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As Netflix pours more of its resources into original content, Amazon Prime Video is picking up the slack, adding new movies for its subscribers each month. Its catalog has grown so impressive, in fact, that it’s a bit overwhelming — and at the same time, movies that are included with a Prime subscription regularly change status, becoming available only for rental or purchase. It’s a lot to sift through, so we’ve plucked out 100 of the absolute best movies included with a Prime subscription right now, to be updated as new information is made available.
Here are our lists of the best TV shows and movies on Netflix, and the best of both on Hulu and Disney+.
‘Thelma & Louise’ (1991)
Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are dangerously good in this Ridley Scott road movie, which became the center of a national conversation for its portrait of two modern women who reject toxic masculinity. Sarandon and Davis play friends whose weekend getaway is derailed by an attempted sexual assault; when they strike back, they find themselves on the run. Callie Khouri won an Oscar for her screenplay. “It reimagines the buddy film with such freshness and vigor that the genre seems positively new,” our critic wrote.
‘Bring It On’ (2000)
This beloved hit from director Peyton Reed (“Ant-Man,” “Down With Love”) has all the trappings of a typical teen comedy. But underneath the bright colors, high school politics and energetic dance numbers is a sly and subtle commentary on race, class and cultural appropriation. Kirsten Dunst is marvelous as Torrance, the head cheerleader who discovers her award-winning squad in San Diego, the Toros, has been stealing its routines from a rival group in Los Angeles. She meets her match in Isis (Gabrielle Union), who leads East Compton’s Clovers.
‘Force Majeure’ (2014)
A split-second decision turns a marriage upside down in this stinging, pitch-black comedy of manners from the director Ruben Ostlund (“The Triangle of Sadness”). During a controlled avalanche near a ski resort, a husband and father named Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) instinctively runs instead of trying to save his loved ones — to the consternation of his wife, Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli). He attempts to laugh it off and to explain it away, but the repercussions of his decision are given excruciating room to breathe, and his snap judgment exposes his flaws as a partner and the long-festering wounds in his marriage. Our critic called it a “brilliant, viciously amusing takedown of bourgeois complacency.”
‘Titanic’ (1997)
Few expected James Cameron’s dramatization (and fictionalization) of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic to become a nearly unmatched commercial success (it was the top-grossing movie of all time for over a decade) and Academy Award winner (for best picture and best director, among others); most of its prerelease publicity concerned its over-budget and over-schedule production. But in retrospect, we should have known — it was the kind of something-for-everyone entertainment that recalled blockbusters of the past, deftly combining historical drama, wide-screen adventure and heartfelt romance. And its stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, became one of the great onscreen pairings of the 1990s. Our critic called it “a huge, thrilling three-and-a-quarter-hour experience.” (For more romance, watch “The Notebook” or “Heaven Can Wait.”)
‘Neighbors’ (2014)
The future “Platonic” stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne first teamed up for this wildly funny and surprisingly thoughtful comedy, which merges the reliable tropes of the frat-house flick (drugs, booze, sex and bodily functions) with more mature material concerning marriage and family. Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) are new parents, still coming to terms with their metamorphosis into boring ol’ adults — a transition writ large when a fraternity, led by the unreasonably buff Teddy (Zac Efron) buys the house next door. High jinks ensue, but not always along expected lines, and the cast (which also includes Ike Barinholtz, Jerrod Carmichael, Carla Gallo and Lisa Kudrow) finds the nuances in potentially stock characters. (For more wild comedy, try “Bottoms” and “Blockers.”)
‘Kicking and Screaming’ (1995)
The “Marriage Story” and “Frances Ha” director Noah Baumbach made his feature debut with this wry and witty 1995 indie comedy. He tells a story of 20-something ennui, as four university pals (played with verve by Chris Eigeman, Josh Hamilton, Carlos Jacott and Jason Wiles) knock around their college town in the year after graduation, not quite sure what to do with themselves. Baumbach’s dialogue is crisp and quotable, and the relationships are uncommonly rich, thanks in no small part to the performances of Olivia d’Abo, Parker Posey and Cara Buono as the endlessly patient women in their lives. (If you like the shaggy vibe of this one, try John Cassavetes’s “Minnie and Moskowitz” and “Husbands.”)
