August has arrived, and it’s brought a glut of great movies to one of the best streaming services: Prime Video.
Last month, the service welcomed hits like “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One”, and this month’s no different. In August, Prime Video’s got recent thrillers like “10 Cloverfield Lane”, classics like “Cinema Paradiso” and much, much more.
Below, we’ve detailed all the best new movies to Prime Video this month that come highly rated on the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not an absolute guarantee that you’ll love any of these movies everyone has slightly different taste, after all but a high critics’ rating is usually a solid indicator of quality, if nothing else. Here’s seven of the best new Prime Video moves to stream this month.
Don’t see anything you want to stream? Check out our full roundup of everything that’s new on Prime Video and Freevee in August to find your watch.
’10 Cloverfield Lane’ (2016)
“10 Cloverfield Lane” is the second movie in the “Cloverfield” franchise, and functions as a bold step away from Matt Reeves’ 2008 found-footage monster movie.
In this tense sci-fi effort, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up chained up in a bunker after falling unconscious in a car accident. Howard (John Goodman), the man who owns the bunker, releases her and tells her there’s been an alien attack, and the outside world is poisoned, leaving her stuck inside with him and a younger man called Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.). But is Howard telling the truth about what’s out there? Or is this all a lie covering up some sinister intentions?
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stream it on Prime Video from August 24
‘American Graffiti’ (1973)
Before introducing the world to “Star Wars“, George Lucas brought us “American Graffiti”, a coming-of-age hit set in the 1960s that introduces us to a group of high school grads fully immersed in the rock n’ roll scene.
On the cusp of leaving their small Californian town behind, best friends Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) and Steve Bolander (Ron Howard) and their friends cruise the streets for one last hurrah before heading off to college. Plot-light, but heavy on the nostalgia, this is a classic flick with a killer soundtrack that still holds up, whether you were there for the original era or not.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Stream it on Prime Video now
‘Cinema Paradiso’ (1988)
Giuseppe Tornatore’s “Cinema Paradiso” is surely one of the very best movies about movies.
Largely told in flashback, this spellbinding Italian film, director Salvatore Di Vita recalls his well-spent youth: as a young boy, he spent practically every moment he could at the Cinema Paradiso theater, falling in love with the big screen and eventually forming a friendship with the projectionist, Alfredo.
As we all do, Salvatore grows up, but never quite escapes his passion for filmmaking… and his aging friend urges him to leave town and pursue his dream. It’s a life-affirming, poignant, and heartwarming coming-of-age tale; you’ll smile, you’ll cry, and if you’re anything like me, it’ll leave you with an even deeper appreciation of the magic of cinema.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stream it on Prime Video now
‘Face/Off’ (1997)
John Woo’s “Face/Off” is a gripping cat-and-mouse caper that on paper sounds completely implausible. It stars John Travolta and Nicolas Cage as FBI Special Agent Sean Archer and terrorist Castor Troy, respectively.
After a tragedy, the pair engage in a longstanding vendetta which culminates with Archer knocking Troy out and then having a doctor transplant Troy’s face onto his own. He’s done so to try and foil a plot… but when Troy wakes up, he forces the same doc to put Archer’s face on his body, and sets out to ruin the agent’s life.
What follows is an excellent ride wherein both stars serve top performances, each playing a character… who is playing a character. It’s brash, over-the-top, and totally thrilling.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Prime Video now
‘Looper’ (2012)
This 2012 time-traveling hit is a solid mix of smart sci-fi and high-octane action. “Looper” takes us forward to 2074, into a world where time travel is invented, but made illegal, and quickly taken up by the mob.
When criminal organizations want rid of someone, they send their targets back in time, where a “Looper” (aka hitman) is employed to take them out. Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a well-regarded Looper, with big plans to retire, though if he lives long enough, he knows he’ll eventually be forced to dispose of any evidence by killing his future self. And the mind-bending drama really starts to unfurl when our hitman realizes that that day might have arrived when he finds himself sitting across from Old Joe (Bruce Willis).
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Prime Video now
‘Paddington’ (2015)
Can’t wait for everyone’s favorite marmalade-loving bear to make his comeback to the big screen in “Paddington in Peru”? Well, Paddington Bear’s first adventure has just arrived on Prime Video and is absolutely worth checking out.
This first family caper follows the eponymous young bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) from “Darkest Peru” to London, England, where he hopes to find a home that he can move into. Having made his way to Paddington station, he crosses paths with the Brown family (Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin) and does his best to fit into their busy lives… while also doing battle with a vengeful taxidermist, Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman).
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it on Prime Video from August 15
‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)
Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 follow-up to “Reservoir Dogs” is still a blistering watch and still one of the director’s best pictures, and now’s the perfect time to revisit it all over again as it’s landed on Prime Video.
A heady mix of dark comedy and crime caper, this total classic weaves together the lives of two hitmen (Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta), a mob boss (Ving Rhames) and his wife (Uma Thurman), and an aging prizefighter (Bruce Willis). It’s an invigorating, violent, and undeniably fun watch — and one that never gets old.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Prime Video now