Hidden Gems: The best films you (probably) haven’t seen on Amazon Prime Video UK
Matthew Turner | On 22, Sep 2019
Reading time: 19 minsWhat should I watch next on Amazon Prime Video? With the streaming service adding new titles all the time – keep up-to-date with latest releases here – it’s increasingly difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff. Fortunately, help is at hand, as there’s nothing we love more at VODzilla.co than throwing some great film recommendations your way. Here then, are Amazon Prime Video UK’s best hidden gems:
Night of the Living Deb (2015)
Written and directed by Kyle Rankin, this light-hearted and fun zombie comedy stars Maria Thayer as Deb, a ditzy camerawoman who does a Walk of Shame after a one-night hook-up, only to stumble into a full-on zombie apocalypse on the streets of Portland. The witty, zombie-aware script is packed with great lines and there are some brilliant sight gags, while Thayer is a revelation as Deb, delivering an utterly charming, warm-hearted performance with terrific comic timing. On top of that, Rankin strikes the perfect balance between gore and humour and there’s fun support from the likes of Ray Wise (sleazing it up once again) and Chris Marquette (as the gung-ho brother of Deb’s initial hook-up). A welcome and worthy addition to the rom-zom-com genre.
12 and Holding (2005)
Directed by Michael Cuesta (who made L.I.E), this little-seen American indie drama follows three 12-year-old kids (Conor Donovan, Zoe Weizenbaum and Jesse Camacho) as they deal with the death of one of their friends. The performances are terrific – these are characters you really care about and Cuesta’s superb direction exploits that brilliantly, ensuring that there’s at least one hold-your breath-in-fear moment for each of them. The script is superb, walking a carefully balanced line between darkly funny and genuinely shocking, while the climax is nothing short of devastating. Also feaures Annabella Sciorra and Jeremy Renner.
The Intruder (1962)
William Shatner delivers a career-best performance in this brutal drama from Roger Corman that somehow seems just as relevant in 2019 as it did in 1962. Shatner plays Adam Cramer, a white-suited, smooth-talking “social reformer” who comes to a small Southern town on the eve of integration and begins stirring up racial hatred. Based on a novel by Charles Beaumont (who wrote the script and appears in a small role), The Intruder was shot on location in Missouri during the height of the civil rights movement, giving it a palpable authenticity. Dark, disturbing and all too familiar to modern audiences, this isn’t just a hidden gem, it’s an actual goddamn masterpiece. Also known as The Stranger / Shame / I Hate Your Guts!
Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)
Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, this jet-black comedy stars Melinda Page Hamilton as Amy, a woman whose decision to disclose a sordid incident in her past has a disastrous effect on her relationships with her family and fiancé (Bryce Johnson). Given Goldthwait’s background and the vomit-inducing nature of Amy’s secret – revealed in the opening scene – you could be forgiven for expecting a tasteless gross-out comedy, so it’s something of a pleasant surprise when the film turns out to be a genuinely sweet rom-com that’s frequently laugh-out-loud funny. Hamilton delivers a perfectly pitched comic performance and Goldthwait’s sharply observed script has more to say about contemporary relationships than any number of standard Hollywood rom-coms.
Before I Go to Sleep (2014)
Based on the debut novel by S.J. Watson, this is a gripping and enjoyable memory thriller in the Memento vein, with Nicole Kidman giving one of her best performances as Christine, a woman who wakes up each day with no recollection of who she is. After uncovering some disturbing information, she’s forced her to question everything around her, including her husband, Ben (Colin Firth), and shady psychiatrist Doctor Nasch (Mark Strong). Rowan Joffe’s direction is nicely atmospheric throughout and the twisty script keeps you guessing till the end.
Appropriate Behaviour (2014)
If you were a fan of HBO’s Girls, you should definitely check out this very funny New York indie debut from writer-director-star Desiree Akhavan. She plays Shirin, an Iranian-American hipster trying to get back into the NY dating scene after a split from her long-term girlfriend (Rebecca Henderson). The sharply observed script is warm-hearted, funny and quietly moving, while Akhavan proves a genuine talent, combining perfect comic timing with a mesmerising quality on screen that makes her somehow simultaneously achingly vulnerable, deadpan sarcastic, dorky-looking, and stunningly beautiful, often in the same scene.
Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2009)
By turns laugh-out-loud funny and genuinely moving, this wonderful rock-doc from former Anvil roadie Sacha Gervasi plays like a real-life version of Spinal Tap. It follows Canadian metal “demigods” Anvil, who had a brief taste of fame in the 1980s, before fading into obscurity. However, the band (best friends Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow and the coincidentally-named Robb Reiner) are still going and the film tags along as they embark on a disastrous European tour, record their 13th album and head to Tokyo to play a metal festival. At times, this is so Tap-like it’s almost painful to watch, but the friendship between the two men (coupled with their obvious love of the music) is enormously touching and it’s impossible to come away without a huge smile on your face.
Triangle (2009)
Former Home and Away star Melissa George delivers a career-best performance in this delightfully twisty, surprisingly moving time-bender from British writer-director Christopher Smith (Severance). She stars as Jess, a single mother who becomes trapped in a terrifying, yet oddly familiar cycle of violence when she and her friends (including a pre-fame Liam Hemsworth) are rescued by a seemingly deserted ocean liner after their boat capsizes. Cleverly blending elements of The Shining, Timecrimes and Titanic (with a dash of Groundhog Day), Triangle delivers some superb shocks, with moments and images that are genuinely haunting.
The Innkeepers (2012)
Written and directed by Ti West (House of the Devil), this hugely entertaining “ghost story for the minimum wage” (as an early tag-line described it) stars Sara Paxton and Pat Healy as a pair of 20-something slackers on a late-shift at a closing-down hotel that may or may not be haunted. Rather than opt for cheap shocks and jump scares, West’s expertly paced script delivers something genuinely moving that really gets under your skin. It also benefits from a strong sense of location, witty dialogue, great characters and a terrific central performance from Sara Paxton. (Read our full review)
Down With Love (2003)
Brilliantly directed by Peyton Reed (Ant-Man, Bring It On), this delightful comedy is a note-perfect pastiche of the brightly coloured 1960s battle-of-the-sexes comedies that Rock Hudson and Doris Day used to make. Renee Zellweger plays novelist Barbra Novak, who has written feminist best-seller Down With Love, encouraging women to stand up for themselves in the boardroom as well as in the bedroom. Sensing a challenge, chauvinistic star journalist Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor) bets his editor (David Hyde Pierce) that he can seduce Barbra and prove that she’s a traditional girl at heart. The two leads are clearly enjoying themselves (McGregor’s ‘cool cat’ walk is a scream) and there’s hilarious comic support from Hyde Pierce, who pretty much steals the entire film, especially in his scenes with Sarah Paulson. An unadulterated treat for film fans everywhere.
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Destined for future teen classic status, this heartfelt comedy marks a brilliant debut for writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig. Hailee Steinfeld stars as Nadine, an anxiety-ridden high school outsider whose life is plunged into chaos when her BFF Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) starts dating her older brother, Darian (Blake Jenner). The witty script skilfully subverts expectations, cleverly playing on echoes of previous troubled teen movies (e.g. Ghost World, The Diary of a Teenage Girl), while Steinfeld is an utter joy as Nadine, finding deep sympathy for the character even when we disapprove of her behaviour. Moving, laugh-out-loud funny and packed with great scenes and dialogue, this is a treat from start to finish. (Read our full review)
The Secret of Marrowbone (2018)
Also known as Marrowbone, the directorial debut of Sergio G Sánchez (who wrote The Orphanage) is a nicely atmospheric mystery chiller with superb performances from its young leads. George MacKay stars as Jack, the eldest of four British children – including rising stars Mia Goth and Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton – who flee their abusive father and travel to the remote seaside home of their dying mother. When she dies, they’re forced to keep her death a secret in order to remain together, but they become increasingly plagued by a sinister presence in the house. Sanchez pulls off some impressively creepy set-pieces (most notably a game of Risk) and there’s the added bonus of yet another great performance from Anya Taylor-Joy as Jack’s love interest.