‘West Side Story’ (1961)
Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents’s ingenious musical adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet,” which updated its setting and story to the streets and gangs of New York, remains one of the towering achievements of the Broadway stage. So it’s no surprise that it spawned one of the great movie musicals. The original stage director and choreographer Jerome Robbins and the filmmaker Robert Wise shared directorial duties, thrillingly placing the show’s songs and dances on the real streets of New York City while using the proximity and intimacy of the camera to render the longing and loss of the story even more poignant. Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer perform admirably in the leads, but Rita Moreno and George Chakiris steal the show in support — and won Oscars for their efforts. (Fans of ’60s cinema should also check out “Lilies of the Field.”)
‘Get Out’ (2017)
When Jordan Peele’s crossover to feature filmmaking was announced, many who were familiar only with his work as half of the sketch comedy team Key & Peele presumed he would continue to work in that wild comic style. No one could have predicted that he would turn the entire horror genre upside down, but that’s exactly what he did with this nail-biting combination of social commentary and scary movie. What begins as a “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” riff — a wealthy young white woman (Allison Williams) bringing her Black boyfriend (Daniel Kaluuya) home to meet her parents — turns into something far more sinister and unpredictable; Peele’s directorial instincts are striking from the first frame onward.
‘Out of Sight’ (1998)
This delightful adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s crackling crime novel starred George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, and returned Steven Soderbergh to the movie mainstream. Yet Soderbergh’s cockeyed sensibility is what makes “Out of Sight” so special: the film’s “sleek moodiness and visual sophistication” elevates what could have been yet another “Pulp Fiction” riff into something distinctive and pleasurable. And the casting is genius, not only in the two leads (who generate enough sparks to power a small country) but a jaw-dropping ensemble that includes Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Catherine Keener, Steve Zahn, Isaiah Washington, Viola Davis and Albert Brooks.
‘The Dead Zone’ (1983)
The director David Cronenberg rarely made traditional horror films, and his adaptation of the best seller by Stephen King is no exception. It’s as much science-fiction as horror, focusing on a regular Joe (Christopher Walken, muted and effective) who comes out of a coma with the ability to see the futures of those he touches. This thoughtful and tricky picture is as interested in moral dilemmas and historical ramifications as it is in thrills and chills; our critic found it “unsettling” and “quietly forceful.” (For more spooky stuff, try “From Beyond” or “Bird With the Crystal Plumage.”)
‘A Thousand and One’ (2023)
The writer and director A.V. Rockwell begins this wrenching character drama in New York City circa 1994, nicely recapturing the look and feel of Gotham indies of that era. But that’s not just window dressing. While ostensibly telling the story of a young woman trying to raise her son after a stint at Rikers Island, Rockwell adroitly incorporates relevant reminders of the city’s history into her characters and their ongoing struggle, reminding us that “quality of life” policing and the dirty business of gentrification are never purely policy issues. Yet it’s more than just a polemic; Teyana Taylor is shattering as the mother in question, Josiah Cross is charismatic and sympathetic as her son as an older teenager, and the revelations of the closing scenes are wrenching and powerful. (If you like heart-wrenching dramas, try “Morvern Callar” and “The Way Back.”)
‘Clerks’ (1994)
In 1994, a scrappy, movie-crazy kid brought his chatty, low-budget debut to Sundance and took the town by storm, winning a filmmakers’ trophy for dramatic features. But Kevin Smith wasn’t trying to impress anyone with the slickness of his debut feature; he embraced the low budget, shooting his grainy movie during late nights at the convenience store and video shop where he worked (and which inspired the events of the film). Ultimately, its surveillance-camera aesthetic was to the picture’s benefit; it captured a particular kind of pop-culture-obsessed slacker, and became a defining ode to Generation X. (Smith’s “Chasing Amy” is also on Prime.)
