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With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

Aferim! (Radu Jude)

Leave it to a Romanian director to make a movie that best expresses the dangers of the dyed-in-the-wool mindset of modern America. Culled partly from historical documents, Aferim! is a twisted history lesson whose messages transcend its insular time period of 19th-century Romania. Its story concerns Constable Costandin (Teodor Corban) and his son, Ionita (Mihai Comanoiu), who chase after a wanted Gypsy slave...

I admittedly didn’t think too much on The Phenom after watching its trailer. There was a good cast, its look behind the curtain of fame seemed intriguing, and there’d probably be some darkly honest depictions of sports abuse at the hands of over-zealous parents. But then I saw who the writer/director was and suddenly all I could do was think. Noah Buschel is the man behind a wonderful little character piece from a few years back called Sparrows Dance and seeing his name as the creator of this baseball movie had me scratching my head. It looked run-of-the-mill: prodigy gets the “yips” and must face his past to overcome. It didn’t seem like something the author of Sparrows Dance would tackle. And to a point I was right.

The Phenom isn’t about baseball. Sure we see a few pitches — mostly the wild ones that derailed...

Next month, Corey Stoll will transition into blockbuster mode with a key role in Marvel's "Ant-Man" as Darren Cross, aka Yellowjacket. But if you're eager to see more from the talented actor in a movie driven more by character than by explosions, then "Glass Chin" will fit the bill, and today we have an exclusive clip. Undersung filmmaker Noah Buschel ("Sparrows Dance," "The Missing Person") directs this story story following Bud Gordon, a washed up boxer who in looking to mount one last comeback makes a deal with a shifty restaurateur and finds himself in way over his head. As you'll see in this clip, Bud can't seem to escape one of his most embarrassing moments in the ring. Read More: Hamptons Film Fest Review: 'Sparrows Dance' A Simple Story Delivered With Affecting Charm   Co-starring Billy Crudup, Yul Vazquez, Marin Ireland, David Johansen and Katherine Waterston, "Glass Chin" opens.

In a just world, more people would know the name Noah Buschel. The filmmaker behind indies "Sparrows Dance" and "The Missing Person" has quietly been making his voice know to those paying attention, and his latest, "Glass Chin," certainly snapped our attention at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. It's taken a while, but the movie is now coming to theaters and the first trailer has arrived. Read: Tribeca Interview: Billy Crudup Compares 'Glass Chin' To 'Watchmen,' Wants Role In 'Star Wars 7' Featuring a great ensemble that includes Corey Stoll, Billy Crudup, Yul Vazquez, Marin Ireland, David Johansen, and Katherine Waterston, the story follows a boxer looking to mount one last comeback, who gets mixed up with a shifty restaurateur and finds himself in way over his head. This one is a winner, and a picture we called "authentic and golden," and "a tiny little...

Glass Chin

Written and directed by Noah Buschel

USA, 2014

Police sirens echo in the background of a wintry New York City night landscape. The prize-winning fight is heard on the radio, the one Bud “The Saint” Gordon has been risking his comeback and life on. He should be at the fight of which he is managing, but an affirmation as to what is most important has dawned on his soul. Has Bud made the right decision? As the fight plays out, not a single punch falls on screen. The audience is left in darkness, as the verdict rings true. What will happen to Bud “The Saint” Gordon now?

These questions and others profoundly layer Glass Chin, the crime boxing drama by writer/director Noah Buschel, who brought us last year’s critically acclaimed single-location film Sparrows Dance. Glass Chin follows Bud Gordon, a once-famed New Jersey boxer whose star fell...

Glass Chin

Written and directed by Noah Buschel

USA, 2014

Police sirens echo in the background of a wintry New York City night landscape. The prize-winning fight is heard on the radio, the one Bud “The Saint” Gordon has been risking his comeback and life on. He should be at the fight of which he is managing, but an affirmation as to what is most important has dawned on his soul. Has Bud made the right decision? As the fight plays out, not a single punch falls on screen. The audience is left in darkness, as the verdict rings true. What will happen to Bud “The Saint” Gordon now?

These questions and others profoundly layer Glass Chin, the crime boxing drama by writer/director Noah Buschel, who brought us last year’s critically acclaimed single-location film Sparrows Dance. Glass Chin follows Bud Gordon, a once-famed New Jersey boxer whose star fell...

