Movies of War

Welcome to the latest issue of Stream On, the weekly newsletter from Consequence that answers the eternally confounding question: What films and TV shows should you be watching? (Subscribe here!) We’re looking at all the new and recent releases from Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max, and more for ideas — not to mention a Blast From the Past and streaming recommendations from this week’s special guest: Suzanne Vega! Also be sure to join the Consequence staff on Sunday night when we live-blog our way through the Oscars! This Week’s Picks Fackham Hall (Film) Fackham Hall (Bleeker Street) Related Video Directed by: Jim O’Hanlon Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Katherine Waterston, Emma Laird, Tom Goodman-Hill, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sue Johnston, Tom Felton, Damian Lewis Streaming on: HBO Max Fackham Hall is so easily, beautifully described as The Naked Gun meets Downton Abbey, a joke-packed spoof of period dramas that is gleefully silly. I could explain details about the plot, but really the quality cast (Damian Lewis is an underrated comedian) and that premise speak for themselves. Not every joke works, but the good far outweigh the bad. Advertisement It’s Dorothy! (Film) Ashanti in It’s Dorothy, photo by Eve M. Cohen Directed by: Jeffrey McHale Featuring: Ashanti, Fairuza Balk, Margaret Cho, Lena Waithe, John Waters, Rufus Wainwright Streaming on: Peacock This documentary focuses in on The Wizard of Oz largely through the perspective of women who have played the famous heroine over the years, including Ashanti, Shanice Williams, and Fairuza Balk. There are no shocking revelations here, but It’s Dorothy does do a lovely job of capturing just how much this story means to people, especially the queer community. Dispatches from Elsewhere (TV) Dispatches From Elsewhere (AMC) Created by: Jason Segel Cast: Jason Segel, Andre Benjamin, Eve Lindley, Richard E. Grant, Sally Field Streaming on: Netflix This AMC series, now streaming on Netflix, had the misfortune of premiering the spring of 2020 — between its timing and the limits of AMC+’s reach, I’ve always found it to be a woefully under-appreciated series. Now it’s on Netflix, though! Hooray! Created by and starring Jason Segel, Dispatches from Elsewhere brings four strangers together to play an strange game on the streets of Philadelphia, and spirals out from there. It’s very weird and tries a whole bunch of different things, but I found it to be a very empathic and humanist story, with a lot of care for its characters and a fascinating take on memory. Survivor Season 50 (TV) Survivor (CBS) Created by: Charlie Parsons Host: Jeff Probst Streaming on: Paramount+ So dear reader, I confess that I came down with a cold this week, which is why I’m kind of punting with this last pick. Like a large majority of Americans who were alive in the early 2000s, I watched and enjoyed the early seasons of Survivor, but definitely drifted away at a certain point. However, with the promise of big twists and tons of returning players (including a few I actually remember!), I’ve been watching and enjoying the big milestone season so far. Really, I’m just in it for the hilarity of a ripped Mike White returning for a second time. You’re the creator of The White Lotus, Mike! You have so many Emmys! You must really love doing this. Advertisement Blast From the Past The home screens of streaming services are always packed with the latest new releases, but we don’t spend enough time appreciating how much good library content is streaming across all of these platforms. Each week, Stream On will spotlight one less-than-new favorite (must pre-date the founding of Consequence, so 15 years or older) that deserves attention from modern-day eyes. Barbarella (Film) Barbarella (Paramount) Directed by: Roger Vadim Cast: Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Marcel Marceau, David Hemmings, Ugo Tognazzi Streaming on: Prime Video This week was Consequence‘s Space Week, and boy was it fun to look back on so much great space-themed movies, TV shows, and albums. The highlight, for me, was finally watching Barbarella, a movie I am prepared at this time to describe as delightfully bonkers. Jane Fonda plays the titular space agent, who’s on a mission for the President of Earth to track down the missing Dr. Durand Durand (pronounced “Duran Duran,” and yes that’s where the band name comes from). But really, Barbarella just wants to understand love, leading to a sweet, silly, and sexy romp through the cosmos. A Special Guest Recommends! Liz isn’t the only person in the world capable of suggesting stuff for people to watch… So each week, Stream On will now feature picks from a special guest! Said special guest could be literally anyone from the world of entertainment — actors, writers, directors, musicians, or anyone else Liz thinks might be watching something interesting. Advertisement This Week: Suzanne Vega! Lover, Beloved (PBS) and The Stranger (Gaumont) Who Are They? Suzanne Vega is the prolific singer-songwriter behind hits like “Tom’s Diner,” “Luka,” “No Cheap Thrill,” and more — her most recent studio album, Flying With Angels, was released in May 2025. Right now, you can see her in a very different capacity thanks to PBS: Her one-woman stage show, Lover, Beloved, just made its broadcast debut on public television stations (and is streaming now on the PBS app). Lover, Beloved, directed by Michael Tully and featuring music co-written by Vega and Duncan Sheik, explores the life of Carson McCullers through two talks the writer gave during her lifetime. What Do They Recommend? Suzanne has an acclaimed adaptation of a literary classic for us today: I studied Existentialism in college, and Albert Camus’s The Stranger (The Criterion Channel, Roku) is one of my favorite novels. I thought the film was perfect in its restrained tone and simplicity of the black and white cinematography. I couldn’t believe it was made last year. Thanks so much to Suzanne for this pick! Check out Lover, Beloved now on PBS. One Last One Before Bed Finally, let’s spotlight a movie or TV show that’s not only great, but won’t take up too much of your time: Think of this section as the answer to the question “What’s something I can watch before hitting the hay, that won’t keep me up too late?” The only rule is that it has to be less than 95 minutes if it’s a movie, or less than 30 minutes an episode if it’s a TV show. Otherwise, sky’s the limit! Advertisement Cougar Town (TV) Cougar Town (ABC) Created by: Bill Lawrence, Kevin Biegel Cast: Courteney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd, Josh Hopkins, Ian Gomez, Brian Van Holt, Bob Clendenin Streaming on: Hulu Like a fair number of people, I was never drawn to Cougartown due to its title, but after hearing for a long time that it was quality people-hanging-out TV, I finally gave it a shot and recently completed the first season. Guess what? It is a quality people-hanging-out show! The cast is fun, the banter witty, and it goes down quite smooth as a pre-bedtime series. Courteney Cox is good at comedy! Who knew! We’ll be back next week with more picks — in the meantime, stay safe out there, or better yet stay inside, where it’s definitely safe, and there’s so much film and TV to watch. We’ll update this post every Friday morning with the best to consider, and also be sure to subscribe to the newsletter as well! Load More