Plex offers a one-stop-shop streaming service offering 50,000+ free titles and 200+ of free-to-stream live TV channels, from the biggest names in entertainment, including Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Lionsgate, Legendary, AMC, A+E, Crackle, and Reuters. Plex is always overflowing with thousands of new and old familiar favorites on its platform and we’re here to happily select the cream of the crop. This month, our picks include techno horror, harrowing true stories, psychological drama, and more. Check out Plex TV now for the best free entertainment streaming and check back each month for Den of Geek Critics’ picks!
Ex Machina
Writer/director Alex Garland cemented himself as one of the most exciting, creative storytellers in Hollywood with his taut, techno-thriller Ex Machina. An update on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for the Internet age, the film centers on a programmer named Caleb invited to the home of a megalomaniacal tech CEO Nathan Bateman to test his latest invention, an artificially intelligent android named Ava. Giving Ava the Turing test, Caleb is convinced of Ava’s consciousness and seeks to free her from Nathan’s oppressive confines. Stylish, yet lean and anchored by outstanding performances from Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina is terrifyingly plausible with each passing day. It still stands as one of A24’s finest films.
Room
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her 2010 novel of the same name, Room stars Brie Larson as a woman held captive in a single room for over seven years, raising a son that has only known the inside of that room. It’s a heartbreaking, disturbing story as Larson’s character must survive and remain optimistic for her son’s sake in the face of continued abuse from her captor. Larson’s heartwrenching performance won her an Academy Award, and equally great is Jacob Tremblay as her son, giving one of the finest performances by a child actor ever committed to film. The film’s real trick is that it is somehow as hopeful and tender as it is chilling and grim. It’s powerful stuff.
Under the Skin
Visually impressive, but also hideous and disturbing, Under the Skin is a truly unique film experience that is engrossing and haunting. The mostly silent film from Jonathan Glazer follows Scarlet Johansson as an unnamed extraterrestrial, seemingly studying the human experience by kidnapping various different men in Scotland. The film presents the alien’s perspective of the human world, providing imagery that can be both breathtaking and grotesque. Trippy, cerebral, and certainly not for everyone, Under the Skin nevertheless does exactly what its title suggests; it will stick with you for a long time.
Tusk
Kevin Smith’s horror-comedy about a douchey podcaster played by Justin Long whose body is transformed into a walrus by a reclusive mad man sounds like a fake trailer parody, but we assure you, this film is very real and a surprisingly wild, visceral experience. Gross, funny, and completely unexpected from the man who brought you Clerks, Tusk is joyfully absurd. The film blends genres convincingly, mostly offering up body horror that would make David Cronenberg cackle with delight. A hammy, yet endearing Micheal Parks plays the old villain obsessed with recreating his walrus friend from years ago, and an unrecognizable Johnny Depp as Guy Lapointe, a shady French-Canadian detective, also adds to the film’s aggressive weirdness. Once again, your mileage will seriously vary with Tusk, and the film struggles to make it to the finish line, but if you’re willing to get on its wavelength, you might enjoy dipping your toe into these waters.
