Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Free two-day shipping is nice, sure, but have you seen all the movies your Amazon Prime subscription gives you access to? As if all the original content produced by Amazon Studios was not enough, the streamer also boasts one of the most impressive and varied catalogs of other movies available for your viewing pleasure. (For starters, they actually have more than a handful of titles made before the year 2000.) You can both brush up on some classics from Hollywood’s studio era or watch a recent under-the-radar indie sensation. They have plenty of recent crowd-pleasing hits with familiar names as well as a plentiful supply of foreign films should you be looking to do some cinematic tourism.
Rather than waste time scouring that extensive catalog for your next watch, let Decider guide you toward the service’s top offerings. Whether it’s catching up with an old favorite or discovering a new one, we’ve found and updated the 50 Best Movies on Amazon Prime Right Now (updated for April 2024). Whatever movie-watching mood you’re in, Amazon Prime almost certainly has a title for it.
RELATED: NEW ON AMAZON PRIME: April 2024
‘Air’ (2023)
DIRECTOR: Ben Affleck
STARS: Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Ben Affleck
RATING: R
A movie that makes heroes out of middle-aged marketing guys? Heck yes! Air turns corporate strategy into high-stakes drama as Nike makes its improbable bid to win over Michael Jordan. The conclusion is foregone, but the lead-up to it is still riveting – in large part because the creative powers of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon also have an eye toward what it means at large for talent to profit off their own likeness.
'The Vast of Night' (2020)
DIRECTOR: Andrew Patterson
STARS: Sierra McCormack, Jake Horowitz, Gail Cronauer
RATING: PG-13
Get in on the ground floor with director Andrew Patterson before he goes supernova. His debut feature The Vast of Night is an enticing sci-fi tale about a young switchboard operator and a disc jockey uncovering what might be an extraterrestrial transmission in the ’50s. This scrappy start shows an impressive mastery of both form and mood – just imagine what he can do with a big budget.
‘The Notebook’ (2004)
DIRECTOR: Nick Cassavetes
STARS: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands
RATING: PG-13
We did not deserve Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as a couple, nor did we deserve the sparks that flew when they won Best Kiss at the MTV Movie Awards. At least there’s the eternal monument to their brief love in The Notebook, the rare contemporary romance movie that captures the earnestness of the old Hollywood era. This is a weepie of the highest order, one that fully understands the cathartic capabilities of a good cry.
‘Titanic’ (1997)
DIRECTOR: James Cameron
STARS: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Gloria Stuart
RATING: PG-13
Say what you will about the length and bombast of Titanic, but sometimes we all just want to settle in with a movie that dares to dream big. James Cameron delivers all that and more in his swooning star-crossed romance set aboard the ill-fated ocean liner. (Leo could have fit on the door, and I will die on this hill.) Like the Céline Dion song powering the over-three-hour journey, Titanic is corny but admirably crazy enough to sincerely believe in the grandiosity of its concept.
‘Heathers’ (1988)
DIRECTOR: Michael Lehmann
STARS: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater
RATING: R
If you think ‘80s high school movies were nothing other than the optimistic comedies of John Hughes, look no further than Heathers. This high-concept satires skewers the conformity of cliques by imagining the popular girls as literally all named Heather. Winona Ryder’s Veronica is good enough to be among the Heathers but also smart enough to realize the group’s inanity. Once that pent-up anger crosses paths with Christian Slater’s volatile J.D., their school will have no idea what hit them.
'Sylvie's Love' (2020)
DIRECTOR: Eugene Ashe
STARS: Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Eva Longoria
RATING: PG-13
Eugene Ashe takes us back to the ’50s with his gorgeous romance Sylvie’s Love – not only in setting but also in sensibility. This is a film that sincerely believes in love at first sight as well as connections that can persevere against all odds, which is exactly what must come to pass for there to be any chance for jazz saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) and aspiring TV producer Sylvie (Thompson). There’s enough old-fashioned sincerity and charm in every sumptuously colored frame to make you swoon.
