For a long time, Amazon Prime was Netflix’s ugly stepsister when it came to original content. But with that Bezos money, that stepsister turned a tad into Bezos Cinderella (better than Amazon’s Cinderella movie, sorry Camilla Cabello), equipped with a solid amount of original movie content.
Plus, Amazon’s growing resume means a growing list of Honorable Mentions:
The making of Michael Jordan’s shoe might not seem like the deepest material. But in Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s hands, it’s just a lovely adult drama. That’s also filled with a cavalcade of star power besides the dynamic duo: Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans, I could go on and on. It’s just a great time, celebrating the best basketball player of all time, and arguably the greatest shoe of all time.
Ever wonder how the great musicians just know how to make the perfect sounds? Rudy Mancuso’s unique musical plants us inside that brain for 2 hours. Everywhere Rudy walks, the noises he hears automatically start arranging in his head, to make a new beat, or tone, as part of the ever arranging going on in his head. Throw in some slapstick comedy and a working class tale, and you’ve got just a joy of a time on the couch, working phone vibrations into your own daily musical.
What a fun hotel room to be in. Regina King takes us to February 1964, when Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke were all in the same city likely watching Ali fight. What would happen when 4 cultural titans like that met in a room, and just talked about their lives? It’s a bit wish fulfillment, but very smart about what would make these 4 tick and how they might interact with one another.
Not all science fiction moviemaking has to be on the Dune/Avatar level. Andrew Patterson knows it, and reminds us all with this little gem. He takes us back to the 1950s New Mexico, in a small town Friday Night, where everyone is at a basketball game. Everyone, but maybe not…everything. Brilliant pacing and drone tracking shots help make this one stay with you long after it’s over.
Not all African-American stories have to be about discrimination. Take this beauty. Nnamdi Asomugha and Tessa Thompson are incredible at showing us love over time, sizzing with chemistry, with one of the great swoony scores in movies to help get everyone in the mood for love.
Great pitch for a movie: a drummer losing his hearing. But it’s so much more than that. Riz Ahmed turns this movie into an amazing character study on how to cope with horrible news, and how time and perseverance help you move on, if you’re lucky enough to get the chance to do so.
This doc is a love letter to science. Tracking the Spirit and Opportunity robotic missions to Mars, the movie showcases what happens when the best and brightest, and a little luck, can lead to spectacular things. And most importantly, it can inspire generations to want to learn about how the world works and how to make it better for everyone.
What is a hero? Ashgar Farhadi’s near masterpiece explores the meaning of that word through a modern parable. The story is a cautionary reminder of how celebrity culture, fame, and power can depart as quickly as they arrive, and like all Farhadi stories, all actions have long, layered consequences on yourself and the people you love.
There are eons of coming of age stories before this one. 3 things make My Old Ass so special. 1) The time frame I’ve never seen before, but gives the movie this incredible urgency and poignancy most stories like it lack. 2) The setting, Muskoka Canada, one of the most beautiful cozy places I have ever seen, and 3) The dynamic duo Megan Park and Maisy Stella; Stella’s a star in the making, and what should be the crush of every high schooler about to set of to college: she’s everything you want her to be, and even better because of Megan Park’s incredible script.
Akin to the Three Colors Trilogy or Dekalog, Steve McQueen gives us a view of the life of the West Indian African community in London from the 1960s to 1980s. My personal ranking of the five films is 1. Red, White and Blue 2. Mangrove 3. Education 4. Lovers Rock 5. Alex Wheatle But even Alex Wheatle would be in the upper echelon of films in any movie year. That’s all thanks to McQueen, who’s continuing to prove that he’s one of the most talented filmmakers of his generation, using amazing camerawork, storytelling, casting, and important themes to paint a picture of a community in a way rarely seen in movies today.
