Unless a moviegoing-miracle occurs, you have just a few days left to become FilmStruck: On November 29, the movie-streaming service—which hosts everything from hard-to-find foreign films to vintage Warner Bros. musicals—will be shut down by Warner Media overlords AT&T. Though the provider’s subscriber base reportedly consisted of about 100,000 cinephiles, FilmStruck’s demise prompted an online petition that’s so far accrued more than 50,000 signatures, and earned tweets of support (as well as a few passionate letters from such filmmakers as Guillermo del Toro and Barbra Streisand. Some FilmStruck lovers are no doubt concerned about the startling number of classic films missing from streaming services; others probably want to ensure they had 7-day-a-week access to 8 ½. But because 2018 is the year in which literally nothing good has happened, their pleas are likely to be ignored.
For those hoping to cram one last movie-blitz before the site departs, here are 10 invaluable classics that illustrate FilmStruck’s breadth, depth, and sheer art-house-in-your-house joy.
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bjd7PFf_TFw Wong Kar-Wai’s mid-’90s hit—a propulsive tale of love, heartache and “California Dreamin’” in Hong Kong—has become inexplicably elusive in recent years: The Criterion Collection DVD is now a high-priced rarity, and FilmStruck appears to be the only streaming service hosting this gorgeous and essential romantic drama.
- Lock down what websites can access on your computer
- Quantum physicists found a new, safer way to navigate
- What a school bus schedule can teach us about AI
- PHOTOS: The scrap yards sending copper to China
- Get even more of our inside scoops with our weekly Backchannel newsletter
