True North Streaming is a semi-regular column highlighting some of the best new additions to Canadian flavours of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon. Like many of you, every so often I get a pleasant surprise when I discover a cool movie or TV show that’s just popped up on Amazon’s still-developing video platform. These posts will help you filter through the often quirky mix of Prime’s offerings and find the most valuable ways to waste some time.

And with that, in no particular order...

Midsommar

Ari Aster’s sophomore feature, following his well-received debut Hereditary, had plenty of buzz when it was originally released in the summer of 2019. The story of a young woman (Florence Pugh) attempting to move past a family tragedy by going on a vacation with her boyfriend and his friends to a weird, cultish commune in Sweden, Midsommar fit in with a reborn “folk horror” subgenre. Alongside other recent releases like The Witch, The Lighthouse, and A Field in England, Midsommar taps into older, more historical sources of fear than your standard creature feature or slasher movie.

While the months following Midsommar’s release have led a few critics and horror fans to sour on the movie to an extent, it still offers plenty of chills and strong performances, along with the bonus of a (fairly) original story. If for no other reason, see it so you have the context for the bevy of Midsommar GIFs on Twitter these days.

The Report

The one thing you should know going into The Report is that it’s not a fun experience (did the title give it away?) Dramatizing the mind-numbing research and laser-like focus that went into producing the 6,700-page U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture, Scott Z. Burns’ film is probably for news and politics junkies only. It’s a sharply written and well performed Amazon Original, but its cold presentation of the brutal facts won’t get casual viewers invested enough to demand change from their political representatives.

It’s good to see Amazon supporting movies like this (mid-budget releases for adults), and there’s never a wrong time to enjoy Adam Driver, Annette Bening, and Jon Hamm on the screen. If you’re the kind of person who follows the issues involved, and you’re in the mood for some righteous fury, look no further.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

John Wick movies are gloriously unpretentious: they work great on the big screen, but arguably just as well on streaming, when you can pause and play back the best stunts with impunity. If you’ve always been meaning to check them out, all three made to date are now available on Prime Video in Canada, just calling out for a full John Wick marathon in anticipation of the fourth installment in 2021.

The third chapter begins where the second left off - check out our full review here - and it continues to both expand the bizarre assassin underworld of Wick (Keanu Reeves) and deliver more of the bone-crunching practical stunts the series is known for. I didn’t find myself as captivated by the story in this chapter, but I loved the inclusion of Mark Dacascos, as will any fans of the oddball fantasy/martial arts movie Brotherhood of the Wolf, from 2001.

Missing Link

If you’re like me and other Oscar-watchers out there, we’ve officially entered the time of pre-telecast catch up. With the nominations (boring as they may be) announced, we all need to knock certain movies off our lists so we can at least turn our noses up knowledgeably when the wrong movies win on the big night. One of the movies on my list from the Animated Feature category is the new release from Laika (the studio behind Coraline): another stop-motion animated gem called Missing Link.

In a characteristically family-friendly story, Missing Link introduces us to a Sasquatch named Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis), who journeys with a British explorer and his ex-girlfriend to the Himalayas to find Mr. Link’s family. The movie didn’t do big business, but it’s heartening to see Laika stick to their guns and keep their beautiful stop-motion techniques alive when so much of the industry is churning out Minions movies.

Long Shot

A lot of people slept on Long Shot, a Seth Rogen comedy that despite big names and an engaging premise, didn’t make more than $50 million worldwide on release. Maybe it’s because the movie didn’t look like much on the outside - ironic, considering the whole setup of the movie centres on how Rogen’s character Fred Flarsky, a scruffy and tactless journalist, ends up becoming the successful speechwriter for a Presidential candidate (Charlize Theron), who also happens to be the girl he had a crush on when he was a kid.

There’s some surprising laughs to be had here, the highlights being a reveal about O’Shea Jackson, Jr.’s character and a scene where Theron’s straight-laced character samples some party drugs. It’s uncomplicated fun with some not-too-heavy-handed messaging in there for good measure.

Booksmart

Somehow, Booksmart ended up as a minor front in the culture wars when it arrived in May 2019. A controversy erupted over some oddly high expectations placed on the movie’s box office performance - it didn’t fare well by going toe-to-toe with Disney’s Aladdin remake - which took attention away from the real story: the movie is fantastic. It proved that Olivia Wilde has real promise as a director, and will undoubtedly launch the careers of many of its young stars.

Inaccurately described as “Superbad for girls”, the movie follows two soon-to-be high school grads (Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever) as they break out of their studious routine to attend a raucous party before committing themselves to university. Their late-night adventure brings lots of hidden conflicts to the surface, as well as setting up some hugely funny gags. One bonus revelation: Carrie Fisher will never die as long as her daughter Billie Lourd is around.

Suspiria

I haven’t had the chance to track down a screening or a copy of Dario Argento’s 1977 giallo horror classic Suspiria yet, and there are undoubtedly Argento fans out there who won’t be swayed by the remake. But as a first-timer to the Argento-verse (if only tangentially), I was impressed by what I found in Luca Guadagnino’s tribute.

Guadagnino keeps much of the setup from the original: Susie, a young dancer (Dakota Johnson), arrives at a mysterious dance academy to study with a formidable artistic director (Tilda Swinton). The longer Susie stays in the strange building, the more ghostly and violent events begin to surround her. However, Guadagnino’s version sends Susie so far into the darkness of the building that it becomes clear she will never escape - if she even wants to.

The film is ridiculously gory, so fair warning to those who avert their eyes at that kind of thing. But Guadagnino elicits such strong performances and conjures such bizarre, frightening images that it makes his interpretation worth seeing...with the lights on.

What did you think of this list of Amazon recommendations? Are there any notable recent uploads on the Canadian service that I missed? Join the discussion in the comments section, and if you liked this post, share it with your friends and followers!

True North Streaming: The Best New Titles on Amazon Prime Canada, January 2020