‘Chinatown’ (1974)
DIRECTOR: Roman Polanski
STARS: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
RATING: R
They don’t say this is the best script ever written for nothing. Chinatown is a masterful slow burn of suspense as Jack Nicholson’s private eye Jake Gittes tracks down a case that balloons beyond his wildest imagination. As investigating a cheating spouse uncovers a vast conspiracy of water theft in Los Angeles, the film envelops us in a miasma of fatalistic resignation. Never does it feel so satisfying to be so down on the state of the world.
'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946)
DIRECTOR: Frank Capra
STARS: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
RATING: PG
It need not be Christmas to enjoy Frank Capra’s classic! While the snowy setting certainly gives It’s a Wonderful Life a fun seasonal glow, its message of the power of an individual life to ripple through a community resonates every week of the year. Though some might use the director’s name as an insult to deride maudlin movies – “Capra corn” – this is evidence that sincere emotion can inspire and charm if executed with indisputable earnestness.
'What the Constitution Means to Me' (2020)
DIRECTOR: Marielle Heller
STARS: Heidi Schreck, Mike Iveson, Rosdely Ciprian
RATING: Not Rated
The best of Broadway is available in your living room! Marielle Heller’s rendering of Heidi Schreck’s informative, passionate one-woman show democratizes the play for a global audience to see. And better yet, the camera brings us even closer to the star than possible when sitting in the audience – making the impact of Schreck’s scorching monologue about how the lives of the women in her family interact with the Constitution land with an even more personal impact.
Watch What the Constitution Means to Me on Amazon Prime Video
‘Lone Survivor’ (2013)
DIRECTOR: Peter Berg
STARS: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch
RATING: R
Sure, the title might give away the ending, but don’t let that discourage you from strapping in for the thrilling true-life tale of how Mark Wahlberg’s Marcus Luttrell fights for his life against improbable odds against the Taliban. Lone Survivor is the war film at its most visceral, personal, and propulsive. You’re not so much watching this battle for survival as you’re feeling it on a gut level.
‘The General’ (1926)
DIRECTORS: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman
STARS: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack
RATING: Not Rated
Tom Cruise’s stunt work has nothing on Buster Keaton, cinema’s original daredevil showman. His silent-era comic caper The General reminds us that there’s no more expressive instrument than the human body. If you can bracket the unsavory plot element that Keaton’s wannabe heroic soldier is on the side of the Confederacy, you’ll find his endearing and epic journey to impress the girl of his dreams a wild ride worth taking.
'Selah and the Spades' (2020)
DIRECTOR: Tayarisha Poe
STARS: Lovie Simone, Jharrel Jerome, Jesse Williams
RATING: R
The world of prep school intrigue gets a stylish upgrade by way of Tayarisha Poe. Unlike the normal precocious protagonists of the genre, Lovie Simone’s Selah is not itching to leave her high school halls. She relishes the power she holds over the social factions too much to relinquish it easily, so she takes great pride in grooming her successor. Selah and the Spades may give heightened, almost Shakespearean, stakes to the action, but Poe resists the urge to turn her characters into easy stereotypes.
'The Report' (2019)
DIRECTOR: Scott Z. Burns
STARS: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm
RATING: R
Need any more proof Adam Driver has the range? It’s hard to think of a role more diametrically opposed to Kylo Ren than his modest, unassuming Congressional staffer Daniel Jones in The Report. He’s tasked with getting to the bottom of the CIA’s torture program, an arduous assignment that mostly means he’s left to sort through mountains of documents. The fact that Driver can make this long process both compelling to watch and morally urgent speaks volumes to his talents as an actor.
‘Nanny’ (2022)
DIRECTOR: Nikyatu Jusu
STARS: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls
RATING: R
There have been countless “social thrillers” to pop up in the wake of Get Out’s success – most of which are garbage. Not so for Nikyatu Jusu’s Sundance-winning Nanny, a film that lambasts the contemporary realities of an undocumented African caregiver watching over the young daughter of a wealthy Manhattan family. Jusu really takes the film to the next level by connecting the struggles of Aisha (Anna Diop) to stories of mythological resonance. It’s horror by virtue of what it covers as well as how Jusu covers it.
