Kanopy Reviews

by Judi T

The search function is useless. You have to know what you’re looking for ahead of time. There’s no option to filter for topics or suppliers, like The Great Courses. I literally have to go to this app in my browser, make sure it’s logged out, use those functions to filter for what I want, WRITE IT DOWN ON A PIECE OF PAPER, then go into Kanopy and search for it IN QUOTATION MARKS. Then I can add it to my watchlist. Otherwise, have fun spend endless hours browsing through thousands of titles of videos trying to find what you want. Dear Developers: PLEASE ADD A FILTER OR BROWSE CATEGORY (try 915) FOR “THE GREAT COURSES.” Oh, and please note that most of these five-star reviews seem to be written by users with very strange names of random strings of letters. A red flag that they are not verified users.

by S-2019

this app has an excellent collection of movies from around the world. It is by far the best streaming platform for intellectual “entertainment”. As a cinema lover and frequent participant in film festivals, I vouch for the amazing selection that this app brings to my living room. Thanks a million!

But this app’s app has technical glitches. I use iPhone and have the latest iOS version and this app app version. When viewing a movie, if I wish to pause it in the middle, Kanopy doesn’t allow me to do that. After a few minutes of watching something, if I reopen Kanopy it doesn’t show me the current status of the movie I am watching, defaults to the home screen of this app showing all titles available for viewing. When I click the “cast” icon on top right, it crashes Kanopy . The movie, meanwhile continues to play on my television. I have faced this issue for 6-7 weeks, but this app has not fixed it yet. I am hoping someone in their software engineering team identifies and fixes this bug.

by HollyDay

It could be a good streaming option, especially for those interested in foreign films and documentaries. BUT, the service is problematic and the customer service nearly non-existant.

The films keep getting blurry on their app and they blame the user's internet connection, except I have 6 other streaming services and none have this problem at 200mbp speed.

The points expire at the end of each month and renewed again the first of the following month. But if you use a point during the month to check out a film, you only have 2 days to watch that film, not the entire month. Rip off.

Sometimes, for unknown reasons, a film will clock 2 points, even though it's a 1-point film. Again, rip off. Customer service does nothing, even though this needs to be addressed on a technical level.

Trying to get any help from customer service via email is useless. They do absolutely nothing and more often than not, don't even respond.

I'll be informing my local library of these issues with this app. The library pays a premium price per month to provide this service free to us, so nobody should be ripped off.

No wonder many libraries are discontinuing the service. You can even find 85% of the films already streaming on other services, anyway.

Too bad. There's a market for a foreign films streaming service in the US, but not one with so many issues and horrid lack of service.

by NolaLova

I’ve had this app for several years. Hands down, amazing content, however, its been really clunky with the same problems for all of these years. This: There is zero way to recover if you accidentally press the wrong button while watching a film. The only way to get back to it is to “rent” again. (lose a credit) There’s no option to finish watching it later or tomorrow. Nope. Not without using a credit. Oh and oops, if you accidentally press the wrong button, press play for a movie you don’t want to watch (even for a split second and immediately get out of it) well too bad, you lose a credit. Why not have a simple “do you want to use credit” or similar? There’s no doubt my public library is paying for a service its users are not able to fully utilize. I get 12 credits per month and am fairly tech savvy but I find this issue hugely frustrating. I can imagine it is much more frustrating for first time users, especially if they only are allowed 3 credits per month. What a bummer!

