This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/10/arts/the-best-movies-on-amazon-prime-video-right-now.html
The article has changed 113 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
Next version
| Version 53 | Version 54 |
|---|---|
| The Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now | The Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now |
| (1 day later) | |
| Sign up for our Watching newsletter to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox. | Sign up for our Watching newsletter to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox. |
| As Netflix pours more of its resources into original content, Amazon Prime Video is picking up the slack, adding new movies for its subscribers each month. Its catalog has grown so impressive, in fact, that it’s a bit overwhelming — and at the same time, movies that are included with a Prime subscription regularly change status, becoming available only for rental or purchase. It’s a lot to sift through, so we’ve plucked out 100 of the absolute best movies included with a Prime subscription right now, to be updated as new information is made available. | As Netflix pours more of its resources into original content, Amazon Prime Video is picking up the slack, adding new movies for its subscribers each month. Its catalog has grown so impressive, in fact, that it’s a bit overwhelming — and at the same time, movies that are included with a Prime subscription regularly change status, becoming available only for rental or purchase. It’s a lot to sift through, so we’ve plucked out 100 of the absolute best movies included with a Prime subscription right now, to be updated as new information is made available. |
| Here are our lists of the best TV shows and movies on Netflix, and the best of both on Hulu and Disney+. | Here are our lists of the best TV shows and movies on Netflix, and the best of both on Hulu and Disney+. |
| Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents’s ingenious musical adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet,” which updated its setting and story to the streets and gangs of New York, remains one of the towering achievements of the Broadway stage. So it’s no surprise that it spawned one of the great movie musicals. The original stage director and choreographer Jerome Robbins and the filmmaker Robert Wise shared directorial duties, thrillingly placing the show’s songs and dances on the real streets of New York City while using the proximity and intimacy of the camera to render the longing and loss of the story even more poignant. Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer perform admirably in the leads, but Rita Moreno and George Chakiris steal the show in support — and won Oscars for their efforts, two of the film’s astonishing ten-statue haul, which included prizes for best picture and best director. (For more classic ’60s cinema, stream “Judgment at Nuremberg” or “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.”)Watch it on Amazon | Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents’s ingenious musical adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet,” which updated its setting and story to the streets and gangs of New York, remains one of the towering achievements of the Broadway stage. So it’s no surprise that it spawned one of the great movie musicals. The original stage director and choreographer Jerome Robbins and the filmmaker Robert Wise shared directorial duties, thrillingly placing the show’s songs and dances on the real streets of New York City while using the proximity and intimacy of the camera to render the longing and loss of the story even more poignant. Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer perform admirably in the leads, but Rita Moreno and George Chakiris steal the show in support — and won Oscars for their efforts, two of the film’s astonishing ten-statue haul, which included prizes for best picture and best director. (For more classic ’60s cinema, stream “Judgment at Nuremberg” or “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| Matt Damon turns in one of his best performances — by turns desperate, sexy and chilling — in this first-rate adaptation of the novel by Patricia Highsmith. Damon stars as the title character, a clever con artist who uses a fleeting instance of mistaken identity to ingratiate himself into the sphere of the rich and beautiful (namely, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow) and to stay there at any cost. The director Anthony Minghella carries off the drama and suspense with aplomb and handily orchestrates the excellent cast, which also includes Cate Blanchett and a memorably weaselly Philip Seymour Hoffman.Watch it on Amazon | Matt Damon turns in one of his best performances — by turns desperate, sexy and chilling — in this first-rate adaptation of the novel by Patricia Highsmith. Damon stars as the title character, a clever con artist who uses a fleeting instance of mistaken identity to ingratiate himself into the sphere of the rich and beautiful (namely, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow) and to stay there at any cost. The director Anthony Minghella carries off the drama and suspense with aplomb and handily orchestrates the excellent cast, which also includes Cate Blanchett and a memorably weaselly Philip Seymour Hoffman.Watch it on Amazon |
| Too many people only know Oscar Grant III because of the final moments of his life, in which he was shot to death by a Bay Area transit cop on a train platform in the early hours of New Year’s Day, 2009 — a tragedy captured by the cameras of several passengers. But we too often reduce victims to their deaths, and this heartfelt drama seeks to restore Grant’s life to its full richness and complexity. Director Ryan Coogler’s “powerful and sensitive debut feature” focuses instead on Grant’s final day, and on the relationships he attempts to repair and cultivate, blissfully unaware of the fate that awaits him. It’s a wrenching, humanistic portrait of an average life, cut cruelly short by prejudice and circumstance. (For more indie drama, try “Raising Victor Vargas”or “Poison.”)Watch it on Amazon | |
| It looks, at first glance, like the perfect New York City romance: a roomy apartment on the Upper West Side, a gorgeous wife and her handsome actor husband, a bouncing baby on the way. Look closer. Roman Polanski’s “mainstream masterpiece” is a chilling examination of the terror that lurks just beneath those shiny surfaces, beneath the wide-eyed good intentions of new friends and the cheerful opportunism of the young couple at it center. Mia Farrow does some of her finest acting as the increasingly sickly mother-to-be, John Cassavetes is appropriately devil-may-care as her career-minded husband, and Ruth Gordon won an Oscar for her work as the couple’s nosy next-door neighbor. (Fans of vintage genre films will also enjoy “The Naked Kiss” and “Bird With the Crystal Plumage.”) | It looks, at first glance, like the perfect New York City romance: a roomy apartment on the Upper West Side, a gorgeous wife and her handsome actor husband, a bouncing baby on the way. Look closer. Roman Polanski’s “mainstream masterpiece” is a chilling examination of the terror that lurks just beneath those shiny surfaces, beneath the wide-eyed good intentions of new friends and the cheerful opportunism of the young couple at it center. Mia Farrow does some of her finest acting as the increasingly sickly mother-to-be, John Cassavetes is appropriately devil-may-care as her career-minded husband, and Ruth Gordon won an Oscar for her work as the couple’s nosy next-door neighbor. (Fans of vintage genre films will also enjoy “The Naked Kiss” and “Bird With the Crystal Plumage.”) |
