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I scoured January releases on Amazon’s Prime platform to find the best new and emerging streaming movies and shows. The days of countless innovative streaming shows and films seem to be over for the time being. Prime focuses on safe recordings: Yes You are cordially inviteda can’t-miss comedy starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon; Unstoppable, an inspirational sports drama starring Jennifer Lopez; On calla police procedural created by Dick Wolf; a new season of Harlem; and a playoff football game. All safe – solid entertainment without pushing the boundaries.
Comedic icons Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon star in a domestic comedy where newlyweds fight for dominance. A terrible planner booked Ferrell’s daughter’s wedding and Witherspoon’s sister’s wedding at the same time and place. Instead of cooperating, the families go head-to-head and try to destroy each other. You are cordially invited Directed by Nick Stoller (Forgot Sarah Marshall, neighbors), so you’re in good hands if you like solid comedy from solid comedy professionals.
Begins streaming January 30th.
On call
Since then, police series have become an integral part of television DragneIt premiered in 1951 for good reason: What’s more dramatic than the good guys chasing the bad guys? On call Makes the setup of a classic cop show (a veteran Long Beach, California cop teams up with an idealistic wet-eared rookie) more immersive and immediate by presenting the action through footage captured on dashcams, body cameras, smartphones and surveillance cameras . Joe Friday probably wouldn’t approve On callis in the vérité style, but it’s an interesting new wrinkle in the genre.
Begins streaming January 9th.
Unstoppable
Jennifer Lopez anchors this inspiring story based on the real life of one-legged wrestler Anthony Robles, played by Jharrel Jerome. In UnstoppableLopez plays Anthony’s mother, Judy, one of those devoted movie moms who won’t let her son give up on his dream of becoming a college wrestling champion, no matter how many sacrifices she has to make. Man, isn’t the human spirit something?
Begins streaming January 16th.
HarlemSeason 3
In season 3 of HarlemThe drama continues as four best friends navigate career issues, motherhood, singlehood, sisterhood and more in the city. Cast members Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Jerrie Johnson and Shoniqua Shandai return, but there are also some new faces, including Kofi Siriboe, who plays Seth, a handsome MLB player who catches the eye of one of the ladies.
Begins streaming January 23rd.
The rig
The rig has the perfect structure for a horror thriller: a mysterious fog rolls over an offshore oil rig and interrupts all communication. Paranoia, claustrophobia and terror increase and the tension becomes unbearable. Then the crew learns that the fog plaguing the rig is leading to something unnatural and unspeakable, forcing desperate men to work together to survive.
Begins streaming January 2nd.
NFL Wild Card Game
For the first time ever, an NFL playoff game will not be available on television, nor will it be available to subscribers of the NFL package sold on YouTube TV. I would like to tell you who is playing and when the game will take place, but that information will not be saved until January 5th, so the best I can tell you is that the game will be called by Al Michaels and analyst Kirk Herbstreit and points out, that Amazon’s optional “alternative stream” of the game (all the action shown by an overhead camera) may be kind of cool if you’re a soccer nerd who wants to watch the whole game and not just the ball carrier.
Begins streaming January 11th or 12th.
Last month’s tips
Beast games
YouTube’s most famous creator, Mr. Beast, is aiming for crossover success with this competitive reality show in which 1,000 contestants compete for a $5 million grand prize. If you are looking for a real version of Squid gameor you think mindless spectacle television is an exciting waste of time, you should watch it Beast games.
Begins streaming December 19th.
Danger of pop culture
Saturday Night LiveHosted by Colin Jost Danger So it’s a spin-off where all the questions revolve around pop culture Danger because people don’t read books. Jost has the perfect personality to host a light game show, in a modernized version Danger is a great idea, so give it a try Danger of pop culture if you like game shows.
Begins streaming December 4th.
The sticky one
Get ready for a bizarre crime comedy. The sticky one fictionalizes the story of a gang of Canadian criminals who obtained approximately 300 tons of maple syrup from Canada’s strategic maple syrup stockpile in 2011 and 2012 – the equivalent of approximately $18 million in pancake sauce. So if you fancy one Fargo-Series with colorful characters to dark deeds, check this out The sticky one.
Begins streaming December 6th.
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
This prequel too A quiet place takes us back to the beginning of the series, the day the blind, noise-shy aliens invaded Earth and killed almost everyone in the world. Lupita Nyong’o plays Sammy, a terminally ill woman whose trip to New York City to eat a slice of pizza is interrupted by the end of the world. A film that is equal parts horror and character study, A Quiet Place: Day One is a great film for fans of horror films looking for something a little more sophisticated than the “teens being murdered” films typical of the genre.
Begins streaming December 31st.
Secret level
Secret level is an animated anthology series featuring stories from the universe of various video game franchises. From the team behind the excellent science fiction series Love Death + Robots, Secret level includes episodes set in the worlds of Pac-Man, Warhammer 40,000, Mega Man, Unreal Tournament and many more – it’s the perfect show for gamers.
Begins streaming December 10th.
Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story
Designer Lisa Frank is known for her unicorn-rainbow style that captured the imaginations of flighty people around the world, but as this documentary shows, things behind Lisa Frank’s scenes weren’t all cotton candy pink. Through interviews with people who were there, Glitter and greed exposes the toxic work environment and turbulent personal drama beneath the surface of Lisa Frank’s dream world.
Begins streaming December 5th.
ChiefsAholic: A wolf in chief’s garb
You don’t have to be a football fan to watch documentaries ChiefsAholic: A wolf in chief’s garb. It’s not about the team; it’s about her biggest fan, Xaviar Babudar. Babudar’s character, ChiefsAholic, was known among fans for showing up at every Chiefs game in a wolf costume. But NFL tickets aren’t cheap, and it turns out the “aholic” part of ChiefsAholic wasn’t a lie. The guy robbed banks to pay for his Chiefs addiction – and his gambling addiction.
Begins streaming December 24th.
Beau is scared (2023)
A harrowing look at mental illness by Ari Aster, Beau is scared is not like any other film. It’s a frightening, surreal and often unfathomable journey into the psyche of the main character, played by an engaging Joaquin Phoenix. Beau’s routine trip to see his mother becomes an epic personal journey where reality and deception merge.
Begins streaming December 13th.
Jack in time for Christmas
In this star-studded holiday romp, British comedian Jack Whitehall is stranded in the United States with just four days left to return to the UK for Christmas. For “just go along” reasons, every flight is canceled, forcing Whitehall to spend time with celebrities like Michael Bublé, Dave Bautista, Rebel Wilson, Jimmy Fallon, Daisy May Cooper and Tom Davies and do things like play hockey and watch bobsleigh drive . Told through a mix of scripted sections and improvisation, Jack just in time for ChristmasS lives (or dies) on the strength of its stars’ charisma.
Begins streaming December 3rd.
