Every time I log into Amazon, I’m surprised by just how deep their library of interesting movies is. That’s not to say that every movie on the streaming service is good, and that’s true for basically every streaming service (except maybe the Criterion Channel).
These are three movies that I love and I think are well worth checking out. They’re all fairly recent releases, so if you missed them during the heady, strange days of the pandemic, now is the perfect time to catch up:
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on HBO Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s most recent film, Licorice Pizza, is a nostalgic ode to the 1970s that’s, quite naturally, just a little bit acidic. The film is intentionally episodic, following a high school kid with show business dreams as he hatches a variety of moneymaking schemes in the greater Los Angeles area.
When he meets Alana, the two of them find themselves inextricably connected, in spite of an age difference that should make them an unnatural match. Licorice Pizza is swooning, romantic, and bizarre in ways that only an Anderson film could be, and it made a star out of both Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim.
You can watch Licorice Pizza on Amazon Prime Video.
Red Rocket (2021)
Before Sean Baker directed the best picture winner Anora, he made Red Rocket, which has a decidedly less sympathetic central character than his next film. Red Rocket follows a former porn star who returns to his small hometown in Texas after washing out in Hollywood.
A relentless hustler, he works to manipulate everyone he meets in the hopes of returning to Hollywood and getting out of pretty crippling debt. Featuring an incredible central performance from Simon Rex, Red Rocket is bracing and confrontational but also feels remarkably alive.
You can watch Red Rocket on Amazon Prime Video.
Another Round (2020)
Another Round has a remarkably simple premise, but one that’s executed beautifully. It follows four middle-aged teachers who, after finding themselves fed up with their normal routines, decide to start drinking daily. They call it an experiment, but it quickly becomes an excuse to let their lives spiral out of control.
Featuring a remarkable central performance from Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round is a movie about how hard it is to be satisfied with the life you’re leading, even if there’s nothing all that obviously wrong with it. And it doesn’t hurt that it has one of the best endings of any movie this century.
You can watch Another Round on Amazon Prime Video.
