Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Backrooms (Kane Parsons)
The opening five minutes serve as an ideal primer for anybody unfamiliar with Parsons’ Backrooms web series, and who maybe need a little extra convincing that a 20-year-old YouTuber has some juice: a found-footage recording of a researcher lost in the endless liminal space who gets chased by some unseen force of evil. Even when seen in the extremely low resolution of period-appropriate early-1990s camcorders, there’s something immediately disquieting about the uncanny production design (courtesy of Perkins’ regular collaborator Danny Vermette), where signs appear as their mirror image, various objects of furniture have melted into the floor, and the only living souls are seagulls. It’s an uncomfortable space to be in before the echoes of footsteps begin gathering speed behind our cameraman, and as this tape ends in offscreen devastation, we flash forward approximately ten days to meet Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a failed architect and owner of the fabulously named furniture store Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire. – Alistair R. (full review)
Where to Stream: HBO Max
Brand New Landscape (Yuiga Danzuka)
A favorite on the festival circuit last year, where it premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Yuiga Danzuka’s debut feature is on Fandor. Blake Simons said in their review, “When confronted with the past, do you drive away or turn back to face it? Siblings Ren (Kurosaki Kodai, in his first lead role) and Emi (Mai Kiryu) have been estranged from their father (Ken’ichi Endô) for the ten years since he chose a new work opportunity in Tokyo. Ren, now a florist, notices a familiar name on the neighboring workstation’s order card. Propelled by emotion, not logic, he takes on the delivery himself, arriving to discover his father staring back at him through the floor-to-ceiling window of a major exhibition. Clutching the arrangement tight to his chest, there’s a heavy burden to carry.”
Where to Stream: Fandor
Dead Souls (Alex Cox)
Repo Man, Sid and Nancy, and Walker director Alex Cox makes his return with a Western adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s classic novel Dead Souls. In his interview with the director, Jackson Diianni said, “Having read Dead Souls, it’s not surprising that it would appeal to Cox. For one thing, there’s a very self-referential quality to the writing. The narrator often speaks directly to the reader about the novel itself, calling to mind some of Cox’s well-known postmodern touches: the generic food labels of Repo Man (1984), the intentional anachronisms of Walker (1987), Malcolm McLaren’s finger guns and Sid Vicious’ fantasy of shooting the audience in Sid and Nancy (1986). Reimagining a classic of Russian literature as a Spaghetti Western is a suitably offbeat and imaginative choice for Cox, and he’s not the first punk to embrace this particular novel—it inspired a Joy Division song of the same name.”
Where to Stream: VOD
Idiots (Macon Blair)
For its relatable premise and tried-and-true structure, the road movie has a rich cinematic history. Its success has spawned a number of subgenres, including the screwball escort film where opposing personalities often work against each other to reach a destination. Whether it’s getting someone to the Greek or a 3:10 train to Yuma, it’s a beloved trope that resurfaces every few years. In 2026, writer-director Macon Blair revives the formula for Idiots. He plots a tumultuous course for his prisoner-transport comedy that keeps the journey interesting and finds space to add depth to an otherwise broad comedy. The steady two-hander never quite soars, but is elevated by an eclectic batch of supporting roles that supply bursts of energy in the right places. – Kent M. W. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Jackass: Best and Last (Jeff Tremaine)
The thing with Jackass is: there’s really nothing like it. Evolving from the skate videos of the 1990s, Jackass has persisted long enough to see its public perception come full circle: from lewd, obnoxious jerks to lewd, obnoxious sweethearts. The franchise never tried to be anything it wasn’t. In making the faithful leap from television to theaters, it only upped its budget to match the larger screen. Charismatic leader Johnny Knoxville and his partner-in-pain, director Jeff Tremaine, always followed a core thesis, a timeless truth: if you film someone getting hit in the nuts, people will laugh at it. Because of their fidelity, the Jackass brand has outlasted the relevance of its once-culture-defining home, MTV, and now its middle-aged principal cast. Despite numerous threats that they had hung up their thongs and Tasers for good, the gang is back for a bittersweet coda. – Kent M. W. (full review)
Where to Stream: Paramount+
A Magnificent Life (Sylvain Chomet)
It’s common for a successful artist to be asked about advice they’d give their younger self; one film from this year’s Cannes Specials selection does the opposite. In Sylvain Chomet’s animation A Magnificent Life, French playwright, filmmaker, and inventor Marcel Pagnol is 61 years old and very close to giving up on his career, so a younger Marcel comes to the rescue. When asked to write a memoir column for Elle magazine, Pagnol simply can’t do it––not without the help of hope and optimism personified in the figure of young Marcel. – Savina P. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Pulp: What Do You Do for an Encore? (Garth Jennings)
If you grew up with a well-worn CD of Pulp’s 1995 album Different Class, or discovered it at some point in the last three decades, then watching the band’s new documentary might cause your life to flash before your eyes. Pulp: What Do You Do for an Encore?, Garth Jennings’ film shot during the band’s triumphant June 2025 shows at London’s O2 Arena, captures a band at its effortlessly brilliant best. That’s no small feat when your first performance took place in the early ’80s. Lanky, lovably louche frontman Jarvis Cocker may look a bit older, but he’s clearly lost none of his wit (or dance moves). – Christopher S. (full review)
Where to Stream: MUBI
Tuner (Daniel Roher)
Oscar-winning director Daniel Roher says he lost his artistic inspiration after Navalny‘s victory. I don’t think that’s necessarily a surprise, to hit peak success in your industry and wonder what comes next. That’s when he met a Los Angeles piano tuner named Peter White to light a spark. While one might assume that would lead to a documentary about the man, his profession, the instrument, etc., it instead led to his fiction debut. – Jared M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Paramount+
Also New to Streaming
Disney+
Toy Story 5
Kino Film Collection
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Netflix
The Room Next Door
Stop! That! Train!