‘Selma’ (2014)
DIRECTOR: Ava DuVernay
STARS: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson
RATING: PG-13
No access to MLK’s speeches, no problem for director Ava DuVernay. Selma is the cure for the contemporary biopic, framing a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement as the result of something more complex than just the cult of personality. It was more than just Dr. King, portrayed in all his heroism and humanity by David Oyelowo, who made it happen. It was a collective, urgent effort mobilized to prompt action from a Johnson administration content to drag its heels on voting rights until the issue proved more politically expedient.
‘Friday Night Lights’ (2004)
DIRECTOR: Peter Berg
STARS: Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke, Lucas Black
RATING: PG-13
If you only know Friday Night Lights as the deeply felt small-town drama from television, you don’t know the half of it. Peter Berg’s 2004 film captures the grit and grime of Texas high school football in Odessa, a town known for little besides exporting oil and tossing pigskin. The movie captures the desperation behind the blood, sweat, and tears poured out on the field like few other football movies do. It’s fascinating to see the sport portrayed with so little romanticism, even as it occupies such a fabled position in the town.
'Cold War' (2018)
DIRECTOR: Pawel Pawlikowski
STARS: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc
RATING: R
Know that feeling of watching a performer for the first time and sensing you’ll follow their career forever? That’s the thought that passed through my head seeing Joanna Kulig in Cold War, a tale of star-crossed lovers trying to navigate love, art, and politics in Communist-controlled Poland. Even in black and white, Kulig’s star burns incandescently as Zula, an entrancing and gifted jazz singer with self-destructive tendencies.
'Landline' (2017)
DIRECTOR: Gillian Robespierre
STARS: Jenny Slate, Edie Falco, John Turturro, Abby Quinn
RATING: R
Ready for a ’90s period piece? Like it or not, Gillian Robespierre is taking you there in Landline to reflect on some formative years when her understanding of love was forged by dealing with the realities of divorce and infidelity. This dramedy strikes a tricky balance between somberness and silliness, something it navigates nimbly thanks to deeply felt performances by the movie’s entire central family.
'Annette' (2021)
DIRECTOR: Leos Carax
STARS: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg
RATING: R
Leos Carax has long been somewhat of an enfant terrible in French cinema, and his biggest effort to date does not back down from the unabashed weirdness that defines his work. This tribute – or perhaps parody? – of the rock opera feature the ironic tunes of cult band Sparks, the prickly brashness of Adam Driver as a self-destructive artist, and a titular baby wonder that simply must be seen to be believed. You may love Annette, or you may hate it. What’s unlikely, though, is that you feel indifferent watching this truly singular piece of cinematic art.
'His Girl Friday' (1940)
DIRECTOR: Howard Hawks
STARS: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy
RATING: Not Rated
With all due respect to today’s stars, they really don’t make romantic leads like they used to. The chemistry between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell practically jumps off the screen in His Girl Friday, one of the most beloved screwball comedies of the Hollywood studio era. It’s a madcap blast as Grant’s newspaper editor Walter tries to lure back his lost love/former star reporter, Russell’s Hildy, by giving her one final assignment he knows she can’t resist … and might struggle to escape.
'One Night in Miami…' (2020)
DIRECTOR: Regina King
STARS: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Leslie Odom Jr., Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge
RATING: R
“Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke walk into a hotel room…” might sound like the setup to a bad joke. But in the hands of Regina King, it’s the starting point for a fascinating debate over how to wield Black cultural power in a world that was finally beginning to accept it. One Night in Miami… nimbly balances an exploration of both who these men were and what they meant.