| Watch it on Amazon | Watch it on Amazon |
| “Mudbound” director Dee Rees made her feature debut with this heartfelt and thoughtful story about a Brooklyn teenager (the “incandescent” Adepero Oduye) named Alike and her delicate attempt to come out as a lesbian — fully aware of the resistance she will face from her parents (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell). Rees, who also penned the screenplay, tells this semi-autobiographical tale like a richly detailed short story, well-versed in the lives these characters live, the neighborhoods they inhabit and the lies they tell one another in order to coexist. But she also captures the seductiveness of the subcultures Alike begins to explore, and the alternative they present: the choice to live one’s truth, with no apologies. (Fans of character-driven indie fare should also check out “Zebrahead” and “Igby Goes Down.”) | “Mudbound” director Dee Rees made her feature debut with this heartfelt and thoughtful story about a Brooklyn teenager (the “incandescent” Adepero Oduye) named Alike and her delicate attempt to come out as a lesbian — fully aware of the resistance she will face from her parents (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell). Rees, who also penned the screenplay, tells this semi-autobiographical tale like a richly detailed short story, well-versed in the lives these characters live, the neighborhoods they inhabit and the lies they tell one another in order to coexist. But she also captures the seductiveness of the subcultures Alike begins to explore, and the alternative they present: the choice to live one’s truth, with no apologies. (Fans of character-driven indie fare should also check out “Zebrahead” and “Igby Goes Down.”) |
| Watch it on Amazon | Watch it on Amazon |
| This thrillingly unpredictable rom-com/crime movie mash-up from the director Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs”) begins as a boy-meets-girl movie with a slightly psychosexual edge, seeming to tell the story of how a wild girl (Melanie Griffith) and a straight guy (Jeff Daniels) meet in the middle. Then Ray (a sensational Ray Liotta) turns up and hijacks the entire movie, turning into something much darker and more dangerous. Throughout, Demme keeps the focus on his colorful characters and sharp dialogue. | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| Spike Lee wrote, directed and co-starred in this drama of racial tensions on the rise during the hottest day of the summer. Lee sets his story on a street in Brooklyn, as a minor conflict in the neighborhood pizzeria escalates into a full-scale uprising, but it’s no mere polemic; he populates that block with richly drawn characters of all races, ages and backgrounds, filling the frame with such vibrancy and humor that when the violence begins, it’s like a kick in the gut. Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Samuel L. Jackson, Giancarlo Esposito, John Turturro and Rosie Perez are among the four-star cast, while Danny Aiello was nominated for an Oscar for his complex work as the pizzeria owner. Our critic called it, simply, “one terrific movie.” (For a peek at an early Brooklyn, check out “Saturday Night Fever.”) | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| Harrison Ford was still known primarily as Han Solo and Indiana Jones when he flexed his considerable dramatic muscles in this taut crime drama from director Peter Weir (“Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “Dead Poets Society”). He stars as John Book, a Philadelphia police detective investigating a murder whose only witness is a young Amish boy. So he follows the boy and his mother (Kelly McGillis) back to their insular community to protect them. Weir deftly intermingles this suspenseful mystery story with an affecting human drama, in which Book finds himself drawn not only to the small Amish town but also to the young mother — which raises the stakes considerably. McGillis is wonderfully conflicted as a woman who wants only to do right, and Ford’s multifaceted performance serves as a fine reminder that he can play real, flawed people, not just popcorn icons. | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| An armed robber (Clive Owen) takes over a Wall Street bank, holding its clerks and customers hostage, but this is no mere “Dog Day Afternoon” riff. The gunman’s exact motives are a puzzle, confounding the brilliant N.Y.P.D. hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington) at its center. The director, Spike Lee, gives what could’ve been a bank-job retread a palpable sense of time and place, and fills his frames with New York characters: wiseguy cops, seen-it-all looky-loos, and slick power brokers (Jodie Foster and Christopher Plummer). But his most fascinating character is Owen’s master criminal, whose true motives Lee keeps under wraps without ever seeming to withhold information. A dazzling and rambunctious crime movie, with a humdinger of an ending. | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| This 2004 breakthrough film by the director Michel Gondry is a miraculous combination of science fiction, a romantic-comedy meet-cute and lovelorn drama, somehow delivering on all counts. Working from a typically clever screenplay by Charlie Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich”), he tells the story of a perpetual sad sack (Jim Carrey) who subjects himself to an experimental procedure in hopes of erasing all memory of his ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet). Our critics called it “a wintry pop song of a film, one you want to play on repeat”; achingly melancholy yet riotously funny, it’s one of the great romances of our scrambled age. (Fans of unconventional rom-com will also enjoy “Heaven Can Wait.”) | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| This sci-fi-action thriller from director John Carpenter imagines a distant future of 1997, in which the island of Manhattan has become a giant, chaotic, maximum-security prison. (Considering the state of the city in the early ’80s, it wasn’t hard to imagine.) Kurt Russell stars as Snake Plissken, a bank robber who is offered a pardon if he can rescue the kidnapped President of the United States and get him off the island in 24 hours. Carpenter manically orchestrates Plissken’s mission as a darkly funny free-for-all, loaded with slam-bang set pieces and memorable supporting turns by a rogue’s gallery of character actors, all anchored by Russell’s grizzled, unflappable cool. (For more ’80s action, stream “The Running Man.”) | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| Julia Roberts won the Academy Award for best actress — and Steven Soderbergh solidified his status as one of Hollywood’s great contemporary journeyman directors — with this ruthlessly intelligent yet undeniably crowd-pleasing drama, based on a true story. Roberts plays the title character, a tough-as-nails single mom in deep debt who talks her way into a nothing job at a law firm, only to become the key investigator in a horrifying case of corporate malfeasance. Albert Finney (himself Oscar-nominated) is terrific as her seen-it-all boss. Our critic praised the picture’s “offbeat pacing” and “sharp sense of visual detail.” (For more Oscar-winning acting, stream “Dead Man Walking” or “Paper Moon.”) | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| Denzel Washington is terrific — smolderingly sexy, offhandedly funny, endlessly engaging — as Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, a ’40s-era private detective, in this beautifully crafted adaptation of Walter Mosley’s novel, from the director Carl Franklin (“One False Move”). Yet even with that great performance at its center, Don Cheadle steals the show as “Mouse,” Rawlins’s troublemaking best friend; this was Cheadle’s breakthrough role, and he makes every scene crackle with energy and unpredictability. “Devil” was based on the first of 14 Rawlins novels (to date), and in a just world, we’d have seen Washington play him 13 more times. But at least we got this one. (For more period thrills, try “Allied.”) | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| Kristen Wiig stars in and co-writes (with her frequent collaborator Annie Mumolo) this “unexpectedly funny” comedy smash from the director Paul Feig. Wiig is Annie, an aimless baker whose lifelong pal Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is getting hitched, and asks Annie to serve as maid of honor. This duty sets off an uproarious series of broad comic set pieces and thoughtful introspection; both the comedy and drama are played to the hilt by an ensemble that includes Rose Byrne, Jon Hamm, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Chris O’Dowd and an Oscar-nominated Melissa McCarthy. | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| The writer and director Cameron Crowe based this 2000 drama on his own teenage years, when he was landing bylines at major music publications before he could drive a car. Crowe elegantly conveys the seductive power of that backstage life, with all its sex and drugs and (most importantly) camaraderie. “It’s the kind of picture,” A.O. Scott wrote, “that invites you to go back and savor your favorite moments like choice album cuts.” Patrick Fugit is charming as the naïve Crowe stand-in, while Frances McDormand, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kate Hudson shine in supporting roles. | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| A rare coming-of-age movie that transcends its clichés, this adaptation of the novel by Nick Hornby (who also wrote “High Fidelity”) beautifully captures his wit and melancholic edge, which keeps it from becoming yet another story about an overgrown man-child who finally gets his act together. Much of the film’s success is because of Hugh Grant, who slyly turns his signature rakish charm inside out, revealing that the distance between “bad boy” and “bad guy” can be very short indeed. Nicholas Hoult (who went on to star in “Mad Max: Fury Road”) is an excellent foil as the young boy, and his relationship with Grant’s character evolves from one of convenience to genuine affection and protection. Chris and Paul Weitz (“American Pie”) direct the film, as our critic noted, “a light, sweet touch.” | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| One of the great Charles Chaplin’s finest films — “indeed, one of the screen’s most lovable classics,” per our critic — is this delightful story of prospectors and dreamers during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s. Chaplin, in his customary bowler hat and ill-fitting suit, sticks out like a sore thumb among the roughnecks, which provides much of the picture’s humor; more is borne out of the desperate hunger he experiences when the going gets rough, resulting in such iconic sequences as the eating of his own shoe. Few filmmakers mixed pathos and laughs as adroitly as Chaplin, and this is one of his most successful cinematic stews. | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| Columbo wasn’t the only famous detective brought to life by the one and only Peter Falk; he also brought back Humphrey Bogart (albeit as the private eye Lou Peckinpaugh) in this “funny, affectionate” spoof of Bogart’s classics “Casablanca,” “The Maltese Falcon,” “The Big Sleep,” and any number of others. Neil Simon penned the script, but this is a far cry from the character-driven, relationship-heavy likes of “The Odd Couple” or “Barefoot in the Park,” veering closer to the rapid-fire farce of Simon’s “Your Show of Shows” collaborator Mel Brooks. But he does it well, Falk is admirably game, and the talented supporting players (including Eileen Brennan, Stockard Channing, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Ann-Margret, Marsha Mason and Paul Williams) do their jobs with pizzaz. (Brennan and Kahn reunited for the similarly silly “Clue”; for a slightly more serious mystery, stream “Dead Again.”) | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| The musician and activist Boots Riley makes his feature directing debut with this wildly funny, frequently bizarre mixture of Marxist dogma and Marx Brothers-style silliness. LaKeith Stanfield (of “Atlanta” and “Judas and the Black Messiah”) stars as Cassius, a telemarketer who discovers the secret to success and must determine how nakedly to exploit it. That sounds like a fairly straightforward setup, but Riley approaches the material with the surrealistic eye of an experimental filmmaker, and ends up taking Cassius on a journey into the dark heart of extreme wealth and depravity. You may love it or you may hate it, but you’ve certainly never seen anything quite like it. (“The Wolf of Wall Street” also deftly balances dark comedy and social commentary.)Watch it on Amazon | The musician and activist Boots Riley makes his feature directing debut with this wildly funny, frequently bizarre mixture of Marxist dogma and Marx Brothers-style silliness. LaKeith Stanfield (of “Atlanta” and “Judas and the Black Messiah”) stars as Cassius, a telemarketer who discovers the secret to success and must determine how nakedly to exploit it. That sounds like a fairly straightforward setup, but Riley approaches the material with the surrealistic eye of an experimental filmmaker, and ends up taking Cassius on a journey into the dark heart of extreme wealth and depravity. You may love it or you may hate it, but you’ve certainly never seen anything quite like it. (“The Wolf of Wall Street” also deftly balances dark comedy and social commentary.)Watch it on Amazon |
| The brutality and hopelessness of the war on drugs gets the thriller treatment in the hands of the director Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival”) and the screenwriter Taylor Sheridan (“Hell or High Water”). They tell their story through the eyes of Kate (Emily Blunt), a tough but idealistic F.B.I. agent who is asked to join a multiagency task force to track and apprehend the head of a Mexican drug cartel. In doing so, Kate gets a quick education in moral flexibility, courtesy of a folksy C.I.A. agent (Josh Brolin) and his coldblooded associate (Benicio Del Toro). Sleek and muscular, filled with pulse-pounding action and harrowing suspense, “Sicario” nonetheless approaches its subject matter with the practicality and cynicism of a sharp political drama.Watch it on Amazon | The brutality and hopelessness of the war on drugs gets the thriller treatment in the hands of the director Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival”) and the screenwriter Taylor Sheridan (“Hell or High Water”). They tell their story through the eyes of Kate (Emily Blunt), a tough but idealistic F.B.I. agent who is asked to join a multiagency task force to track and apprehend the head of a Mexican drug cartel. In doing so, Kate gets a quick education in moral flexibility, courtesy of a folksy C.I.A. agent (Josh Brolin) and his coldblooded associate (Benicio Del Toro). Sleek and muscular, filled with pulse-pounding action and harrowing suspense, “Sicario” nonetheless approaches its subject matter with the practicality and cynicism of a sharp political drama.Watch it on Amazon |
