In case you need some viewing inspiration during that completely lost period of time between Christmas and early 2022...
While they're still getting us very excited for the big original movies and shows that they plan to unleash upon the viewing public throughout 2021, the folks at Amazon Prime Video have also been busy adding some solid classic movies to their library.
Or maybe we should put "classic" in some inverted commas, because while some of these movies most definitely are brilliant, and you will/should have heard of ALL of them, there are one or two lesser entries in the mix.
But even those are still entertaining enough to warrant a watch...
20 Feet From Stardom
An exceptional documentary focusing on the back-up singers for some of the biggest acts in the world (from Kylie Minogue to David Bowie, and Bruce Springsteen to Bette Midler), but who have never had a moment in the spotlight themselves.
The Big Short
Director Adam McKay moves on from his usual OTT comedies (Anchorman, Step Brothers) and amasses an all-star cast for this retelling of the 2008 financial crisis.
Did you ever see the interview where Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie forgot they were in this movie together? Here it is:
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
The Cameron Diaz/Lucy Liu/Drew Barrymore sequel is NOT A GOOD MOVIE, but it does verge on being so-bad-its-good, and sometimes that is exactly what we need to see.
Turn brain off, watch explosions.
Constantine
The Internet's favourite man Keanu Reeves was doing dark, grown-up comic book adaptations before it was cool.
This is a battle between good and evil, Heaven and Hell, right here on Earth... and it really did deserve a sequel.
Dumb & Dumber
Released in 1994, the same year Jim Carrey also had The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective in cinemas.
Of the three, Dumb & Dumber probably remains the most-loved.
Fargo
The Coen Brothers legendary dark comedy centres around an iconic performance by Frances McDormand as a small-town police sheriff who finds herself in the middle of a very violent series of events.
Faster
One of the earlier entries in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's cinematic CV has him playing a criminal looking for violent revenge on the shady characters who killed his brother.
Billy Bob Thornton is the Tommy Lee Jones to his Harrison Ford, if you catch my drift.
Fruitvale Station
The movie that introduced most of the world to both Michael B. Jordan and writer/director Ryan Coogler, who would work together again on Creed and Black Panther.
This time around, they're telling the incredibly powerful true story of a man who faces a series of events that leads to fatal consequences.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Before he was getting Oscar-attention (Jojo Rabbit) and delighting Marvel fans (Thor Ragnarok), director Taika Waititi was the king of small strange comedies.
This one pairs Sam Neill with Julian Dennison as an estranged uncle and nephew lost in the wild, trying to find their way back to civilisation.
Jupiter Ascending
A little celebration of the return of The Matrix, this movie was also directed by The Wachowskis – another incredibly ambitious sci-fi epic.
Channing Tatum is a wolf alien, Mila Kunis might be the princess set to inherit the entire universe, and Eddie Redmayne has to be taken to hospital to have his stomach pumped after chewing all the scenery.
Love Is Strange
John Lithgow and Alfred Molina star in this romantic drama about a newly-married gay couple who suddenly find themselves without a home, forced to live separately with friends and family until they sort out their financial woes.
The Pursuit of Happyness
Dodgy title spelling aside, this weepy sees Will Smith paired with real life son Jaden, telling the true story of a man trying to provide his family while working through an unpaid internship at a banking firm.
Rain Man
Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman are long-lost brothers in this awards-bait movie.
Definitely worth watching if you've never seen it before.
The Silence of the Lambs
One of the few "horror" movies to win the Big Five at the Oscars: Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor and Actress.
Hollywood has since tried and failed several times to recreate the lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry between serial killer cannibal Anthony Hopkins and newbie FBI agent Jodie Foster.
Sing
An all-star voice cast feature in this animated comedy about a koala bear talent scout (Matthew McConaughey) trying to put on a cash-raising talent show.
The sequel is about to arrive in Irish cinemas, so now is a good time to get acquainted with this one.
The Terminator
The original (and best? Discuss...) of the time-travelling cyborg assassin movies is more horror than action.
Basically, this is Halloween, except Michael Myers is a robot played by Arnie.
The Town
Ben Affleck stars in and directs this brilliant heist thriller, playing a member of a bank-robbing gang who falls in love with the clerk (Rebecca Hall) at one of their targeted locations.
West Side Story (1961)
Not to be confused with the very recent Steven Spielberg remake, this is the 10-time Oscar-winning original adaptation, which is basically Romeo & Juliet but with catchy songs.
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Starring a real-life couple in the lead roles, the film has been called ‘a scream in every sense’. Together, the acclaimed 2025 romantic body horror movie, is now available to stream at home. Accessible through Prime Video, the film stars real-life couple Alison Brie (GLOW) and Dave Franco (Now You See Me). The pair play […]
