New movies to stream this week: ‘The Glorias,’ ‘Blood on the Wall’ and more
IF Rose Byrne’s portrayal of Gloria Steinem in “Mrs. America” left you craving a bit more insight into the head of the feminist writer and activist, “The Glorias” just may be your ticket. Based on Steinem’s memoir “My Life on the Road,” and directed by theater impressaria-turnedfilmmaker Julie Taymor - who co-wrote the screenplay with Sarah Ruhl - this nontraditional biopic forgoes chronology for a collagelike storytelling that jumps backward and forward and backward again, covering Steinem’s itinerant childhood with her quirky father (played by Timothy Hutton), her two years living in India in her 20s, the founding of Ms. magazine and her work on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment (the subject of “Mrs. America”).
In some ways, “The Glorias” is disappointingly straightforward, dutifully ticking off such milestones as Steinem’s illegal abortion, at 22, and her undercover stint as a Playboy Club bunny for a magazine exposé. But it’s at its best when
Taymor is most theatrical, staging some scenes as elaborate fantasy, and regularly allowing the four actresses who play the protagonist at various ages - Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Lulu Wilson, Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore - to converse with each other, not quite in character, from the inside of a bus traveling, metaphorically, through Steinem’s fascinating life.
But by the time Armstrong, as the youngest Gloria, asks “Are we there yet,” you may find yourself thinking that the film, at nearly 2 1/2 hours, has run out of gas. TV-MA. Available on Amazon Prime Video. Contains strong language and brief lewd images. 147 minutes.
The unsettling documentary “Blood on the Wall” bites into a huge mouthful of story: How the immigrant crisis in Central America and Mexico is interconnected with illegal drug trafficking by Mexican cartels and the associated violence - as well as the role of the United States in all of it.
Co-directors Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested chew on these legal, social, political and economic themes by framing the film within a simple context. “Blood” begins with stories about two migrants: 17-year Ludy from Honduras, and Sara, the matriarch of a family from Guatemala, both of whom are shown travelling via caravan toward the US border. The rest of the film grapples with the violent work of narco-traffickers, and the failure of all concerned parties — chiefly the Mexican and US authorities — to see the interrelatedness of poverty, drugs, immigration and violence. As one of the subjects notes, the problems are neither Mexican nor American, but “regional.” At times in this film, these problems seem greater than any one documentary can fully or finally
digest. Unrated. Available on National Geographic. Contains violent, bloody images. In English and Spanish with subtitles. 93 minutes.
Also Streaming
The documentary “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” looks at both the career of the 93-year-old natural historian - known for hosting educational TV programs - and the life of the planet Earth. The film is personal and political, according to the Guardian, which writes that, “Attenborough is here to deliver a stark warning that time is ticking for the planet.” PG. Available on Netflix. Contains mature thematic material. 83 minutes.
“Herb Alpert Is ...” paints a documentary portrait of the trumpeter, bandleader and philanthropist. Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com. 111 minutes.
“The Keeper” tells the true story of Bert Trautmann, a German soldier who, after World War II, played soccer for Manchester City in England. The Guardian calls the film, which deals with prejudice among Manchester’s Jewish community, a “heartfelt blend of romance and football.” Unrated. Available at afisilver. afi.com, themiracletheatre.com and virtualavalon.org. In English and German with subtitles. 113 minutes.
In the feminist horror comedy “Scare Me,” a successful novelist (Aya Cash) trades spooky stories with a struggling copywriter (Josh Ruben). They are aided in this battle of wits by the pizza delivery guy, played by Chris Redd of “Saturday Night Live.” Unrated. Available at shudder. com. 105 minutes.From left: Jaden Michael, Gregory Diaz IV and Gerald Jones III in “Vampires vs. the Bronx.”
A group of New York teenagers battle undead bloodsuckers in the horror comedy “Vampires vs. the Bronx.” PG-13. Available on Netflix. Contains violence, strong language and some suggestive references. 82 minutes.