Stream on Demand: Foreign animations make an appearance on Netflix

What’s new for home viewing on video-on-demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services.

Top streams for the week

Among the new batch of films added to Netflix this month are a collection of animated films from around the world. Check out the steampunk imagination of “April and the Extraordinary World” (France, 2015, PG, in English), a tribute to one of Japan’s greatest artists in “Miss Hokusai” (Japan, 2015, PG-13, with subtitles), and the Oscar-nominated features “Boy and the World” (Brazil, 2013, PG, with subtitles) and “My Life as a Zucchini” (France, 2016, PG-13, with subtitles). There’s also “Phantom Boy” (France, 2015, PG, English language version).

“Colossal” (2017, R) was one of the surprises of 2017, a mix of giant monster movie and character comedy that slowly turns into darker territory to explore alcoholism and bullying, all through the prism of a bizarre fantasy spin on “Godzilla.” Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis star. It’s on Hulu, along with a small army of actual Japanese Godzilla films from the past 25 years culminating in the loving epic “Godzilla: Final Wars” (Japan, 2005, PG-13), all presented in English language versions.

Pay-Per-View / Video-On-Demand

Johnny Depp sails the haunted seas once again as Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” (2017, PG-13), the fifth film in the franchise based on a theme park ride. Javier Bardem joins the cast on this cruise and Paul McCartney gets celebrity cameo duty. Also on DVD and Blu-ray and at Redbox.

Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara star in a very different kind of “A Ghost Story” (2017, R), an intimate drama of loss and grief and the inability to move on. It’s odd but touching. Also on DVD and Blu-ray and at Redbox.

Also new: historical drama “Churchill” (2017, PG) with Brian Cox, science fiction dramas “Marjorie Prime” (2017, not rated) with Lois Smith and Jon Hamm, and “Realive” (2016, not rated) with Tom Hughes and Charlotte Le Bon, and the critically reviled revenge drama “The Book of Henry” (2017, PG-13) with Naomi Watts.

Available same day as select theaters nationwide is family drama “Abundant Acreage Available” (2017, not rated) with Amy Ryan and Terry Kinney, and the documentary “Architects of Denial” (2017, not rated).

Netflix

“Never Let Me Go” (2010, R), starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley and based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, takes on conformity, sacrifice, and what it means to human.

Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis are “Sleeping with Other People” (2015, R) in the romantic comedy about serial philandering and “Before Midnight” (2013, R) reunites filmmaker Richard Linklater with actors / co-screenwriters Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.

Also new:

“Cult of Chucky” (2017, R), the seventh film in the killer doll horror series; comedy fantasy “Absolutely Anything” (2015, R) from Monty Python’s Terry Jones; Vegas comedy “Lay the Favorite” (2012, R) with Bruce Willis; bromantic comedy “I Love You, Man” (2009, R) with Paul Rudd and Jason Segel; New Zealand comedy “Eagle vs. Shark” (2007, R) from Taika Waititi, director of the upcoming “Thor” movie; Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005, PG) with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka; Spike Lee’s New York caper thriller “Inside Man” (2006, R) with Denzel Washington and Clive Owen; and “Boogie Nights” (1997, R), about the L.A. porn industry, starring Mark Wahlberg and Burt Reynolds.

True stories: “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” (2017, not rated), which investigates the unsolved murder of a Stonewall protester and civil rights activist, comes to Netflix from the film festival circuit the same day it plays in select theaters.

Also new on the documentary scene this week:

“Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown” (2014, not rated), a profile of the Godfather of Soul; “I Am Bolt” (2016, PG) about Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world; “It Might Get Loud” (2008, PG) with guitar legends Jimmy Page, Jack White, and the Edge; “Detropia” (2012, not rated), a study of the city’s decline; and “Forks Over Knives” (2011, not rated), about the American diet and a proposal for a healthier alternative.

Streaming TV: there’s an international collection of shows, including the crime drama “Suburra: Season 1” (Italy, with subtitles); the Scandinavian family dramedy “Bonus Family: Season 1” (Sweden, with subtitles); animated “ID-0: Season 1” from Japan; and the British science fiction series “Cleverman: Season 2”; summer thriller “Zoo: Season 3”; modern family dramedy “The Fosters: Season 5” from FreeForm; and Canadian comedy “Schitt’s Creek: Season 3.”

Stand-up: “Rodney Carrington: Here Comes the Truth.”

Amazon Prime Video

Billy Wilder’s “Some Like it Hot” (1959, not rated), starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as musicians in female drag and Marilyn Monroe as an unlucky-in-love singer, was voted the best American comedy of all time in a poll conducted by the American Film Institute.

Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender, and Natalie Portman star in “Song to Song” (2017, R), Terrence Malick’s scattered romance set against the Austin music scene.

Also new:

“JCVD” (2008, R), a self-aware satirical action thriller with Jean-Claude Van Damme; Oscar-winning dark fantasy “Pan’s Labyrinth” (Spain, 2006, R, with subtitles) from Guillermo del Toro; cartoonish comedy “Mousehunt” (1997, PG) from filmmaker Gore Verbinksi; high school comedy “Clueless” (1995, PG-13) with Alicia Silverstone; Oscar-winning space race drama “The Right Stuff” (1983, PG) with Sam Shepard; “Fist of Fury” (Hong Kong, 1972, R), also known as “The Chinese Connection,” with Bruce Lee; and the original “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956, not rated) and the birth of the pod people.

