5 Great Films to Stream on the New Service FilmStruck

Ethan Alter
·Senior Writer, Yahoo Entertainment

If you’re a serious movie buff, it’s getting harder and harder to Netflix and chill. As the streaming service has shifted into original television and film production, several reports have noted how its film library is steadily shrinking. With that in mind, a number of upstart services are rushing in to fill the void. There’s the horror-dedicated Shudder, the documentary-centric Dox and Shout Factory TV, the streaming home of the cult movie empire Shout Factory. Now it’s time to open your eyes and wallet to one more new service: FilmStruck, a just-launched collaboration between the two leading purveyors of classic cinema, Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection.

Launched on November 1, the service is positioning itself as the thinking cinephile’s alternative to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. To put it in terms that old school video store aficionados will understand, FilmStruck is essentially one big library section without the New Releases wall. And that library encompasses both recognizable and rare movies from around the world and across eras, starting in the days of silent cinema and continuing up to the ‘90s indie film boom. FilmStruck is also using its Criterion connection to port over special features and documentaries previously only available on DVD. (The service plans to produce original content as well, including documentaries and celebrity guest programs à la TCM’s Guest Programmer series.)

As an example of the kinds of treasures you can expect to find on FilmStruck, we’ve combed through its archives and discovered five pictures that aren’t currently available on any other of the major streaming services. Be sure to visit the site for pricing options and other information.

Fires on the Plain (1959)
Made only 14 years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War II, Kon Ichikawa’s searing survival story follows a tuberculosis-afflicted Japanese soldier as he criss-crosses the island of Leyte, trying to avoid death at the hands of his disease or American troops. His journey exposes him — and by extension, us — to the horrific ravages of war. The soldier’s own breaking point comes when he discovers the true source of the “monkey meat” other deserters are living on.

The Exiles (1961)
A striking slice-of-life, this docu-fiction hybrid captures a vanished era of Los Angeles. Filming on the streets of L.A.’s Bunker Hill neighborhood, director Kent McKenzie stitches together a loose narrative derived from the first-hand experiences of his cast of Native American non-professional actors. Mostly unavailable until its rediscovery and restoration in 2008, The Exiles is a crucial link in the history of early independent film.

Watch the ‘Tom Jones’ trailer:

Tom Jones (1963)
One of the best Best Picture winners you probably haven’t seen, director Tony Richardson’s adaptation of Henry Fielding’s 18th century novel is a rowdy, rambunctious delight. Albert Finney is perfectly cast as the title character, a rakish cad who experiences a series of misadventures en route to claiming the heart and hand of his one true love, Sophie (Susanna York). With its jaunty score and fleet-footed pace, Tom Jones is the antidote to stuffy, stilted period pieces.

Watch the ‘Mona Lisa’ trailer:


Mona Lisa (1986)
One of our personal favorites from the storied Summer of ‘86, Neil Jordan’s contemporary noir stars the late Bob Hoskins in one of his very best performances as a former gangster now making a living as the chauffeur for high-end call girl (Cathy Tyson). The Crying Game has come to overshadow Mona Lisa in recent years, but this earlier movie is arguably Jordan’s greatest achievement. It’s a gritty, moody crime tale that would have made Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler proud.

A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)
If you’re looking to learn more about the history of American film, you couldn’t ask for a better guide than Martin Scorsese. The master director and cinema enthusiast holds court for four engrossing hours, discussing titles that are crucial to the evolution of film as an art form, as well as the evolution of his own filmmaking style. Here’s hoping that FilmStruck soon acquires Scorsese’s equally fantastic guide to Italian cinema, My Voyage to Italy.