This week on streaming video, we’ve got a Netflix film that debuted simultaneously in theaters and on the streaming service, a few Halloween episodes for shows currently on the air, a number of classics on Fandor from Russian filmmakers, and a few big movies available for purchase, including an Amy Schumer-powered comedy, the latest in the Terminator franchise, and the final chapter of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit saga. Read on for details.
Cary Fukunaga‘s heartbreaking drama stars Idris Elba as the leader of a guerrilla army comprised of underage soldiers, and newcomer Abraham Attah as one of his young charges. In a groundbreaking move, Netflix made the film available to subscribers the same weekend it opened in theaters.
Available now on: Netflix
Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck star in this Certified Fresh drama about an imprisoned bank robber and the woman and child he left behind.
Available now on: Netflix
The first of three shows this week with Halloween episodes available on Hulu, Scream Queens‘ “Pumpkin Patch” finds Chanel (Emma Roberts) at odds with Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) when she makes a campus announcement that mucks up Chanel’s Halloween party plans.
Available now on: Hulu
We get two Halloween-themed Simpsons episodes this year, beginning with this one: In “Halloween of Horror,” Homer and Lisa must hide in the attic when they’re attacked by home invaders. If you’re waiting for the annual “Treehouse of Horror” episode, that comes next week.
Available now on: Hulu
And lastly, in the Bob’s Burgers episode “Hauntening,” the Belchers decide to pay a visit to a haunted house when Louise claims she’s never been scared before.
Available now on: Hulu
Russian director Sergei Eisenstein planned a three-part saga of the titular czar began with this film, which chronicles his ascent to the throne, his marriage to Anastasia Romanovna, and his political troubles.
Available now on: Fandor
The second installment of Sergei Eisenstein’s epic biography of the notorious Russian ruler cut a little too close to the bone for the Stalin regime, but this subversive masterpiece also contains some of the master director’s most astonishing visual flourishes.
Available now on: Fandor
Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris can be seen as a Soviet response to Kubrick’s 2001 — it’s a sci-fi odyssey that uses the darkest recesses of space as a setting to explore the essence of what it is to be human.
Available now on: Fandor
This winner of the 1958 Palme d’Or at Cannes is a wartime romance about a Russian woman named Veronica, whose boyfriend Boris is sent to fight in World War II; when communication with Boris goes quiet, Veronica struggles to keep her spirits up.
Available now on: Fandor
Starring Lon Chaney in perhaps his most iconic role, and featuring grotesque makeup and innovative color sequences, this silent horror masterpiece still has the power to get under your skin and stay there.
Available now on: Fandor
Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and makeshift battalions of men, elves, and dwarfs must join forces to fight off an onslaught of orcs and restore order to Middle-earth.
Available now on: iTunes
Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) goes back in time to defend Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) from a killer robot. But when he arrives, he discovers that Sarah has joined forces with the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger), altering the future and setting up an apocalyptic battle between man and machine.