Side Effects (2013)
This deliciously dark and twisted thriller from Steven Soderbergh is one of those films where the less you know about it going in, the better. Suffice it to say that Jude Law delivers one of his best performances to date as a psychiatrist investigating the connection between a new anti-depressant and a violent crime committed by one of his patients (a jaw-droppingly brilliant Rooney Mara). Soderbergh’s control of the material throughout is masterful, transforming what could have been a routine, trashy thriller into something genuinely exciting and unpredictable. A fabulously slinky Catherine Zeta-Jones (as Mara’s former doctor) is the icing on an already delicious cake. (Read our full review)
Pontypool (2008)
Based on a novel by Tony Burgess, this intriguingly weird horror flick stars Stephen McHattie as a radio DJ who gets besieged in his church basement radio station when a zombie virus that’s apparently transmitted via the English language spreads throughout small town Pontypool, Ontario. It’s always a pleasure to see a great character actor given a terrific lead role and McHattie is on superb form here, anchoring the film with a riveting central performance. Director Bruce McDonald makes the most of his bizarre premise, blending surrealism, suspense, zombie horror and witty wordplay while still ticking the essential gore boxes. An original, offbeat treat – don’t miss the genuinely bonkers post-credits scene.
What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
Co-directed by Flight of the Conchords collaborators Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, this hilarious mock-doc centres on a group of bickering vampires (primarily Clement, Waititi and Jonathon Brugh) sharing a flat in modern day New Zealand. Made with obvious affection for the vampire genre, this is packed with quotable lines and brilliant sight gags, ensuring big laughs in every scene. Wonderful. (Read our full review)
Project Nim (2011)
Director James Marsh’s hugely entertaining follow-up to Man on Wire tells the fascinating story of Nim, a chimpanzee who’s raised as human by a succession of different carers, after moustachioed Columbia professor Herb Terrace theorises that a chimp raised with a human family might be able to learn sign language. Blending dramatic reconstruction, some astonishing archive footage and remarkably candid interviews with all the main players, this is by turns laugh-out-loud funny, shocking, terrifying, thought-provoking and ultimately deeply moving, with a frankly jaw-dropping collection of twists and turns and some intriguing points to make about both animal and human behaviour. (Read our full review)
Mary & Max (2009)
Written and directed by Adam Elliot (who made the Oscar-winning short Harvie Krumpet), this Australian stop-motion animation is a treat from start to finish. Narrated by Barry Humphries, the story begins in 1970s Australia, when eight year old Mary (voiced by Bethany Whitmore, then Toni Collette) randomly picks a name out of a phone book and becomes pen-pals with Max (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a middle-aged, overweight New Yorker. The film then details their relationship as they write to each other over a period of 20 years. Combining wonderful stop-motion animation and a brilliantly written script, this is a superbly directed black comedy that’s simultaneously darkly funny, extremely sweet and incredibly moving. A joy.
Emelie (2016)
“Sometimes, it’s okay to destroy things for fun.” Into the Badlands’ Sarah Bolger delivers a supremely creepy performance as the babysitter-from-hell in this unbearably suspenseful and properly chilling horror from music video director Michael Thelin. The script is perfectly paced, with Thelin slowly ratcheting up the tension as Bolger’s behaviour with her young charges (a trio of impressively naturalistic performances from Joshua Rush, Carly Adams and Thomas Bair) gets more and more unsettling. A word of advice: don’t get too attached to scene-stealing hamster Admiral Wobbles.
The Kings of Summer (2013)
This delightful coming-of-ager from debut director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) plays like a modern day Stand By Me. Nick Robinson (Love, Simon), Gabriel Basso (The Big C) and Moises Arias star as three teenage boys who build a secret house in the middle of a forest and hide out there for the summer, away from their parents. Chris Galletta’s wonderful script perfectly captures both the thrill of the boys’ first taste of freedom and the agony of adolescent heartache, while delivering a powerful hit of childhood nostalgia. Vogt-Roberts gets terrific performances from his young cast and there’s great comic support from the likes of Nick Offerman and Alison Brie. A treat from start to finish and the very definition of a hidden gem. (Read our full review.)
