Are you there, reader? It’s me, Jason. Forgive the too-cute intro, but I wanted to grab your attention to something I think you should know: Prime Video is streaming some really good movies now.
How good? Well, the title of this article includes “masterpiece” in it. Yeah, these films are that good.
Don’t be fooled by Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’s source material; while based on the young adult novel by Judy Blume, it’s a smart and funny film that appeals to all generations.
Need a movie with more testosterone? The Kevin Costner baseball flick Bull Durham has it in spades, but be warned: Susan Sarandon is in it, and she hits a home run with her outstanding performance.
Watch With Us loves classic films and thrillers, and you’ll get both with The Night of the Hunter, a haunting 1955 picture that is just as unsettling as recent horror hits like Obsession and Backrooms.
‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’ (2023)
Three years might be a bit early to call a film a “masterpiece,” but screw it — Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is a movie masterpiece. Newcomer Abby Ryder Fortson stars as the titular Margaret, a curious pre-teen who is reaching the age when her hormones are kicking in and questions are bubbling up about all the weird changes her body is going through. She’s also noticing the adult world with a new perspective, especially when her family moves from New York City to (shudder) New Jersey. Why is her mother, Barbara (Rachel McAdams), estranged from her parents? Why hasn’t Margaret gotten her period yet like her friends? And even though she talks to Him all the time, does Margaret actually believe in God?
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret deals with heavy topics, but it feels as light as a feather. Thanks to Kelly Fremon Craig’s smart and sensitive direction, the film chronicles Margaret’s journey toward young adulthood without feeling like an after-school special. With an excellent supporting cast that includes Kathy Bates as Margaret’s loud but loving grandma, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret documents the often messy growing pains that kids experience and adults endure and how one never stops asking for divine help when the going gets tough.
‘Bull Durham’ (1988)
Summertime is prime baseball season, so why not treat yourself to what Sports Illustrated claims is the No. 1 sports movie of all time? Bull Durham stars Kevin Costner as “Crash” Davis, a minor league baseball player for the Durham Bulls who is tasked with coaching a hotshot newbie, Ebby Calvin LaLoosh (Tim Robbins). He has competition in the mentor department, as veteran baseball groupie Annie (Susan Sarandon) selects Ebby to be her latest “student” for the season. The only problem? Crash really likes Annie, and she seems to dig him, too. This love triangle has no place inside a baseball diamond, especially when the Bulls rise in the minor league rankings thanks to Ebby’s plays — and Crash and Annie’s coaching.
Bull Durham is the rare great sports movie that actually works better as a rom-com. While the minor league baseball action is interesting, it’s not where the film’s focus lies; rather, it’s with the delicate, comedic romantic tango between Crash, Annie and Ebby. Costner is at his peak here — his easy masculinity and rugged handsomeness make Crash catnip to Annie and, in a way, to Ebby, too. As great as he is, this is Sarandon’s film. Sexy, smart and supremely confident, her Annie loves baseball almost as much as the men who play it, and she’ll convert you to her “Church of Baseball” before you know it.
‘The Night of the Hunter” (1955)
When he was alive, English actor Charles Laughton was known for his stage and screen roles, like his canny barrister in Witness for the Prosecution and his Oscar-winning role as Henry VIII in The Private Lives of Henry VIII. But the thespian is now best known for directing The Night of the Hunter, a chilling American Gothic thriller that was such a flop when it was released in 1955, Laughton never directed again. (He died not too long after in 1963). From the ashes of failure, the film has gained a sterling reputation as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, and it still has the power to mesmerize and terrify anyone who watches it.
After career criminal Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) learns from his soon-to-be-executed cellmate, Ben Harper (Peter Graves), that he has cash stashed away back home, he patiently awaits his release so he can snag the loot for himself. Posing as a preacher, he woos Ben’s widow, Willa (Shelley Winters), and marries her, but soon discovers she has no idea where the money is. Her two children, John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce), however, know who Harry is, what Harry wants and where Harry can find it, but they’re not telling. Harry doesn’t mind — one way or another, he’s going to get what he’s looking for, even if he has to kill every Harper family member to do so.
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