‘I Am Not Your Negro’ (2017)
This stunning documentary concerns the life and writings of James Baldwin, but it’s less focused on tracing the arc of its subject’s life than on the potency of his words. Director Raoul Peck uses as his framework the notes of Baldwin’s unfinished book “Remember This House,” in which Baldwin was attempting to reckon with the legacies of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers; guided by Baldwin’s passages, Peck constructs an urgent and audacious essay about our past and our present. Our critic called it “a concise, roughly 90-minute movie with the scope and impact of a 10-hour mini-series.”
‘Rain Man’ (1988)
Dustin Hoffman won his second Oscar for his meticulously wrought performance as Raymond Babbitt, an autistic savant who meets his brother Charlie (Tom Cruise) for the first time after the death of their father. But “Rain Man” is not a heartfelt, tear-jerking family drama; it’s “a becomingly modest, decently thought-out, sometimes funny film” in which Charlie, a small-time hustler, has to drag his brother on a cross-country road trip to fight what he feels is an unfair inheritance. In retrospect, though Hoffman collected all the awards and accolades, this is Cruise’s film — he’s the character who changes between the beginning and the end — and it’s a marvelous performance, expertly revealing and exploring the psychological cracks in the gleaming golden-boy persona he spent the ’80s perfecting. (Cruise’s smash “Top Gun: Maverick” is also on Prime; for more Oscar-winning acting, watch “My Left Foot.”)
‘Monster’ (2003)
The power of Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning performance in this film from Patty Jenkins goes much deeper than a physical transformation into the real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Theron manages to provoke both fear and sympathy in her portrayal, capturing not only Wuornos’s rage and dangerousness but also her love for a kind woman (Christina Ricci, also excellent). Jenkins (who later directed “Wonder Woman”) makes no apologies for Wournos’s acts, but neither does she minimize them, telling Wuornos’s story with grace and nuance and allowing her actors the space to bring these haunted souls to life.
‘Dances with Wolves’ (1990)
The popularity of “Yellowstone” has renewed interest in this Academy Award-winning film shot in South Dakota by Kevin Costner, which similarly explored the complicated relationship between Native Americans and white settlers. Costner also stars, as John J. Dunbar, a lieutenant with the Union Army at a remote outpost, who comes to sympathize with — and then essentially join — the Lakota. The cinematography is gorgeous, the set pieces are big and thrilling and Costner finds just the right note of resigned rebellion in the leading role. (If you like revisionist Westerns, try “Little Big Man” or “From Noon Till Three.”)
‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1978)
The original 1956 version (also streaming on Prime), in which alien invaders implant themselves in humans and take on their form, was widely seen as an allegory for the Red Scare. This “dazzling remake,” as our critic described it, is updated and released from that context, but it found another in post-hippie, health-obsessed San Francisco. The stakes are lower, but the remake has a self-aware sense of humor and a decent proportion of gross-outs and jump-scares, as well as an ending that’s just as creepy as the original’s.
‘Thief’ (1981)
The director Michael Mann made his big-screen debut with this moody thriller, and with much of his distinctive aesthetic already in place: sleek photography, synthesized music, insider dialogue and a keen interest in the interior lives of men who make their living in crime (either committing or solving it). James Caan is riveting as a used-car salesman who moonlights as a safecracker, while Tuesday Weld is sweetly sympathetic as the young woman who seems to offer a road out. But the film’s scene stealer is the great character actor Robert Prosky, who turns his customary warmth and affability into the deceptive shell of a truly malevolent boss. (For more vintage action, check out “The Warriors” and “The Great Escape.”)
‘California Split’ (1974)
The director Robert Altman teamed up with his frequent collaborator Elliott Gould, and paired him up with George Segal, for this “fascinating, vivid” snapshot of two lovable losers. Gould and Segal play a pair of Los Angeles gamblers, floating from card table to racetrack to casino, in constant search of that one big score. Such a payday presents itself at the end of their journey, but Altman is too unconventional a filmmaker to put much stock in that destination. He’s more interested in the journey, and is film is propelled by the rowdy hum of those rooms and the colorful personalities of the people who inhabit them. (If you like the shaggy vibe of this one, try John Cassavetes’s “Minnie and Moskowitz” and “Husbands.”)
