The best part about Prime Video refilling its library coffers with more than 50 new movies at the beginning of the month is that it almost always includes more than enough iconic, sure-fire hits that are guaranteed to please.Sure, you could take for another spin, but when you've got the four top-shelf titles below to watch this week, why would you? All of these acclaimed films are free for Prime subscribers in the U.S., and they all landed in the August 1 dump.They range from deep space to deep snow to the meanest streets of 1988 Los Angeles.
But my top pick this week (and you might not be ready to hear this) has arrived just in time for back-to-school prep, as it's one of the greatest classic college comedies of all time.4 Interstellar Christopher Nolan: blowing people's minds way before The Odyssey Christopher Nolan's mind-bending, dimension-hopping 2014 sci-fi epic is making the rounds on several streaming services right now (you'll also find it on Paramount+ and Hulu at the moment), and if you've seen , you might be curious about the elite director's other masterpieces.Well, it doesn't get much better than In a not-too-distant future, Earth is choking on dust, and its crops are being decimated by disease—it's crunch time, and the dying planet is in need of a miracle, or somewhere else for humanity to go.
Enter former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), who joins scientist Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway) on a last-ditch mission through a wormhole off the rings of Saturn where they hope to find a habitable planet.But time works differently out there—hours on one planet cost decades on Earth, where Cooper's daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy, and later Jessica Chastain) grows up resentful, but through some interdimensional connection, also might be humanity's only hope for survival.is a must-see.
Interstellar PG-13 Adventure Drama Science Fiction Release Date November 5, 2014 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Cast Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, Topher Grace, Mackenzie Foy, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow, Bill Irwin, David Gyasi, Timothée Chalamet, Matt Damon, Josh Stewart, Leah Cairns, Liam Dickinson, Francis X.McCarthy, William Devane, Andrew Borba, Elyes Gabel, David Oyelowo, Collette Wolfe, Jeff Hephner, Russ Fega Runtime 169 minutes Director Christopher Nolan Writers Jonathan Nolan Producers Emma Thomas, Jake Myers, Kip Thorne, Lynda Obst, Jordan Goldberg, Thomas Tull Main Genre Sci-Fi Budget 165 million Studio(s) Warner Bros.Pictures, Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros.
Pictures Powered by Expand Collapse 3 Fargo A Coen Brothers masterpiece, dontchaknow Few filmmakers can come close to the lineup of iconic films that Joel and Ethan Coen have amassed.From and to and , it's an untouchable body of work.1996's , however, is the film that arguably catapulted the brothers from niche indie darlings to cultural icons, and firmly established their unique cinematic style.
Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge Name that Coen Brothers movietrivia challenge From quirky criminals to existential drifters — can you name the Coen Brothers movie from the clues? CharactersPlotSettingDialogueDetails Begin 01 / 8 Characters A pregnant police chief, a wood chipper, and a ransom gone horribly wrong — which Coen Brothers film features Marge Gunderson as its unflappable hero? ABlood SimpleBRaising ArizonaCFargoDNo Country for Old Men You betcha! Fargo (1996) features Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson, the cheerful and brilliant police chief of Brainerd, Minnesota.McDormand won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role, one of the most beloved performances in Coen Brothers history. Not quite — the answer is Fargo.Frances McDormand plays Marge Gunderson, a pregnant Minnesota police chief who investigates a kidnapping scheme that spirals into chaos.
The wood chipper scene is one of cinema's most grimly memorable moments. Continue 02 / 8 Dialogue Which Coen Brothers film features the iconic line: 'The Dude abides'? ABarton FinkBMiller's CrossingCRaising ArizonaDThe Big Lebowski Right on, man.The Big Lebowski (1998) follows Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski, a lazy Los Angeles slacker played by Jeff Bridges, whose rug gets ruined and sends him on a wild, absurdist adventure.'The Dude abides' has become one of the most quotable lines in modern cinema. Not quite — 'The Dude abides' comes from The Big Lebowski.
Jeff Bridges plays Jeffrey Lebowski, better known as 'The Dude,' a White Russian-drinking slacker drawn into a kidnapping plot.The film has become a cult classic with an almost religious following. Continue 03 / 8 Plot In which Coen Brothers film does a couple desperate for a child steal a baby from a family that just had quintuplets? AFargoBBlood SimpleCRaising ArizonaDMiller's Crossing That's right! Raising Arizona (1987) stars Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter as H.I.and Ed, a couple who kidnap one of the Arizona quintuplets because they cannot have children of their own.