A couple of years ago writer-director Noah Buschel unleashed his tiny, deeply affecting "Sparrows Dance,"a movie set in a single apartment, with only two characters. For his highly anticipated follow-up (at least by us), he has expanded his palette considerably, this time tackling a modestly scaled crime drama about a down-on-his-luck former boxer (Corey Stoll from "House of Cards") who becomes embroiled in the criminal operation of a weirdo gangster/restaurateur (Billy Crudup), all while struggling to maintain his longtime romantic relationship (Marin Ireland, who starred in "Sparrows Dance"). It's one of the best movies you'll see at this year's Tribeca Film Festival and what's more—we've got an exclusive clip. In the clip, Bud "The Saint" Gordon (Stoll) is trying to explain to his girlfriend (Ireland) about what went down the other night while doing a job for Jj (Crudup). We don't want to give away too much…...

Masterful in its silences, a little less so in its chatter, writer/director Noah Buschel's Sparrows Dance begins almost as a tribute to Chantal Akerman’s masterpiece, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Qual du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, the difference mainly being a dissimilar choice of heroines. Instead of a bored housewife turned prostitute, we have a former actress turned agoraphobic who hasn't left her apartment in over year.

Additionally, here the heroine has no name, at least her moniker's never revealed. Instead she's listed as Woman in Apartment (Marin Ireland) on the credits. That's possibly why in many of the early shots her physiognomy is blocked out. She's lying in the bathtub with a white washcloth over her face. We view her from the back as she vigorously rides her exercise bike. Or we just see her eye as she stares out of her peephole to make sure she’s safe.

The camera...

Sparrows Dance

Written and directed by Noah Buschel

USA, 2013

While constant corporate factors are frequent roadblocks to the success of independent filmmaking – budget, marketing, and star power to name a few – other, creative factors encourage a noticeable foundation in marking a calling card for small-time directors and actors: poignant settings, modestly strong plots, and standout performances. A worthy independent film may have one of these qualities, but only a special indie possesses all three. Such is the case with Noah Buschel’s Sparrows Dance.

Sparrows Dance tells the story of an agoraphobic actress (Marin Ireland) who stops leaving her apartment, crippled by fear of the outside world. Living off delivery food and residuals from her acting career, she spends her days parading through her everyday routines and spying on the city from her window. But when her toilet overflows and a kind, compassionate plumber (Paul Sparks) shows up, she reluctantly allows him into her life.

Sparrows Dance

Written by Noah Buschel

Directed by Noah Buschel

USA, 2012

Set in modern-day New York City, Noah Buschel’s Sparrows Dance follows the day-to-day life of an agoraphobic former-actress (a drabbed down Marin Ireland, Homeland). Hitting a decent amount of the Mumblecore check points, the film is low budget (an estimated $175,000 production) and uses naturalistic dialogue and pacing. At the beginning of the 82 minute film, a good fifteen minutes or so is dedicated to establishing that the female lead is indeed agoraphobic and that her life revolves around bodily functions such as going to the bathroom (the film starts with her on the toiler), exercising (on a vintage-looking stationary bike) and eating (takeout: the agoraphobic’s choice). Unfortunately for her neurosis and luckily for us, her toilet clogs up enough that she has to call up a plumbing service. To her dismay, they tell her that they can’t...

Reclusive Romantics: Buschel’s Contained Character Study Shines Beyond The Walls

Location, location, location, that is essentially the most powerful cinematic tool in Noah Buschel’s latest static meditation about improbable love. An extremely minimalistic piece of indie filmmaking, Sparrows Dance utilizes every peculiarity about its setting and characters to make a feature-length offbeat romance out of what might have seem like very little on paper.

An unnamed woman (played delightfully by Marin Ireland) who lives by herself in a NYC apartment quickly reveals via her eccentric acts of self-reclusion that she is not fond of company. She orders food through the phone pretending she has someone else around as if ashamed of her voluntary isolation, and even demands the delivery guy takes the money and leaves the food by the door. One day the serendipitous malfunctioning of her toilet forces her to tone down her agoraphobic behavior in order...

This weekend, a movie that is very close to our hearts finally opens. "Sparrows Dance" is a micro-sized indie romantic comedy about a woman (played by Marin Ireland from "Homeland") who refuses to leave her apartment, which makes meeting someone something of a challenge. This changes when her toilet gets backed up and she has to hire a plumber (Paul Sparks from "Boardwalk Empire"). Love blossoms, but as Poison taught us, every rose has its thorns, and this rose is super thorny. We saw the film before last year's Hamptons Film Festival and fell in love. It's just as quirky and fun and technically proficient as something like "Frances Ha," and it's finally seeing the light of day thanks to Tribeca Films.We got to speak to director Noah Buschel and Ireland back at the Hamptons Film Festival, where we talked about Buschel's attraction and revulsion to the "mumblecore" sub-genre,...

