Australia’s streaming providers have recently uploaded a bounty of fresh movies for your streaming pleasure in June 2020.
Thankfully, the paradox of us slowly exiting isolation and emerging from social hibernation into the cold winter hasn’t been lost on Netflix, Stan, or SBS On Demand.
Netflix
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
“Alright, alright, alright.” If you’re planning a McConathon featuring films from the McConaissance, start here. After spending the 2000s wasting his talent in B-grade romcoms, 2011’s The Lincoln Lawyer saw Matthew McConaughey announce himself as the star many thought he was destined to be, and set him on the path toward his 2014 Oscar win for Dallas Buyer’s Club.
Another one like it – Keep the McConathon rolling with either Interstellar (if you have 2.5 hours), or Magic Mike, both on Netflix.
Boogie Nights (1997)
Boogie Nights chronicles the adventures of Dirk Diggler, played by Mark Wahlberg, in the California pornography industry of the late 1970s/early 1980s. However, that plot synopsis merely scratches the surface of Paul Thomas Anderson’s (PTA) 2 hour and 35 minute epic that is loosely based on the life of legendary porn actor, John Holmes.
Another one like it – In 2000, PTA famously announced his next movie would be a romcom starring Adam Sandler and everyone assumed he was having a laugh, but Punch-Drunk Love, on Stan, ain’t no joke.
National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
The Griswolds’ family roadtrip across the USA to Wally World is a movie that kids of the 1980s and ‘90s grew up on. While some of its humour is questionable by today’s standards – which is to be expected from a movie of this vintage – it’s still a hoot some 37 years later.
Another one like it – Another comedy of that era, The Three Amigos, on Stan, sees more classic physical comedy from Chevy Chase, and is chock-full of quotable lines and memorable scenes.
Stan
Hail Satan? (2019)
An American documentary film about The Satanic Temple, including its origins and grassroots in political activism, Hail Satan? has been reviewed very well since release and was described as “a fascinating documentary about ragtag political activists making fundamentally serious mockery at a high level of media savvy” by Joe Morgenstern for the Wall Street Journal.
Another one like it – 2016 documentary Chicken People follows the trials and tribulations of those who breed exotic birds in the world of competitive poultry. Think Best in Show, but for real. It can be rented via Google Play, YouTube or Apple.
Ghost (1990)
“Oh, my love, my darling … I’ve hungered for your touch.” World famous still some 30 years later for its perennially parodied pottery scene perfectly scored by The Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody, Ghost offers a whole lot more than that one iconic moment. A complex murder-mystery plot, some comically dated special effects, and a wonderful Academy-Award winning performance from Whoopi Goldberg, all come together to make a movie that, on the whole, has aged well and is worth a viewing.
Another one like it – Watch Roadhouse, on Stan, to see Patrick Swayze play a PhD educated, Mercedes-Benz driving, martial art expert bouncer who’s hired to tame a dirty bar in the backwaters of Missouri.
Bridesmaids (2011) – streaming 13 June.
An ensemble comedy with heart, Bridesmaids features an all-star cast of comediennes, including Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, and featuring Melissa McCarthy and Australians, Rose Byrne and Rebel Wilson. The movie centres on Wiig’s Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Rudolph’s Lillian, and her eclectic group of bridesmaids on a wild ride down the road to matrimony.
Another one like it – The entire classic British romcom Bridget Jones Collection is streaming on Stan from 8 June.
SBS On Demand
The Cobbler (2015)
Hate him or love him, the Sandman (Adam Sandler) is known for pumping out his annual ill-conceived comedies featuring his recurring cast of 1990s SNL alumni like Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Kevin James and co. A curious aspect of Sandler’s D-grade comedies is the way he wrangles big-time A-list stars like Al Pacino, whose absurd turn in 2012’s Jack and Jill is all-time. Sandler’s occasional collaborator Dustin Hoffman pops up in The Cobbler and is one of the movie’s few highlights.
Another one like it – For a completely different, critically acclaimed dramatic performance from Sandler, check out his turn as a charismatic New York jeweller and gambling addict in the anxiety inducing crime-thriller Uncut Gems on Netflix.
Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot (2015)
A film adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic, Esio Trot, in which a retired bachelor falls in love with his widowed neighbour, who keeps a tortoise as a companion after the death of her husband. The movie received wide acclaim, with The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan describing the work as “an utterly, completely, inescapably beguiling adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book”.
Another one like it – Another spellbounding Roald Dahl adaptation, James and the Giant Peach can be found on Disney+.
Free in Deed (2015)
Set in the distinctive world of storefront churches, based on actual events, Free in Deed sees a single mother bring her young son to church for healing. The lonely Pentecostal minister is forced to confront the seemingly incurable illness of the child and his own demons as well. This small, independent movie has been praised since its release for being an instance of storytelling shown in its purest, most enriching form.
Another one like it – Taika Waititi’s Boy, a coming-of-age story set in Waihau Bay, New Zealand, is available from streaming in June via SBS On Demand.
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