| So much of this 1981 Steven Spielberg adventure has entered the realm of pop culture immortality — the rolling boulder, the melting Nazi face, the truck chase — that it’s easy to forget how fleet-footed, fresh and funny it is. Riffing on the Saturday afternoon serials that thrilled them as children, Spielberg, the director, and George Lucas, the producer, packed a full series of heroes, villains, cliffhangers and fisticuffs into a single crowd-pleasing feature. Our critic called it “one of the most deliriously funny, ingenious and stylish American adventure movies ever made.” (The sequels “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” are also on Prime, as the comic riff “The Lost City.”)Watch it on Amazon | |
| Ben Stiller directs and stars in this giddily goofy comedy as Derek Zoolander, a delightfully dim male model who is pulled into a hilariously convoluted story — Stiller wrote the screenplay with John Hamburg — of spies, political intrigue and fashion industry exploitation. Owen Wilson is his rival, a fellow male model who becomes his unlikely partner; Will Ferrell is the dastardly villain of the tale, and he does not underplay the role. Stiller’s influences aren’t subtle, but his unique directorial style and inside knowledge of celebrity culture makes “Zoolander” a surprisingly pointed social commentary that’s also very stupid and very funny. (For more laughs, stream “Sixteen Candles” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”)Watch it on Amazon | |
| The acclaimed playwright David Mamet made his feature directorial debut with this razor-sharp, “wonderfully devious” story of con artists and their marks. Joe Mantegna is electrifying as a master of card bluffs, sleights of hand and other manipulations of the mind; Lindsay Crouse is the coolheaded psychiatrist fascinated by his world whose observation quickly turns to participation. Mamet deploys the tools of the thriller — there are guns, briefcases of money and a big score to take down — but the real thrills reside in his dialogue, where every interaction is loaded like a rifle.Watch it on Amazon | |
| It speaks to the high quality of the entire series that no clear consensus seems to exist on the best film of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. But there’s a strong case to be made for this, the fourth entry, which was the live-action directorial debut of the Pixar alum Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”). Tom Cruise returns as Agent Ethan Hunt, this time drawn into the complex, globe-trotting pursuit of a nuclear terrorist who frames Hunt and his team for a bombing at the Kremlin. Simon Pegg offers welcome comic relief, the new additions Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton add considerable spice, and two of the set pieces — the aforementioned Kremlin sequence and Cruise’s gripping climb of the Burj Khalifa — are among the franchise’s best.Watch it on Amazon | It speaks to the high quality of the entire series that no clear consensus seems to exist on the best film of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. But there’s a strong case to be made for this, the fourth entry, which was the live-action directorial debut of the Pixar alum Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”). Tom Cruise returns as Agent Ethan Hunt, this time drawn into the complex, globe-trotting pursuit of a nuclear terrorist who frames Hunt and his team for a bombing at the Kremlin. Simon Pegg offers welcome comic relief, the new additions Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton add considerable spice, and two of the set pieces — the aforementioned Kremlin sequence and Cruise’s gripping climb of the Burj Khalifa — are among the franchise’s best.Watch it on Amazon |
| This white-knuckle zombie-apocalypse thriller from the South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho, set onboard train hurtling toward possible safety, is a fantastic entry in the “relentless action in a confined space” subgenre (recalling “Snowpiercer,” “The Raid,” “Dredd” and the granddaddy of them all, “Die Hard”). The set pieces are energetic, the makeup effects are convincing, and the storytelling is ruthless. (Don’t get too attached to anyone.) But it’s not all blood and bluster; there’s a patient, deliberate setup before the orgy of gore and mayhem, leading to a surprising outpouring of emotion at the story’s conclusion. Our critic deemed it “often chaotic but never disorienting,” and praised its “spirited set pieces.” (For more breathless action, try “El Mariachi” and “Ronin.”)Watch it on Amazon | |
| Bud Cort, a death-obsessed 19-year-old rich kid, and Ruth Gordon, a 79-year-old woman with a zest for life, play one of the most inspired odd couples in movie history. The director Hal Ashby and the screenwriter Colin Higgins don’t shy away from the shock value of the pairing, but they don’t stop at it either, helping the viewer understand the peculiarities that draw these two lovers together, and make them the people that they are. And it’s all done with such oddball humor that one can’t help but surrender to the film, particularly when observing Harold’s ill-fated dating attempts and Maude’s good-natured criminal activities. (For more dark comedy, stream “Heathers” or “The Fortune Cookie.”)Watch it on Amazon | Bud Cort, a death-obsessed 19-year-old rich kid, and Ruth Gordon, a 79-year-old woman with a zest for life, play one of the most inspired odd couples in movie history. The director Hal Ashby and the screenwriter Colin Higgins don’t shy away from the shock value of the pairing, but they don’t stop at it either, helping the viewer understand the peculiarities that draw these two lovers together, and make them the people that they are. And it’s all done with such oddball humor that one can’t help but surrender to the film, particularly when observing Harold’s ill-fated dating attempts and Maude’s good-natured criminal activities. (For more dark comedy, stream “Heathers” or “The Fortune Cookie.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| The esteemed character actor Charles Laughton made his one and only trip behind the camera for this haunting small-town thriller, which melds the conventions of film noir and Hitchcock-style suspense with a healthy taste of Southern Gothic. Robert Mitchum crafts a chilling, unforgettable performance as a mysterious stranger who romances a widowed mother (a superb Shelley Winters) whose children seem to be the only ones capable of seeing the evil within him. Our critic called it “clever and exceptionally effective.” (Mitchum is also on fire in Howard Hawks’s “El Dorado.”)Watch it on Amazon | The esteemed character actor Charles Laughton made his one and only trip behind the camera for this haunting small-town thriller, which melds the conventions of film noir and Hitchcock-style suspense with a healthy taste of Southern Gothic. Robert Mitchum crafts a chilling, unforgettable performance as a mysterious stranger who romances a widowed mother (a superb Shelley Winters) whose children seem to be the only ones capable of seeing the evil within him. Our critic called it “clever and exceptionally effective.” (Mitchum is also on fire in Howard Hawks’s “El Dorado.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| Sidney Poitier brings his customary grace — as well as a fair amount of warmth and shagginess — to this early iteration of the old chestnut about the new teacher who struggles but eventually wins over a class full of unruly castoffs. This one, written and directed by the “Shogun” author James Clavell, is set in the heyday of Swinging London, so the expected gaps of race and generation are supplemented by a heavy dose of class commentary. The characterizations are vivid and Poitier is (as usual) marvelous, and the picture goes a bit deeper than the films it inspired, examining how challenges to the teacher continue to arise even after he’s got his students on his side.Watch it on Amazon | |
