David Farnor | On 17, Jun 2017

What do Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Sally Hawkins, Bryan Cranston, Emily Blunt, Jim Carrey, Bruce Willis and Jack Bauer have in common? They’re all about to depart Amazon Prime Video UK, as the streaming rights to a whole heap of gems expire. Royal drama Young Victoria, mind-bending romance Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Tarantino and Rodriguez’s Grindhouse double-bill, the Oscar-winning Downfall, time-travelling thriller Looper, Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game. These are just some of the modern classics bidding farewell in the coming weeks – not to mention A Winter’s Tale, the film that sees Russell Crowe get angry because a restaurant won’t serve him an owl.

Whether you’re watchlist is full of intense Indonesian action or feel-good musical romance, this is your last chance to stream the following on Amazon Prime Video:

Chronic – 18th June

Tim Roth is brilliant as a creepy nurse in this understated, slow-burn drama.

Serena – 22nd June

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence reunite after Silver Linings Playbook for this weighty period drama about a timber entrepreneur who shacks up with the eponymous horse-riding female, a marriage that is destined not to have a happy ending.

Vera Drake – 29th June

Imelda Staunton is on typically stellar form as an illegal abortionist in 1950s Britain in Mike Leigh’s powerful drama.

Control – 30th June

Anton Corbijn’s biopic about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis is powerful, astonishing cinema, delivered in crisp black-and-white with an intensely bleak soundtrack.

Happy-Go-Lucky – 29th June

Sally Hawkins is mesmerising in Mike Leigh’s drama about Poppy, a young teacher with a decidedly cheerful outlook on life. Following her through the mundane everyday of learning to drive (watch out for Eddie Marsan as her intimidating instructor), losing her bicycle and taking up flamenco, this is gloriously character-driven cinema, which treats Poppy as a woman in her own right, in a story that’s refreshingly never defined by her love life.

Trumbo – 29th June

Bryan Cranston stars in this biopic about the infamous Hollywood writer, who was blacklisted by Hollywood in the 1940s for his political beliefs.

The Mist (2008) – 29th June

Based on a novella by Stephen King, Frank Darabont’s horror flick actually manages to be darker than the original book. What is hiding within the mist when a group of people are trapped inside a small-town supermarket? That’s only the start of it.

Young Victoria – 29th June

Emily Blunt is magnificent in this undemanding historical drama, which is elevated above its slightly clunky script by an engaging cast, swooning romance and stunning costume design. Who needs Parliamentary tension when you’ve got pet dogs, moustaches, Paul Bettany, and kissing in the rain?

24: Season 1 to 8 – 30th June

Damn it, Chloe!

Prison Break: Season 1 to 4 – 30th June

Underwhelmed by the Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller reunion this year? Don’t miss the chance to catch what all the original fuss about this Fox series was about.

The Raid – 30th June

You may think you know all the ways to kill a man. Even the really cool ones. You don’t. The Raid does. It turns out there are loads of them. Some of them involve fridges.

An Education – 30th June

Carey Mulligan stole a nation’s heart with her superb performance in this coming-of-age drama. which sees young Oxbridge candidate Jenny whisked away into a world of glamorous possibilities by the Peter Sarsgaard’s older man, David. Watch out for a scene-stealing turn by Rosamund Pike.

Begin Again – 30th June

Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo star in this hugely endearing film about people coming together to express themselves creatively. Directed by Once’s John Carney, Begin Again is not a big, showy number, but it effortlessly brings a smile to your face. (Read our full review.)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – 30th June

Charlie Kaufman returns with another mind-bendingly inventive and unconventional romance, starring a heart-breaking Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.

Downfall – 30th June

Bruno Ganz’ turn as Adolf Hitler in the final days of WWII have been parodied so many times now that you’d expect Downfall to have lost all impact. The fact that it hasn’t is testimony to Oliver Hirschbiegel’s riveting production and Ganz’ intense performance.

Looper – 30th June

Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in Rian Johnson’s sci-fi thriller, which combines brains, heart and time travel with exhilarating ambition.

A Winter’s Tale – 3rd July

Colin Farrell stars in this barmy fantasy about a thief raised by a demon (Russell Crowe), who falls in love with an heiress (Jessica Brown Findlay) and finds himself having to fight for his life against Lucifer, who is played by Will Smith. We’ll pause for a minute to let that sentence sink in. A joyous contender for the best worst film of recent years.

The Imitation Game – 8th July

The story of Alan Turing breaking the Enigma code gets tinkered with for this precisely-written biopic, but Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance as the mathematical genius, supported by Keira Knightley and an excellently-realised WWII setting, makes this Academy Award-friendly drama a compelling watch.

Planet Terror / Death Proof – 14th July

Gratuitously gory and knowingly trashy, this double-bill is an enjoyably throwback to grimy cinema days gone by. Separately, in their extended forms, the halves struggle to hit the same retro heights, but there’s fun to be found in both, particularly Planet Terror.

 

Other titles leaving Amazon Prime Video UK in June / July 2017:

21st June
Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage

28th June
Honey 2

29th June
The Ten Commandments (2007)
Freeheld
The Painted Veil
The Green Inferno
Defiance
Waiting

30th June
Albert Nobbs
The Magdalene Sisters
Hitler – The Rise of Evil Part 1
Hitler – The Rise of Evil Part 2
Red Lights
Paranoia
The Ides of March
Act of Valor
Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest
Gnomeo and Juliet
Need for Speed
Revolution: Season 1

1st July
Clown

4th July
Yellow

8th July
71

9th July
Delivery Man

14th July
The Illusionist (2006)

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