We’re halfway through November now, and I know I need some good movies to help distract me from the biting cold. Luckily, Prime Video has stocked up its increasingly compulsive library in impressive style this month. To stop you from scrolling for ages until you land on a film you fancy, I’ve handpicked three flicks I think you’ll have a grand old time with this weekend on one of the best streaming services.
First, a classic drama deservedly picked up a couple of Oscars back in 1998, and for me it features the late, great Robin Williams' second best role (after "Aladdin's" Genie, naturally). Then there's a thoroughly stupid but lovable comedy that showed the world Arnie could do lolz. Finally, I’ve chosen a sci-fi thriller that gave Matthew Broderick one of his first starring roles.
So wrap up warm, break out some junk food and read on for three movies you should definitely stream on Prime Video this weekend.
'Good Will Hunting' (1997)
“How do you like them apples?” I like them mighty fine, Mr. Hunting. The movie that finally won Robin Williams a richly deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, “Good Will Hunting” was a passion project both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had been working on for years before they got a Hollywood studio to bite. Damon plays the titular Will Hunting; a tough Southie kid from Boston who just so happens to be a secret mathematical genius.
His absurdly high IQ is discovered by Professor Geral Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård) who catches Will solving an insanely challenging math problem on a chalkboard as Hunting is half-assing a shift as a janitor at MIT. Lambeau promptly takes Will under his wing, but it’s clear that this genius needs help. Abused from an early age and carrying a lot of rage, it’s Williams’ Dr Sean Maguire who helps Hunting find some peace.
There’s also an utterly charming romance between Will and fellow student Skylar (a lovely Minnie Driver) that drives much of the movie. The only thing that ticks me off about this classic is that we never got “Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season” that “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” promised me in 2001.
Watch "Good Will Hunting" on Prime Video now
'Twins' (1988)
The first movie to really show off Arnie’s comedic chops. Although if you can’t have a giggle during “Predator’s” “stick around line” the year before this delightful comedy came out, I feel sorry for you. The premise of “Twins” is pretty ingenious. Thanks to a secret genetic experiment, hulking Julius Benedict (Schwarzenegger) and impish Vincent Benedict (Danny DeVito) are fraternal twins who are separated at birth.
Years later, Arnie’s hyper-smart, kind-hearted giant (he was raised by a professor on an isolated island) eventually tracks down DeVito, who has slipped into a life of crime and become a semi-sleazy crook. Once Vinnie finds himself pursued by mobsters after accidentally pilfering the prototype of a super-secret jet engine (no, really), the pair embark on a cross-country road trip that eventually reunites them with their mother, who thought they had both died at birth. “Twins” is a big-hearted ‘80s classic… though I do partially blame its existence on helping to birth 1994’s awful “Junior”.
Watch "Twins" on Prime Video now
'WarGames' (1983)
“Shall we play a game?” Sure, why not? Oh, I’ve accidentally started the beginnings of a global thermonuclear war because I’m a high school hacker who thought it was clever to mess around with a military supercomputer. Oops. That sounds like a slightly mean synopsis of “WarGames” — a movie that I actually really like — but there’s no denying the basic plot is highly silly.
Still, Matthew Broderick shines in one of his first big breaks. Long before he was Ferris Bueller and legendarily bunked off for the day and a decade prior to him becoming King of Pride Rock, here he plays hacker and video game enthusiast David Lightman. Messing with an ultra-brainy computer, then accidentally entering its WOPR (War Operation Plan Response) quickly causes a national crisis. David basically thinks he’s playing Battleship, while over at the Pentagon, they’re in full-on DEFCON 5 mode as military brass try to stave off World War III with the Russians. It’s silly, it’s sweet, and I wholeheartedly recommend streaming “WarGames” this weekend.
Watch "WarGames" on Prime Video now
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