Genre: Crime / Action Michael Mann’s magnum opus. Watching Al Pacino and Robert De Niro share a coffee (and a screen) is cinematic history. The downtown LA shootout remains the greatest gun battle ever filmed. Essential viewing.
Genre: Romantic Comedy The gold standard of modern rom-coms. Based on the real-life love story of Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, this film is hilarious, heart-wrenching, and authentic. You will laugh, cry, and immediately want to call your parents.
Genre: Historical Drama Regina King’s directorial debut imagines a meeting between Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown, and Cassius Clay. It is a tight, electric 110 minutes about Black celebrity, activism, and responsibility. Pure dialogue gold. best amazon prime films
Genre: Drama Only watch this if you are prepared to be emotionally destroyed. Casey Affleck gives a haunting performance as a man paralyzed by grief. It is a quiet, devastating portrait of depression and survival. Bring tissues.
Air (2023), Late Night (2019), The Lost City of Z (2016), Hereditary (2018). Genre: Crime / Action Michael Mann’s magnum opus
Genre: Comedy / Romance The Groundhog Day formula feels fresh again thanks to Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. This is a smart, existential, and surprisingly moving comedy about being trapped in a time loop with the one person you can’t stand to love.
Genre: Horror / Thriller Do not expect the colorful original. Luca Guadagnino’s remake is a cold, brutalist, three-hour dance of political upheaval and body horror. With Tilda Swinton in multiple roles and a Thom Yorke score, this is arthouse horror at its most ambitious. Essential viewing
Genre: Music / Drama A sonic experience like no other. Riz Ahmed plays a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing. Prime’s audio compression actually works in this film’s favor, forcing you to experience the protagonist's isolation and rage. A profound look at silence and acceptance.