Prime Video offers an impressive selection of top-tier films available for streaming right now.
Among the must-watch lineup is last year’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, One Battle After Another. This film, featuring the unparalleled talent of Leonardo DiCaprio, should be a priority on your watchlist this month.
Beyond recent hits, Prime Video is also a treasure trove of classic Oscar-winning films that’s worth exploring in August.
Indulge in the ’90s black comedy brilliance of Fargo, experience the emotional depths of Casey Affleck’s performance in Manchester by the Sea, or immerse yourself in the profound character study of Sound of Metal. Each of these films garnered significant acclaim upon their release and remain compelling viewing choices in 2026 and beyond.
‘Manchester By the Sea’ (2016)
Casey Affleck (left) and Lucas Hedges in ‘Manchester by the Sea.’ Claire Folger/Courtesy of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions
In Manchester by the Sea, Lee Chandler, played by Affleck, is portrayed as a man weighed down by grief, isolating himself from the world. A devastating event in his past has driven a wedge between him and those around him, including his ex-wife, Randi (Michelle Williams). However, when his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) passes away, Lee is handed the unexpected responsibility of caring for his teenage nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). As Lee grapples with stepping out of his cocoon, the central question is whether he can overcome his own struggles to forge a meaningful relationship with a teenager who barely knows him, and perhaps harbors little affection.
Prime Video constantly adds new movies every month, and while most of them are modern hits like Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig and Fighting with My Family with Florence Pugh, there’s always a handful of vintage classics, too. Watch With Us has curated a list containing only the best classic movies currently streaming on Prime Video. […]
It’s not inaccurate to describe Manchester by the Sea as one of the most depressing American movies made in the last 15 years. Lee’s past tragedy is horrific, and his response to it is equally hard to watch. But the film also contains strains of humor and hope, even with characters who have to grapple with such weighty issues as death. Manchester by the Sea won well-deserved Oscars for Best Actor (Affleck) and Original Screenplay (Kenneth Lonergan), and it was named one of the 10 best movies of the year by The New York Times, Rolling Stone and the BBC.
‘Sound of Metal’ (2020)
Riz Ahmed in Sound of Metal. Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection
Ruben (Riz Ahmed) is a drummer in a punk rock band who tours the country in an old RV with his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke), who is the lead singer. During a loud gig, Ruben experiences a loud ringing in his ears. A visit to the doctor confirms the worst — Ruben has lost most of his hearing, and he’ll lose the rest of it if he continues to play loud music. Ruben insists on resuming his old life, but how can he last when his hearing gets progressively worse, and he relies more on Lou for help?
Nominated for seven Oscars, Sound of Metal won for Best Editing and, appropriately, Best Sound, but stars Ahmed and Paul Raci, as a deaf Vietnam veteran who shows Ruben that life doesn’t end when his hearing stops, deserved some statuettes, too. The film itself is terrific — an intelligent and moving study of a man whose whole life was making noise and who now has to appreciate the sounds of silence. The film’s ending is pitch-perfect — affirming, sad, hopeful and filled with grace. You won’t forget it, and after watching it, you wouldn’t want to.
‘Fargo’ (1996)
Frances McDormand in Fargo. Everett
Someone has kidnapped Jean Lundegaard (Kristin Rudrüd), and they want $80,000 to return her to her husband, car salesman Jerry (William H. Macy), in one piece. Meanwhile, pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) investigates the murders of three people on a desolate road outside Fargo, North Dakota. These two incidents seem unrelated, but as Marge digs deeper, she realizes there’s a deadly connection between them that could cause even more death — and endanger her and her unborn baby.
Prime Video keeps adding so many stellar movies each month, you’ll probably never cancel your Amazon subscription. How could you with such hits as Project Hail Mary with Ryan Gosling and Masters of the Universe with Nicholas Galitzine available with a click of a button? This August, the streamer added a few more great films […]
Her work in Fargo won McDormand the first of her three Best Actress Oscars, and she’s sensational as a perpetually positive cop who has to investigate some pretty grim crimes. Her innocence is both beguiling – you root for her right from the get-go – and sneakily effective as everyone in the film keeps underestimating her. Beneath her cheery exterior is a shrewd detective who instantly suspects Jerry has something to do with his wife’s kidnapping, and she won’t stop until she finds out what his role is in the plot and what happened to Mrs. Lundegaard. After watching Fargo, you’ll never look at a woodchipper quite the same way again.