The Amazon Prime Video catalog is growing by the month, and not only because a ton of old movies are jumping into the public domain. They’re getting their hands on Oscar and Emmy winners, along with an ever increasing selection of original programming. If you don’t have Amazon, now may be the time to consider signing up, if only because you’ve run out of stuff to watch on Netflix. Here are the 7 best things coming to Amazon Prime Video this month.
What We Do in the Shadows
Available Now
Released in 2014, What We Do in the Shadows was written, directed, and starred in by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. Now, if you are familiar with either of those names—maybe you’re a Flight of the Conchords fan or are one of the few lucky people who stumbled upon the brilliance of Hunt for the Wilderpeople—that should be enough to get you excited. What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary that follows a group of vampires living in the capital of New Zealand in modern day as they deal with the struggles of 21st century life. How can they get by without leaving their flat while it’s light out? What’s with all this modern technology? Why won’t that dick Deacon pay his rent? Imagine an episode of the Real World, only instead of a bunch of attractive 20-somethings, you have vampires, vampires who may or may not be more moody than the aforementioned MTV crew. Watch
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
Available Now
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? was the first sign Leonardo DiCaprio was going to be a megastar. The 1993 drama won Leo a handful of much-deserved awards and accolades. Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) is a small town grocery store clerk trying to care for both his extremely overweight mother and his mentally impaired brother (Leonardo DiCaprio). Of course, these are only a few of Gilbert’s problems, as there’s also a new grocery store in town, casting uncertainty over his financial future, and, oh yeah, he’s also having an affair. When it rains, right? The real draw here, like we mentioned, is Leo, as he turns in one of his finest performances of his career, playing the role with a far greater understanding of his character’s challenges than his age at the time would suggest he could have. Watch
Hand of God
March 10
Patience is a virtue, and if you were a fan of the first season of Amazon’s Hand of God, the Ron Perlman-led show about a judge who believes God has turned to him to set him on a path full of vigilante justice, your patience is about to be rewarded. Long after the first season premiered (summer 2015), the second—and final—season is coming to Amazon Prime Video this month. Perlman and Dana Delany return, as Perlman’s character fights to regain his sanity after a first season that saw him haunted by visions of son and the whole “God is talking to me” thing. It might not be the best Amazon original, but it was far, far from the worst, and it’s worth checking out for a quick two-season binge fest. Watch
Orphan Black (Season 4)
March 16
Simply put: Orphan Black is one of the best shows you’re not watching. In its fourth season, the sci-fi thriller stars Tatiana Maslany as a woman who quickly discovers she’s one of a collection of clones. Moreover, these clones are all being hunted. Maslany is superb, as her recent Emmy award would suggest, and the show balances fun, tense action with big, thought-provoking ideas like the moral dilemmas of human cloning. The show will end with the coming fifth season, so if you want to catch up before that airs this summer, now would be a really good time to start. Watch
Everybody Wants Some!!
March 17
Richard Linklater’s latest, Everybody Wants Some!!, hits Amazon Prime Video on March 17 and is yet another stellar example of the famed filmmaker’s realistic, humanist take on storytelling. Everybody Wants Some!! tells the tale of a crew of college baseball players in the ’80s, living together, trying to get girls, and generally doing the staple frat movie things that can feel tired. But where other filmmakers would falter, Linklater shines, giving us a fun character study that will fill you with a sense of nostalgia. Coming of age tales are kinda Linklater’s thing (we mean, you saw Boyhood, right?) and here he brings it to a genre full of diluted versions of Porky’s and offers up something fresh. Watch
You Are Wanted
March 17
As the movie and show purchasing arms race between Amazon and Netflix continues, the two juggernauts have scoured the globe for gems to add to their exclusive collections. That digging led Amazon to You Are Wanted, a German drama that Amazon is rolling out across a ton of international markets. Clearly, that includes the U.S., where the German-language series will be subtitled. But don’t let a little reading deter you, meine Damen und Herren. Starring one of Germany’s superstars, Matthias Schweighofer, the show centers on a man whose life has been turned upside down when his personal data has been hacked and authorities believe he’s part of a terrorist cell. Amazon’s first globally-available foreign-language series is worth your time when it hits Prime Video on March 17.
Gimme Danger
March 23
If we had to pick one premiere we’re most excited about this month, we’d have to go with Gimme Danger, Jim Jarmusch’s documentary about the famed ’60s rock band The Stooges. We can’t sit here and tell you the narrative is all that incredible, that you’ll be gripped by the shocking twists and turns on the band’s journey to stardom, as this story of punks from Ann Arbor is somewhat the classic rock and roll tale. Why Jarmusch’s doc works so well, however, is the cast of characters, lead by the one and only Iggy Pop, who alone makes the film feel far too short. His shirtless antics and clever quips make the movie a delight. If you want to embrace the rebellion of pure rock and roll, Gimme Danger is a good place to start. Watch
Also a Netflix subscriber? Check out our picks for new Netflix releases here.
