Movies are always leaving Prime Video, but new ones are being added all the time, too. Nonetheless, it’s the worst feeling when you see a great movie you want to check out, and then when you finally have time to queue it up, it’s gone from the streaming service.
Before that happens again, check out these five movies leaving Prime Video in October you have to watch. Some are foreign-language films hailing from top directors like Guillermo del Toro and featuring well-known actors like Penelope Cruz. Another is the first (and only) movie ever to earn a Black woman a Best Actress Academy Award, while another is a Hallmark TV movie that was so popular that it spawned six follow-ups and a TV show.
The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
If you appreciate the works of director Guillermo del Toro, you’ll want to check out this gothic horror film before it’s gone. The Spanish-language movie is set in Spain in 1939 during the Spanish Civil War. An orphan named Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is taken in by two Republican loyalists running an orphanage. But when he starts having visions of another child, Carlos begins to wonder what happened to this boy.
The small movie was independently produced and positively received by critics who described it as not only a compelling ghost story but also an “intelligent political allegory.” The Devil’s Backbone is yet another passion project from del Toro, a talented director who never shies away from exploring different avenues, from fairy tales to horror.
Stream The Devil’s Backbone on Prime Video.
The Good Witch (2008)
This TV movie originally aired on the Hallmark Channel, and it was so popular, it led to the development of six follow-up movies as well as the TV series Good Witch. Cassandra “Cassie” Nightingale (Catherine Bell) moves into a small town, residing in a building that is said to be haunted by one of her ancestors. She’s initially frowned upon by the townspeople, especially when they begin to suspect that Cassie is into witchcraft. But she seems to want to help people, using her supposed powers for good, which becomes too tempting to resist for some.
Cassie becomes the neighbor everyone goes to when they need to resolve an issue. But not everyone is pleased by her presence. If you love The Good Witch, check out the TV series as well, which sees Bell reprise her role as the titular character.
Stream The Good Witch on Prime Video.
Monster’s Ball (2002)
Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Mos Def, Peter Boyle, and the late Heath Ledger (most famous as The Dark Knight‘s Joker) star in this drama that earned Berry the first and still only ever Best Actress Academy Award for a Black woman. The story in Monster’s Ball sees Berry’s character Leticia become romantically involved with a corrections officer named Hank (Thornton) who doesn’t realize she is the widow of a criminal he just helped execute.
Both Berry and Thornton were rightly praised at the time for their intense performances and chemistry. Monster’s Ball touches on topics of morality, racial tensions, violence, heartbreak, and loss, taking you on an emotional roller coaster all the way through.
Stream Monster’s Ball on Prime Video.
Nine Queens (2000)
In the Argentine heist film Nine Queens, two con artists Marcus (Ricardo Darin) and Juan (Gaston Pauls) decide to join forces to sell counterfeit stamps to a wealthy foreign collector looking to find the rarest of them all. The sheet of rare stamps is called the Nine Queens. But there’s nothing authentic about the set Marcus and Juan have procured for the sale. Nonetheless, they think they can convince this collector that it’s real.
When the fake stamps are stolen and discarded, however, the pair try desperately to get their hands on the real ones. But the men and their many accomplices apparently each have their own plans. They are con artists, after all. The crime caper move is fun and full of twists with a nice, comedic edge to it.
Stream Nine Queens on Prime Video.
Belle Époque (1992)
Set in the countryside during the transition to the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, Belle Époque is a comedy-drama about a man named Fernando (Jorge Snaz) who goes on the run from his assignment. He ends up finding asylum with an older man named Manolo (Fernando Fernan-Gomez) who takes him in. When Manolo’s four daughters arrive, Fernando can’t resist temptation and sleeps with all of them, convinced he’ll marry one of them.
However, Fernando finds that each of the four women, one of whom is played by Penelope Cruz, has her issues. This ranges from the one grieving the death of her husband to another who is a lesbian and will only sleep with him when he dresses as a woman. They’re all stunning and sexual in their own unique ways, though, so maybe it’s all worth it if Fernando can just decide who to pursue as his wife. Belle Époque became the highest-grossing Spanish movie at the time of its release, and it still holds up over 30 years later.
Stream Belle Époque on Prime Video.
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