Anyone who’s ever said that it isn’t possible to have too much of a good thing has clearly never had a subscription for Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney Plus. All three platforms are packed so full of great content that the problem isn’t so much working out what to watch as what not to watch. You probably know the feeling of being sat on the couch scrolling through options only to realize that half an hour has passed, and you’re no closer to settling on a choice than you were when it started. We’ve all been there!
If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably seen all the ‘big name’ films and TV shows that the streaming services have to offer – we’ve all had plenty of downtime in which to do so over the past twelve months. With those out of the window, the challenge is to find ‘hidden gems’ – great films that are well worth your time watching but don’t have the fanfare of the bigger Hollywood blockbuster productions. They aren’t in short supply, but unless you know where to go looking for them, you might struggle to find them.
The way that streaming services have packed their platforms with hundreds of options reminds us of online slots websites, and it’s happened for the same reason. When online slots were first invented, you’d rarely find the same slots on every website. As things changed and progressed over time, all the best slots became available everywhere. That meant in order to stand out from the crowd, they had to go looking for the ‘best of the rest’ and offer their members online slots that they wouldn’t get anywhere else – even if some of the slots aren’t quite so well known. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and all the rest have done the same thing, and so in this article, we’re going to point you in the direction of some great Amazon Prime movies you might have missed!
The Big Sick
“The Big Sick” is ostensibly a comedy, but it’s a comedy with a very dark theme. A Pakistani man meets and falls in love with an American woman, but just as they’re starting to get to know each other, she becomes extremely ill and is placed in a medically induced coma. He desperately wants to care for her and lives in the hope that she’ll recover one day. In the meantime, his family tries to persuade him to move on and continually attempts to set him up on dates to encourage him to do so. It’s about as heartfelt as comedies get, and the most surprising thing about it is that it’s based on a true story.
Cold War
Despite the title, this movie is not about the prolonged period of tension between the United States of America and Russia that began after the Second World War. It is a post-war movie, but it deals with Poland rather than the two superpowers. Poland, as anyone who’s familiar with history will already know, was ravaged by the effects of the war and suffered terrible problems in the years that immediately followed. That social and political strife is explored through the vehicle of Zula, a young female singer pretending to be poorer than she really is, and Wiktor, a jazz musician in need of a singer. It’s shot and black and white – which likely means that it won’t be for everybody – but it’s a powerful love story if you can look past that.
The Vast Of Night
“The Vast of Night” is a film so strange that we’re not entirely sure which genre it belongs to. It has elements of science fiction, certainly, but it’s also a story about the things people believe in when they have nothing else in their lives, and how radio worked in the United States of America during the 1950s. What you should take from that description is that this is a weird film – which it is – but it’s also a good one, and one that’s impressed critics. This is Andrew Patterson’s first film as a director, and if it’s a statement of intent about the type of film he wants to make in his future career, we’re officially interested. Can two radio workers find aliens in New Mexico using nothing more than radio waves? Watch the movie and find out.
Brittany Runs A Marathon
Sometimes all we want from a movie is something that’s going to make us laugh, and “Brittany Runs A Marathon” should provide plenty of humor no matter how you like your jokes and comedy served to you. Jillian Bell plays an ‘everywoman’ character who enjoys drinking and partying a little too much and has been told by her doctor that it’s time to reign it in a little and focus on her health. As the film’s title tells you, she takes that idea to the extreme regardless of the fact that she’s ill-prepared for something so demanding. This is a movie about body positivity and the trials of entering your early 30s, and it might even inspire you to go outside and try jogging or running yourself!
Honey Boy
This film was written and produced by Shia LaBeouf. We know we lost about half of you by telling you that, but the remaining half is likely to be very interested in this deeply personal narrative about a child actor and his complicated relationship with his family. LaBeouf has described the script as ‘semi-autobiographical,’ with the actor playing the part of his own father. It’s as much a therapy session as it is a movie, but who among us doesn’t feel like they need a little therapy every now and then? “Honey Boy” definitely doesn’t fall under the category of “light entertainment,” but if you’re in the mood for something that’s likely to linger in your memory long after the credits roll, this is an excellent choice.
These are just five of the hundreds of quietly-brilliant films available on Amazon Prime at the moment, and they’re sure to be joined by more in the months to come. Let us know if you take us up on these recommendations and watch any of these films, and if you like them, we might come back in the future and recommend some more for you!
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