Land of Mine (2015)
Based on true events, this Oscar nominated WWII thriller stars Roland Moller (Skyscraper) as a Danish army sergeant who’s put in charge of supervising a group of German POWs (most of them teenagers) as they painstakingly remove some 45,000 landmines from a remote stretch of Danish beach. Written and directed by Martin Zandvliet, the film cranks up the built-in tension to unbearable levels, while wringing powerful emotion from the sensitive, sharply observed performances. Similarly, the complex and cleverly structured script does intriguing things with ideas of sympathy, while cinematographer Camilla Hjelm Knudsen makes the beach locations look especially stunning in the crisp sunlight. (Read our full review.)
Your Name (2016)
Body-swap comedy meets sci-fi romance in this utterly charming anime from writer-director Makoto Shinkai. The plot centres on two Japanese teenagers – small-town high-school girl Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi) and Tokyo boy Taki (Ryûnosuke Kamiki) – who find themselves inexplicably waking up in each other’s bodies several times a week. After finding inventive ways to communicate, the pair begin an unconventional romance, but their happiness is threatened by an imminent disaster. Shinkai’s skilful genre blending pays off beautifully, with a touching and inventive story that’s consistently surprising, deeply moving and frequently very funny. It’s also beautifully animated, with a level of detail that takes your breath away. (Note: Both the subtitled and dubbed versions are available.) (Read our full review.)
A Man Called Ove (2015)
Based on the best-selling novel by Fredrik Backman, this Oscar nominated Swedish comedy-drama stars Rolf Lassgard as Ove (pronounced Ooh-vuh), a cantankerous old git whose comically disastrous suicide attempts are continually interrupted by his perpetually upbeat Persian new neighbour (Bahar Pars), with whom he forms a reluctant friendship. Directed by Hannes Holm (who also adapted the script), the film is both warm-hearted and frequently laugh-out-loud funny (there are some sublime running gags), anchored by a note-perfect performance from Lassgard, who does impressive work with Ove’s inevitable thawing. Incidentally, if you like this, you should definitely check out fellow Backman-penned Swedish old man hit The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared (also available). (Read our full review.)
My Life as a Courgette (2016)
Directed by Claude Barras, this utterly charming, Oscar-nominated stop-motion feature centres on blue-haired 9 year-old Courgette, who’s placed in a children’s home after the accidental death of his alcoholic mother. Presenting its moving coming-of-age story from a child’s point of view, the sensitive, warm-hearted and frequently funny script (by French filmmaker Celina Sciamma) explores its difficult themes in perceptive fashion, while the gorgeous, brightly coloured animation and appealing character designs (all large heads and expressive ping-pong ball eyes) have the comforting feel of a classic children’s book or TV show. (Note: Only the English language dub is available.) (Read our full review.)
Paterson (2016)
Or, if you’re feeling flippant, Adam Driver: Bus Driver. Jim Jarmusch’s utterly charming and perfectly constructed indie drama stars Driver as Paterson, a bus driver who lives in Paterson, New Jersey with his scatty wife Laura (Iranian star Golshifteh Farahani) and their scowling English bulldog, Marvin. The film follows a week in Paterson’s life as he goes about his regular routine, quietly absorbing his surroundings and writing poetry about everyday life. Driver is wonderful as Paterson, investing the character with a compellingly soulful quality, and the film’s considerable pleasures are bound up in the ways that he connects to the world around him. This is, quite simply, a masterpiece. (Read our full review.)
Joy Ride (2001)
Also known as Roadkill – and, indeed, Road Kill – this hugely entertaining ‘psycho-killer in a massive truck’ thriller stands proudly alongside the two acknowledged classics of the genre, The Hitcher (1986) and Duel (1971). Paul Walker, Steve Zahn and Leelee Sobieski play a trio of road trippers who make the mistake of playing a prank over CB radio on a psychotic trucker with the handle ‘Rusty Nail’ (creepily voiced by an unbilled Ted Levine). Brilliantly directed by John Dahl (Red Rock West, The Last Seduction), this is a superb roller coaster ride that delivers on every level – thrills, suspense, shocks, great performances, a a frequently funny script and a genuinely scary villain. Buckle up.