‘High Noon’ (1952)
This classic Western from the director Fred Zinnemann is best remembered for its innovative construction, in which a small-town marshal’s looming standoff with a revenge-seeking outlaw is dramatized in real time. The film was widely read as an allegory for the film industry blacklists of the era — the screenwriter Carl Foreman was deemed an “uncooperative witness” by the House Un-American Activities Committee. But “High Noon” also cleared an important path for the future of the Western, replacing the usual genre high jinks with thoughtful explorations of masculinity and violence; our critic called it “a rare and exciting achievement.” (If you like Westerns, try “Stagecoach” or “One-Eyed Jacks.”)
‘The Taking of Pelham One Two Three’ (1974)
One of the greatest of all “gritty Gotham” movies — our critic called it “a movie that really catches the mood of New York and New Yorkers” — this darkly funny, white-knuckle thriller from the director Joseph Sargent concerns four armed men who take a subway car hostage, demanding a million-dollar ransom for the lives of the passengers. Robert Shaw is coolly ruthless as the leader of the gang while Walter Matthau is at his hangdog best as the cynical transit cop hot on their trail. (Matthau’s similarly curmudgeonly turn in “The Front Page” is also on Prime.)
‘The Burial’ (2023)
Maggie Betts’s adaptation of Jonathan Harr’s 1999 New Yorker article feels like a throwback to the John Grisham thrillers of the era, and that’s intended as high praise; we just don’t get many of these mid-budget, middlebrow, crowd-pleasing courtroom dramas anymore. The sharp script tells the true story of a flashy personal injury lawyer (Jamie Foxx) who argues the hard-to-win case of the owner of a funeral home (Tommy Lee Jones) who is taking on a giant corporation for breaking an oral agreement. The tropes of the courtroom drama are well-deployed, yet thornily augmented by the sticky racial dynamics of its Deep South setting. Foxx dazzles — he always excels in this kind of showboat role — and Jones’s quiet dignity is an effective counterpoint. (For more courtroom drama, try “And Justice for All.”)
‘Mansfield Park’ (1999)
Filmmakers never seem to tire of adapting Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Emma,” but they seem comparatively uninterested in her 1814 coming-of-age story, “Mansfield Park.” That’s one of the many reasons to check out this “smart, politically pointed screen adaptation” from the screenwriter and director Patricia Rozema, who remains faithful to the spirit of Austen’s novel while indulging in a handful of fascinating modifications. Frances O’Connor is dazzling in the leading role, and Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola, Embeth Davidtz, James Purefoy, Hugh Bonneville and the playwright Harold Pinter lend able support.
‘Silver Dollar Road’ (2023)
Early in the new documentary by Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”), Gertrude Reels remembers her father’s deathbed wish: “Whatever you do, don’t let the white man have my land.” That land, a 65-acre spread (including acres of invaluable waterfront property) in Carteret County, North Carolina, has been at the center of a long, complex legal battle for decades. Not all gentrification happens in the cities, and Peck’s keenly observed “intimate portrait” follows this family through years of injustice and wrangling, capturing (and sharing) their indignation.
‘Women Talking’ (2022)
The writer and director Sarah Polley, adapting the novel by Miriam Toews, tells the haunting tale of an insular religious community ripped apart by the actions of its predatory men. Those crimes are seen briefly, in flashback; the primary focus of Polley’s film is a long, difficult debate between several of the women in the community about what will happen next. Assembling a cast of first-rate actors (including Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey, Rooney Mara, Frances McDormand and Ben Whishaw), Polley turns what could have been a polemic into an urgent, thoughtful morality play.
‘The Terminator’ (1984)
Because it begat so many sequels, reboots, adaptations and other ephemera, it’s easy to forget that James Cameron’s original “Terminator” film was, as our critic put it, “a B-movie with flair” — a stripped-down, low-budget exploitation picture with an ingenious central idea, a well-selected cast and a director who knew how to stretch a dollar. Linda Hamilton is charismatic and sympathetic as Sarah Conner, an average woman who discovers a cyborg from the future (a terrifying Arnold Schwarzenegger) has been sent to hunt her down. (For more stylized action, try “The Crow”; for more Schwarzenegger, stream “Total Recall.”)
