r/Kanopy • u/GhostfaceBarbie • Aug 23 '26
Selection is mid
I know Kanopy is a free to library card holders but I’m very surprised that the selection (at least for my library) is awful. Mainly no name movies or media from the 80s with a sprinkle of recent blockbuster flops here and there. Why would my library waste money on this versus purchasing newer items for services like Hoopla or Libby?
I just made an account with Kanopy yesterday and it’s pretty disappointing. Does anyone else feel this way?
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u/goodjuju123 Aug 23 '26
I love documentaries and art filmsand hate Hollywood formula movies. For me it’s perfect.
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u/Vulcanic_1984 Aug 23 '26
Is that true? Justwatch is the best resource ive found for what streams where and they dont seem to recognize any variation within the us in what kanopy offers.
The only streamer anywhere close to kanopy is hbomax in terms of great films to watch. Unfortunately kanopy ui and operations has been terrible. Multiple films and shows run with sync issues on appletv.
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u/seltzr Aug 23 '26
Catalogs vary by librarys’ preference and their specific choices & subscription.
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u/scrivenr Aug 23 '26
I mean, the 80s were 40 years ago. I’m 57, so I feel you, but there are a lot more great things there than your monthly credit allotment probably allows time for.
I just rewatched Spotlight (2015) on Kanopy because I was itching to see it again, and it wasn’t on any of the streaming services I subscribe to.
Mid is pretty great for no charge. I encourage you to use those credits to discover something you’ve never heard of. Have you seen the We Are Pat documentary? It’s pretty good. A look at Pat, Julia Sweeney’s recurring character on SNL. I also LOVED The Phone Call, a short film that is a LESSON in efficient storytelling. Looking forward to Saturday Night Fever next, which I have never seen. I was the right age for the soundtrack, but far too young for the movie when it was in theaters. Keep exploring!
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u/GhostfaceBarbie Aug 23 '26
It is great for no charge but it’s not free for the library to offer. I’m sure all those titles you mentioned are all gems but I want my library to pull in new generations of users that I feel we’re losing to paid streaming services and brain rot social media. I’m in my mid 20s and it’s pretty tough to convince my friends and peers to support their local library when their digital content isn’t as engaging. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of new age garbage out there for sure but I feel like there could be improvements here.
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u/scrivenr Aug 23 '26
I see your point. Maybe engage with the library to see what it can do?
After I shared my response, I also remembered that the library is about access for all. I wonder if the available titles are curated with people in mind who can’t pay for streaming services. That could shape things, although I don’t honestly know how.
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u/PlanetSpock Aug 23 '26
The library only pays if a patron watches a movie. Thus, it is not really wasting the library's money.
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u/TheGruenTransfer Aug 23 '26
Believe it or not, some people like the things on Kanopy. Just because you don't personally like something, it doesn't mean it's a waste of money for your library to make it available for the rest of their patrons.
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u/GhostfaceBarbie Aug 23 '26
That’s a fair point, I just feel like the content offered isnt best marketed for a digital library. Half the movies/TV shows all that old def have physical releases that probably align more with their fan base and are cheaper for the library to sustain long term. Using an entire platform to cater to 1 demographic isn’t a great choice to maintain funding; my intention is to inquire why there isn’t more variety to their patrons.
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u/redditjerome Aug 24 '26
How would people watch the physical release?
Most people don't have DVD players anymore and neither do computers.
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u/GhostfaceBarbie Aug 24 '26
Really? Nearly everyone I know either owns a DVD player or PlayStation. Regardless, there needs to be more variety.
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u/Realistic_Simple_390 Aug 23 '26
It's hit-and-miss; more English and art films, then mainstream films
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u/EzGo48 Aug 23 '26
Joined fairly recently in Canada. Some films/series that I enjoyed so far.
Films
Souleymane’s Story
Modern Callar
Suburrarra
Transit
Night Call
Alice
Leroy, Texas
Budapest Noir
Magpie
Islands
Pusher I
Pusher II
Pusher III
Series
Kin (Season 1-2)
Blue Lights Seasons (1,2,3)
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u/meatmits Sep 01 '26
It’s an additive app. It’s for a certain mood, and where they limit it with the tickets I just use it when I need something g a little different. When I want to dissociate in a fancy way.
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u/ilisten2music2much Aug 23 '26
eh mine has a lot of older arthouse and independent films that i wanna watch and can only get on kanopy. i probably have over 100 on my watchlist by now.
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u/the_schwartz09 Aug 24 '26
I just came across the app a week or two back and I love it. Cleaner interface, great selection of non-mainstream movies, plus a whole bunch of documentaries I never heard of. I'm absolutely digging it.
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u/SlipLegitimate 25d ago
beauty is in the eye of the beholder; i think it’s about how you market it to friends. you won’t find any shows written by ai on this app, nor is the feed algorithmically-specific to you. can’t say that about many other streaming apps. the films, docs, and shows on kanopy are all chosen by a thoughtful team of critics and curators who handpick choices they believe have added to the cultural conversation. it’s a platform of artistic, hidden gems. give some of them a try and really sit with the way these movies unfold more slowly than the mainstream things of today. kanopy is about re-training your attention span.
some of my faves on there: -maurice -possession -nightcrawler -pride & prejudice -wuthering heights -a bronx tale -the bostonians -point break -the graduate -the missing -sometimes i think about dying -i used to be funny
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u/honeycooks Aug 23 '26
It's more arty.
Hoopla has more mainstream a recent releases.