There are a whole lot of new movies hitting streaming services this summer, and Prime Video just got a good handful of them.
So, though my typical recommendation lists are a bit throwback-heavy, this one will largely focus on new ones. Don’t worry, there’s still one throwback in there, and it’s a particularly good one, if I do say so myself. And, as always, you are more than free to ignore these suggestions if you’re not feeling them! We just want to help.
Here are the three best movies on Prime Video this week.
The Sheep Detectives
No one could fault you for missing “The Sheep Detectives” in theaters, as it had an exceedingly short theatrical run. But the good news is, you don’t have to miss it entirely — and you really shouldn’t.
The movie tells the story of three sheep — Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) and Mopple (Chris O’Dowd) — who live in a pasture with their flock, tended to by their owner George (Hugh Jackman), who reads mystery novels to them every night. When George dies under mysterious circumstances, the local lawman (Nicholas Braun) proves he’s useless, so Lily decides to solve the mystery herself.
Yes, the title on this one is very literal. But boy, is it fun. And, if the names above didn’t clue you in, it features a stacked cast. “The Sheep Detectives” earned high critical and audience acclaim — similar to Pixar’s “Hoppers,” in fact — and yet, still technically came in as a box office flop.
Don’t let the same thing happen on streaming!
Stick It
Somehow, it’s been 20 years since “Stick It” first came out, which I refuse to accept, but will happily use as a reason to recommend everyone go rewatch this early aughts gem.
It centers on Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym), a once prodigious young gymnast, who now has zero regard for the sport, for adults in general, and occasionally for the law. After one particularly unfortunate incident that resulted in thousands of dollars in damages, her father forces her to attend an elite gymnastics academy, rather than sending her to juvie. Obviously, Haley would prefer juvie.
There, she’s coached by Burt Vickerman, played by none other than Jeff Bridges. In truth, Peregrym was worried about starring opposite him “because I was like ‘I’m gonna ruin his career, I hope I don’t take down his career.’” Fortunately, it didn’t.
Instead, it simply added a truly delightful comedy to his catalogue, and provided endless quotes for an entire generation to recite.
Superman
“Supergirl” is now in theaters, and after watching it, you might find yourself craving more Kryptonians. Well hey, good news, you can watch “Superman” to scratch that itch!
Really, if you want to do things in the correct order, you should watch “Superman” first. It’s the first film in James Gunn’s new DC Universe, and is technically Kara Zor-El’s (Milly Alcock) first appearance, as she shows up in a fun post-credits scene. Make no mistake though, this is a Superman film, and serves as an excellent launchpad for David Corenswet’s take on the Man of Steel.
Previously, you could only watch “Superman” over on HBO Max, but now, you can watch it on Prime with no add-ons required. So, why not spend some time this week with Clark and Krypto, and endure the obsession of one Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).
