)
The Wolfpack (Crystal Moselle, 2015)

Fandor

Araya (Margot Benacerraf, 1959)

One of the most beautiful documentaries ever made, Margot Benacerraf’s black-and-white study of Venezuelan salt mines is incredibly naturalistic and full of life. In a lot of ways, the film is a direct descendant of the Robert Flaherty school of filmmaking, as it takes an exotic location and simply watches daily processes. Araya is able to build a story out of many characters, however, and it does so very effectively—looking mostly at three generations of a family that all take on different jobs in the mine. The film effortlessly defines each in an anthropological way while maintaining their humanity. Also available now on Fandor is their newest Spotlight, called “The Auteurs,” which includes films from some of the greatest masters of film. Particular films available include The Conformist, Fitzcarraldo, Metropolis, The Turin Horse and The Beaches of Agnès.

Other titles new to Fandor this week:
A Coffee in Berlin (Jan Ole Gerster, 2012)
Fire Over England (William Howard, 1937)
Forget Me Not (Zoltan Korda, 1936)
The Great McGonagall (Joseph McGrath, 1974)
The Scarlet Pimpernel (Harold Young, 1934)

MUBI

Red Road (Andrea Arnold, 2006)

Before Andrea Arnold found indie acclaim with her 2009 drama Fish Tank she made the compelling thriller Red Road. In the film, Kate Dickie stars a Jackie, a security camera operator who quietly goes about her work until she sees a man from her past show up on screen. This simple setup has received comparisons to the work of thriller masters Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Haneke, and while Red Road is smaller in scope, it delivers on tension. Arnold wonderfully blends in the cinematic realism that she has become known for, giving a unique feel to the usually slick genre. Interestingly, the film’s characters were conceived by filmmaker Lone Scherfig (An Education, The Riot Club) and adapted by Arnold, who wrote the screenplay. You can check out this female-driven thriller on MUBI until December 7.

Other titles new to MUBI this week:
Gigante (Adrián Biniez, 2009)
The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel, 2008)
Lancaster, CA (Mike Ott, 2015)
The Little Deputy (Trevor Anderson, 2015)
Love and Anarchy (Lina Wertmüller, 1973)

Video On-Demand

Entertainment (Rick Alverson, 2015)

The recent spring of anti-comedy films has become one of the most bizarre movements in recent cinema. There has been successful and notable work from the genre’s key figures Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim and Canadian filmmaker Quentin Dupieux, but with Entertainment, Rick Alverson has set himself apart. Along with star Gregg Turkington, who plays a thinly veiled version of his comedic persona Neil Hamburger, Entertainment brings more dramatic stakes and pathos to the anti-comedy narrative. The film follows a stand-up comedian on a horrific tour through hotel lounges and dive bars across the American southwest. The unnamed comedian takes the Neil Hamburger act and replaces his alternative success with ridicule from audiences and overwhelming despair. It doesn’t try to be a character study, but you can’t help but probe into the character’s mind during the bombed performances and many quiet moments. Surrounding Turkington’s outstanding performance is a stellar and surprising supporting cast which includes John C. Riley, Tye Sheridan, Amy Seimetz and Michael Cera. For more opinions on Entertainment, check out of full review of this “dark, surreal road trip that brings out laughter and pain in [a] subversive, provocative anti-comedy.”

Other titles new to VOD this week:
Heist (Scott Mann, 2015)
Mr. Holmes (Bill Condon, 2015)
Shelter (Paul Bettany, 2014)
Tangerine (Sean Baker, 2015)
Terminator Genisys (Alan Taylor, 2015)

Class is back in session! After the first half of Nymphomaniac ended on one of Joe’s (Charlotte Gainsbourg) biggest emotional pivot points, the break between the two volumes is almost welcome. That’s only because Vol. 1 is so inundated with cinematic beauty, it almost doesn’t let you breathe for a full two hours. The fact that the first volume is such a stylistically bold and lovely achievement puts me in a bit of a precarious situation; how do you objectively assess a second half of a film and treat it as a whole? It’s easier with the first half because the film starts at the beginning and you’re watching it with fresh eyes. Here, the start is the middle and the mind scuttles to recall events instead of investing in the present. There’s no way around it—it’s impossible to treat Vol. 2 as a whole, so if you haven’t seen Vol.1 yet it’s best you stop reading and get on that first. That said, there’s no major spoilers ahead.

As soon as Vol. 2 begins, there’s a sense of major discord from the first half. Whereas the visually delectable Vol. 1 starts off on the sardonic notes of a Rammstein song playing over seemingly mundane events, the subdued intimacy in Vol. 2‘s beginning puts us in an immediate state of unease. In order to truly be in the moment with the characters, the viewer has to recall that Vol. 1 ends with the devastating line “I can’t feel anything”, uttered by Young Joe (Stacy Martin) while she’s having sex with Jerome (Shia LaBeouf). We have to remember how her roller-coaster feelings for Jerome finally blossomed from pity into undeniable love, and how her decision to funnel her nymphomania into one sexual partner started to foreshadow dire consequences. One of the opening moments of Vol. 2 illustrates: after vigorously trying to masturbate with no climactic success, Young Joe goes into the bathroom, takes a wet towel and proceeds to beat her vagina with it in frantic desperation.

Moments like these lose their emotional impact due to the disjointed release schedule of Nymphomaniac in North America, but they cannot be taken lightly within the whole context. No doubt, when the film is released in its entirety—hopefully uncut, and with Von Trier’s blessings—the film will be re-watched by its fans from start to intended finish, in order to get the full effect in one sitting.

