Amazon Prime movie suggestions
- Thread starter steelyman
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"The War", a Ken Burns series.
It's a documentary about the effects of WWII on people in four towns in the U.S. A bit slow in some places but the overall effort is interesting to me. Just the logistics of WWII is astonishing.
It's a documentary about the effects of WWII on people in four towns in the U.S. A bit slow in some places but the overall effort is interesting to me. Just the logistics of WWII is astonishing.
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steelyman
Moderator Emeritus
"The War" is excellent. I first watched it on DVD with my mom, who had several first-hand stories about those years (three of her older brothers served in Europe).
It pairs well with "The Roosevelts", released several years later.
And appropriate for this time of year from Burns: "Baseball".
It pairs well with "The Roosevelts", released several years later.
And appropriate for this time of year from Burns: "Baseball".
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Bestwifeever
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oops--wrong streaming service
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Watching "The World at War" from the 70's. I first watched it in the 80's I believe, on PBS. Was astounded at how superficial our Us public education was about World War II.
Highly recommend this series--Laurence Olivier is the narrator--makes it so mesmerizing to listen to, with subtitles of course!
So glad Amazon Prime has this series. From the comments section, it appears that they screwed up initially in getting all the episodes "uploaded", but they seem to be all there now.
Highly recommend this series--Laurence Olivier is the narrator--makes it so mesmerizing to listen to, with subtitles of course!
So glad Amazon Prime has this series. From the comments section, it appears that they screwed up initially in getting all the episodes "uploaded", but they seem to be all there now.
DW and I watched "A Town Called Panic" on Amazon last night. It's a silly stop-motion animation feature from Belgium with English subtitles. That might not sound very promising, and I should have been put off by it. But we watched it and I gotta say I laughed a lot.
Again, not classic cinema or high comedy, but a bit of fun for those who enjoy that kind of thing. No high-tech CGI here, the creativity of the artists makes up for the lack of polish. Also, a little non-PC I suppose. If you watch the first 5 minutes and don't enjoy it, then don't invest any more time because it stays in that same rambunctious, frenzied vein for the entire run--which was fine by us. And, as is often the case, the subtitles ended up adding to the charm of the thing--listen closely and you may learn how to say "bastard" in French. (I think the movie may also have been made in a dubbed version, I didn't look for that).
Again, not classic cinema or high comedy, but a bit of fun for those who enjoy that kind of thing. No high-tech CGI here, the creativity of the artists makes up for the lack of polish. Also, a little non-PC I suppose. If you watch the first 5 minutes and don't enjoy it, then don't invest any more time because it stays in that same rambunctious, frenzied vein for the entire run--which was fine by us. And, as is often the case, the subtitles ended up adding to the charm of the thing--listen closely and you may learn how to say "bastard" in French. (I think the movie may also have been made in a dubbed version, I didn't look for that).
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steelyman
Moderator Emeritus
This is a good suggestion, thanks for the alert. I'd seen it before too (I recognize the main titles) but maybe on History or Military Channel. That was a while ago, though, so it's worth a rewatch.
I like the way they open with a treatment of the leadup and bridge to WWII from WWI. There's another good series (unfortunately, on Hulu) devoted to WWI, which I'd known very little about before seeing it. That was especially interesting, as I have some Austrian-Croatian heritage but knew even less about that war.
Not Prime video, but Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast might be of interest.
There are free podcast for folks to see if they are interested, the older ones cost a little now.
Dan Carlin - Hardcore History - Common Sense
There are free podcast for folks to see if they are interested, the older ones cost a little now.
Dan Carlin - Hardcore History - Common Sense
Been noticing over the past couple of months that Amazon Prime has a bunch of PBS shows, both Masterpiece (watching Arthur and George right now--had enough of WWII!) and documentaries. They must have done quite a deal with PBS. I'm such a nerd--I just added "The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements" to my Watchlist.
BTW, PBS seems to be offering their video archives of pretty much all their popular shows if you are a member. They used to have only a limited selection of recent shows available for free.
So with roughly $10 a month going to Netflix streaming, Netflix DVD (for choices not on streaming), Amazon Prime (other benefits included in the membership of course), PBS, and possibly Acorn and Hulu Plus, I might be up to the costs of cable!
