TUBI FOREVER # 1

Bi-monthly recommendation series on Tubi; what streaming sites should be.

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If you know me, you know I am constantly singing the praises of the American streaming site TUBI [not to be confused with MUBI]. As a country that genuinely values the artistry and entertainment of cinema, this streaming site is one of their best cultural outputs for revealing to me the vast variety in the quality of independent American film. I genuinely envy how much they collectively value the movies and how this value is invested, resulting in some genuinely baffling and genre-defying entries into the history of moving images.

It's a site you can rely on when you don't know what to watch or get fatigued with the seemingly infinite choice of pirating like I do. There have been numerous occasions when the autoplay feature introduced me to a film I would never have chosen to watch, but I have absolutely no regrets logging on Letterboxd. Autoplay links movies through abstract themes, moods, random plot points or cast members. The algorithm miraculously ties the whole thing together.

Tubi is a refreshing alternative to other streaming sites that 1 .charge but 2. prove an infinite scroll of unappealing thumbnails instead of actual film posters. Uglay.

Whereas Tubi's got exploitation, erotic thrillers, classic noire, juvenile sex comedies, European arthouse, and trashy horror, every decade and every genre—films from all over, but primarily American and English language films. There is something for everyone.

So, to document some of the great titles on my beloved streaming site, I will drop some recommendations.

As of writing this, all these films are available on Tubi.

[Use a VPN as the English version isn't as good]

Enjoy x

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i. KRULL [Peter Yates, 1983]

I am always curious for a sci-fi fantasy. Here, a prince embarks on a noble quest to retrieve his kidnapped wife-to-be from the Beast. Though it loosely follows a romantic, Arthurian myth of prince-saves-princess, it does it in a way that's dissociated: privileging instead the miraculous world-building of immersive, vibrant set design with aesthetics of other 80s fantasy flicks, like Flash Gordon and Star Wars. Very much one of those heroic, chivalrous journies - but I'm a sucker for incredible costuming and cinema that looks so otherworldly it is hard to see any crack of the artificiality that is so normal to the medium. Good vs evil kinda thing. Lots of great British accents. You'd love this if you had an irrational fear of sinking into a bog as a child.

for fans of: The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride, Star Wars, Flash Gorden, Legend, Ex Calibur.

ii. Piranha 3D [Alexandre Aja, 2010]

A trashy, excessive reboot of the 1978 Roger Corman production, following the little brother from Vampire Diaries (Steven R. McQueen) as he gets roped into filming some sexy spring break visuals whilst a hoard of prehistoric piranhas dislodged by an earthquake feed themselves on spring breakers flesh. This film runs off the back of this era of sex comedies but leans heavily into the (s)exploitation - bearing in mind this was horror's 'torture porn' era. The effects are so gnarly: there's a gore fest in the third act that'll have you cringing, summarized too well by the crude banner 'DYING TO GET WET'.

Oh, and Christopher Llyod as another mad scientist.

for fans of Hostel, X, Project X, Cabin Fever, American Pie, JAWS

iii. PLUSH [Catherine Hardwicke, 2013]

This was one of my most-watched films of 2024. There are parallels to be drawn between Hayley (Emily Browning), who's writing a new album after the devastating death of her brother/collaborator - and how the critics reacted to Hardwicke's modern fairytale masterpiece, Twilight. They just weren't ready for it's sincerity. This messy piece of 2013 indie sleaze/emo bisexual psycho-faggotry is a time capsule: the perfect erotic thriller for anyone on Tumblr in its heyday; I love it.

for fans of: The Bling Ring, Twilight, Fatal Attraction, The Runaways

iv. Eve's Bayou [Kasi Lemmons, 1997]

Kasi Lemmon's debut feature film is one of the best Southern gothics. One of those films with an unplaceable vibe, as it's not quite fantasy or magical realism but deeply superstitious, with eery echos of family secrets and a quite Lynchian exploration of The Family as an institution of trauma.

Each performance is enrapturing, spilling with depth. I especially love Debbi Morgan as Mozelle, the mad aunty whose husbands keep dying on her, with magical capabilities, and whom little Eve (Jurnee Smollett) feels close enough to confide her worries.

for fans of: Blue Velvet, Daughters of the Dust, Rosewood, The Prince of Tides, Cape Fear

v. Blow Out [Brian De Palma, 1981]

An understated Pervy de Palma movie for conspiracy lovers and audiophiles. Played by John Travolta, a sound engineer takes some field recordings for a new slasher flick when he accidentally records evidence that a car accident was, in fact, an intentional attempt on the life of some politician. Appropriated Hitchcockian paranoic obsessions build perfect suspense, sharp editing, and a domed romance with a beautiful woman, Sally (Nancy Allen), wrapped up in the mystery. Updates Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup with a twist of Giallo sensibilities. It's not my favourite of de Palma's, but definitely worth a watch.

for fans of: The Conversation, Strange Days, Body Double, North by NorthWest, Collateral