Amazon Prime Movies
 

Those of us with Amazon Prime have access to some (not all) of their streaming videos at no extra charge.

Here is a list of what's new to Amazon Prime in August 2014:

August 1:
"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" (2002)
"Night Watch" (2004)
"Day Watch" (2006)
"Beowulf" (2007)
"The Dogs of War" (1980)
"King Solomon's Mines" (1985)
"Mad Max" (1979)
"Enemy" (2013)
"House of Games" (1987)
"Red Dawn" (1984)
"Layer Cake" (2004)
"Brannigan" (1975)
"Rocky" (1976)
"Rocky II" (1979)
"Rocky III" (1982)
"Rocky IV" (1985)
"Rocky V" (1990)
"The Cider House Rules" (1999)
"Newton Boys" (1998)
"Rounders" (1998)
"The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965)
"Waking Ned Devine" (1998)
"The Birdcage" (1996)
"Sabrina" (1995)
"Trees Lounge" (1996)
"The Prince & Me 2" (2007)
"Ella Enchanted" (2004)
"Orca: The Killer Whale" (1977)
"American Experience: The Poisoner's Handbook" (2014)
"Hawking" (2014)
"Spies of Mississippi" (2014)
"The Amish: Shunned" (2014)
"The State of Arizona" (2013)

August 5:
"Fireman Sam Season 3" (1990)

August 11:
"You're Next" (2011)
"The Great Debaters " (2007)
"Thanks for Sharing" (2012)

August 29:
"Tumble Leaf "(2014)

The Americans, Season 1
 

From the internet: In Soviet Russia, Mischa and Nadhezda get recruited by the KGB and brought together to go to America as a married, American couple. Their secret life constantly collides with their true feelings, and more than once their cover is about to fall to pieces in the dramatic Cold War scenario that this brilliantly written and acted show depicts.




I am so diggin' this series from FX. The honest portrayal of the starring couple's relationship is unlike anything I've seen on television. These are two spies pretending to be Americans while spying for Russia. It takes place during the 1980s while Ronald Reagan was president. I was annoyed that Oliver North (yes, that Oliver North) co-wrote an episode that involved the Nicaraguans, but hey, I should let bygones be bygones, right? No! I'm still annoyed, but I'll get over it.




[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8P8O9K?ref_=atv_dp_season_select_s1"]Amazon.com: The Americans Season 1: Amazon Instant Video[/ame]

The Kennedys, Season 1
 

From Amazon.com freelance reviewer, Sam Graham...

It's not hard to see why the History Channel declined to air The Kennedys after members of America's "royal family" objected to the series' more salacious aspects. To be sure, there are plenty of them: drug habits, mobsters, election fixing, enough philandering to shame Tiger Woods, bad behavior ranging from cynical manipulation to outright cruelty… and Marilyn Monroe. But it's not as if these things haven't been covered at length elsewhere. And in any case, this is hardly a documentary; the eight-part miniseries, which spans the years from just before World War II to 1968, has been variously described, including by the filmmakers themselves, as "history through personality" and "a Greek tragedy," with a dose of hagiography added for good measure. The emphasis on the personal approach (commingled with major political events like the Bay of Pigs debacle, the Cuban missile crisis, and the forced integration of the University of Mississippi) is something of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, there's something appealingly juicy about being privy to the private conversations of this very public family; but at the same time, the dialogue created for such scenes is often on the nose ("Men can't say no to me," Monroe says as she tries to seduce Robert Kennedy), melodramatic, and risibly portentous ("I've never been so happy in my life," says Jackie Kennedy to her husband… as Air Force One lands in Dallas on November 22, 1963).

The complete absence of Edward Kennedy--who is never mentioned, let alone seen--is peculiar; sisters Kathleen, Eunice, and Jean are also nowhere to be found. That leaves the primary focus on paterfamilias Joseph Kennedy Sr., wife Rose, sons Jack and Bobby, and Jackie, and the portrayals of these near-mythic characters are among the best ever filmed. Tom Wilkinson plays Joe as a thoroughly ruthless, imperious kingmaker who, after his own and eldest son Joe Jr.'s presidential ambitions are ended (Sr. was fired from his post as British ambassador after disagreeing with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's war policies, while Jr. died in combat), forces the reluctant JFK to enter politics. As Jack, Greg Kinnear beautifully conveys the late president's humor, charisma, and compassion, while Barry Pepper is a revelation as the rebellious but strait-laced and dutiful Bobby, whose principal responsibility seems to be cleaning up after his older brother's many sexual indiscretions (Katie Holmes's long-suffering Jackie is a bit of a cipher, as was the first lady in real life). That these and other performances, including Diana Hardcastle's Rose and Don Allison's Lyndon Johnson, are in the service of material better suited to a soap opera than a serious drama hardly matters; any way you look at it, The Kennedys is compulsively watchable and never less than entertaining.

The Wire, Seasons 1 - 5
 

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/The-Target/dp/B006GLLTL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408578454&sr=8-1&keywords=the+wire"]Click here to view The Wire at Amazon.com[/ame]



From Wikekpedia: The Wire is an American crime drama television series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States. The Wire premiered on June 2, 2002, and ended on March 9, 2008, comprising 60 episodes over five seasons.

Each season of The Wire introduces a different facet of the city of Baltimore. In chronological order they are: the illegal drug trade, the seaport system, the city government and bureaucracy, the school system, and the print news media. The large cast consists mainly of character actors who are little known for their other roles. Simon has said that despite its presentation as a crime drama, the show is "really about the American city, and about how we live together. It's about how institutions have an effect on individuals. Whether one is a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge or a lawyer, all are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution to which they are committed."

