At the beginning of (and throughout) every month, Amazon Prime and Amazon Instant Video add new movies and TV shows to their libraries. Some of these may also have previously been on Amazon, only to have been removed and then added back. Feel free to note anything we’ve left out in the comments below.
With the exception of Hand of God, Amazon won’t start airing its full-season pickups until later this fall, which means the “Moneyball network†is currently playing with trades from other production teams. Amazon doesn’t have the biggest catalogue and tends to focus on bringing on new titles that will play as well as possible to particular audiences. This month’s selections, a jumble of targeted titles that don’t make much sense as a unit, are no exception. Here are a few of the most interesting new choices, along with the highly specific Google searches we imagine Amazon execs used to find them.
“bad men tv†+ “sad men tv†+ “twist?†Hand of God
In Amazon’s latest original series, Ron Perlman stars as a corrupt judge who starts having supernatural visions, which he tries to use to track down the man who raped his wife. Ordered from Amazon’s last pilot season, Hand of God is directed by Marc Foster (Monster’s Ball, World War Z) and features the always-excellent Garret Dillahunt (Deadwood, Raising Hope), which might just be enough to pull it out of the antihero ghetto. Otherwise, this may just be Wonderfalls simplified for the True Detective season two set. Season 1 available September 4.
“cheap Sundance hit that makes us seem hip to the issues of today†Dear White People (2014)
A radical college-radio host becomes the president of her school’s black students’ union and ends up triggering a campuswide debate on racial politics. Vulture’s Bilge Ebri called Dear White People “one of the best feature-filmmaking debuts of recent years,†and watching Simien’s work channel everything from Whit Stillman to Spike Lee, it’s hard to argue with the assessment. Dear White People blends satire, outrage, and sympathy with incredible assurance before arriving at an all-time-great depiction of the worst college party you could imagine. Available September 4.
“what ’90s kids like†+ “what ’90s kids are afraid ofâ€Â The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Wander into the heart of the lo-def forest to find the source of the found-footage horror craze. By now you know the plot: A bunch of naïve teenagers disappeared while on the hunt for a monster, and this footage is all that remains. Though the Paranormal Activity series may have slurped the life force out of this genre recently, The Blair Witch still has some earnest, paranoid oomph. Available September 1.
“best Woody Allen movie that doesn’t make people think too much about Woody Allenâ€Â Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest, Michael Caine, Max von Sydow. Woody Allen’s 1986 account of two years in the life of a Manhattan family has all the great performances you could want and more. Allen famously described Hannah and Her Sisters as one of his “novels on film,†a goal evident in his use of chapter headings and aversion to forcing his characters along a clear-cut plot. Hannah’s loosely structured nature has other benefits, too, as it lacks the chillingly autobiographical echoes of some Allen’s more recent work — you get the sense that the actors and the characters had a chance to surprise the director. Available September 1.
“sexxxxxx†Magic Mike XXL
In a perfect world, Magic Mike XXL would be available for free on streaming. Instead, you’ll have pay money to rent Channing Tatum’s breezy ode to abs, bros, and road-tripping on Amazon Instant. A few reasons why Magic Mike is worth the money: At one point, Joe Manganiello dances to the Backstreet Boys on molly in a convenience store; Andie MacDowell is a drunk southern belle; Matt Bomer and Donald Glover sing; Channing Tatum (insert any verb, they all work); all pleasure is contractual, anyway, and you might as well get used to paying for it. Available September 15.