Remember how my first review said that Nymphomaniac is Von Trier’s most accessible movie to date? Yeah, about that. Vol. 2 treads the all-too-familiar Von Trier ground of disturbance, reminding us that it comes from the same mind that created Antichrist (in one particular scene, Von Trier quite literally makes sure we remember.) The darkness of Vol. 2 eclipses the jocular style of Vol. 1 within minutes, and right up until its final, brilliant conclusion (one of the biggest mixed bags of emotion I’ve felt for an ending in years), makes Vol. 1 look like a pleasant stroll on a lazy Sunday. That, in and of itself, is one of the phenomenal traits built into the film’s fiber, and reason enough to make Nymphomaniac a scintillating cinematic event. The story grows as organically as its characters do.

As Joe grows from an innocent young girl who expresses herself through sex without giving it much thought, into a woman who has to cope with motherhood and battle her condition both internally and externally, the progression from light to darkness is only natural. Even the relationship between Joe and Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard) plunges into darkened depths; secrets are unearthed and Seligman’s tangents–having provided much amusement in Vol. 1–become more perceptible to Joe’s criticism and adorn a more somber vibe. When her relationship with Jerome begins its inevitable decline, the theme of sadomasochism is introduced and we see the boy who was once Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell, as the Kafkaesque ‘K’) playing one of Lars Von Trier‘s darkest characters ever. An improbable casting story if there ever was one. Heavily veiled in religious lexicon, this theme contains some of the hardest scenes to watch, but every painful moment and every disturbing feeling is intrinsic to Joe’s transformation.

After being silenced with Vol. 1‘s inviting approach, the general murmur amongst the skeptics is back to “There’s the Lars we know!” with Vol 2. But while those critics focus on highlighting all of Von Trier’s taboos for all the wrong reasons, they’re missing out on a truly transgressive piece of cinema. Nymphomaniac holds a deep wisdom within its clutches, and uses a woman’s sexuality as a scalpel to rip open the very fabric of humanity. In more ways than one, Von Trier has shown how big of a feminist he really is, and–as sad as it sounds—that’s still pretty unique in today’s world. There’s no doubt that fans of Lars Von Trier will fall madly in love with the complete Nymphomaniac because they’ll understand why Vol. 2 has to swap humor for gloom, and balance out its style for further substance. As the harder to watch, much more affective half, Vol. 2 compliments the first volume (as if it needed more complimenting) and re-affirms that Von Trier has made a masterpiece.

Nymphomaniac Volume 2 trailer

If there is one thing Lars von Trier does extremely well it is creating controversy. In 2011 the Danish filmmaker was deemed “persona non grata”, which is a subtle way of saying ‘you’re not fucking welcome here’ at the Cannes Film Festival after making some Nazi remarks. Continuing that trend of controversial moves, von Trier has just released a series of 14 character posters for his upcoming film Nymphomaniac. His new film follows a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac named Joe (played Charlotte Gainsbourg) who recounts her erotic experiences to the man who saved her life. Given the subject matter and who is doing the film, what better way to promote Nymphomaniac than having posters of all of the characters reaching climax in the nude?

Below are all 14 character posters for Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac

John Hillcoat’s Lawless, which feels more like it belongs on HBO instead of theatre screens, is a mediocre attempt at a crime drama. Assembling a strong team of people in front of and behind the camera, Hillcoat has the materials to make a good period piece but, as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.

Set in 1931 during Prohibition, Lawless takes place in Franklin County, Virginia. Thanks to some awkward exposition-filled narration at the beginning, we learn that Franklin County is referred to as the “wettest county in the world” due to its massive production of moonshine. The Bondurant brothers are one of the most popular bootleggers in the entire county. Forrest (Tom Hardy), Howard (Jason Clarke) and Jack (Shia LaBeouf) make and sell some of the best liquor in the area, and a brutal fight early on establishes Jack as the weaker brother in comparison to Forrest and Howard’s brute force.

Trouble comes from the law when Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), a corrupt representative for the District Attorney, tries to intimidate the brothers into paying him off with some of their profits. Forrest refuses, and in no time people start getting killed. Meanwhile Jack manages to score a distribution deal with a mobster (Gary Oldman) which leads to more money and, for Jack, an inflated ego. Love stories also come into the mix as Forrest falls for a city girl (Jessica Chastain) who works at his bar, and Jack constantly tries to court a preacher’s daughter (Mia Wasikowska).

It’s obvious that Hillcoat and screenwriter Nick Cave are going for classical storytelling with its formulaic approach, but nothing is brought to the film that elevates it beyond its generic foundation. When Chastain’s character is introduced, her coupling with Forrest is inevitable. As an audience we see point A and can immediately figure out point B, but Lawless makes the journey between those two points a dull one. Once we get to point B, none of it feels earned or believable. The only reason why all of Lawless’ point A’s get to their respective point B is because it’s what’s expected of them and nothing more.

The cast, while impressive, does little with what they have. Tom Hardy spends his time grunting loudly, and Clarke screams more than he speaks while Chastain and Wasikowska simply play their parts. Guy Pearce’s transformation into Nicolas Cage levels of insanity appears complete with his hilarious, campy performance as Agent Rakes. Gary Oldman, taking the same route as Pearce, hams it up in his small role.

The only exception in the cast is LaBeouf, who has yet to build up a resume as impressive as his co-stars. His performance comes across as someone desperately trying to prove themselves as a serious actor. It might have worked in a more somber film, but with Pearce flailing about and Oldman smacking people with shovels LaBeouf looks like he’s unable to have any fun.

Lawless’ late-August theatrical release came as a surprise to some. Despite its presence in Cannes’ main competition, the film was getting released in what’s usually referred to as a dead zone. Most late August releases are reserved for mediocre fare, the kinds of films that are burned off from studios instead of being hyped up like their summer releases. Although the talent involved suggested a different outcome, Lawless turned out to be a perfect fit for the late-August release window.