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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

To see movies legally for free, try Kanopy

Dan Webster

Until now, I've been writing about movies that — because of the COVID-19 quarantine — I've been watching at home through the various streaming services to which I subscribe.

The choices are numerous, but between my wife and I we subscribe to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Which, under most circumstances, is more than enough — and the price, even for all three, isn't prohibitive.

Yet there are ways to see movies for free. And one legal way is through Kanopy, a service that's available through the Spokane Public Library. All you need is a library card and you can see up to eight movies a month — at no charge.

And if you want to watch programming through Kanopy Kids or The Great Courses, you can enjoy "unlimited plays."

One of the movies that's on the newly added list is "Midsommar," the horror film written and directed by Ari Aster and starring Florence Pugh. Another is the film that I chose as my favorite of 2019, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco."

And that's just for starters. Documentaries, classics, fiction and non-fiction, dramas, comedies, romances and more.

I've always considered the Magic Lantern one of Spokane's cinematic treasures. Kanopy is another.