‘A Hero’ (2021)
DIRECTOR: Asghar Farhadi
STARS: Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Fereshteh Sadr Erfai
RATING: PG-13
No one crafts a moral drama quite like Asghar Farhadi. The Iranian master filmmaker won’t just have his works examined among other great artists of the screen – his scripts will be dissected like Shakespeare or Chekhov. A Hero provides an excellent look at Farhadi’s craft in microcosm. Start with a situation that is placid yet unstable, drop in one seemingly small action, and watch the status quo of that world unravel in front of our eyes. Here, it’s imprisoned debtor Rahim appearing to commit a highly moral action that bolsters his case for release … but Farhadi quickly and thrillingly shows how nothing is ever as open-and-shut as it appears.
'Sound of Metal' (2020)
DIRECTOR: Darius Marder
STARS: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci
RATING: R
What is gained when a sense is lost? Riz Ahmed’s high-flying metal drummer Ruben finds out as he loses almost all hearing and must contemplate the new limitations and possibilities that come from his condition. Powered by Ahmed’s vulnerable and humanistic performance, Sound of Metal forms a moving tribute to how disability can open up the world rather than shutting it down. (Winner of the 2021 Academy Awards for Best Editing and Best Sound.)
‘Let the Right One In’ (2008)
If Twilight convinced you that vampires were too sexy to be scary, let Let the Right One In dispel you of such notions. This chilling Swedish film foregrounds its horror in the innocence of youth as a bullied boy strikes up a connection with a beguiling girl next door for psychological support. She’s of course got a dark secret, but the film treats that as secondary to the secret bond she shares with her neighbor. Don’t come expecting schlock as the craftsmanship on display from director Tomas Alfredson is quite exquisite.
‘Licorice Pizza’ (2021)
DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson
STARS: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Bradley Cooper
RATING: R
Paul Thomas Anderson has conjured visions of the 1970s before in Boogie Nights, yet they’ve never had such heart and warmth as this sun-soaked vision of the San Fernando Valley in his youthful years. Licorice Pizza has that ambling, aimless feeling of growing up but not necessarily coming of age. This amusing tale of two youthful spirits finding themselves amidst a pile-up of odd misadventures is as electrifying as the needle-drops powering the film.
'The Handmaiden' (2016)
DIRECTOR: Park Chan-wook
STARS: Tae Ri Kim, Kim Min-hee
RATING: Not Rated
Get over the one-inch barrier, as Bong Joon-ho memorably dubbed subtitles, and throw yourself into the wacky world of Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden. This tantalizing triptych plays thrice through the story of Korean handmaiden Sook-hee (Tae Ri Kim) as she attempts to swindle her Japanese employer Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee). But the con is far more complicated and complex than initially meets the eye – perhaps because you’ll be distracted by the stunning costumes, set design and camerawork to realize all the sneaky maneuvers happening. It’s a funny, erotic and thrilling ride worth strapping in for.
‘I Am Not Your Negro’ (2016)
DIRECTOR: Raoul Peck
STARS: James Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson
RATING: PG-13
Whether you need a primer on iconic American author James Baldwin or simply want to see his words vividly imagined for the screen, I Am Not Your Negro is the movie for you. Director Raoul Peck, through both archival footage and new narration by Samuel L. Jackson, makes Baldwin’s writing leap off the page and into our soul. The portrait that emerges is a thinker on race and the American psyche molded by his own time but built to speak with searing relevancy to ours.
‘Transit’ (2019)
DIRECTOR: Christian Petzold
STARS: Franz Rogowski, Paula Beer
RATING: Not Rated
Everything about the dialogue and scenario in Christian Petzold’s Transit indicates the story occurs in World War II-era Marseille. Everything about the visuals, though, suggest a story taking place in the present day. Petzold wants us to sit in that dissonance and, instead, find the resonance of how an age-old story could convincingly repeat itself in the current climate. If someone wanted to remake Casablanca today, it’d look a whole lot like this film’s tale of languishing lovers looking to flee their surroundings but not necessarily one another.
