Every month, a bunch of new films and shows are uploaded to streaming services for you to binge watch until your eyes pop. But how to sort through such an overwhelming list? Much like Fantine in Les Misérables, we here at Milwaukee Film have streamed a stream in times gone by. Here's what's coming your way in December!
Marriage Story
(December 6 via Netflix • Dir. Noah Baumbach • 2019)
This is an extremely bruising, quite funny, and extremely worthwhile watch. But the reason I picked it here is that I need to in some way justify the time spent making this:
– Tom, Digital Media Manager
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season Three
(December 6 via Amazon Prime • Dir. Various • 2019)
I am very excited to continue the comedic journey with Mrs. Maisel as she soars to new heights in season 3. There is so much to love about this show - from incredible performances by the actors, fantastic dialogue written by the incomparable Amy Sherman-Palladino, gorgeous set design/cinematography, and the coats! They've got such great coats!
– Anna, Programming Administrative Director
Killing Eve Season Two
(December 18 via Hulu • Dir. Various • 2019)
Jodie Comer...HUBBA HUBBA - the coolest and most stylish psychopath assassin to watch and wish was your friend - xoxo
– Rachel, Development Manager
Diamantino
(December 2 via Criterion Channel • Dirs.
Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt • 2018)
A very divisive Members-Only screening this year was Diamantino. One of the most unclassifiable films of the year: a high-camp masterpiece of genre-blending and gender-bending satire.
– Kristopher, Membership Manager
6 Underground
(December 13 via Netflix • Dir. Michael Bay • 2019)
For my money, the apex of Michael Bay's filmography is Bad Boys 2 - unchecked both in terms of budget and morality, it's an act of cinematic chaos. It features Michael Shannon as KKK member Floyd Poteet, a brief detour into the sexual proclivities of the order Rodentia, the best cinematic use of Dan Marino (sorry Ace Ventura), and a sequence where the titular Bad Boys team up with Henry Rollins to essentially declare war on Cuba. If I had only one movie with which to describe the sobering state of America circa 2003, this would be my choice.
This is all to say that I'm excited to see 6 Underground and find out what a Michael Bay unencumbered by the dictums of studio filmmaking (so many Netflix originals feel like an exercise in 'No notes!') looks like.
– Tom, Again
The Juniper Tree
(December 25 via Criterion Channel • Dir.
Nietzchka Keene • 1990)
A Christmas miracle - the streaming debut of a beautiful restoration of Bjork's first film, made when she was a wee teenager in Iceland. The Juniper Tree, based on a fairy tale, is a feminist film set in the Middle Ages where the witches are to be heeded, not destroyed, as young Margit and Katia find out after their mother dies and they must find a new life for themselves.
– Dana, Grants & Special Projects Coordinator
YOU Season 2
(December 26 via Netflix • Dir.
Various • 2019)
For once in my life, I can't wait for Christmas to be over because that means I get to watch the new season of YOU. It's a millennial melodrama that makes me feel great about myself because there's no way I could be as obnoxious as the characters on this show. But don't worry, they're terrible in the best way.
– Kerstin, Cinema Programming Director
It Comes at Night
(December 9 via Netflix • Dir.
Trey Edward Shults • 2017)
This quietly tense and carefully constructed horror film is further proof that I'd never survive in a post-apocalyptic world - I'd just cry and let a wolf eat me, but I admire the surviving contenders that appear in this film and their emotional stamina.
– Rachel, back at it again with the white Vans
Dolly Parton's Heartstrings
(Now available via Netflix • Dir.
Various • 2019)
Between the deep dive of Dolly Parton's America podcast and the Hallmark-esque Dolly Parton's Heartstrings on Netflix, I have been very much enjoying a holly Dolly holiday! If you love Dolly, America, human beings, and/or small animals - check them out!
– Jessica, Development Director
Phase IV
(December 1 via Amazon Video • Dir.
Saul Bass • 1974)
Saul Bass made only movie - and it's a loose retelling of Moby Dick where the white whale is substituted for hyper-intelligent, comsically-modified ants in the desert. It rules. I have no proof of this, but I also want to get the notion that this movie syncs perfectly with Dave Matthews Band's "Ants Marching" played on a loop off the ground. Tell your friends.
– Tommy Trifecta
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
(December 5 via Amazon Video • Dir.
Joe Talbot • 2019)
One of my favorite films of the year. The film is a heartfelt story of a young man dedicated to a memory of his family. The performance by Jonathan Majors (who plays his best friend) steals the show. It's a blend of honest emotion with a quietly stylish look. Loved it!
– Kristopher, here again with you this holiday season
Wild Rose
(December 16 via Hulu • Dir.
Tom Harper • 2019)
Bonus (Jonas!) - I'm thrilled that Wild Rose is coming to Hulu on December 16th. The critically adored film has been on my must-see list since February and its story of a Scottish mother who's just been released from jail and has dreams of making it big in Nashville sounds right out of a Dolly song.
– Jessica, returning champion
Cold Case Hammarskjöld
(December 19 via Hulu • Dir.
Mads Brügger • 2019)
In this standout documentary from 2019’s Sundance Film Festival, eccentric Danish comedian-turned-sleuth Mads Brügger once again finds himself willingly in the throws of danger as he takes a deep dive into a decades old rabbit hole of questionable conspiracy theories, bloodthirsty mercenaries, and nefarious secret societies as he attempts to get to the bottom of the mysterious death of a UN diplomat. Only Brügger could manage to make a story this chilling equally funny as the plot spirals into absurdity, a perfect example that sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.
– Justin, Guest & Alumni Relations Manager
Posted by: Tom Fuchs