Despite only receiving average ratings and never winning major television awards, The Wire has been described by many critics as one of the greatest TV dramas of all time. The show is recognized for its realistic portrayal of urban life, its literary ambitions, and its uncommonly deep exploration of social and political themes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire

Parental discretion is advised.

New on Amazon Prime in September 2014
 

September 1
"Anastasia"
"Ferngully: The Last Rainforest"
"Hugo"
"Mike the Knight"
"Wild Kratts"
"Every Witch Way"
"Young Sherlock Holmes"
"The Good Wife" Season 5
"An Officer and A Gentleman"
"A Simple Plan"
"Californication" Season 1-7

September 2
"The League" Season 5

September 5
" All is Lost"
"Tumble Leaf" Season 1B

September 8
"Spaceballs"

September 12
"Grace Unplugged"

September 15
"Defiance"
"The Duchess"

September 22
"Blue's Clues" Season 6
"Winx Club: Beyond Believix"
"Broad City" Season 1

September 23
"How I Met Your Mother" Season 9

September 24
"Grimm" Season 3

September 26
"Transparent

September 27
"Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa"

September 30
"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"
"Degrassi" Season 13

Amazon Prime Instant Video Finally Comes to Android in Amazon Update
 

Amazon Prime Instant Video Finally Comes to Android in Amazon Update

Google Link to Amazon App

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-com-Prime-Instant-Video/dp/B00N28818A/ref=pd_rhf_eebr_p_img_1"]Amazon Link to Prime Instant Video App[/ame]

New on Amazon Prime in October 2014
 

Almost finished watching all of Alpha House and finished all of Transparent. Both are highly enjoyable.

I am watching the HBO series Rome. I'm just finishing Season 1 and will be on to Season 2. It's actually pretty good if you like Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, and the Roman empire type stories, which I do.

Watching Catching Fire.

Psyching myself up for Mockingjay.

Not a movie but the Amazon original series Transparent.

So good!

Funny, heartwarming, sexy and sensitive. We are not Trans and I would really like to hear the perspective of any transfolk as to whether or not it is accurate to experience.

We binged on the 10 episodes over a couple of nights.

I bought the Fire stick and set it up myself. It was very easy to do and I am no tech genius, I tell you. I got it for $20 the first couple of days it came out.

HBO is running I don't know how many episodes of The Wire and instead of using up DVR space, I put it on my Amazon Prime watchlist.

I started at the beginning today 'cause the girlfriend is camping and 4-wheeling this weekend (too damn cold for me).

I had forgotten how very, very good The Wire was/is. What a series!

All 5 seasons available on Prime.

I think the version now running on hbo is remastered, letter box, hi-def. If so, I'd love to see that, but I will have to watch it through Prime. I'm going to start watching it again tonight, too. IMHO, it is the best series ever on American television. It's just superb.

I anxiosly await the first time someone says, "Omar's comin'!"

I love Omar so much. I listen to some of the podcasts done by the Bald Move network and they're planning on doing a rewatch with podcasts. I may wait for that. Or wait until I can buy the DVD set so there will be extras. (is there even a DVD set yet?)

There is a DVD set (got it on Amazon a few years ago), but I suggest you wait for the HD letter-box version. I like my set because it has the option to listen to the voice overs of directors and actors, but would prefer to have the remastered version. I did start watching again, but have put it on hold till a friend is able to start again in a week or so.

Omar (Michael K. Williams) is an outstanding actor, and that he hasn't become a household name says more about the industry he works in than it says about him.

We are now on Season 4, episode #3.

It truly is outstanding.

I will be bummed when we are finished...

I do love when Omar walks down the street and all the kids shout to each other, "Omar, Omar" and like a chain-reaction, one-by-one; they all disappear.

Just classic.

It does. I have, however, seen Michael K. Williams in a lot of things - though some of them small. He had a big part in a couple of the later seasons of Boardwalk Empire (which I didn't watch because I couldn't stand the series).

Did you watch Treme? I loved seeing Bunk - and especially - Lester. I think I miss Treme more than The Wire, though maybe it's just because it ended more recently.

For a couple of years after The Wire ended I kept wondering why none of the actors had shown up much. But now Idris Elba, Dominick West, Michael B. Jordan, Aidan Gillen and Amy Ryan have totally broken out.

Do you know when the Hi Def version of the box set of The Wire is coming out?

Not sure when nor if it's coming out, but will send you a PM if I hear something.

No, I haven't seen Treme, but will stream it soon if only to see some missed faces. Am also interested how New Orleans' unique and rich Black culture is covered. Thanks for the tip.

Yes, good roles are coming about for some.

Watching Bosch, an Amazon Prime original series.

I have always loved the Harry Bosch fiction series of books by Michael Connelly.

Bosch, Amazon Prime, has an 80's vibe, which I am liking.

I am only on the second episode, so will see about the rest.


:scarytv:

Watching another Amazon original series, pilot episode.

The Man in the High Castle.

"The Man in the High Castle" is based on the 1962 novel by Philip K. Dick, set in 1962 in an alternate version of Earth history wherein the forces of Japan and Germany won the second World War. The victorious Axis powers have divided the USA into puppet states, the Japanese on the west coast and the Nazis on the east, with a neutral zone in the middle.

It is really, really good.

It was given the green light for more episodes but I want to watch it now!