'Paterson' (2016)
DIRECTOR: Jim Jarmusch
STARS: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, William Jackson Harper
RATING: R
Want to wrap yourself in a warm blanket of a movie? Look no further than Paterson, starring Adam Driver as a modest New Jersey bus driver with a passion for writing poetry. There’s no artificial conflict, no cliched struggling artist tropes — just a thoughtful and earnest look at how people can carve out space for artistic fulfillment in the midst of mundanity.
‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ (2011)
DIRECTOR: Lynne Ramsay
STARS: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly
RATING: R
A decade out, Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin only grows in relevance. Our society continues to struggle in reckoning with the “mother of a monster” figure given the plague of disaffected young men committing acts of unspeakable violence. Ramsay never gets preachy or didactic in her exploration of the nature vs. nurture debate, instead letting her propulsive visuals pull us deep into the tortured psyche of Tilda Swinton’s Eva Khatchadourian. Don’t expect easy answers from the film, but Ramsay’s challenges and provocations will undoubtedly deepen your emotional understanding of this new cultural archetype.
'The Big Sick' (2017)
DIRECTOR: Michael Showalter
STARS: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Ray Romano, Holly Hunter
RATING: R
If it weren’t based on a true story, the concept of The Big Sick might sound too ridiculous to believe. A couple in the throes of puppy love breaks up, and a guy decides to stay by that ex-girlfriend in the hospital as she falls into a coma from an unexplained illness? Not a usual stop on the way to “happily ever after,” but the unconventional love story of Kumail Nanjiani (playing himself) and Emily V. Gordon (played by Zoe Kazan) is all the stronger for leaning into the unconventional and unique. The alchemic mix of humor and heart is perfectly calibrated for an exuberant watching experience.
'Lovers Rock' / 'Small Axe' (2020)
DIRECTOR: Steve McQueen
STARS: Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Micheal Ward, Shaniqua Okwok
RATING: TV-MA
Is it a movie, or is it TV? Let’s just leave that Twitter debate aside for now and say one thing is certain: Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology, a collection of five feature-length films, is absolutely outstanding. If you only have time for one piece of his chronicle memorializing London’s West Indian community as it pushed back against discrimination, make it Lovers Rock. This slender volume documents an unheralded form of resistance: collective joy. Here, that bliss all takes place on the dance floor where Black Britons congregate defiantly in a space all of their own.
‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (2000)
DIRECTOR: Ang Lee
STARS: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang
RATING: PG-13
Get over the one-inch barrier of subtitles, to quote Bong Joon-ho, and immerse yourself in the glory of global cinema. Besides, great action transcends language anyways, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has that in spades. The martial arts choreography in Ang Lee’s adventure is truly a stunning sight to behold.
‘Catherine Called Birdy’ (2022)
DIRECTOR: Lena Dunham
STARS: Bella Ramsey, Andrew Scott, Joe Alwyn
RATING: PG-13
Let’s hear it for a new classic teen comedy! Never mind the Middle Ages setting, Lena Dunham’s take on beloved young adult novel Catherine Called Birdy has plenty to offer today’s middle schoolers (not to mention those older). This irreverent, quippy coming-of-age story vividly depicts that unique life stage where you’ve started to outgrow childhood but don’t quite have the mindset to grasp adulthood. Through it all, Bella Ramsey’s Birdy provides a delightful spirit guide through the colorful ensemble surrounding her in Medieval England.
‘The Graduate’ (1967)
DIRECTOR: Mike Nichols
STARS: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
RATING: PG
Mike Nichols’ The Graduate is somewhat of an ur text for the modern indie comedy. From Dustin Hoffman’s indecisive young protagonist Benjamin Braddock to its jaunty yet melancholy pop score by Simon & Garfunkel, the hallmarks that have become standard-issue in the genre for over half a century are readily apparent. But the imitators can’t put a dent in the power of the original. The searching soul of a restless film trying to find the answers to life that have eluded every generation before – and since – remains resonant and remarkable, hilarious and haunting.
