What to Stream This Week: Did Alex Garland Secretly Direct “Dredd”?

PORTLAND PICK:

The world wasn’t ready for the sumptuous and surreal PDX romance The Texture of Falling when it debuted in 2018. Now that the feature directorial debut of Maria Allred (who was profiled in WW’s Filmmaker Issue last week) is streaming, it’s time for it to be discovered by an audience open to its enveloping exploration of passion, submission and creation. Amazon Prime, Roku, Tubi.

INDIE PICK:

Still crying over Justin Lin not directing Fast X? Then surrender to the silliness of Finishing the Game, his 2007 mockumentary about the battle to complete the unfinished (and real!) Bruce Lee film Game of Death. Roger Fan steals the show as the egomaniacal Breeze Loo, whose dreams of martial arts superstardom are slightly hampered by his heinous moves. AMC+, IFC Films Unlimited, Roku, Sling TV.

HOLLYWOOD PICK:

Before seeing Alex Garland’s Men, watch his alleged directorial debut: 2012′s Dredd, a gruesomely funny satire starring Karl Urban (who claims Garland directed the film, despite Pete Travis getting sole credit). Urban is hilariously humorless as the titular enforcer from John Wagner’s comic book, but he’s upstaged by Lena Headey as Ma-Ma, a former sex worker who fights fascism with fascism. Amazon Prime/Epix, Philo, Sling TV, Roku.

INTERNATIONAL PICK:

Ang Lee fans should check out Film Movement’s 2K restoration of his 1991 first film, Pushing Hands. But if you’re not ready to splurge on the Blu-ray, try streaming this quietly brutal tale of a steadfast tai chi master (Sihung Lung) and his exasperated son (Bo Z. Wang), which poignantly suggests that parents need dignity as much as love. Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube.