If you’re looking for something to watch this weekend, this curated list can point you in the right direction. These three movies, all available on Prime Video, each offer a distinct vibe from various genres — and they’re masterpieces, all. Whether for a watch or a rewatch, these three films make for a perfect weekend watch.
Here are the best three movies to watch on Prime Video this weekend.
“Good Will Hunting” (1997)
It’s hard to believe “Good Will Hunting” was anyone’s first screenplay. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck exercise impressive restraint and masterful tonal control in this 1997 drama directed by Gus Van Sant that’s part funny, part romantic, part devastating and endlessly watchable. Both men deliver exceptional performances in the film. Damon’s leading performance is nothing short of star-making, while Affleck cedes the spotlight in a wonderful, memorable supporting turn.
Of course, “Good Will Hunting” cannot be praised without speaking of Robin Williams’ exceptional work as Sean Maguire, the titular character’s therapist. Williams’ performance is perfectly calibrated to Affleck and Damon’s screenplay. The comic legend’s warmth radiates in every scene, yet he never threatens to overpower the phenomenal character work at the film’s center. “Good Will Hunting” is a masterpiece, one that’s early worth a rewatch — though, the autumn vibes do make it perfectly timed for a pre-Thanksgiving stream.
“Nickel Boys” (2024)
RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” is nothing short of a cinematic achievement, a thrilling feat of adaptation that brings Colson Whitehead’s book to the screen in an intensely personal way. With a screenplay from Ross and Joslyn Barnes, the film draws from the real-life Dozier School for Boys in a story about two Black teenagers who meet at an abusive reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.
There’s a lot to praise in Ross’ narrative feature debut, including Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s moving performance and Alex Somers and Scott Alario’s wonderful score. At the top of the list, however, must be Jomo Fray’s exceptional cinematography. By shooting the film in first-person, Ross and Fray immerse audiences in the lives of their central characters, elevating what would already be a strong film into one of the defining movies of the 2020s. Far from a mere gimmick, this shooting style is a brilliant, emotional exercise in perspective and intimacy. Ross (a documentarian) makes a hell of an opening statement as a narrative filmmaker, immediately becoming a voice to watch in future features.
“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974)
It’s no exaggeration to call Tobe Hooper’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” one of the scariest — and greatest — horror movies of all time. The micro-budget horror film is rather simple in its setup, showing the fate of five teenagers who pick the wrong house to stop at on a road trip gone horribly awry.
It’s this simplicity that makes Hooper’s horror film (which he wrote with Kim Henkel) such a masterpiece. “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is entirely unglamorous in its brutality, deriving much more fear from quiet and bluntness than it ever could through a big-budget splatterfest. The history and lore of Leatherface gets widely expanded upon in a series of lesser-regarded follow-ups, but no amount of explanation could ever be more terrifying than the unpredictable, unflinching and utterly meaningless horror of this 1970s classic.
