Skooby's picks: three Brie Larson movies to stream before you see 'Captain Marvel'
By Jake Skubish
There are thousands of movies available to stream all the time. This is good, but it’s also overwhelming: when you have that many options, how can you choose just one? Every Friday, I’m presenting you with just three movies available to stream that you should watch to avoid that stress. I’ll hand out different movie recommendations every week.
This week, to mark the release of the new superhero film Captain Marvel, I’m recommending three movies available to stream featuring the star of that movie, Brie Larson.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Available On: Netflix
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is an interesting re-watch — I’d forgotten about some of the movie’s high highs (Kiernan Culkin, well choreographed fight scenes) and low lows (Scott dates a 17-year-old for a really long time). It’s a complicated love story, but there are a handful of individual scenes that remain an absolute blast.
One of those scenes stars Brie Larson as Envy Adams, mega indie rock star and Scott’s ex-girlfriend. She’s sexy and deadpan funny, and her fictional band’s performance is really damn good. Her scenes might very well be the scenes of the movie.
Short Term 12
Available On: Amazon Prime
In Short Term 12 Larson plays a supervisor at a teenage treatment facility. It’s a stripped-down, tender performance in a stripped-down, tender film about emotional vulnerability. Larson exudes boundless compassion, and her stellar performance leads a group of before-their-prime stars that includes Rami Malek and LaKeith Stanfield.
Digging for Fire
Available On: Hulu
I am firmly of the belief that Joe Swanberg is our most underrated filmmaker today. That’s not to say that he’s an auteur, just that he makes really, really good movies consistently for someone that critics and fans are so tepid on. Digging for Fire is up there with Drinking Buddies as his best.
The film stars Jake Johnson and Rosemarie DeWitt as a frustrated married couple who spend a weekend apart to see friends, ruminate on the state of their relationship, and get into some perilous flirtation. The meat of the plot takes place at Johnson’s gathering, where he and some friends investigate a gun and a bone he discovered near his home. It’s a smaller part for Larson, but she’s electric in the moments she has on screen. Digging for Fire also has a ridiculously stacked cast overall, including Jenny Slate, Mike Birbiglia, Sam Rockwell, and Anna Kendrick, among others.