‘Interstellar’ (2014)
DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
STARS: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
RATING: PG-13
Christopher Nolan is not exactly well-known for his emotionalism, and some bristled at the sentimental streak running through his galactic drama Interstellar. Whether you think love can cut across dimensions or not, you can surely appreciate the methodical craftsmanship of this sci-fi story about a mission to the edges of space to save earth from extinction. Matthew McConaughey’s crying scene might have its own Know Your Meme page, but within the context of the movie, it works given the personal and global stakes underlining the moment.
‘It’s Complicated’ (2009)
DIRECTOR: Nancy Meyers
STARS: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin
RATING: R
Nancy Meyers is perhaps best known for providing easygoing cinematic comfort food. You get all of that in It’s Complicated and more — as it turns out, she’s got a real knack for bawdy, brassy comedy. As Meryl Streep’s cozy divorcee weighs her romantic options between her good-natured architect (Steve Martin) and her remarried ex-husband (Alec Baldwin), Meyers finds a way to make a raunchy sex romp go down with the silky smoothness of a chocolate croissant.
‘12 Angry Men’ (1957)
DIRECTOR: Sidney Lumet
STARS: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley
RATING: PG
The word “stagey” gets thrown around to describe movies in a derogatory way, but director Sidney Lumet makes the titular dozen jurors sparring in the courtroom’s deliberative chambers absolutely dynamite cinema. In 12 Angry Men, his camera masterfully captures the encroaching sense of claustrophobia and heightened tension as a single unnamed juror stands firm in the presumption of a suspect’s innocence. His gradual ability to win converts to his case stands as a rousing tribute to the realization of that great American ideal of blind justice.
‘Get Out’ (2017)
DIRECTOR: Jordan Peele
STARS: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
RATING: R
How many movies can say they added an entire term to the popular lexicon? Say someone’s in the “sunken place” and they’ll instantly have a complex and frightening web of associations thanks to Jordan Peele’s Get Out. (As I once pointed out in my “Smells Like ‘10s Spirit” column, it’s perhaps the best embodiment of how memes remade moviegoing culture in the last decade.) The right movie for the right time, his “social thriller” provided America the release valve for all the tensions boiling in the turnover from Obama to Trump.
'You Were Never Really Here' (2018)
DIRECTOR: Lynne Ramsay
STARS: Joaquin Phoenix, Alessandro Nivola, Ekaterina Samsonov
RATING: R
Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here plays out almost like the response to an unspoken prompt: how much can you strip away from a revenge movie and still have it satisfy as an action flick? Her minimalistic response is a chillingly sparse look at how a tortured soul busts up a ring of sex traffickers and nearly loses himself in the process. This role is the brooding ball of anger that should have won Joaquin Phoenix his Oscar.
‘M3GAN’ (2023)
DIRECTOR: Gerard Johnstone
STARS: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng
RATING: PG-13
To quote the great Wendy Williams: she’s an icon, she’s a legend, and she is the moment. M3GAN, the killer talking AI doll who slays (literally), will sashay her way right into your heart as she curdles your spine. This is a new camp classic that proves sinful fun as it makes some quite insightful commentary on parenting in an automated world.
‘The Terminator’ (1984)
DIRECTOR: James Cameron
STARS: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
RATING: R
No number of ill-advised spinoffs or sequels (what are we on, the sixth now?) can diminish the spectacular achievement that is the first Terminator. Before the chronology got too scrambled and ret-conned, there was simply Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor caught in between two men from the future. Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) wants to protect Sarah’s unconceived son to rescue the fate of humanity, while a sentient cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) will stop at nothing to hunt her down. This is the blockbuster at its best, combining high-octane action thrills with ingenious storytelling.
'High Noon’ (1952)
DIRECTOR: Fred Zinnemann
STARS: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell
RATING: PG
It should surprise no one that High Noon is a perennial favorite of American presidents from Eisenhower to Obama. This Western classic is the ultimate tribute to what it means to fulfill one’s duty as a public servant. Gary Cooper’s sheriff Will Kane learns a tough lesson about holding power: sometimes doing what’s right means you must stand alone.