I’ve read a lot of other reviews. Every single review that poses a question regarding disappearing credits receives the same response- we’re sorry you’re having this problem, please send an email directly to this app to discuss further, aka …(probably) you don’t have a real solution other than manually crediting to individual accounts. C’mon this app, we’re all fans here, just fix it already.

by ACJersey

I am very impressed by the variety and multitud of genres that this app has. But not all things are perfect, and I have problems with rewinding, going back to the beginning of the film, or trying to go back just one frame is impossible. I watch mostly documentaries and educational videos, and if I pause one day and restart the same video later it counts it as a separate movie, so that in the end I use up my six available rentals without even finishing one single movie. Even if I am only half way on a movie I cannot go back to it after pausing, so if I want to watch a movie I have to make sure I have enough time to finish the whole thing in one sitting, otherwise I won’t be able to see the end until the next month. It is very frustrating. I have to wait to the end of the month to watch the reminder of the movie, because it tells me I used up all my rentals even tough I never finished watching the whole thing. Hopefully they can fix that. It Is ridiculous that I used up all my six rentals on just one video and it was an instructional video.

by Aileverte

I’ve been using Kanopy for a couple months now. I love the choice of films, although wish Kanopy showed the movies that are “checked out” not just those that haven’t been finished. If I want to see a movie again, there’s no way of knowing if I can still watch it or if it’s going to duck another film credit for the month.

Since the latest update, May 5, I keep getting an error every time I start up Kanopy , and then whenever I try to search for sth, Impossible to do any search, can only browse (getting error 503). Please fix it! The search feature worked before.

by Caveheartist

Anyone walking in caves can feel who they are ... can ask questions and get answers . This would be taking what was said to the next level. There must have been art implements or suggestions of the relationship of artist to subject. Were these dream scapes ...interdimensional travels and story telling portals of the visions of artists. Were they animators and illustrators of their world. It would be fun to read them from a higher perspective than , “we will never know”. We can know. 🎨 🖍🖌

by C. Zucker

A magnificent tribute to the American women who joined the Spanish Loyalist forces and international brigades , including the American Abraham Lincoln Brigade, to fight against fascism in Spain. These women, many of whom were nurses and medical personnel, treated the wounded and dying Loyalist soldiers and their allies who fought against Franco’s forces and their Italian and German allies. The film interviews the women today as they look back and tell the story of the war that foreshadowed World War II. A great deal of original film footage depicts the actual circumstances faced by the Spanish people and the Spanish Republic as they confronted the onslaught of fascism and the indifference of the world to their plight. This film could be titled one of the Spanish Civil War’s Untold Stories; these women, with all of the courage and idealism they demonstrate, played a heroic and critical role in this struggle.

by Goopyhop

We love this wonderful selection of incredible films. 30,000 fantastic titles and growing daily, all free. Using my library credentials I registered on an iPhone. We then connected to our TV via Roku without any problems. Screening films is easy, in high definition, and commercial free. It’s like being loose in a candy store! Hundred of wonderful films of every genre, especially great foreign films which are nearly impossible to find. And it’s free!!!! The biggest problem we have is choosing what we want to watch next. Thank you so much for this application. Apple is a great company to enable us all to access films like this.

by XMWeb

Just returned from a 2nd visit to Cambodia lured by the temples of Angkor of coarse. My recent trip with OAT took us to the Killing Fields and into villages and to the Tonle Sap But the sadness and poverty in Cambodia from the devastating US bombing, Kmer Rouge, and the legacy of both is palpable. After my first visit on my own Cambodia near Siem Reap was like a beautiful dream with orange hazy dust from dawn til dusk and the temple bells clanging in the distance and beautiful temples from ancient cities rising out of the towering trees and forest. The tuk tuk drivers stay with you all day, rest in their hammocks, and charge you whatever you choose to give.
This film really hits home for Cambodia and the world. Very very moving.

by Francoise De Fes

I loved that movie. I lived for eighteen years in Morocco and the situation there is the same as in Algeria. Women are not free and are afraid of their fathers and brothers. A sad situation that the film reflects perfectly. I used to go the hammam myself and I heard these stories (I understand Arabic dialect, Darija). I suddenly was plunged back into a world of secrets and laughters of women who, for a few hours, feel free to speak their minds. And as usual Hiam Abbas’s is terrific. The only thing I found a little far-fetched is the end of the film with the brother coming back with some of his henchmen and forcing the door of the place.