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ALL TITLES AVAILABLE ON STREAMING:
TV
Hand of God (season 1) (September 4)
Grimm (season 4) (September 30)
Movies
Little Giants (1994) (September 1)
Maya the Bee (2014) (September 1)
Private Parts (1997) (September 1)
Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows (2000) (September 1)
The Blair Witch Project (1999) (September 1)
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) (September 1)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) (September 1)
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988) (September 1)
Lord of Illusions (1995) (September 1)
Popeye (1980) (September 1)
The Crucible (1996)(September 1)
The Swan Princess (1994) (September 1)
Hannibal Rising (2007) (September 1)
Anywhere But Here (1999) (September 1)
Stuart Little (1999) (September 3)
Dear White People (2014) (September 4)
Gabriel (2014) (September 5)
Extreme Movie (2008) (September 5)
Deli Man (2014) (September 5)
I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story (2014) (September 5)
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2015) (September 10)
Men, Women & Children (2014) (September 12)
A Smile Like Yours (1997) (September 16)
From Prada to Nada (2011) (September 18)
Halloween (2007) (September 21)
Serendipity (2001) (September 21)
Escobar: Paradise Lost (2014) (TBA)
ALL TITLES AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE:
TV
Game of Thrones (Season 5) (August 31)
The Todrick Show* (Season 1) (September 1)
Girl Code Live* (season 1) (September 1)
Faking It (season 2B) (September 1)
Awkward. (season 5) (September 1)
I Am Dale Earnhardt (special) (September 1)
Drunk History (season 3) (September 2)
Finding Carter* (season 2B) (September 7)
6 Days to Air (special) (September 7)
Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood* (season 2) (September 8)
The Middle of the Night Show* (season 1) (September 9)
Broke A$$ Game Show* (season 2) (September 9)
Henry Danger (season 3) (September 13)
Game Shakers (season 1) (September 13)
Happyish (season 1) (September 14)
American Experience: Walt Disney* (special) (September 15)
South Park* (season 19) (September 17)
Moonbeam City* (season 1) (September 17)
Doctor Who (special) (September 19)
Steve Rannazzisi: Breaking Dad* (season 2) (September 22)
Gotham* (season 2) (September 22)
Scorpion* (season 2) (September 22)
Fresh Off the Boat* (season 2) (September 23)
Scream Queens* (season 1) (September 23)
TripTank* (season 2A) (September 24)
Modern Family* (season 7) (September 24)
Law & Order: SVU* (season 17) (September 24)
Empire* (season 2) (September 24)
Rosewood* (season 1) (September 24)
The Blacklist* (season 3) (September 25)
Heroes Reborn* (season 1) (September 25)
Are You the One* (season 3) (September 25)
Follow the Rules* (season 1) (September 27)
Indian Summers* (season 1) (September 28)
Once Upon a Time* (season 5) (September 28)
@Midnight With Chris Hardwick* (season 18) (September 29)
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah* (season 21) (September 29)
The Last Man on Earth* (season 2) (September 29)
The Grinder* (season 1) (September 30)
Power (season 2) (TBA)
*Episodes available the day after they air on broadcast television.
Movies
Boulevard (2014) (September 1)
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) (September 1)
Poltergeist (2015) (September 4)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) (September 8)
Batkid Begins (2015) (September 8)
Max (2015) (September 8)
The Other One (2014) (September 8)
The Overnight (2015) (September 8)
Magic Mike XXL (2015) (September 15)
The Connection (2014) (Septmeber 15)
Disneynature: Monkey Kingdom (2015) (September 15)
Me, Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) (September 18)
Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (2015) (September 18)
War Pigs (2015) (September 18)
Cinderella (2015) (September 22)
Boiling Pot (2015) (September 22)
R.L. Stine’s Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls (2015) (September 29)
Caroline and the Magic Potion (2015) (TBA)
Heaven Knows What (2014) (TBA)
La Navaja de Don Juan (2013) (TBA)
Visions (2015) (TBA)
The Gallows (2015) (TBA)
Mississippi Grind (2015) (TBA)
A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story (2015) (TBA)
Golden Shoes (2015) (TBA)
The Anomaly (2014) (TBA)
Earthfall (2015) (TBA)
The Little Death (2015) (TBA)
God and Gays (2006) (TBA)
San Andreas (2015) (TBA)