"What should I watch!" you scream at your device. "Tell me, Amazon smiley face logo!" As objectively humorous a sight this is, we are here to help you calm down and find something excellent to stream.
I can't blame you; there's a ton of movies on the Amazon Prime streaming service, and finding the diamonds can be a tiring, overwhelming task, especially when there are new ones added every month. But we've plowed through all of these gems to give you the seven best new movies added to Amazon Prime this September 2021, films that range the gamut from jaw-dropping horror to prestige drama to side-splitting comedy. Turn that frown upside down (just like their logo) and check out the seven best new Amazon Prime movies this month.
The Descent
Director/Writer: Neil Marshall
Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring
What sounds scarier: running out of oxygen in the claustrophobic unknown of underground caves, or flesh-eating monsters tearing you to bits? The Descent dares to ask, "Why not both?" Neil Marshall's pulverizing feat of fear finds a group of fractured, female friends on a spelunking expedition, trying to support and rebuild their relationship with Shauna Macdonald after a horrific car accident leaves her life broken. But as they descend deeper into the caves, losing their way and what remains of their sanity, a bunch of nightmarish creatures make their presence known, and all hell breaks loose. Using cramped, handheld photography and night-vision, Marshall crafts some of the most aggressive, muscular scares you'll see in recent horror history, and the cast is beyond believable in their psychological dissolution. Look up some theories on the ending once you're done...
Do the Right Thing
Director/Writer: Spike Lee
Cast: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Martin Lawrence, Spike Lee, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, John Savage
Do the Right Thing is, simply, an essential American film. Spike Lee's look at what happens when sociopolitical, racial, and human conflicts boil over on the hottest day of the year in New York City is provocative, funny, sad, prescient, and full of brilliant iconography. Watch the film immediately, and make a plan to discuss it with whoever you can the moment credits roll.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Director: Jonathan Butterell
Writer: Tom MacRae
Cast: Max Harwood, Sarah Lancashire, Lauren Patel, Shobna Gulati, Ralph Ineson, Adeel Akhtar, Samuel Bottomley, Sharon Horgan, Richard E. Grant
A heartwarming crowdpleaser, Everybody's Talking About Jamie is that classic kind of movie musical that will make you laugh, cry, and cheer in equal measure — though with tons of welcome, modern sensibilities. Jamie (Max Harwood) is a young, queer teen from rural England who dreams of being a proud and powerful drag queen. On this journey of self-discovery and fulfillment, Jamie learns all kinds of life lessons about identity, friendship, family, and confidence — all set to crackling, contemporary-pop-driven tunes. Everybody's Talking About Jamie also doubles as a kind-hearted, accessible snapshot of queer history in England, particularly thanks to Richard E. Grant's phenomenal performance as a drag queen mentor to young Jamie.
The Host (2006)
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Writers: Bong Joon Ho, Ha Won-jun, Baek Chul-hyun
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, Go Ah-sung
If you watched Parasite and thought to yourself, "Hmm, I suspect Bong Joon Ho might be our next Steven Spielberg, but I'm not quite sure," watch The Host and shut the heck up already. The Host is a powerful companion piece to Jaws, reacting to that film's masterful usage of suspense by ambiguity with an audacious willingness to show its gosh-darn monster in broad gosh-darn daylight and still make you sweat. It's a monster movie with unique thrills, but it's also a quiet, sad, weirdly funny character study about masculinity and purpose; a family tragedy and coming-of-age narrative; a pointedly political environmental satire. The Host was my first introduction to Bong's sensational work, and I simply have not disembarked from the Snowpiercer train since.
The Social Network
Director: David Fincher
Writer: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella
Ya know what? I'm calling it: The Social Network is another essential American film. It's a razor-sharp cruise missile of craft, a testament to the powers of director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin and performers Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield at their absolute peaks. It is so fiendishly entertaining and so fiendishly incisive about "how we got here," and how the primal, ugly human feelings we all possess coalesced into the perfect storm that is "social media." And yet, I still have a Facebook. Hmm. Guess I better watch it again and see if my mind changes.
Soul Food
Director/Writer: George Tillman Jr.
Cast: Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey D. Sams, Irma P. Hall, Gina Ravera, Brandon Hammond
A simple concept yields rich, warm results in Soul Food, an ensemble dramedy about the power of family, community, and yes, food. The family tradition of dinner every Sunday, prompting sweet and raucous conversation, is tested by everyone's personal problems as they grow up and grow apart, and brought to its breaking point when Big Mama Joe (Irma P. Hall) suffers a stroke. Can this family pull themselves together and keep this vibrant, essential tradition alive? While the answers may not "surprise you," that's not really the point of Soul Food. Like the kind of dish it's named after, this is nourishing comfort food of the highest order, a foundational reminder of the joys that come when people sit, talk, and eat with each other.
Young Frankenstein
Director: Mel Brooks
Writers: Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder
Cast: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, Madeline Kahn
Young Frankenstein is powerfully funny, and why wouldn't it be? Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman — these are some of the funniest human beings who ever lived, and when they combined their efforts to make a smart, silly, and surprisingly emotional spoof/sequel of one of our most well-respected horror stories, alchemy was made. Young Frankenstein is full of incredible, go-for-broke gags, but its staying power comes from its foundationally solid screenwriting and filmmaking techniques. You will believe, in your heart of hearts, that Peter Boyle as an undead monster is trying to sing "Puttin' on the Ritz" as best as he possibly can. That's commitment, folks, and that's the key to powerful comedy.