Every month, Amazon Prime Video adds new movies for its customers, making up for Netflix’s increased investment in original content. Its library has expanded to such an astonishing extent that it can be a little daunting at times. Additionally, movies that are part of a Prime membership sometimes change and become exclusive to rentals or purchases. There’s a lot of content to sort through, so we’ve selected 10 Prime movies you forgot about, and they’re really worth the watch!
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10. Erin Brokovitch (2000)
Based on a true story, this ruthlessly clever yet unquestionably crowd-pleasing drama garnered Julia Roberts the Academy Award for best actress and cemented Steven Soderbergh’s place among Hollywood’s great contemporary journeyman directors.
In the film, Roberts portrays the title role of a tough-as-nails, heavily indebted single mother who uses deception to land a menial position at a legal company before turning into the lead investigator in a terrifying case of corporate misconduct. As her cynical boss, Oscar-nominated actor Albert Finney is excellent, one of the standout Prime movies you forgot about. The film’s “sharp sense of visual detail” and “offbeat pacing” were commended by critics everywhere. (For more acting worthy of an Oscar, see “Glory”; for more Finney, see “The Dresser.”)
9. Creed (2015)
Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky Balboa,” a 2006 return to form for the heavyweight championship, appeared to be the end of the story of Rocky Balboa, the club fighter taken from obscurity to compete. But over ten years later, director Ryan Coogler reimagined the story, putting Stallone’s Rocky in the role of mentor to Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of Apollo Creed, Rock’s former foe who is now a buddy, building a nuanced portrayal in one of the best Prime movies you forgot about.
What at first glance appears to be a desperate attempt to bring a failing franchise back to life becomes a moving tale of love, loss, and legacy thanks to the dynamic direction of Ryan Coogler (who would later helm “Black Panther”) and the nuanced performances of Oscar nominee Stallone as Jordan and Tessa Thompson as the romantic interest, Bianca.
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8. West Side Story (1961)
One of the greatest accomplishments of the Broadway theater is still Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents’ brilliant musical adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet,” which modernized the plot and setting to the streets and gangs of New York. That it gave rise to one of the greatest film musicals is therefore not surprising.
In addition to sharing directing duties, the film’s Robert Wise and the original stage director and choreographer Jerome Robbins thrillingly set the show’s songs and dances on actual New York City streets while utilizing the closeness and intimacy of the camera to further emphasize the story’s themes of longing and loss, making for one of the best Prime movies you forgot about. Rita Moreno and George Chakiris steal the show and take home the Oscars, but Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer do a great job as the leads.
7. Capote (2005)
The renowned novelist and bon vivant Truman Capote visited Kansas in 1959 in order to write about the horrific murder of the Clutter family; the book that resulted, “In Cold Blood,” almost invented the nonfiction work. This biographical summary by filmmaker Bennett Miller claims that Capote’s encounters with (and betrayal of) the killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickock haunted him for the rest of his life, and it also affected the author permanently.
Despite eschewing impersonation in favor of psychological truth, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s outstanding performance in the title role earned him a well-deserved Oscar, culminating in one of the most gripping Prime movies you forgot about. “Capote” also eschews the clichés of the cradle-to-grave biopic, instead focusing on and zooming in on this particular moment in the writer’s life and career.
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6. The Deer Hunter (1978)
For this gripping drama, one of the first American motion pictures to address the effects of the Vietnam War on those who fought in it, writer and director Michael Cimino was awarded the Oscars for best picture and best director.
Friends from a Pennsylvania steel town, played by Robert De Niro, John Savage, and Christopher Walken (in an Oscar-winning performance), go out to do their patriotic duty; yet, their experiences both during and after the war are far more nuanced. In her breakout role on the big screen, Meryl Streep is amazing, while John Cazale (“The Godfather”) makes his last cinematic appearance as a friend from back home, making for one of the most dazzling Prime movies you forgot about. “Its vision is that of an original, major new filmmaker,” critics at the time wrote.
5. Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
When Susan Seidelman selected a rather well-known club performer in the lead part of this hilarious comedy, she was merely attempting to make a tiny New York film, a bit more mainstream image of the downtown art scene than her breakout picture “Smithereens.” Madonna, the actress, rose to prominence on the global stage by the time the movie was released, culminating in one of the most exciting Prime movies you forgot about.
However, her persona doesn’t overshadow Seidelman’s screwball-tinged portrayal; Roberta (Rosanna Arquette), the suburban housewife who first lives vicariously through Susan before ultimately adopting her identity, regards the free-spirited Susan as something of a celebrity. “Susan” captures a unique period in the city’s subculture and is lively and captivating at the same time.
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4. A Quiet Passion (2017)
From the fertile mind of the renowned British writer and director Terence Davies (“The Deep Blue Sea”), who so often and expertly unearths deep wants and emotional truths, comes this bright and humorous examination of Emily Dickinson’s life.
He has the good fortune to be paired with Cynthia Nixon this time around; she skillfully dramatizes Dickinson’s journey by highlighting the comedy and happiness of her early years and how those feelings progressively faded, making for one of the best Prime movies you forgot about. (Contrary to popular belief, Jennifer Ehle’s warm portrayal of her sister puts the character closer to her “Sex and the City” breakout.) This is incisive, perceptive, and frequently exquisite cinema.
3. Memento (2000)
With this, his second feature picture, Christopher Nolan made his first major impression. It’s a chick noir riff that presents its well-known story in an incredibly creative way: Nolan recounts the story by arranging the episodes in reverse chronology to reflect the confusion of Guy Pearce’s character, Leonard, who is unable to form new memories.
As Leonard looks into his wife’s murder, revelations come back to haunt him, and the spectator sees through betrayals before Leonard does, making for one of the most thrilling Prime movies you forgot about. But even without that dramatic flourish, “Memento” would still be a brilliant film with razor-sharp acting, gloomy photography, and a noir-style sense of foreboding. (Nolan’s “Interstellar” is available on Prime as well.)
2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
With his sequel to “Jaws,” Steven Spielberg had high expectations, especially since his friend George Lucas was working on a science fiction film that was scheduled for release that year. (You may be familiar with that one, another one of the best Prime movies you forgot about.) A blue-collar family man (Richard Dreyfuss, in one of his best Everyman roles) witnesses a UFO sighting, but Spielberg finds his greatest drama in showing how this obsession causes him to alienate everyone around him.
This is why “Close Encounters” is more than just a spaceships and lasers story. One of the best science fiction films in movie history results when you combine that academic intensity with Steven Spielberg’s renowned emotional and artistic expertise (including special effects that are still amazing after four decades).
1. Call Me By Your Name (2017) – Best Prime Movies You Forgot About
A film may at times seem to meander, riding on sentiments and nostalgia, yet in its last moments, it may come together with all its emotional force. That’s what occurs in the André Aciman novel adapted by Luca Guadagnino (screenplay by the legendary James Ivory of Merchant-Ivory productions).
In the lead character of Elio, a reclusive young man who falls in love for the first time with a visiting graduate student (Armie Hammer), Timothée Chalamet excels. The supporting cast, especially Michael Stuhlbarg as Elio’s forgiving father, is endearing, and the rural Italian settings are stunning, making for one of the absolute best Prime videos you forgot about and a true must-see. The most significant—and striking—aspect is Guadagnino’s ability to portray the pure euphoria of a person experiencing their first passionate flush of love and playfulness.