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
DIRECTORS: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
STARS: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
RATING: PG
How many animated films can claim they have Academy Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (frequent DP for Denis Villeneuve and the Coen Brothers) as visual consultant? It’s clear to spot his influence in How to Train Your Dragon, which features soaring aerials that still dazzle even on the small screen. This story of a young Viking who seeks to help the very creatures his village seeks to hunt has a keen eye for action and a big, beating heart of compassion.
‘Sicario’ (2015)
DIRECTOR: Denis Villeneuve
STARS: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin
RATING: R
Denis Villeneuve has become a master of sci-fi worlds in his most recent directorial outings, but his best work may still be the grounded terrestrial tale along the U.S.-Mexico border in Sicario. This gripping thriller gets into the murky middle-ground where the drug trade meets law enforcement … where there is no division as clean as a dividing line. Our spiritual guide through this dangerous territory is Emily Blunt’s Kate Macer, an FBI agent trying to keep her moral compass straight. Watching Blunt’s minute facial expressions register the confusion and horror swirling around her is truly the essence of cinema.
'Time' (2020)
DIRECTOR: Garrett Bradley
STARS: Fox Rich, Rob Rich II
RATING: PG-13
Many documentaries can make us understand the cruel realities of the American prison system. But few manage to translate the way the institution can seep into every facet of a person’s life quite like Garrett Bradley does in Time, her documentary chronicle of Fox Rich’s decades-long crusade to be reunited with her incarcerated husband. The film smothers you in the purest form of love as it champions the virtues of fair justice and just mercy.
‘Young Adult’ (2011)
DIRECTOR: Jason Reitman
STARS: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson
RATING: R
Picture a reverse My Best Friend’s Wedding where the leading lady is portrayed as villain, not heroine, and you might get some idea of what to expect from the pitiless Young Adult. This bitter anti-rom-com follows the misadventures of Charlize Theron’s Mavis Gary as she lets her attachment to a former high school flame drive her to try and homewreck his marriage. Movies don’t get much more acidic than this, and those willing to identify the worst parts of themselves in Mavis will find accompanying her resolute refusal to mature oddly moving. Owning up to our faults is the only way to unlock real growth, after all.
‘Memento’ (2001)
DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
STARS: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss, Joe Pantoliano
RATING: R
“I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world’s still there,” says Memento protagonist Leonard Shelby. Although the quote feels like it could just as easily be attributable to Dom Cobb from Inception or Oppenheimer himself, just to name a few central figures from the work of Christopher Nolan. All the hallmarks of his work are here: the interlocking narratives, the manipulation of time, the fragile sense of self, the acute fear of setting off a chain reaction spelling doom for others. This film also has the heart and soul to back it up, too.
‘The Best Years of Our Lives’ (1946)
DIRECTOR: William Wyler
STARS: Frederic March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews
RATING: Not Rated
Director Steven Spielberg listed this as one of his all-time favorites … game recognize game. The Best Years of Our Lives is one of those movies you should carve out three hours of your life to feel your way through. This home-front drama about three soldiers returning home from World War II, each wounded physically or psychologically in their own way, is a remarkably empathetic tale about the enormous sacrifices made by servicemembers – including those who return home alive.
'Manchester by the Sea' (2016)
DIRECTOR: Kenneth Lonergan
STARS: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler
RATING: R
Yes, it’s a bruising watch to see Casey Affleck’s Lee Chandler try to overcome the emotional baggage of his hometown and all his memories within it in Manchester by the Sea. But it’s a rewarding, uplifting one as well given that filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan paints an honest, human portrait of what it means to be there for the ones we love. This may very well be a perfect movie – I challenge anyone to name a single misjudged moment or a scene out of key. It’s less like watching a movie and more like paratrooping into a real scenario populated with authentic people.
Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, Little White Lies and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.
