In the current cultural climate, the streaming of film and television seemingly comes with everyday life. One streaming service that doesn’t get the love it so deserves is Kanopy. It’s available to University of Oregon students for free through the library’s website, which features a plethora of entertainment ranging from educational documentaries to popular films. Here are a few popular offerings:
Founded in 1984 in New York City, The Criterion Collection is a home video distribution company committed to offering film lovers in the United States, Canada and Europe the highest quality DVDs and Blu Rays of the world’s most important and influential films. Over 300 titles are available on Kanopy as opposed to purchasing a $40 Blu-Ray, albeit they often come with tons of extras and essays.
“Captain Fantastic” — dir. Matt Ross, 2016
The film is a comedy-drama about a widow (Viggo Mortensen) who has to somehow find a way to reintegrate himself and his six children into modern society. After over a decade — longer than most of the kids have been alive — they travel to their mother’s funeral much to the dismay of her family due to their “ways.”
“mid90s” — dir. Jonah Hill, 2018
Jonah Hill’s directorial debut is a coming-of-age comedy-drama that follows Stevie (Sunny Suljic) and is set within the mid-1990s Los Angeles amateur skateboard scene. Making the film an especially fun watch is the attention paid to maintaining a true 1990s aesthetic.
“The Witch” — dir. Robert Eggers, 2016
The film that sparked the “elevated horror” craze of the latter half of the 2010s is Robert Eggers’ supernatural directorial debut “The Witch.” Its stylized title is “The VVitch: A New England Folktale” and reflects the setting of the 1630’s. Note to first-time viewers: have a script on hand to follow along, as the Early Modern English can be difficult to understand at times.
“Hereditary” — dir. Ari Aster, 2018
Another of the “elevated horror” films — as they’ve been called for their particular artsiness and thought-provoking subtexts in the modern age — is Ari Aster’s directorial debut. Set in Utah, the film is about a family both dealing with grief from the passing of a loved one and also secretly continuing dark traditions.
“Tracktown” — dir’s. Alexi Pappas and Jeremy Teicher, 2016
Filmed at the University of Oregon and what was Hayward Field is the coming-of-age drama film from directors Alexi Pappas and Jeremy Teicher. Set on campus, the film is about Plumb Marigold (Alexi Pappas) as her world starts to go in another direction on the one day she’s ordered to rest.
“God’s Own Country” — dir. Francis Lee, 2017
The films follows a young sheep farmer (Josh O’Connor) on his family’s farm in rural Yorkshire whobinges alcohol and sex to cope with troubles at home. Amigrant farmer from Romania (Alec Secăreanu) passes through for some work and feelings arise between the two young men.