Great news, ladies: If you want to find the perfect man, never leave your apartment and he'll just show up at your door! At least, that's what happens to the unnamed Woman in Sparrows Dance. When a plumbing emergency strikes our heroine's cozy, self-imposed prison of an apartment, which she hasn't left in a year and doesn't even allow the Chinese food delivery guy to step inside, friendly plumber Wes arrives to save the day. Turns out he's also jazz saxophonist who couldn't care less that the Woman suffers from crippling anxiety that may prevent her from ever having a meaningful relationship. There's something real between them, and he's determined to get her outside for his next gig. Sparrows Dance requires an open mind. The first 15 minutes are meandering and mundane en...

Following its warm reception on the festival circuit last year before getting picked up by Tribeca Film, an official trailer for "Sparrows Dance" has now hit the web, just in time for its release later this month. Directed by Noah Buschel, the eccentric comedy follows a former actress (Marin Ireland) who, after suffering from a dramatic case of stage fright, has retreated into agoraphobic tendencies, devoting her days to staying inside her apartment and watching TV. When a kindly plumber (Paul Sparks) arrives to fix her flooding toilet, he helps shake her out of her antisocial shell. "Sparrows Dance" will be available on VOD and iTunes on August 20 before opening at the Quad Cinema on August 23.

There are cinematic treasures to be found everywhere, and one movie that struck us last year was first discovered tucked away at the Hamptons International Film Festival. "Sparrows Dance" captivated our own Drew Taylor, who not only called it "deeply affecting, smartly acted and thoroughly charming" in his A-grade review, but named it as his Best Movie That Hasn't Been Picked Up Yet in his 2012 year-end recap. Well, the film now has a home with Tribeca Film and you can soon check it out in the comfort of your own home. Below you'll find the exclusive trailer for "Sparrows Dance," the latest from writer/director Noah Buschel, and it nicely conveys the unique, small scale story it tells so well. The film centers on a former actress (played by Marin Ireland), who finds herself confined to her apartment, crippled by fear of the outside world. She ekes out a living...

An actor-turned-agoraphobic (Marin Ireland) finds herself hopelessly trapped within the confines of her own apartment. She orders take-out food, leaving the money outside the heavily locked door of her apartment, afraid of any human interaction. The sheer mundanity of her existence suddenly changes when her apartment is suddenly flooded by an overflown toilet. She must allow Wes (Paul Sparks) inside to fix her leak -- and not to sound overtly snarky, let's just say that Wes does much more than unclog the flow of her toilet. Writer-director Noah Buschel's Sparrows Dance is a film about characters who are mentally trapped by their own psychology. While the lonely female is unable to leave her apartment, the plumber is unwilling to leave the working class confines of his plumbing overalls.

The Austin Film Festival has announced its 2012 Film Competition winners from its seven categories. The films were selected from a record number of entries this year and were all chosen by industry jurors. "Sparrows Dance" by writer/director Noah Buschel prevailed in the Narrative Feature category, while Jamie Meltzer's "Informant" won best Documentary Feature; Bryan Buckley's "Asad," which he wrote and directed, took home the award for Narrative Short; "Hatch" by writer/director Christoph Kuschnig and writer Karl Goldblat topped the Narrative Student Short category; Timothy Reckart's "Head Over Heels" won for Animated Short; best Documentary Short went to Chelsea Hernandez and Erik Mauck's "See The Dirt"; and "Crumbs," directed by Nicco Vasquez and written by Keith Limon, won the Young Filmmakers Competition. The Austin Film Festival is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts...

Writer-director Bryan Buckley's "Asad" was named best narrative short and Timothy Reckart's "Head Over Heels" was chosen top animated short by the Austin Film Festival, which announced its winners Sunday. Winners were selected from a record number of entries this year by a panel of industry jurors. Also read: Michael Moore's New Plan: Eliminate the Oscar Documentary Rules The following winners were selected by category: Narrative Feature: "Sparrows Dance," writer/director Noah Buschel; Documentary Feature: "Informant," director Jamie Meltzer; Narrative Short: "Asad," writer/director Bryan Buckley (pictured above); Narrative Student Short: "Hatch," writer/director Christoph Kuschnig, writer...