It's one of the Coens' most anarchic and comedic early works. The answer is Raising Arizona.Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter play a lovable but desperate couple who steal a baby from furniture mogul Nathan Arizona, who has more than enough to spare — or so they think.The film is a madcap comedy that showcases the Coens' early flair for wild characters. Continue 04 / 8 Setting Which Coen Brothers film is set primarily in a hotel during a 1940s Hollywood screenwriters' competition, featuring a mysterious neighbor and a devastating fire? AThe Big LebowskiBBarton FinkCMiller's CrossingDO Brother, Where Art Thou? Excellent! Barton Fink (1991) follows a New York playwright who travels to Hollywood to write for the movies and gets trapped in a decaying hotel with a haunting neighbor.
The film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and is one of the Coens' most surreal and unsettling works. The answer is Barton Fink.John Turturro plays the title character, a pretentious playwright who finds himself unable to write and surrounded by increasingly strange and sinister forces at the Hotel Earle.The film is a dark meditation on creativity, identity, and Hollywood's soul-crushing machinery. Continue 05 / 8 Characters Anton Chigurh, a terrifying hitman who uses a captive bolt pistol and decides victims' fates with a coin flip, is the villain of which Coen Brothers film? AFargoBBlood SimpleCMiller's CrossingDNo Country for Old Men Correct! No Country for Old Men (2007) features Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, widely considered one of cinema's greatest villains.
The film, based on Cormac McCarthy's novel, won four Academy Awards including Best Picture, and Bardem won Best Supporting Actor for his chilling performance. The answer is No Country for Old Men.Javier Bardem plays Anton Chigurh, a relentless and philosophical killer whose coin-flip method of deciding fate became iconic.The 2007 film swept the Oscars and is considered one of the greatest crime films ever made. Continue 06 / 8 Details Which Coen Brothers film is a Depression-era adventure loosely inspired by Homer's Odyssey, featuring a trio of escaped convicts who accidentally become music stars? AMiller's CrossingBBarton FinkCO Brother, Where Art Thou?DBlood Simple That's right! O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) stars George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson as three bumbling convicts on the run in 1930s Mississippi.
The soundtrack, featuring American folk, gospel, and bluegrass, won the Grammy for Album of the Year. The answer is O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers transposed Homer's Odyssey to the American South during the Great Depression, complete with Sirens, a Cyclops, and a journey home.George Clooney's performance as the fast-talking Ulysses Everett McGill remains one of his most charming roles. Continue 07 / 8 Plot Which Coen Brothers film is a noir thriller set in Texas involving marital infidelity, a botched murder plot, and a private detective who turns the scheme against everyone? ABlood SimpleBNo Country for Old MenCRaising ArizonaDFargo Well done! Blood Simple (1984) was the Coen Brothers' debut feature and established their signature style of dark, twisting crime plots and morally compromised characters.The title comes from a Dashiell Hammett term describing the paranoid, irrational thinking that overtakes people who have committed — or plan to commit — a crime. The answer is Blood Simple, the Coen Brothers' very first feature film from 1984.
A jealous bar owner hires a sleazy private detective to kill his unfaithful wife and her lover, but nothing goes as planned.It's a masterclass in slow-burn neo-noir tension and set the template for the Coens' entire career. Continue 08 / 8 Setting Which Coen Brothers film is set in a 1920s Irish-American mob underworld and follows a calculating political fixer navigating loyalty, betrayal, and a dangerous love triangle? ABlood SimpleBBarton FinkCThe Big LebowskiDMiller's Crossing Nicely done! Miller's Crossing (1990) is widely regarded as one of the Coens' most elegant and underrated films.Starring Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, and John Turturro, it draws heavily from Dashiell Hammett's crime novels and features some of the most stylish cinematography in their entire filmography. The answer is Miller's Crossing.
Gabriel Byrne plays Tom Reagan, a cool and calculating advisor to an Irish mob boss whose loyalties are constantly in question.The film is a beautifully crafted homage to classic gangster fiction and features the unforgettable 'look into your heart' scene with John Turturro. See My Score Challenge Complete Your Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again The film centers on Minneapolis car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H.Macy), who's desperate to get out of some legal and financial hot water, so he hires a pair of criminals—the weaselly Carl (Steve Buscemi) and psychopathic Gaear (Peter Stormare)—to kidnap his wife so he can extort the ransom from his wealthy father-in-law, Wade Gustafson (Harve Presnell).