by Wiz Ghost

An intimate look at a teen who has a few more challenges growing up than most, but takes the hits on the chin and gets back up to share some words of wisdom for us all. Heartfelt, endearing and gritty, this movie reveals the reality of small town America, the kindness and the hurt that goes with just simply being human. The film feels like a conversation where questions are asked and with brutal honesty answered and from that, the viewer has spent some time getting to know someone they might not otherwise have taken the time to. Beautifully done.

by Another OSU Alumnus

My father had the fortune of being a track teammate of Jesse Owens, and on his deathbed astounded hospital workers when he announced that he could honestly say that Jesse had never beaten him a race. He then clarified that they had never competed in the same race! He had, however, run his leg of a mile relay with Jesse running another leg in that same race. At one point, my father saw Jesse breaking a world record pole vault competition while he himself was running in a simultaneous race event.

This film expanded my understanding of what all took place at these 1936 Berlin Olympics. Some relevance to current developments, I’m afraid.

by Librarian Rho

As a children’s librarian, I’m always looking for great resources for parents and their kiddos. With unlimited access to kids movies, short films, S.T.E.M. features, documentaries, and best of all, tons of children’s book adaptations; this app Kids has hit a homerun. High quality entertainment for the entire family that will forge a lifetime of awesome memories. Since they’re living in a digital world anyway, this is an online experience I’m trilled to share with my grandkids. And if your pair the storybook adaptations with the original picture books, you may even stoke the fires of life-long reader. BTW: Don’t forget to check out Mo Willems Knuffle Bunny series, they are amazing!

by Widowriter56

As a senior citizen, in a very small town, but there’s not a whole lot to do especially during the winter, it’s nice to have a free service that I can get through my local library to help me through the long days and nights. Today I watch Captain fantastic! It’s a movie that I wanted to see for quite a long time. Instead of having to go and rent it from the library or get it from a local Redbox I got to put it on my pad and watch it at my leisure. No having to use gas. No having to pay four dollars for a soda pop. On top of that I got to be in my pajamas to watch the movie. this app is an absolutely amazing entertainment source for people like me.

by MoJoWit

I tell everyone about this app, it’s a wonderful App & service, with classics, indie and international films that you won’t find anywhere else, and all you need is a library card to access 10 viewings per month, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but I find is perfect. A hidden gem is that they provide access to The Great Courses series of lectures, which are amazing, tons of topics, and they don’t count against your 10 viewings per month. They did have a data breach in March of 2019, but it wasn’t a server with personal information (credit cards or home address or password), it was viewing habit data logs, and hopefully they learned a valuable lesson from that.

by SuzieQuarks

My local library system just got access to this app about a month ago. Earlier this week I discovered The Great Courses there and was told by a librarian that none of these videos count against my 10 for the month! I’ve been wanting access to The Great Courses for about 10 years, but it’s never been in the budget, needless to say I’m very excited. I’ve just started a series about how to outsmart yourself to break bad habits and other brain training ideas. I love it! I also love that the closed captioning holds across all the videos.
I’m excited for our next at-home date night to watch one of the 30+ movies I’ve already thrown on my watchlist.

by Jwr2524

Saw it three times . Each time it gets to me a little bit more. Direction was fabulous, acting superb. A little hard to understand because I am an American, but that was to be expected had to use close captioning to truly understand it something about first world war is so unnerving and frightening that I never get tired of understanding it or exploring. This was a play, that’s obvious And I wish I had seen the play. But since I haven’t I will make do with the film. I think I loved it but to be honest I’m not sure. Very intelligent film and thank God for that because I haven’t seen a very intelligent film in years. I hope to see more like this with its human guts churning and boiling over to let me know that mankind still exist on this earth

by Len44039

Great app but getting started was a bit quirky. I chose access through my local library. Kanopy had difficulty verifying my valid library card. With some help from the library, I got through that then had trouble logging in and verifying account details. Once I navigated through those troubled waters, the environment on the other side is spectacular.