‘Road to Perdition’ (2002)
This adaptation of the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins (itself inspired by the “Lone Wolf and Cub” manga and film series) was only the second feature film from the director Sam Mendes. Yet it plays like an elegy, a film about endings, mortality and what we leave behind. It was the final film of the award-winning cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, whose visions of Depression-era America here are staggeringly evocative, and one of the final onscreen appearances for Paul Newman. The actor nabbed one last Academy Award nomination for his work as the patriarch of a crime family, caught between his irresponsible biological son (a pre-Bond Daniel Craig) and his beloved surrogate son (Tom Hanks, in a rare and affecting non-hero turn).
‘Take Shelter’ (2011)
This unsettling thriller from the writer and director Jeff Nichols (“Midnight Special,” “Loving”) harnesses its dread and tension not from the impending apocalypse, but from the reliability of its harbinger; we’re never quite certain about the visions of the protagonist (Michael Shannon). He plays the role with grounded authority and wild-eyed abandon as he is consumed with the fear that something bad may happen to his wife (Jessica Chastain) and daughter (Tova Stewart). Chastain conveys the frustrations and fears of a woman who wants to follow her husband, but perhaps not this far. Our critic called it “a perfect allegory for a panicky time.”
‘The Big Short’ (2015)
The writer and director Adam McKay, best known for slapstick films like “Anchorman” and “Step Brothers,” was not the obvious choice to adapt Michael Lewis’s deeply reported and meticulously researched book about the 2008 financial crisis. But he turned out to be the right one; his entertainer’s approach proved invaluable for clarifying such dense material for a wide audience. Which is not to say the film softens the edges of Lewis’s exposé. McKay, who helped write the film, walks us through the law-bending and lawbreaking with due cynicism and outrage, but presents the ideas in a wry, nihilistic way that could only come from a comic filmmaker.
‘Bull Durham’ (1988)
Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins were all propelled to the next level of stardom by this 1988 sleeper hit from the writer-director Ron Shelton, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a laid-back charmer, endlessly funny and casually sexy, and it gives all of them the opportunity to do what they do best: it features Costner shooting straight, Sarandon smoldering and Robbins playing an amiable goofball. Our critic praised its “spirit and sex appeal.” (Sports film fans will also enjoy “Air,” “The Longest Yard” and “Friday Night Lights.”)
‘The Score’ (2001)
This heist thriller from director Frank Oz is full of stock characters: the career criminal looking for one last big score; the cocky young hothead who wants to partner up; and the old-timer who puts it together. But when those characters are brought to life by Robert De Niro, Edward Norton and Marlon Brando, you’re willing to cut the movie some slack. The sheer joy of watching three generations of Method actors thrust and parry overpowers the archetypes’ familiarity, and the climax is taut, suspenseful and pleasantly twisty. (Heist movie fans should also check out “The Killing.”)
‘Young Adult’ (2011)
We’ve seen countless stories of nasty, selfish people who go on a voyage of self-discovery and come out the other side as better, wiser souls. This acidic comedy-drama asks: What if that journey didn’t take? Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron, in take-no-prisoners mode) is a bitter young-adult author who returns to her hometown in hopes of reuniting with her high-school boyfriend, his picture-perfect married life be damned. A film that zigs when you’re certain it will zag, “Young Adult” tells a satisfying story that is also a sly critique of the conventions of modern moviemaking. Our critic praised its “brilliant, brave and breathtakingly cynical heart.”
‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ (1985)
The director Susan Seidelman was just trying to make a small New York movie — a slightly more mainstream portrait of the downtown art scene than her breakthrough picture “Smithereens” — when she cast a somewhat popular club performer in the title role of this delightful comedy. By the time the film came out, that actress, Madonna, had become one of the biggest stars on the planet. Yet her persona doesn’t eclipse Seidelman’s screwball-tinged presentation; the character of the free-spirited Susan is something of a celebrity to Roberta (Rosanna Arquette), the suburban housewife who first lives vicariously through her, and ends up taking on her identity. “Susan” is energetic and engaging, while simultaneously capturing a distinct moment in the city’s subculture. (For more throwback comedy, stream “Wayne’s World.”)
‘The Aviator’ (2004)
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese’s next collaboration, after 2002’s “Gangs of New York,” was this uncommonly nuanced biopic of the notoriously reclusive and eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes. DiCaprio ages several decades as Hughes, who goes from the boy genius of a Texas tool company to a celebrated film producer, pilot and tycoon — all while dealing with various mental maladies. Scorsese’s stylish direction vividly captures the 20th-century settings, while DiCaprio ably conveys both the brilliance and madness of the man. (Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” and “The Last Waltz” are also streaming on Prime Video.)
‘Adventureland’ (2009)
A coming-of-age story with a healthy dose of ’80s nostalgia, this breezy comedic drama deftly evokes its time and place, but it even more sharply conveys the timeless feelings of youthful aimlessness and romantic longing. Jesse Eisenberg is in top form as James, the young would-be intellectual who comes to value the job he thinks he’s too good for; Kristen Stewart is warm and wonderful as the young woman he falls for. They generate palpable chemistry (this was the first of their three onscreen pairings to date), while the stacked supporting cast provides reliable laughs.
‘Chinatown’ (1974)
The neo-noir films of the 1970s, and particularly the era’s plethora of private eye movies, took advantage of the temperature of the times; in a decade where distrust of authority and institutions was high, it’s not surprising the unshakable moral ethos of the dedicated detective was again in vogue. Few films reanimate the golden age of noir as expertly as Roman Polanski’s best picture nominee. The beauty of John A. Alonzo’s cinematography and the Oscar-nominated performances of Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway resulted in one of the finest films of the decade. (For more Oscar-nominated acting, stream “Sounder,” “Amistad” and “The Dresser.”)
‘12 Angry Men’ (1957)
Sidney Lumet (“Serpico,” “Network,” “Dog Day Afternoon,”) made his feature directorial debut with this “incisively revealing” ensemble piece — one of the great courtroom dramas, or more accurately, jury room dramas. Twelve jurors huddle up to determine the fate of the man they’ve just watched on trial for murder, and what seems to be an open-and-shut conviction is complicated by the questions and protestations of a single juror (Henry Fonda). Lee J. Cobb is his primary antagonist; Jack Warden, Martin Balsam and E.G. Marshall are among the impressive cast. (Fans of classic cinema will also enjoy “The Best Years of Our Lives” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.”)
‘Witness’ (1985)
In this taut crime drama from director Peter Weir (“Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “Dead Poets Society”), Harrison Ford stars as John Book, a Philadelphia police detective investigating a murder whose only witness is a young Amish boy. So he follows the boy and his mother (Kelly McGillis) back to their insular community to protect them. Weir deftly intermingles this suspenseful mystery story with an affecting human drama, in which Book finds himself drawn not only to the small Amish town but also to the young mother. McGillis is wonderfully conflicted as a woman who wants only to do right, and Ford’s multifaceted performance serves as a fine reminder that he can play real, flawed people, not just popcorn icons. (If you like your cop thrillers with a bit more spice, try “In the Cut.”)
‘The African Queen’ (1952)
Humphrey Bogart won his only Oscar for his role as the gin-soaked roughneck at the helm of the titular vessel; this was also his only on-screen pairing with his fellow icon Katharine Hepburn. Most of what happens is predictable, from the outcome of the dangerous mission to the eventual attraction of the opposites at the story’s center, but the actors and John Huston’s direction keep the viewer engaged and entertained. Our critic praised the picture’s “rollicking fun and gentle humor.” (The Bogart-fronted “The Barefoot Contessa” is also on Prime.)
