As a result of getting a full year of the service, I've been diving in over the past couple of weeks and wanted to share my thoughts (this is not sponsored content, for the record...though I'm flattered if your mind went there that someone would want to sponsor this blog). Below are five thoughts I had about the website, the service, and where I wish it would go in the future:
1. The Highlighted Content is Wonderful
Overall, this is clearly a winner of a site in my opinion. It says something that I browsed around the site for over an hour when I first got it, quickly adding some 30+ movies into my watchlist without batting an eye, and I'm still finding new things. The best parts about the site are the way they seem to highlight the movies, catering specifically to film buffs-there is no pretense of casual viewers here. The main page right now has highlighted pictures centered around Ettore Scola, Toshiro Mifune, and Albert Finney, hardly household names. This is not what you'd get from Netflix, where it will highlight Mockingjay Part 2 if you liked Short Cuts because they both star Julianne Moore. Every film on the site feels worth watching, a specifically-catered assortment that is tailor-made for people who love vibrant, fresh, and original filmmaking. Honestly-I can't undersell how much if you like classic or foreign film, this is probably a service you should consider.
2. This is Not TCM
That being said, it cannot also be oversold enough how much this is not Turner Classic Movies. If you're looking more for Betty Hutton-style classic rather than Liv Ullmann, you're in the wrong place. The assortment does feature a number of older American films, but really here we're looking at something that is more attuned to Fellini, Bergman, Wenders, and Godard than more standard-fare classics like George Stevens or Frank Capra. This is a pity, because I do think that the audience for both of these projects overlap and TCM is involved with the service. Particularly with FilmStruck having its strongest ally in hosting the Criterion Collection (a lot of the movies I want to see are under that package, though you can get just the FilmStruck pictures), adding in Turner Classic Movies would truly make this an oasis for filmgoers. Considering TCM doesn't really house all of its collection on any streaming service at the moment and there's no one who is filling that gap well, an alliance between the two feels like a missed opportunity.
3. The Extras Are Cool
For those who might be looking at this site and thinking, "but I like the bonus content that comes from a DVD, particularly a Criterion Collection DVD," the site has you covered. Many of the films, like Francois Truffaut's Jules and Jim, have related behind-the-scenes and making-of content to accompany the pictures. You can see original trailers, interviews, and Criterion interviews with film critics all on the site, so if you're like me and feel intent on learning mountains about a picture after you've had it washed over you, you're in the right place. I'm still deciding my opinions on Lucky Yates, who is the "Robert Osborne" of the site, as it's difficult to tell so far what his filmic tastes are in the same way that Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz have instilled on longtime fans of TCM, but I'm open-minded. I'm also available if they need someone else to help! #justsaying #dreamjob
4. What's New/What's Leaving
Obviously what's new and leaving a streaming library is standard-fare for anyone who subscribes to Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. There are literally articles on the main page of CNN next to pieces on hurricanes or President Trump that talk about what's new/leaving on these major platforms, so this is a big deal for streaming subscribers. FilmStruck doesn't hide this information, and indeed I spent the weekend before my trip trying desperately to get through three films on my list that are vamoosing off of the service while I'm gone, but I feel like there's more of an opportunity to let you know that a picture is no longer going to be provided. This may be naïveté (if anyone knows how to do this, let me know as I'd be much obliged), but it'd be great if your Watchlist had a shining red box or something around films that you will soon have exiting the platform or a quick list of the newest movies on the site so that you can quickly add them to your Watchlist. Considering how great the site is for catering content, this feels like a good addition.
5. The Oscar Connection
One last idea I would love to see on the site is more of a connection to the Academy Awards, and in particular the Foreign Language Film Oscar. While they oftentimes will call out an Oscar winner within the description of the film, so many classic movie fans learn about the cinema through Oscar lists that it'd be amazing if FilmStruck had some of its search engines geared toward that, particularly as it's so cool about doing cinematic passports bringing you to Polish films or Japanese films. A search that would highlight all of the foreign language features that have been cited by Oscar that you can't find anywhere else would be a divine addition, and honestly increase subscribers as seeking out rare pictures that are hard to find is a way-of-life for film fans. Also, get more of the Oscar-nominated foreign films-I can't imagine they're particularly expensive and it'd be a great way to highlight the collection as well as strengthen the catalog.
Overall, I love the site and its potential, even if I greedily want more from it. If you're a subscriber (or curious about becoming one), share your thoughts below. I'd love tips (or to be able to answer some questions)!
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