Titles are well organized and rich with both education and entertainment. There are some limitations but flexibility is very good. Streaming through my Apple TV (and other devices too) brings the movies and lectures to the big TV. Kanopy seems stable with no bugs that I can tell. Navigation is intuitive. Options are easy. At a cost of $00, I’m not sure I could ask for more.

by Big Island Wahine 2013

Labels Racism Religion Prejudice Hatred Ignorance blinds a person’s view of the creation of life.

We are all created and are being created to Love and Respect one another. The Creator, GOD creates “in the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness...(Genesis 1:26...). “So God created man in HIS own image; in the image of God HE created him; male and female HE created them.”(Genesis 1:27) NKJV (New King James Version).

Let’s all love ❤️ 💕 one another and respect a person because they are a creation of the Creator of the Universe. Love makes the World a better place to live and love one another. LOVE JOY PEACE !🙏🏾✝️❤️

by DMTobisk

Lots of films I want to watch, but so far app has been non-functional. Yesterday I tried to watch something via Chromecast, but not only did the casting not work, the film didn’t play at all, nor did any that I tried. That was on an iPad. I deleted app, reloaded it, and tried again this morning. This time the film started playing (just on iPad, not Chromecast), and it DID play. But when I tried to delete another film from my watchlist, Kanopy froze completely—no navigation at all was possible, though the iPad otherwise was functioning normally. The exact same thing happened when I tried deleting the same film on my iPhone. So this app largely has proven very frustrating so far. I hope its stability can be improved.

by Keith M. Adams

I got wind of this app early last year through the website of my local library and ever since then, I’ve been so in love with the streaming service. You don’t need to pay for anything, there’s no ads and you gain access to movies & documentary films using your library card. I was introduced to classics like “Tokyo Drifter” and “Stalag 17”, then they added the A24 library and I was able to watch films that I hadn’t previously been able to watch like “The Bling Ring” and “The Disaster Artist”.

Indeed, this app is the real deal!

by Dolphin2000

I grew up in the '50s when libraries were an intellectual resource that opened minds fortunate enough to be able to access them.
It's a wonder how the role of the modern library has evolved.
While technology has expanded the access, it has only served to strengthen the library's ability to enhance its fundamental mission.
In an era of instant gratification and superficially, these library applications provide a note of optimism that the potential of the internet has been realized by people who care more about minds than commercial opportunities.

by Bill Dubovsky

I cannot start my day without it. Amazing content all in one place! No censorship, no ads, and content not found anywhere else.

The only negative is that once in a while I will use up my library access quota or my universities’ limit access near the end of the semester.

Suggestion: for those of us who are this app addicts, it would be useful to have a subscription alternative for when we use up our free usage allocation instead of having to wait until the next month to start fresh! I would gladly pay!

by Momtoekmpm

This movie was recommended via a podcast about two years ago. Looking at the cover, and the brief description online I initially gave it a pass. This is not a movie to pass up. Titles in the movie are reminiscent of Big Fish. This story of a young boy being bounced around foster homes, an ex con living apart from regular society and the woman who believed in both opens the story. Watching relationships unfold, tragedy happens and the story that continues to unfurl is delightful. Watching is a delightful escapade through a New Zealand I will never see. Deep lessons are taught without preaching about life, loving, greed, innocence and trust.

by Tutone Lyles Naranjo

Drifting at first it seems our lead character is is not at all the loser he seems. a rough draft of who he reveals as this film progresses. His sensitivity to events begin to show who he really is.. All of Jarmusch’s ‘s films show a rebelliousness and gutsy search for self truth and understanding. Two contrasting themes: when he angrily hits the golf ball into a winning put as his father eggs him on , and then the ending scene where he encounters an old man in a bar who he finally makes a connection with and he finally sees who he is and gets a coffee after all.