‘Something Wild’ (1986)
This thrillingly unpredictable rom-com/crime movie mash-up from the director Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs”) begins as a boy-meets-girl movie with a slightly psychosexual edge, seeming to tell the story of how a wild girl (Melanie Griffith) and a straight guy (Jeff Daniels) meet in the middle. Then Ray (a sensational Ray Liotta) turns up and hijacks the entire movie, turning it into something much darker and more dangerous. Throughout, Demme keeps the focus on his colorful characters and sharp dialogue. (Liotta is similarly electrifying in “Narc.”)
‘Strawberry Mansion’ (2022)
Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney wrote, directed and edited this “soulful sci-fi oddity” — a true indie with a look, sound and feel all its own. Audley is also the deadpan leading man, a government auditor in a not too distant future, where citizens are taxed for the extravagancies of their dreams. It’s a digital process, so he meets a considerable challenge in the form of the batty Bella (Penny Fuller), whose dreams are still analog, leaving him with thousands of videotapes to watch and log. And that’s when things start getting really weird. Audley and Birney’s wild screenplay adroitly captures the touch-and-go intricacies of dream logic, the special effects are impressively D.I.Y. and the humor is deliriously cockeyed throughout. (If you like quirky indies, try “Ghost World.”)
‘Cassandro’ (2023)
“The exotico has lost, like always,” shrugs the announcer of the low-rent wrestling match, which doesn’t really bother Saúl (Gael García Bernal) all that much — he’s “the runt,” and he’s got problems of his own. One of the pleasures of Roger Ross Williams’s comedy-drama, which is loosely based on a true story, is how steeped it is in the lore of the lucha libre, the traditions and characters and lingo that give this world its juice. Saúl, a cheerfully, unapologetically gay wrestler, devises a flamboyantly theatrical new character: an exotico, yes, “but he wins.” (Roberta Colindrez plays his trainer.) Williams deftly dramatizes how this persona, and his success with it, changes everything, and while he follows the standard sports-underdog playbook, the picture’s overwhelming exuberance and kindness set it apart.
‘Catherine Called Birdy’ (2022)
The “Girls” creator and star Lena Dunham is about the last person you’d imagine to direct a film adaptation of a children’s book set in 13th-century England. (Perhaps that’s why she did it.) What she accomplishes is a minor miracle: a delightful film that inserts a modern comic sensibility into the past, without resorting to anachronism or satire. She gets a big assist from the star (and “Game of Thrones” alum) Bella Ramsey, who brings the title character to vivid, playful life, involving us in her tribulations and frustrations, as her oft-drunken father (Andrew Scott, the “hot priest” of “Fleabag”) desperately attempts to marry her off. Our critic called it a “winning,” “headstrong comedy.”
‘Guys and Dolls’ (1955)
The classic gangster movie gets a snazzy musical makeover in this bouncy film adaptation of the Broadway hit, itself based on the colorful New York characters of Damon Runyon’s fiction. Joseph L. Mankiewicz (“All About Eve”) directs with energy and pizazz, coaxing cheerful, engaged performances out of Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, Vivian Blaine and that most unlikely of crooners, Marlon Brando. Our critic called it “as tinny and tawny and terrific as any hot-cha musical film you’ll ever see.” (For more classic musical fun, stream “South Pacific” or “Oklahoma!”)
‘A Quiet Passion’ (2017)
This vibrant and playful exploration of the life of Emily Dickinson comes from the fertile mind of the great British writer and director Terence Davies (“The Deep Blue Sea”), who so frequently and masterfully unearths raw desires and emotional truths. This time, he has the good fortune of partnering up with Cynthia Nixon; she adroitly dramatizes Dickinson’s journey, emphasizing the humor and happiness of her earlier years and how that joy gradually dissipated. (Her cheerful interactions with her sister, played with warmth by Jennifer Ehle, place the role closer to her “Sex and the City” breakthrough than you might expect.) This is filmmaking that is searing, smart and often sublime.