| Al Pacino, fresh off the success of “The Godfather,” teamed up with the director Sidney Lumet to tell the true story of Frank Serpico, the undercover New York Police Department detective who, at great personal risk and expense, exposed the graft and corruption within the department. Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler’s screenplay (adapting Peter Maas’s nonfiction book) is a sprawling affair, encompassing years of Serpico’s life and work, but it’s an intimate, psychologically nuanced affair — thanks in no small part to Pacino’s magnificent title turn as a cop who will not look the other way. Our critic called it “a new kind of cop film.” (For more ’70s action, check out “Hang ‘Em High,” “Coffy” and Escape From Alcatraz.”)Watch it on Amazon | |
| The writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson picked up nominations for best director, best original screenplay and best picture for this richly textured, quietly bittersweet and frequently funny story of growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s. The actor Cooper Hoffman is charismatic and charming as a young would-be entrepreneur; the musician Alana Haim, in a star-making performance of astonishing depth, is the perpetually out-of-reach object of his affections. It’s the kind of movie that sneaks up on you with its warmth and insight. Manohla Dargis called it “a shaggy, fitfully brilliant romp.”Watch it on Amazon | The writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson picked up nominations for best director, best original screenplay and best picture for this richly textured, quietly bittersweet and frequently funny story of growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s. The actor Cooper Hoffman is charismatic and charming as a young would-be entrepreneur; the musician Alana Haim, in a star-making performance of astonishing depth, is the perpetually out-of-reach object of his affections. It’s the kind of movie that sneaks up on you with its warmth and insight. Manohla Dargis called it “a shaggy, fitfully brilliant romp.”Watch it on Amazon |
| Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are dangerously good in this Ridley Scott road movie, which became the center of a national conversation for its unapologetic portrait of two modern women who reject toxic masculinity. Sarandon and Davis play friends whose weekend getaway is derailed by an attempted assault; when they strike back, they find themselves on the run. Callie Khouri won an Oscar for her screenplay. “It reimagines the buddy film with such freshness and vigor that the genre seems positively new,” our critic wrote. (For an even more twisted road movie, try “Freeway.”)Watch it on Amazon | Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are dangerously good in this Ridley Scott road movie, which became the center of a national conversation for its unapologetic portrait of two modern women who reject toxic masculinity. Sarandon and Davis play friends whose weekend getaway is derailed by an attempted assault; when they strike back, they find themselves on the run. Callie Khouri won an Oscar for her screenplay. “It reimagines the buddy film with such freshness and vigor that the genre seems positively new,” our critic wrote. (For an even more twisted road movie, try “Freeway.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| Early in Garrett Bradley’s extraordinary documentary (a coproduction of The New York Times), someone asks Fox Rich about her husband, and she replies, “He’s, uh, out of town now.” Technically, it’s true; he’s in Angola prison, for a 1997 bank robbery, serving a 60-year sentence without the possibility of parole. Rich has spent years fighting for her husband’s release — and against mass incarceration — and Bradley interweaves her crusade with years of home video footage, contrasting the possibilities of those early videos and the realities of today. But Rich never gives up hope, and this “substantive and stunning” film suggests that even in the grimmest of circumstances, that spirit can pay dividends.Watch it on Amazon | |
| In 1959, the famed novelist and bon vivant Truman Capote traveled to Kansas to write about the shocking murder of the Clutter family; the resulting book, “In Cold Blood,” all but created both the nonfiction novel and the true crime genre. It also changed the author forever, according to this a “fascinating and fine-grained reconstruction” by director Bennett Miller, which argues that Capote’s interactions with (and betrayal of) the killers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith haunted him for the rest of his life. Philip Seymour Hoffman won a much-deserved Oscar for his stunning work in the title role. (For more hard-edge drama, try “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”) | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| The actor Zero Mostel is an absolute gas in this leading role of this “leering clown of a movie,” adapted from the Broadway smash with energy and verve by the director Richard Lester (“A Hard Day’s Night”). Mostel stars as Pseudolus, a fast-talking and faster-thinking slave in ancient Rome who cooks up a plot to win his freedom, with uproarious complications blocking his path at every turn. Lester keeps things moving at a healthy clip, smoothly weaving in slapstick set pieces and songs from the great Stephen Sondheim. Keep an eye out for Buster Keaton in his final feature film role. (For more vintage musical comedy, stream “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”)Watch it on Amazon | The actor Zero Mostel is an absolute gas in this leading role of this “leering clown of a movie,” adapted from the Broadway smash with energy and verve by the director Richard Lester (“A Hard Day’s Night”). Mostel stars as Pseudolus, a fast-talking and faster-thinking slave in ancient Rome who cooks up a plot to win his freedom, with uproarious complications blocking his path at every turn. Lester keeps things moving at a healthy clip, smoothly weaving in slapstick set pieces and songs from the great Stephen Sondheim. Keep an eye out for Buster Keaton in his final feature film role. (For more vintage musical comedy, stream “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| Edward Norton made his memorable film debut in this crackling legal drama, based on the novel by William Diehl. Norton co-stars as Aaron Stampler, a young man accused of killing a powerful Chicago priest. Richard Gere is Martin Vail, the slimy, hotshot lawyer who, smelling headlines, takes on Aaron’s case pro bono, and finds himself in way over his head. The director, Gregory Hoblit, smoothly orchestrates a brooding mood and top-notch supporting cast, including Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Andre Braugher, Alfre Woodard, John Mahoney and Maura Tierney. (The earlier Gere vehicle “American Gigolo” is also on Prime.)Watch it on Amazon | |