But the plan goes south pretty fast as Carl and Gaear leave a trail of bodies in their wake, which draws out whip-smart (and very pregnant) Brainerd police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), who wastes no time tracking down the dim-witted criminals.It's a 94% rated masterpiece that will make you never look at a wood chipper the same way again.Fargo R Crime Drama Thriller Release Date March 8, 1996 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Cast Frances McDormand, William H.
Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell, John Carroll Lynch, Kristin Rudrüd, Bruce Bohne, Steve Reevis, Steve Park, Gary Houston, Sally Wingert, Larissa Kokernot, Melissa Peterman, Tony Denman, Larry Brandenburg, Michelle Hutchison, Bain Boehlke, Warren Keith, Michelle LeDoux, Sharon Anderson, Kurt Schweickhardt, James Gaulke, J.Todd Anderson, Wayne A.Evenson Runtime 98 minutes Director Joel Coen Writers Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Producers Ethan Coen Main Genre Thriller Executive Producer(s) Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan Powered by Expand Collapse 2 Colors Sean Penn and Robert Duvall are cops caught in a L.A.
gang war Directed by the late, great Dennis Hopper (who also directed and starred in the classic ), was the definitive 1980s L.A.gang movie that paved the way for genre-defining inner-city films of the '90s like and .With its Ice-T-penned hit theme song that still pops into my head if I even see the word "color" written down, Colors is one of those generational films you just can't shake.
Robert Duvall stars as Bob Hodges, a veteran LAPD officer working in the elite anti-gang unit who, nearing retirement, gets paired with hot-headed rookie officer Danny McGavin (a young Sean Penn).While Hodges' approach is to build respect, McGavin is intent on stomping all over it, which doesn't go over too well with the Bloods, Crips, and Hispanic gangs that are killing each other in the streets, who soon put a target on McGavin's back, too.Come for Penn and Duvall, stay for early performances by Don Cheadle and Damon Wayans.
Colors R Action Crime Drama Thriller Release Date April 15, 1988 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Cast Robert Duvall, Sean Penn, María Conchita Alonso, Randy Brooks, Grand L.Bush, Don Cheadle, Gerardo Mejía, Glenn Plummer, Rudy Ramos, Sy Richardson, Trinidad Silva, Charles Walker, Damon Wayans, Fred Asparagus, Sherman Augustus, Bruce Beatty, Paula Bellamy, Brandon Bluhm, Mark Booker, Ron Boyd, Verda Bridges, R.D.
Call, Steven Camarillo, Seymour Cassel, Gary Carlos Cervantes Runtime 120 minutes Director Dennis Hopper Writers Michael Schiffer Producers Robert H.Solo Main Genre Crime Powered by Expand Collapse 1 Back to School A Rodney Dangerfield college comedy classic you must watch I'm sorry, but the greatest Olympic divers in the world cannot hold a candle to Thornton Melon's legendary Triple Lindy in this classic of all classic fish-out-of-water college comedies that should be required viewing for anyone about to head to school in a few weeks.Legendary one-liner comic Rodney Dangerfield's biggest hit, 1986's turned an $11 million budget into a $91 million payoff and is a bona fide classic.
Dangerfield stars as Thornton, a millionaire men's clothing magnate who enrolls at the fictional Grand Lakes University when his son Jason (Keith Gordon) threatens to drop out.It's all a party for Thornton, who chums up with the dean, buys his way through classes, and starts dating his English Lit professor (Sally Kellerman).But when he's forced to actually study to take an exam, Thornton's resolve is put to the test.
And when Jason's championship dive team is short a diver at the film's climax, it's Triple Lindy time! It's a classic that still holds up—it has an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, too.Back to School PG-13 Comedy Release Date June 13, 1986 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Cast Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Keith Gordon, Robert Downey Jr., William Zabka, Paxton Whitehead, Adrienne Barbeau, M.Emmet Walsh, Terry Farrell, Ned Beatty, Severn Darden, Sam Kinison, Robert Picardo, Kurt Vonnegut, Edie McClurg, Sarah Abrell, Boris Aplon, Nora Boland, Kimberlin Brown, Lisa Denton, Bob Drew, Jason Hervey, Leslie Scarborough Runtime 96 minutes Director Alan Metter Writers Harold Ramis, Steven Kampmann, William Porter, PJ Torokvei, Dennis Snee, Greg Fields, Rodney Dangerfield Producers Chuck Russell Main Genre Comedy Executive Producer(s) Estelle Endler, Harold Ramis, Michael Endler Powered by Expand Collapse Consider your syllabus set Four movie nights and zero homework, unless you count arguing about the ending of , and if you do, good luck with that.
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