‘Memento’ (2000)
Christopher Nolan made his first big splash with this, his second feature film, a stylish film noir riff that tells its familiar story in an exuberantly inventive way: In order to mirror the disorientation of its protagonist, Leonard (Guy Pearce), who has lost his ability to create new memories, Nolan tells the story by ordering its scenes in reverse chronology. As Leonard pursues an investigation of his wife’s murder, revelations fold back on themselves and betrayals become clear to the audience before they’re known to him. Yet even without that narrative flourish, “Memento” would be a scorching piece of work, loaded with sharp performances, moody cinematography and a noir-inspired sense of doom. (Nolan’s “Interstellar” is also on Prime.)
‘Selma’ (2014)
Ava DuVernay directs this “bold and bracingly self-assured” dramatization of the events surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 marches for voting rights in Selma, Ala. DuVernay is telling the story not of a man but of a movement; the picture bursts with the urgency of promises unkept. David Oyelowo is astonishing as King, capturing the unmistakable cadences but also the man — uncertain, jocular, determined. The stellar ensemble cast includes Dylan Baker, Carmen Ejogo, André Holland, Stephan James, Wendell Pierce, Tim Roth, Tessa Thompson, Lorraine Toussaint, Tom Wilkinson and Oprah Winfrey.
‘Appropriate Behavior’ (2015)
Desiree Akhavan writes, directs and stars in this devastatingly funny, breathtakingly candid and unexpectedly sexy comedy-drama. She’s is a singular comic voice, and since she’s playing a variation on herself (a bisexual Brooklynite filmmaker and daughter of immigrants), the picture boasts an offhand candor and casual approach to ethnicity, class and identity that makes it distinctive even among the indie set. Our critic praised the picture’s “clever and unpredictable turns of phrase.” (For more candid, sexy comedy, try “Afternoon Delight.”)
‘Licorice Pizza’ (2021)
The writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson picked up nominations for best director, best original screenplay and best picture for this richly textured, quietly bittersweet and frequently funny story of growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s. The actor Cooper Hoffman is charismatic and charming as a young would-be entrepreneur; the musician Alana Haim, in a star-making performance of astonishing depth, is the perpetually out-of-reach object of his affections. It’s the kind of movie that sneaks up on you with its warmth and insight. Our critic called it “a shaggy, fitfully brilliant romp.” (“Armageddon Time,”“Summer of 85” and “Cinema Paradiso” are similarly nuanced coming-of-age stories.)
‘Killer Joe’ (2012)
Matthew McConaughey’s unexpected comeback from a no-man’s-land of forgettable rom-coms and dumbed-down star vehicles was just getting underway when he took on the title role of this brutal, twisted, brilliant adaptation of the play by the Pulitzer and Tony winner Tracy Letts. As a ruthless murderer for hire plunged into the disarray of a vile, trashy family, McConaughey miraculously twists his movie-star charisma and golden-boy looks into something cold, hard and frightening. The director William Friedkin (“The French Connection,” “The Exorcist”) squeezes the trailer-home setting like a vise, creating creeping dread and pitch-black humor from the bleakest of setups. (If you love twisted thrillers, try “Breakdown” or “Red Eye.”)
‘The Elephant Man’ (1980)
John Hurt was nominated for an Oscar for his staggering performance as a disfigured man who is rescued from his life as a sideshow attraction by a kindhearted surgeon (Anthony Hopkins, wonderful) who discovers, underneath it all, a man of intelligence and sensitivity. The story is rendered with harsh realism and bizarre beauty by director David Lynch (his second feature, after the wildly experimental “Eraserhead”). It’s a generous and moving film, with a powerful message of perseverance and acceptance but with enough of Lynch’s signature style to satisfy his devotees.
‘Trainspotting’ (1996)
The director Danny Boyle brought the cult novel by Irvine Welsh to the screen as a visceral experience, chasing the relentlessly energetic narrative like the drug addicts at its center chase a high. Ewan McGregor found a star-making role in the protagonist, Renton, a Scottish miscreant who insists he chooses the dangers of addiction over a life of suburban prescription; Robert Carlyle is the supporting standout as the scariest member of his crew. “It rocks to a throbbing beat,” our critic wrote, “and trains its jaundiced eye on some of the most lovable lowlifes ever to skulk across a screen.”