| The director David Gordon Green has tried a bit of everything in his career, from broad comedy (“Pineapple Express”) to slasher horror (the recent “Halloween” trilogy) to inspirational true stories (“Stronger”). But his specialty, from the beginning of his career, has been modest indie dramas like this one, which he builds as freewheeling showcases for terrific actors. This time, those actors are Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch as two mismatched guys spending a summer doing country highway roadwork. Their dislike grows to grudging affection, of course. Rudd and Hirsch give their characters life and agency, and Green’s easy-breezy style makes this a pleasing watch. (Fans of character-driven indie fare should also check out “Zebrahead” and “Igby Goes Down.”)Watch it on Amazon | The director David Gordon Green has tried a bit of everything in his career, from broad comedy (“Pineapple Express”) to slasher horror (the recent “Halloween” trilogy) to inspirational true stories (“Stronger”). But his specialty, from the beginning of his career, has been modest indie dramas like this one, which he builds as freewheeling showcases for terrific actors. This time, those actors are Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch as two mismatched guys spending a summer doing country highway roadwork. Their dislike grows to grudging affection, of course. Rudd and Hirsch give their characters life and agency, and Green’s easy-breezy style makes this a pleasing watch. (Fans of character-driven indie fare should also check out “Zebrahead” and “Igby Goes Down.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| Robert Eggers, the director of “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse,” goes big — very big — with this epic Viking adventure, based on the Scandinavian legend of Amleth. Alexander Skarsgard stars in the title role, a young prince who is ousted from his kingdom when his uncle (Claes Bang) kills his father (Ethan Hawke). He grows into a young man and fierce warrior, vowing to avenge his father and save his mother (Nicole Kidman). Eggers stages the medieval action with thrilling gusto.Watch it on Amazon | Robert Eggers, the director of “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse,” goes big — very big — with this epic Viking adventure, based on the Scandinavian legend of Amleth. Alexander Skarsgard stars in the title role, a young prince who is ousted from his kingdom when his uncle (Claes Bang) kills his father (Ethan Hawke). He grows into a young man and fierce warrior, vowing to avenge his father and save his mother (Nicole Kidman). Eggers stages the medieval action with thrilling gusto.Watch it on Amazon |
| The “Girls” creator and star Lena Dunham is about the last person you’d imagine to direct a film adaptation of a young adult novel set in medieval England, circa 1290. (Perhaps that’s why she did it.) What she accomplishes is a minor miracle: a delightful film that inserts a modern comic sensibility into the past, without resorting to anachronism or satire. She gets a big assist from star (and “Game of Thrones” alum) Bella Ramsey, who brings the title character to vivid, playful life, involving us in her tribulations and frustrations, as her oft-drunken father (Andrew Scott, the “hot priest” of “Fleabag”) desperately attempts to marry her off. Our critic called it a “winning,” “headstrong comedy.”Watch it on Amazon | The “Girls” creator and star Lena Dunham is about the last person you’d imagine to direct a film adaptation of a young adult novel set in medieval England, circa 1290. (Perhaps that’s why she did it.) What she accomplishes is a minor miracle: a delightful film that inserts a modern comic sensibility into the past, without resorting to anachronism or satire. She gets a big assist from star (and “Game of Thrones” alum) Bella Ramsey, who brings the title character to vivid, playful life, involving us in her tribulations and frustrations, as her oft-drunken father (Andrew Scott, the “hot priest” of “Fleabag”) desperately attempts to marry her off. Our critic called it a “winning,” “headstrong comedy.”Watch it on Amazon |
| Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, a resourceful teenager who volunteers to compete in the decadent, dangerous televised title event, in which teens engage in blood sport to entertain the rich. The film series hadn’t quite found its footing in this initial outing, but it contains much of what makes the movies memorable — the tense action sequences, the striking costume and production design and especially Lawrence’s tough, muscular work in the leading role. (The three follow-up films — “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part One,” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part Two” — are all streaming on Prime.) | |
| Watch it on Amazon | |
| George Clooney turns in one of his most nuanced performances in this sharp and affecting comedy-drama from the writer and director Jason Reitman (“Juno”). Clooney uses his movie-star good looks and charisma in service of the supremely confident Ryan Bingham, a man who specializes in being the corporate bad guy (he is brought in to handle the layoffs), but whose confidence slowly deteriorates; Anna Kendrick is pitch-perfect as the young woman who is seeking to streamline their profession, and consequently put him out of a job. Our critic praised this “laugh-infused stealth tragedy.” (If you like the feel of this melancholy comedy-drama, add “50/50” to your watch list.)Watch it on Amazon | George Clooney turns in one of his most nuanced performances in this sharp and affecting comedy-drama from the writer and director Jason Reitman (“Juno”). Clooney uses his movie-star good looks and charisma in service of the supremely confident Ryan Bingham, a man who specializes in being the corporate bad guy (he is brought in to handle the layoffs), but whose confidence slowly deteriorates; Anna Kendrick is pitch-perfect as the young woman who is seeking to streamline their profession, and consequently put him out of a job. Our critic praised this “laugh-infused stealth tragedy.” (If you like the feel of this melancholy comedy-drama, add “50/50” to your watch list.)Watch it on Amazon |
| James Marsh’s documentary tells the exhilarating story of the French daredevil Philippe Petit, whose team of friends and accomplices sneaked into the World Trade Center one night in 1974 and spent the night running a high-wire between the Twin Towers, so Petit could dazzle downtown New York with an early morning tightrope walk. Marsh ingeniously meshes archival footage and contemporary interviews with stylish re-enactments, framing Petit’s daring feat as a heist movie where the payoff is the possibility of death. A.O. Scott called it a “thorough, understated and altogether enthralling documentary.”Watch it on Amazon | James Marsh’s documentary tells the exhilarating story of the French daredevil Philippe Petit, whose team of friends and accomplices sneaked into the World Trade Center one night in 1974 and spent the night running a high-wire between the Twin Towers, so Petit could dazzle downtown New York with an early morning tightrope walk. Marsh ingeniously meshes archival footage and contemporary interviews with stylish re-enactments, framing Petit’s daring feat as a heist movie where the payoff is the possibility of death. A.O. Scott called it a “thorough, understated and altogether enthralling documentary.”Watch it on Amazon |
| Taylour Paige — so electrifying as the title character of last year’s “Zola” — shines brightly in this wonderful comedy-drama from the writer and director Stella Meghie. Paige stars as Jean Jones, a boho Brooklyn novelist whose career, love life and family seem to implode simultaneously. Sherri Shepherd, Gloria Reuben, Michelle Hurst and Erica Ash also star as the women of the Jones family, and their dialogue crackles with running jokes, passive insults and hidden resentments aplenty. It’s funny and breezily executed, and Paige is a tremendous presence, charismatic and likable even when she’s making a mess of things. (Meghie’s follow-up, “The Weekend,” is also on Prime.)Watch it on Amazon | Taylour Paige — so electrifying as the title character of last year’s “Zola” — shines brightly in this wonderful comedy-drama from the writer and director Stella Meghie. Paige stars as Jean Jones, a boho Brooklyn novelist whose career, love life and family seem to implode simultaneously. Sherri Shepherd, Gloria Reuben, Michelle Hurst and Erica Ash also star as the women of the Jones family, and their dialogue crackles with running jokes, passive insults and hidden resentments aplenty. It’s funny and breezily executed, and Paige is a tremendous presence, charismatic and likable even when she’s making a mess of things. (Meghie’s follow-up, “The Weekend,” is also on Prime.)Watch it on Amazon |