But the difference is that these subscriptions give me what I really want to watch.
BTW, PBS seems to be offering their video archives of pretty much all their popular shows if you are a member. They used to have only a limited selection of recent shows available for free.
So with roughly $10 a month going to Netflix streaming, Netflix DVD (for choices not on streaming), Amazon Prime (other benefits included in the membership of course), PBS, and possibly Acorn and Hulu Plus, I might be up to the costs of cable!
But the difference is that these subscriptions give me what I really want to watch.
Bestwifeever
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Been noticing over the past couple of months that Amazon Prime has a bunch of PBS shows, both Masterpiece (watching Arthur and George right now--had enough of WWII!) and documentaries. They must have done quite a deal with PBS. I'm such a nerd--I just added "The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements" to my Watchlist.
BTW, PBS seems to be offering their video archives of pretty much all their popular shows if you are a member. They used to have only a limited selection of recent shows available for free.
So with roughly $10 a month going to Netflix streaming, Netflix DVD (for choices not on streaming), Amazon Prime (other benefits included in the membership of course), PBS, and possibly Acorn and Hulu Plus, I might be up to the costs of cable!
I just added Acorn to our Amazon Prime--an additional $4.99 a month after a free one-week trial. Easy to access Acorn programming within Amazon's site and some interesting shows.
oooh, thanks for reminding me, BWE! I had seen that a while ago and meant to investigate it further. I love the British TV series.
truenorth418
Full time employment: Posting here.
Went back and binge watched all the Curb Your Enthusiasms.
Watched Band of Brothers since I missed it when it ran originally.
Beginning to watch all the James Bond movies, in order from earliest to latest. Hard to believe I've never seen them before. Not all of the films are free via Prime but many of the early ones are. The rest I will pay for, no big deal.
Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
Watched Band of Brothers since I missed it when it ran originally.
Beginning to watch all the James Bond movies, in order from earliest to latest. Hard to believe I've never seen them before. Not all of the films are free via Prime but many of the early ones are. The rest I will pay for, no big deal.
Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
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steelyman
Moderator Emeritus
It seems to me (can't say for sure) that movies pop in and out of Prime. I recall trying to find The Blue Angel when looking for films with Marlene Dietrich and it wasn't a Prime-eligible movie at the time, which wasn't so long ago. But it's there now.
It's a classic, but pretty old so if you check it out be prepared for that. It's German, with English subtitles.
It's a classic, but pretty old so if you check it out be prepared for that. It's German, with English subtitles.
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steelyman
Moderator Emeritus
Not a movie, but a TV series. Made for those who like a hot cup of joe, a slice of cherry pie, and guys named Bob. Twin Peaks is available on Prime Instant Video.
Get Dolby Digital stereo with Amazon Prime. ROKU 3, HDMI connected to a Pioneer receiver. The content needs to be encoded in Dolby Digital (not everything is).
Following up on bestwifeever's suggestion of adding Acorn to Amazon Prime: I'm in a state of British TV bliss! Also, New Zealand. If you get Acorn, and like low key murder mysteries, check out Brokenwood Mysteries. Forget moving to Canada after the elections, I'm going to NZ.
The main character in Brokenwood is kinda like Columbo, but more of a teddy bear. And I love his version of country music. They list the songs and artists in the credits, and I looked them up on iTunes. I was ecstatic to find that there were soundtracks from both seasons.
I also found season 5 and 6 of Vera on Acorn--hurray! And the second season of Detectorists.
Finally, I was happy to find the 3rd and 4th seasons of a show I had watched previously on Prime: The Last Detective. But Prime had only offered the first two seasons for free--had to pay for 3 and 4. This series is from the early 2000's and has Peter Davison (Tristan from All Creatures Great and Small) as the bumbling detective who always get his man (or woman, and maybe he'll finally get back together with his wife?). Anyway, I really like the quirkiness of all these shows.
Thanks again to BWE for reminding me about the Acorn option. I am all set for happy viewing.
The main character in Brokenwood is kinda like Columbo, but more of a teddy bear. And I love his version of country music. They list the songs and artists in the credits, and I looked them up on iTunes. I was ecstatic to find that there were soundtracks from both seasons.
I also found season 5 and 6 of Vera on Acorn--hurray! And the second season of Detectorists.
Finally, I was happy to find the 3rd and 4th seasons of a show I had watched previously on Prime: The Last Detective. But Prime had only offered the first two seasons for free--had to pay for 3 and 4. This series is from the early 2000's and has Peter Davison (Tristan from All Creatures Great and Small) as the bumbling detective who always get his man (or woman, and maybe he'll finally get back together with his wife?). Anyway, I really like the quirkiness of all these shows.
Thanks again to BWE for reminding me about the Acorn option. I am all set for happy viewing.
Lsbcal
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
We really liked these too and would like to see the newer seasons. Can Acorn stream HD? Last time we saw Acorn it was very old British TV in the old format....
I also found season 5 and 6 of Vera on Acorn--hurray! And the second season of Detectorists.
Finally, I was happy to find the 3rd and 4th seasons of a show I had watched previously on Prime: The Last Detective. But Prime had only offered the first two seasons for free--had to pay for 3 and 4. This series is from the early 2000's and has Peter Davison (Tristan from All Creatures Great and Small) as the bumbling detective who always get his man (or woman, and maybe he'll finally get back together with his wife?). Anyway, I really like the quirkiness of all these shows.
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Bestwifeever
Moderator Emeritus
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Following up on bestwifeever's suggestion of adding Acorn to Amazon Prime: I'm in a state of British TV bliss! Also, New Zealand. If you get Acorn, and like low key murder mysteries, check out Brokenwood Mysteries. Forget moving to Canada after the elections, I'm going to NZ.
The main character in Brokenwood is kinda like Columbo, but more of a teddy bear. And I love his version of country music. They list the songs and artists in the credits, and I looked them up on iTunes. I was ecstatic to find that there were soundtracks from both seasons.
I also found season 5 and 6 of Vera on Acorn--hurray! And the second season of Detectorists.
Finally, I was happy to find the 3rd and 4th seasons of a show I had watched previously on Prime: The Last Detective. But Prime had only offered the first two seasons for free--had to pay for 3 and 4. This series is from the early 2000's and has Peter Davison (Tristan from All Creatures Great and Small) as the bumbling detective who always get his man (or woman, and maybe he'll finally get back together with his wife?). Anyway, I really like the quirkiness of all these shows.
Thanks again to BWE for reminding me about the Acorn option. I am all set for happy viewing.
You're welcome
. There are some great programs. I'm glad you mentioned the new season of Detectorists! Really enjoyed season 1 of that quirky little show. One of our blurays has a nice Acorn-within-Amazon interface but the older bluray cleverly hides them so we are always going back and forth and watch-listing them to find certain shows (George Gently season 7, for one). I borrowed Vera season 5 on DVDs through our public library but confess it was the availability of Vera season 6 that triggered our adding Acorn to our tv options. Brenda Blethyn--omg.
You're welcome
I borrowed Vera season 5 on DVDs through our public library but confess it was the availability of Vera season 6 that triggered our adding Acorn to our tv options. Brenda Blethyn--omg.
Get out the tissues for Vera season 6.
Totally agree about Brenda Blethyn.
audreyh1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
In preparation for our trip to Southern France, I looked for the 10 year old HBO series Rome, and found it on Amazon Prime. It used to be available more places but seems to have disappeared.
It is a good one because the period is just as Julius Caesar is leaving Gaul - which is the time that corresponds to a lot of the ruins in Provence.
I vaguely remember seeing little bits here and there a long time ago but never really got into it. Probably had more to do with scheduling. Now being able to stream on demand makes a big difference.
Very watchable now. Slower paced. Actually a bit of a break from the current super intense Starz productions we've been watching lately.
Very entertaining plot twists and mostly good actors.
It is a good one because the period is just as Julius Caesar is leaving Gaul - which is the time that corresponds to a lot of the ruins in Provence.
I vaguely remember seeing little bits here and there a long time ago but never really got into it. Probably had more to do with scheduling. Now being able to stream on demand makes a big difference.
Very watchable now. Slower paced. Actually a bit of a break from the current super intense Starz productions we've been watching lately.
Very entertaining plot twists and mostly good actors.
Big_Hitter
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
anyone watch Remember? Great flick!
