New to Streaming: Familiar Faces, Mission: Impossible – The Last Confrontation, F1 and More

      Each week, we showcase notable titles that have recently become available on streaming platforms in the United States. Take a look at this week's picks below and previous compilations here.

      **Blue Sun Palace (Constance Tsang)**

      Primarily filmed on location in Queens, *Blue Sun Palace* delves into a concealed culture and environment. Amy and Didi, two friends working at a massage parlor, experience a violent upheaval that disrupts their lives. Director Constance Tsang, a New York native, lends authenticity to the screenplay. Alongside Lee Kang-sheng, portraying a Taiwanese immigrant seeking connection, the cinematographer Norm Li shines, rendering the film’s massage parlors, fast-food establishments, and convenience stores—captured in gritty fluorescent light—universal, relatable in both Korea and Mexico as much as in the U.S. – Daniel E.

      **Where to Stream:** MUBI (free for 30 days)

      **F1 (Joseph Kosinski)**

      Sports reach their most dramatic heights when the unexpected happens, a theme echoed in movies that illustrate such improbable tales. From *Rudy* to *Rookie of the Year*, American audiences are drawn to stories of underdogs, like the Chicago Cubs. Joseph Kosinski applies this familiar formula in *F1* (also known as *F1 The Movie*, to avoid confusion), which follows up his successful *Top Gun: Maverick*. However, the success of this high-budget, star-studded film extends beyond box office numbers. – Kent M. W. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **Familiar Touch (Sarah Friedland)**

      In a bright California kitchen, Ruth constructs a sandwich with the ease that only comes from decades of experience. She toasts the bread and lets it cool; dill is swiftly chopped, and salmon, radish, and sour cream are artfully arranged like a blossoming flower. Upon finishing, she serves it to a man named Steve (H. Jon Benjamin), who seems unfamiliar to her. When he mentions being an architect, she replies, “My father builds homes. Maybe you’ll meet him someday.” Momentarily taken aback, her son can only smile affectionately and say, “I’d like that.” This ambiguous space of partial clarity and uncertainty is the focus of Sarah Friedland’s poignant directorial debut, *Familiar Touch*. – Rory O. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Christopher McQuarrie)**

      “I’m going to miss being disreputable,” Ving Rhames’ Luther Stickell remarks to Tom Cruise’s legendary superspy after one of their many daunting missions. Setting the scene in 1996, these bold newcomers share a beer outside a pub, preparing to part ways for good. “Well, Luther,” Ethan reassures with a grin, “if it makes you feel any better, I’ll always see you that way.” This tender, subdued moment cultivates the genuine warmth that contributes to the enduring appeal of *Mission: Impossible*. That endurance, along with the ever-widening scope of the series, both fuels and challenges *Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning*. Director Chris McQuarrie and co-writer Erik Jendersen’s screenplay serves as a culmination of this groundbreaking action franchise. – Conor O. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **Year of the Fox (Megan Griffiths)**

      Megan Griffiths, known for *Eden* and *Lucky Them*, presents her latest drama centered on the dark, disturbing reality of sex trafficking occurring right beneath our noses. Written by Eliza Flug and inspired by her own experiences growing up in Aspen (where she encountered figures like Jeffrey Epstein), the narrative follows a teenager who must mature rapidly amidst her parents' divorce and her father's concealed secrets coming to light. Despite a limited budget, Griffiths effectively captures the unsettling feelings of personal horror that arise when faced with profound betrayal.

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **Also New to Streaming**

      **Netflix**

      - Devo

      **Kino Film Collection**

      - Beware of Mr. Baker

      - Diabolik: Ginko Attacks!

      **VOD**

      - The Bad Guys 2

      - The Box Man

      - Elio

      - Tornado