| After years of playing second banana, John Candy got his first shot at a full-on leading role in this zippy family comedy from the legendary director Carl Reiner. Candy plays an air traffic controller and perpetually harried family man whose attempt at a mellow summer vacation goes hilariously awry, thanks to unexpected injuries, sunburns and awkward encounters with the snooty locals (including a delightfully slimy Richard Crenna). The script is a fairly formulaic, post-“Caddyshack” snobs versus slobs affair. But Candy is a charming, likable, charismatic lead, and he and Rip Torn make for an unexpectedly excellent comedy team.Watch it on Amazon | After years of playing second banana, John Candy got his first shot at a full-on leading role in this zippy family comedy from the legendary director Carl Reiner. Candy plays an air traffic controller and perpetually harried family man whose attempt at a mellow summer vacation goes hilariously awry, thanks to unexpected injuries, sunburns and awkward encounters with the snooty locals (including a delightfully slimy Richard Crenna). The script is a fairly formulaic, post-“Caddyshack” snobs versus slobs affair. But Candy is a charming, likable, charismatic lead, and he and Rip Torn make for an unexpectedly excellent comedy team.Watch it on Amazon |
| Taissa Farmiga and Alexandra Daddario star in this “playfully arch and unsettling” adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s 1962 novel as the Blackwood sisters, who live (along with their infirm uncle) in solitude and mystery. Their parents died years earlier, under cloudy circumstances, and they’re still the subjects of talk in town. That chatter grows louder with the arrival of an enigmatic cousin, Charles (Sebastian Stan, wild and woolly), who shakes the precarious household to its core. Farmiga and Daddario exude both fragility and danger, while Crispin Glover underplays nicely (and surprisingly) as Uncle Julian. (For more Gothic mystery, stream “Dead Again.”)Watch it on Amazon | Taissa Farmiga and Alexandra Daddario star in this “playfully arch and unsettling” adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s 1962 novel as the Blackwood sisters, who live (along with their infirm uncle) in solitude and mystery. Their parents died years earlier, under cloudy circumstances, and they’re still the subjects of talk in town. That chatter grows louder with the arrival of an enigmatic cousin, Charles (Sebastian Stan, wild and woolly), who shakes the precarious household to its core. Farmiga and Daddario exude both fragility and danger, while Crispin Glover underplays nicely (and surprisingly) as Uncle Julian. (For more Gothic mystery, stream “Dead Again.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| Few premises in modern cinema are more exhausting than the reimagining of classic characters in contemporary settings. But this goofy, endearing buddy movie from the writing and directing team of Aaron and Adam Nee, which gives us grown-up versions of Tom Sawyer (Adam Nee) and Huck Finn (Kyle Gallner) as modern-day, small-time criminals, has its own sprung rhythm and distinct comic voice. The filmmakers (who went on to direct “The Lost City,” also on Prime) refuse to romanticize these literary favorites, instead casting them as likable screw-ups who, like their child iterations, get in way over their heads.Watch it on Amazon | Few premises in modern cinema are more exhausting than the reimagining of classic characters in contemporary settings. But this goofy, endearing buddy movie from the writing and directing team of Aaron and Adam Nee, which gives us grown-up versions of Tom Sawyer (Adam Nee) and Huck Finn (Kyle Gallner) as modern-day, small-time criminals, has its own sprung rhythm and distinct comic voice. The filmmakers (who went on to direct “The Lost City,” also on Prime) refuse to romanticize these literary favorites, instead casting them as likable screw-ups who, like their child iterations, get in way over their heads.Watch it on Amazon |
| August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about an African American family’s struggles in 1950s Pittsburgh was first performed on Broadway in 1987; after Denzel Washington starred in its 2010 revival, he retained much of the original cast for this film adaptation. As a director, Washington does little to expand upon the play; he seems well aware that the film is carried by the lyricism of the words and the power of the performances, particularly his nuanced portrayal of the bitter Troy Maxson and Viola Davis’s heart-rending turn as his wife, Rose. (Washington fans can also stream “Man on Fire” and “Much Ado About Nothing” on Prime.)Watch it on Amazon | |
| In this inspiring story of empowerment and hope, Keisha Castle-Hughes stars as Pai, a young Maori woman who bucks the rules and traditions of her tribe. She was nominated for an Oscar, and deserved it — this is a complicated portrayal of a driven young woman, one who simply cannot understand the limits her family has placed on her, and sees no need to abide by them. The director, Niki Caro, situates herself and her film inside the culture, filling her scenes and frames with keenly observed details and richly drawn characters. Our critic wrote, “it has the inspiring resonance of found art.” (For more family-friendly fare, check out John Sayles’s “The Secret of Roan Inish.”)Watch it on Amazon | In this inspiring story of empowerment and hope, Keisha Castle-Hughes stars as Pai, a young Maori woman who bucks the rules and traditions of her tribe. She was nominated for an Oscar, and deserved it — this is a complicated portrayal of a driven young woman, one who simply cannot understand the limits her family has placed on her, and sees no need to abide by them. The director, Niki Caro, situates herself and her film inside the culture, filling her scenes and frames with keenly observed details and richly drawn characters. Our critic wrote, “it has the inspiring resonance of found art.” (For more family-friendly fare, check out John Sayles’s “The Secret of Roan Inish.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| The director Robert Altman teamed up with his frequent collaborator Elliott Gould, and paired him up with George Segal, for this “fascinating, vivid” snapshot of two lovable losers. Gould and Segal play a pair of Los Angeles gamblers, floating from card table to racetrack to casino, in constant search of that one big score. Such a payday presents itself at the end of their journey, but Altman is too unconventional a filmmaker to put much stock in that destination. He’s more interested in the journey, and is film is propelled by the rowdy hum of those rooms and the colorful personalities of the people who inhabit them. (“Downhill Racer” and “Husbands” work a similarly shaggy vibe.)Watch it on Amazon | |