Splice (2009)
This cracking sci-fi thriller stars Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as two scientists who get more than they bargained for when their genetic splicing experiments create a female human / animal DNA hybrid (Delphine Chaneac). The pair take turns looking after her, but as she becomes a rebellious and sexually curious teenager, the bond she develops with her ‘parents’ quickly becomes dangerous. Director Vincenzo Natali maintains an impressively controlled tone throughout, with the film moving from shocks to scares to black comedy to deep sadness, often within the space of a single scene. The script is excellent, exploring several intriguing themes and piling on the allegories at a dizzying rate, while still functioning as a genuinely inventive and completely unpredictable thriller. (Read our full review.)
Last Passenger (2013)
A must-see for fans of train-based thrillers, this is a pleasingly old-fashioned, nail-bitingly tense British picture that makes a virtue of its low budget. Set a few days before Christmas, the film stars Dougray Scott and Kara Tointon as two passengers who meet on a late-night commuter train headed for Tunbridge Wells. However, their meet-cute bantering comes to a sudden halt when their train hurtles through its supposed final destination and shows no sign of stopping. Scott and Tointon are both superb (the chemistry between them is surprisingly strong), while director Omid Nooshin maintains a suitably breakneck pace throughout, expertly building suspense and tension until the nail-biting finale.
The Two Faces of January (2014)
Writer-director Hossein Amini’s terrific adaptation of a lesser-known Patricia Highsmith thriller stars Oscar Isaac as Rydal, a small-time hustler who falls in with a shady businessman Chester (Viggo Mortensen) and his glamorous wife Collette (Kirsten Dunst) while working as a tour guide in Greece in the 1960s. When Chester accidentally kills a private detective, Rydal helps him dispose of the body and flees the scene with the couple, binding his fate to theirs. With a trio of complex performances and a satisfyingly dark script, this is an engaging, slow-burning and beautifully shot thriller that’s well worth a watch, particularly if you’re a fan of The Talented Mr Ripley. (Read our full review.)
Suddenly (1954)
A year after his Oscar-winning turn as the happy-go-lucky soldier in From Here to Eternity, Frank Sinatra played a psychotic, deeply repellent killer in this dark, twisted and little-seen film noir. Ol’ Blue Eyes plays John Baron, an assassin who takes a small town family hostage and uses their home as a vantage point from which to assassinate the President. After Kennedy’s assassination in 1962, Sinatra asked United Artists to withdraw the film from circulation, because there was a rumour it had inspired Lee Harvey Oswald. Whether that’s true or not, Suddenly is a chilling, tightly constructed thriller and Sinatra is astonishing in it. Incidentally, there are tons of old movies buried on Amazon Prime Video UK, if you’re prepared to dig deep enough – there are four different versions of this film alone, one of them in colour.
Addicted to Fresno (2015)
Perennial scene-stealers Judy Greer and Natasha Lyonne deliver a pair of pitch-perfect comic performances in this deliciously dark black comedy from director Jamie Babbit. They play a couple of sisters (Greer a sex addict with no impulse control, Lyonne a lonely lesbian) whose lives quickly spiral out of control when Greer’s character accidentally kills a man. After disposing of the body, the pair are blackmailed by their their pet cemetery-owning accomplices (Allison Tolman and Fred Armisen) and come up with a series of increasingly bonkers money-making ploys. The script crackles with great lines and Babbit keeps tight control of the tone, allowing him to pull off some surprisingly risqué gags. Worth seeing for Lyonne’s Cousin It impersonation alone.
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
Directed by Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul (who tragically died in 2014), this entertaining and powerfully emotional documentary tells a gripping story and unearths an astonishing musical find. It centres on a pair of South African music fans who set out to find their musical idol, 1970s American singer-songwriter Rodriguez, in part to dispel persistent rumours of his death. What follows is a series of delightful twists and turns. Part mystery story and part joyous celebration, this is a superbly structured and genuinely uplifting tale that taps into a couple of compelling musical myths. (Read our full review.)
 haven’t seen on Amazon Prime Video UK "Pin It")
Related Posts
Amazon renews Absentia for Season 3 September 30, 2019 | Staff Reporter
Amazon Prime Video doubles subscribers December 20, 2017 | Staff Reporter
Amazon launches first UK advert as Fire TV lands... October 23, 2014 | Staff Reporter
Fleabag dominates 2019 TCA awards August 5, 2019 | Staff Reporter
