It’s Saturday night, and if NFL playoff football isn’t yours, you’re probably looking for a movie to watch. This month, Amazon has a bunch of new movies available for its Prime members to play for free.
They start the new year with a lot of new offers and we have 56 of our favorites on the list.
Not a member first? You can sign up here.
You can also consult some of our lists:
The 48 best movies airing on Netflix (January 2021). Our favorite programs to enjoy Hulu 26, the best free video games to play while you’re at home.
All right, let’s go to our list:
1. 28 days later: this raw zombie masterpiece imagines an abandoned London and finds a cold horror in its void.
2. CLEAR AND CURRENT DANGER: Harrison Ford makes an iconic performance as Jack Ryan in this espionage thriller.
3. ALMOST FAMOUS: Cameron Crowe’s rock n ’roll ode still pulls the strings in all the right ways.
4. DEET POETS SOCIETY: This preparatory ode to the power of poetry features one of Robin Williams ’greatest performances of all time.
5. THE SIGNATURE: Tom Cruise opposes (and runs a bit!) In this adaptation of John Grisham’s legal thriller, which holds up better than I would expect.
6. LAST OF THE MOHICANS – Daniel Day Lewis stars in this 90s blockbuster about a Native American tribe.
7. LOST IN TRANSLATION: Sofia Coppola’s masterpiece stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson as two lost souls in Japan.
8. CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR: Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman have a great time in this political drama, written by Aaron Sorkin.
9. MASTER AND COMMANDER – I’m a sucker for a movie on the high seas. Forget the sea ravines for a minute and delve into the real thing.
10. ERIN BROCKOVICH: Julia Roberts is the legal assistant who fought hard for those for whom no one would fight.
11. THE CITY: Ben Affleck directs this Boston robbery movie, which has a twist that steals the Jeremy Renner scene as his best friend.
12. LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS: Guy Ritchie’s groundbreaking film is an English gangster with a great all-time soundtrack.
13. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN – Ang Lee directs this film about Forbidden Love, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhall.
14. THE TRUMAN SHOW: Jim Carrey dazzles in this comment on reality TV, but Ed Harris steals the show like the insane Christof.
15. MAJOR LEAGUE: One of the greatest sports comedies ever made and is a must for any baseball fan. (Well, those who know how to handle a lot of damn words.)
16. BOURNE ULTIMATUM: Another perfect film from the Bourne franchise, starring Matt Damon.
17. CHINATOWN: Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway star in this black masterpiece; one of the greatest films ever made.
18. DONNIE BRASCO – Al Pacino and Johnny Depp become this gangster film.
19. FRIENDS WITH CHILDREN: A loaded cast also makes laughs and poignant moments in this story about a group of friends struggling with adulthood.
20. THE LIGHTHOUSE – Directly one of the wildest movies I’ve ever seen. I don’t even know how to describe this. Buckle.
21. THE GOLDFINCH: This adaptation of Donna Tartt’s novel has some magnificent sets.
22. THE FAREWELL – Awkwafina stars in this film about a family traveling home to say goodbye to a dying matriarch.
23. THE LOST CITY OF Z – Charlie Hunnam stars in this period piece that has lots of amazing adventures and scenery.
24. Sigh: A modern update of one of the most annoying horror movies ever made, this one manages to be a little more enjoyable.
25. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS: Wes Anderson’s best film, with a loaded cast and a sufficient emotional foundation for his style.
26. THE REPORT – Adam Driver makes a committed performance in this film about a government investigation into war crimes.
27. THE COCOA BUTTER HAWK –
28. A CHILD NATION: A documentary tells a personal story about the unintended consequences of Chinese one-child politics.
29. THE VAST OF NIGHT: This low-budget science fiction film has pure style and unexpectedly wonderful dialogue.
30. RAMBO: LAST BLOOD: This isn’t Shakespeare, but if you want to see how Sly Stallone blows things up, he has this on sticks.
31. TROOP ZERO: Allison Janney stars in this charming little comedy about a girl lifeguard troupe.
32. IMPOSSIBLE MISSION: GHOST PROTOCOL: Another perfect entry into one of the best action movie series ever made.
33. SUPER SIZE ME – This documentary fundamentally changed the way America consumed food.
34. MY SPY: A surprisingly charming and witty little action comedy, starring Dave Bautista.
35. GENERATION WEALTH: One of the most grotesque documentaries you’ll see about a country obsessed with wealth.
36. THE HUSTLE: This update to Steve Martin’s classic DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS makes Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway have fun as scammers.
37. LOGAN LUCKY: A perfect steal movie, with Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Daniel Craig having a lot of fun and you get the feeling the movie would have made for free.
38. LIGHT OF MY LIFE: A chilling post-apocalyptic film starring Casey Affleck.
39. LATE NIGHT: A quirky comedy about a host at night who struggles to regain his groove and connect with a millennial audience.
40. FLYING THE LAST FLAG: Three Vietnam veteran friends go on a trip to let one of their children rest.
41. KNIVES OUT: Perhaps my whimsical favorite of the last decade, directed by Rian Johnson and again with Daniel Craig stealing all the scenes he finds himself in.
42. I AM NOT YOUR BLACK – This documentary about James Baldwin shuns speakers for the most part and allows the man to tell his own story.
43. APOCALYPTUS – Mel Gibson directs this action thriller in the last days of a dying empire.
44. MID90S – Jonah Hill directs this ode to growing up as a punk skater. The soundtrack is perfect and the performances find depth.
45. GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – The Swedish version may not have the style of David Fincher’s film adaptation, but it has an advanced interpretation of Noomi Rapace.
46. FLAT: One of the funniest and most quoted films ever made, with Tim Curry in an iconic role.
47. CASINO ROYALE – The movie that relaunched the Bond franchise and turned Daniel Craig into a star.
48. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA: This movie will leave you in a puddle of tears. It’s shiny and heartbreaking and will shatter you.
49. BRITTANY RUNS IN MARATHON: A lovely little comedy about a young woman who seems unable to reunite life until she starts running.
50. HOTEL ARTEMIS: This film borrows a lot from the JOHN WICK universe, but that’s fantastic.
51. ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ: Clint Eastwood grimaces through this classic escape film.
52. FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY: A surprisingly wonderful and fun look at the world of professional wrestling, through the eyes of an English family.
52. IMPOSSIBLE MISSION: FALLOUT – This series does not fail. They are all amazing.
53. 7500 – Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a pilot on a plane taken by the kidnappers of this thriller.
54. THE GREAT PATIENT: A perfect little romantic comedy that takes place almost entirely inside a hospital. Who knew?
55. HONEY BOY: Shia LaBeouf offers an incredible performance as, more or less, her father, in this partially autobiographical film.
56. A SIMPLE FAVOR: This funny thriller has an absurd plot, but director Paul Feig and the protagonists of Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick seem to understand how absurd it is and have a great time.