Streaming TV: “The Americans: Season 5” continues to the drama of two Soviet spies posing as ordinary suburban parents by studying the toll the stress takes on the family. It’s one of the best shows on American TV today. Also new: “Falling Water: Season 1” (2016), a science fiction mystery from the USA channel; PBS miniseries “The Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters” (2017); TV movie “When Billie Beat Bobby” (2001, not rated) with Holly Hunter and Ron Silver; and the documentary “Queens and Cowboys: A Straight Year on the Gay Rodeo” (2014, not rated) pretty much says it all in the title.

Amazon Prime and Hulu

Rachel Weisz is “The Whistleblower” (2011, R), a U.N peacekeeper who uncovers a conspiracy in Bosnia, in the award-winning international thriller.

Streaming TV: “American Horror Story: Roanoke,” the sixth season of the horror TV series, travels to North Carolina.

Also new: Oscar-winner “Fargo” (1996, R) from the Coen Bros.; indie comedy “Ghost World” (2001, R) with Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson; “Frances” (1981, R) starring Jessica Lange as tragic star Frances Farmer; “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” (1998, R), the revival of the horror series with Jamie Lee Curtis back in the leading role.

Hulu

Tina Fey’s “30 Rock: Complete Series” with Alec Baldwin and the ’80s family comedy “Home Improvement: Complete Series” with Tim Allen join Hulu’s growing library of American sitcoms. On the grittier side is the Fox crime thriller “Prison Break: Complete Series.”

“Once Upon a Time in Venice” (2017, not rated) stars Bruce Willis as a California private detective on the trail of his kidnapped dog.

Foreign affairs: Penélope Cruz earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in “Volver” (Spain, 2006, R, with subtitles), Pedro Almodóvar’s drama of mothers, daughters, sisters, and devoted friends who pull together in the face of crisis.

Also new: contemporary border western “Frontera” (2014, PG-13) with Ed Harris; indie comedy “Swingers” (1996, R) with Jon Favreau; Oscar-winner “Philadelphia” (1993, PG-13) with Tom Hanks; “Under Siege” (1992, R), the hit action film that made Steven Seagal a star; and classic high school comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986, PG-13)

Choice titles for Halloween: offbeat comic book movie “Hellboy” (2004, PG-13) from Guillermo del Toro; viral horror “Cabin Fever” (2002, R); high school body snatcher horror “The Faculty” (1998, R) from director Robert Rodriguez; south of the border vampire thriller “From Dusk till Dawn” (1996, R) from Rodriguez and screenwriter/co-star Quentin Tarantino; musical horror comedy “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986, PG-13); and the remake “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978, R) with Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy.

Leaping lizards! A small army of Japanese Godzilla movies from the past 25 years marches onto Hulu this month, from the loopy, time-traveling “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah” (Japan, 1991, not rated) through the “Godzilla 2000” (Japan, 2000, PG), Japan’s response to the terrible 1998 American film, to the knock-down, drag-out giant monster apocalypse “Godzilla: Final Wars” (Japan, 2005, PG-13), 11 films in all presented in English language versions.

HBO Now

Larry David, cable TV’s most hilariously insufferable neurotic, returns to HBO with a new season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” after a six-season hiatus.

Bryan Cranston is a protective Dad appalled by his daughter’s fiancé (James Franco) in the comedy “Why Him?”(2016, R).

Also new: animated musical “Rock Dog” (2017, PG); horror films “The Darkness” (2016, PG-13) with Kevin Bacon, “Lights Out” (2016, PG-13) with Teresa Palmer, and “The Purge: Election Year” (2016, R); “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009, PG-13) with Hugh Jackman; and the original “The Terminator” (1984, R).

Arriving Saturday night is the new documentary “Spielberg” (2017, not rated) about the influential American filmmaker.

Showtime Anytime

Nicolas Cage and John Cusack star in the crime thriller “Arsenal” (2017, R).

Also newly arrived: romantic drama “A Promise” (2014, R) with Alan Rickman and Rebecca Hall, and “Hateship Loveship” (2014, R) with Kristen Wiig and Guy Pearce.

FilmStruck / The Criterion Channel

American filmmaker William Wyler is the director of the week and FilmStruck presents seven classic films, including “Wuthering Heights” (1939) with Laurence Olivier, “The Little Foxes” (1941) with Bette Davis, and the Oscar-winning “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946), his moving drama of American servicemen coming home from World War II.

New arrivals on Criterion Channel this week include Elia Kazan’s Oscar-winning classic “On the Waterfront” (1954) with Marlon Brando, cult comedy “Harold and Maude” (1971, PG), and the films of American indie filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie, including “Daddy Longlegs” (2009, not rated) and “Lenny Cooke” (2013, not rated).

At Redbox

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “A Ghost Story,” “Cult of Chucky,” “The Wizard of Lies,”

Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at http://streamondemandathome.com.