| Pawel Pawlikowski’s Oscar winner looks and sounds like an unapproachable foreign prestige picture, a grim post-Holocaust story in an austere style with moody (and gorgeous) black-and-white photography. And it is indeed a vivid historical drama and an evocative road movie. But its real subject is the bond between two very different women, young Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) and her aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza) — a cold relationship that slowly thaws during this forceful and resonant trip through their shared history. It’s an emotional story about coming to terms with family secrets, containing, our critic wrote, “a cosmos of guilt, violence and pain.” (Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” is also on Prime.)Watch it on Amazon | Pawel Pawlikowski’s Oscar winner looks and sounds like an unapproachable foreign prestige picture, a grim post-Holocaust story in an austere style with moody (and gorgeous) black-and-white photography. And it is indeed a vivid historical drama and an evocative road movie. But its real subject is the bond between two very different women, young Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) and her aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza) — a cold relationship that slowly thaws during this forceful and resonant trip through their shared history. It’s an emotional story about coming to terms with family secrets, containing, our critic wrote, “a cosmos of guilt, violence and pain.” (Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” is also on Prime.)Watch it on Amazon |
| The ’50s gangster movie gets a snazzy musical makeover in this 1955 film adaptation of the Broadway hit, itself based on the colorful New York characters of Damon Runyon’s fiction. Joseph L. Mankiewicz (“All About Eve”) directs with energy and pizazz, coaxing cheerful, engaged performances out of Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, Vivian Blaine and that most unlikely of crooners, Marlon Brando. Our critic called it “as tinny and tawny and terrific as any hot-cha musical film you’ll ever see.” (If you love classic musicals, add “Funny Girl” to your watch list.)Watch it on Amazon | The ’50s gangster movie gets a snazzy musical makeover in this 1955 film adaptation of the Broadway hit, itself based on the colorful New York characters of Damon Runyon’s fiction. Joseph L. Mankiewicz (“All About Eve”) directs with energy and pizazz, coaxing cheerful, engaged performances out of Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, Vivian Blaine and that most unlikely of crooners, Marlon Brando. Our critic called it “as tinny and tawny and terrific as any hot-cha musical film you’ll ever see.” (If you love classic musicals, add “Funny Girl” to your watch list.)Watch it on Amazon |
| The “one night” of the title of Regina King’s feature directorial debut is Feb. 25, 1964 — the night Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) took down Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship. But the fight footage is brief, because King isn’t making a boxing movie; she’s making a film about Black identity, filled with conversations that are still being had, and questions that are still being asked. The four participants — Ali (Eli Goree), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) — are giants in their fields and are friends celebrating a victory. It’s a moving, powerful film, confrontational and thought-provoking. Our critic called it “one of the most exciting movies I’ve seen in quite some time.”Watch it on Amazon | The “one night” of the title of Regina King’s feature directorial debut is Feb. 25, 1964 — the night Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) took down Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship. But the fight footage is brief, because King isn’t making a boxing movie; she’s making a film about Black identity, filled with conversations that are still being had, and questions that are still being asked. The four participants — Ali (Eli Goree), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) — are giants in their fields and are friends celebrating a victory. It’s a moving, powerful film, confrontational and thought-provoking. Our critic called it “one of the most exciting movies I’ve seen in quite some time.”Watch it on Amazon |
| This “meticulously acted” serio-comic drama was the feature filmmaking debut of Joey Soloway, the creator of “Transparent” and “I Love Dick.” Kathryn Hahn is astonishing in the leading role, clearly conveying her dissatisfied housewife’s longings and nerves but keeping her intentions enigmatic, and Juno Temple is electrifying as a young woman who’s learned how to use her sexuality as a weapon without fully considering the carnage left in its wake. Their byplay is vibrant, and it gets messy in fascinating ways; this is a sly, smart sex comedy that plumbs unexpected depths of sadness and despair. (For more character-driven comedy-drama, stream “Panic.”)Watch it on Amazon | This “meticulously acted” serio-comic drama was the feature filmmaking debut of Joey Soloway, the creator of “Transparent” and “I Love Dick.” Kathryn Hahn is astonishing in the leading role, clearly conveying her dissatisfied housewife’s longings and nerves but keeping her intentions enigmatic, and Juno Temple is electrifying as a young woman who’s learned how to use her sexuality as a weapon without fully considering the carnage left in its wake. Their byplay is vibrant, and it gets messy in fascinating ways; this is a sly, smart sex comedy that plumbs unexpected depths of sadness and despair. (For more character-driven comedy-drama, stream “Panic.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| The South Korean master Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy”) takes the stylistic trappings of a period romance and gooses them with scorching eroticism and one of the most ingenious con-artist plots this side of “The Sting.” Working from the Sarah Waters novel “Fingersmith,” Park begins with the story of a young woman who, as part of a seemingly straightforward swindle, goes to work as a Japanese heiress’s handmaiden, occasionally pausing the plot to slyly reveal new information, reframing what we’ve seen and where we think he might go next. Our critic saw it as an “amusingly slippery entertainment.” (Thriller fans should also check out “Dressed to Kill” and “Breakdown.”)Watch it on Amazon | The South Korean master Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy”) takes the stylistic trappings of a period romance and gooses them with scorching eroticism and one of the most ingenious con-artist plots this side of “The Sting.” Working from the Sarah Waters novel “Fingersmith,” Park begins with the story of a young woman who, as part of a seemingly straightforward swindle, goes to work as a Japanese heiress’s handmaiden, occasionally pausing the plot to slyly reveal new information, reframing what we’ve seen and where we think he might go next. Our critic saw it as an “amusingly slippery entertainment.” (Thriller fans should also check out “Dressed to Kill” and “Breakdown.”)Watch it on Amazon |
| Asghar Farhadi writes and directs this lucid and contemplative morality play, in which a married couple must grapple with the fallout of an assault on the wife in their home, particularly when the husband’s desire for vengeance surpasses her own. Farhadi’s brilliance at capturing the complexities of his native Iran’s culture is as astonishing as ever — particularly when coupled with insights into victimhood, justice, poverty and intimacy that know no borders. Our critic praised the picture’s “rich and resonant ideas.” (Fans of international cinema may also enjoy “Transit” and Farhadi’s “A Hero.”)Watch it on Amazon | Asghar Farhadi writes and directs this lucid and contemplative morality play, in which a married couple must grapple with the fallout of an assault on the wife in their home, particularly when the husband’s desire for vengeance surpasses her own. Farhadi’s brilliance at capturing the complexities of his native Iran’s culture is as astonishing as ever — particularly when coupled with insights into victimhood, justice, poverty and intimacy that know no borders. Our critic praised the picture’s “rich and resonant ideas.” (Fans of international cinema may also enjoy “Transit” and Farhadi’s “A Hero.”)Watch it on Amazon |
Previous version
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
Next version