Michelle Obama, Biosphere are best bets
From a documentary about Michelle Obama and her book tour sensation to a Southern neo-noir with Liam Hemsworth, here’s a batch of new films worth streaming.
“SPACESHIP EARTH” » San Jose native Matt Wolf takes a compassionate, even-handed look at how a band of inventive, creative hippie types — many with ties to the Bay Area — went on to create Biosphere 2. The 1991 human terrarium of sorts in Arizona was intended to serve as a self-contained community — a two-year quarantine if you will — but was marred by headline-making blunders. Rather than tsk-tsking these novice scientists, Wolf’s film illustrates what people can achieve when they brainstorm collectively, be it a success or a failure or a combination of both. It’s a doc that seems particularly timely now. DETAILS » ★ ★ ★ / out of 4; streaming Friday on several platforms as well as at websites for Bay Area Video Club, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Lee Neighborhood Theatres, Roxie Theater.
“BECOMING” » A film about Michelle Obama on her book tour sounds like a snoozer. But filmmaker Nadia Hallgren is interested in more than gabbing stock sound bites from her subject or from fawning fans. “Becoming” is from Michelle and Barack Obama’s Higher Ground Productions company, and the insider view this film delivers ventures into the past and current life of an inspiring woman whose every move was watched and debated. It’s a compelling and hopeful film urging us to value ourselves and each other. DETAILS » ★ ★ ★ ; streaming on Netflix.
“DRIVEWAYS” » Andrew Ahn’s feature debut, “Spa Night,” announced the arrival of an observant storyteller with a knack for depicting quiet moments that speak loudly with emotion. Such is the case with his uplifting second feature, an enriching heartwarmer featuring perhaps the late Brian Dennehy’s most touching performance. A Korean American single mom (Hong Chau, a deserving recipient of Cinequest’s Maverick Spirit Award) relocates with her adorable young son (Lucas Jaye) to a small New York town so she can sort through the home of her late sister, a hoarder. Bored and ostracized by kids his age, the son befriends the next-door neighbor, a lonely Korean war veteran (Dennehy). It’s simply
beautiful. DETAILS » ★ ★ ★ / ; streaming on iTunes, San Rafael Film Center website; rafaelfilm. cafilm.org.
“ARKANSAS” » Two small-time drug runners bumble their way into a Southernfried criminal conspiracy populated by a gallery of unusual characters, including rangers, fast-food restaurant workers and even a curiosity shop owner. Clark Duke of “Hot Tub Time Machine” co-wrote, stars, directs and even produced this funky drama-comedy with delightfully over-thetop performances from John Malkovich and Vince Vaughn. The biggest surprise? Liam Hemsworth as one of the drug dealers; he’s quite good. DETAILS » ★ ★ ★ ; streaming on Amazon Prime.
“HOW TO BUILD A GIRL” » Are you a fan of well-scripted R-rated teen comedies such as “Booksmart” or Netflix’s “Sex Education”? Stream this bouncy British production
chronicling the transformation of a high school nerd into a popular partyin’ contrarian. Beanie Feldstein (“Booksmart,” “Lady Bird”) establishes that she can carry a film and then run away with it. She plays Johanna, an “Annie”-loving 16-year-old contrarian rock critic discovering that expressing an authentic voice is far more important than landing a hunky guy. DETAILS » ★ ★ ★ ; available on multiple platforms.
“A THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD” » Bay Area filmmaker Nancy Kelly’s 1990 Western failed to lasso the big theatrical release it deserved, probably because it’s not a cookie-cutter shoot ’em up. The focus is on a Chinese immigrant (Rosalind Chao) who is sold by her father to an American suitor but who resists becoming the property of any man. Kelly’s engrossing drama has been strikingly restored. Chris Cooper co-stars. DETAILS » ★ ★ ★ / ; streaming on Amazon Prime, Sling TV; rafaelfilm.cafilm.org.
“THE INFILTRATORS” » In this dramatic recreation, two members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance risk their freedom and go undercover in a South Florida detention center so they can help undocumented workers gain freedom. Directors Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra have made a gripping account that couldn’t be more necessary and topical. DETAILS » ★ ★ ★ ; streaming on Fandango Now; theinfiltrators.vhx.tv.
“CAPITAL IN THE 21ST CENTURY” » If you’ve wondered why the middle class has vanished while the ranks of the poor have swollen, this is the documentary for you. Based on Thomas Piketty’s bestseller, Justin Pemberton’s doc is smart yet very approachable and uses talking heads effectively and sparingly. It’s never dry, just a fascinating historical overview about how the divide between rich and poor keeps getting wider. DETAILS » ★ ★ ★ ; streaming at www.roxie. com, Apple TV, YouTube, Microsoft.