Love Jane Austen? You’ll probably love ‘Love & Friendship’
Here’s a look at an interesting new release available to rent from cable and digital providers and a few titles that are hitting streaming services this week.
Video on Demand
“King Cobra”: Based on the salacious true story of underage porn star Brent Corrigan, this thriller has its tongue planted firmly in cheek. Based on the book “Cobra Killer,” it stars a very reserved Christian Slater as the mousy porn impresario behind Cobra Video who signed on Corrigan (played here by Disney star Garrett Clayton) for an exclusive contract. The overnight success of their early video releases motivated a rivalry with another company (managed by a gloriously unstable James Franco) who make it their mission to even the playing field by any means necessary. The terrific (and underutilized) supporting cast is rounded out by Molly Ringwald, Alicia Silverstone and Keegan Allen. Director Justin Kelly delivers a gaythemed “Boogie Nights” filtered through a “Spring Breakers” lens. It’s wildly over-the-top and lots of fun. (Cable and digital VOD on Oct. 21)
Also on streaming services
“Love & Friendship”: Whit Stillman reunites Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny, his leading ladies from “The Last Days of Disco,” for this sumptuous adaptation of Jane Austen’s novella “Lady Susan.” Filled with witty and charming dialogue, Beckinsale plays the title character of the source material. She’s a recent widow on the hunt to suitably marry off her daughter and, perhaps more importantly, get back into the proper social circles with the right match for herself. Even though it was released fairly early in the year to be competitive, don’t be surprised if it earns best costume design and best screenplay nominations at this year’s Academy Awards. (Amazon Prime on Oct. 20)
“Mascots”: Christopher Guest returns with another mockumentary and relies on almost every great comedic actor who has ever popped up over the years in his work. The film follows a ragtag group of fairly ridiculous sports mascots from around the globe who are preparing for the World Mascot Association’s Gold Fluffy Award in California. Never quite reaching the heights of “Best In Show” or “Waiting For Guffman,” it does have enough laugh-out-loud moments for any fan of those films to give it a shot. Highlights of the cast include Parker Posey as an armadillo (complete with a body suit covered in tire tracks), Jane Lynch and Ed Begley Jr. as competition judges with their own mascot histories, Bob Balaban and Jennifer Coolidge as a hysterical married couple who own a minor league baseball team, and John Michael Higgins as a TV producer for the Gluten Free Channel who is on hand to determine if the festivities are exciting enough for his network to air the following year. (Netflix)