amazon prime – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

RIDE OR DIE – Review by Susan Granger

August 19, 2026August 23, 2026 Susan Granger amazon prime, Bill Nighy, Hannah Waddingham, octavia spencer, ride or die, Tessa Coates

Obviously inspired by Thelma & Louise , Amazon Prime’s new female-focused action-adventure Ride or Die stars Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer as unlikely best-friends on the run across Europe. Their relationship takes some explaining. Although she claims to be a forensic accountant, Judith Burton (Hannah Waddingham) is really an elite professional assassin known as Whiptail. Indeed, when we first see her, she’s a sassy, sly sharpshooter at an Austrian ski resort, deftly taking out her target, making a spectacular escape, then James Bond-like bedding a bartender. On the other hand, Debbie (Octavia Spencer), a Yale Law School graduate, is the underestimated, wily wife of a dim-witted British politician who took money from Albanian mobsters who – understandably – want it back.

Reviews

RICH FLU – Review by Susan Granger

June 18, 2026June 20, 2026 Susan Granger amazon prime, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, Lorraine Bracco, mary elizabeth winstead, Rich Flu

Scrolling through ‘new releases’ on Prime, you may stumble across a survival satire titled Rich Flu – but its catchy title is the only thing recommending it. Conceived by Spanish director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia and several co-writers, it’s a dystopian thriller about a global pandemic that only affects the very rich. Billionaires, then millionaires – all over the world are dying from a mysterious plague that turns their teeth a shiny, shimmering white.None of it makes much sense.

Reviews

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE – Review by Susan Granger

February 18, 2026February 27, 2026 Susan Granger 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, alex garland, Alfie Williams, amazon prime, danny boyle, Jack O'Connell, nia dacosta, ralph fiennes, sony

Determined to continue Danny Boyle’s bleak, dystopian franchise, screenwriter Alex Garland and director Nia DaCosta create a bizarre, somewhat incoherent installment: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – now available for rent on Amazon Prime. Reaching beyond the ghoulish brain-eaters known as zombies, this hardcore horror thriller, set in a post-apocalyptic world, re-introduces deranged-yet-erudite Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who built an ominous Bone Temple – ‘an ossuary’- an immense pyramid of bleached skulls, surrounded by tall, thin towers of trussed-together bones, resembling white bamboo columns – as a monument to death.

Reviews

ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

April 30, 2025May 1, 2025 Valerie Kalfrin A Simple Favor, Allison Janney, amazon prime, anna kendrick, Another Simple Favor, blake lively, Darcey Bell, Elizabeth Perkins, Jessica Sharzer, Laeta Kalogridis, Paul Feig

Another Simple Favor is more a travelogue for Italy’s stunning island of Capri than a satisfying mystery, with more twists to track than the island’s jackknifing roads. The film reunites Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively of 2018’s comedic thriller A Simple Favor, where mommy vlogger Stephanie (Kendrick) tracked down the disappearance of her friend, upper-class mom Emily (Lively). The script leans heavily on expository dialogue, which fills in anyone who missed or forgot the earlier film.

Reviews

MY LADY JANE – Review by Susan Granger

July 17, 2024July 24, 2024 Susan Granger amazon prime, Anna Chancellor, Emily Bader, episodic dramady, Ethians, Lady Jane Grey, My Lady Jane, Queen of England

British Royal historians note that 16 year-old Lady Jane Grey was Queen of England and Ireland for just nine days in 1553 before she was incarcerated and executed as a heretic. As the narrator of My Lady Jane notes: “History remembers her as the ultimate damsel in distress….(But) What if history were different?”

Reviews

FEDERER: TWELVE FINAL DAYS – Review by Diane Carson

June 19, 2024June 20, 2024 Diane Carson amazon prime, asif kapadia, documentary, Federer: Twelve Final Days, Joe Sabia, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, tennis

Federer: Twelve Final Days honors tennis legend Roger Federer. Granted exclusive, private access, directors Asif Kapadia and Joe Sabia shot the documentary Federer: Twelve Final Days never intending a public viewing. Thankfully, via Amazon Prime Video, tennis fans can joyfully share Federer’s expertise and the regret that his phenomenal competitive career has ended. For those not into sports, Federer is Roger Federer, tennis phenomenon for over twenty-four years.

Reviews

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT – Review by Susan Granger

February 7, 2024 Susan Granger amazon prime, Callum Turner, george clooney, Ian McElhinney, joel edgerton, The Boys in the Boat

George Clooney helms The Boys in the Boat as a classic underdog sports saga set during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Based on Daniel James Brown’s 2013 non-fiction best-seller, it begins with elderly Joe Rantz watching a young boy rowing a boat in a lake – which reminds him of the challenges of his youth at the University of Washington. Unlike many of his classmates, young Joe didn’t have parents who could pay his tuition. He lives in a dilapidated car and often goes hungry. He’s had to work for every penny – with jobs few and far between. Then he hears about tryouts for the junior varsity rowing team. If he qualifies, he’ll get three meals a day, lodging and enough of a stipend to pay his tuition bills.

Reviews

LONDON KILLS – Review by Diane Carson

August 14, 2023August 19, 2023 Diane Carson amazon prime, Bailey Patrick, Hugo Speer, London Kills, Paul Marquess, police procedural, series

London Kills relies on a tried and true pattern. Some Londoner discovers a body in the opening scene, detectives show up, gather evidence, and proceed to interrogate those close to the victim. Those nearest usually include the murderer, though the police must navigate multiple lies before uncovering the truth. Each murder is usually solved within a self-contained episode. Created by Paul Marquess, the police procedural has a documentary feel with occasionally improvised dialogue.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK April 21, 2023: JUDY BLUME FOREVER

April 15, 2023April 16, 2023 Jennifer Merin amazon prime, betsy bozdech, care marquis, Davina Pardo, documentaries, jennifer merin, Judy Blume Forever, Leah Wolchok, lena dunham, leslie combemale, loren king, Molly Ringwald, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, samantha bee, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, sundance film festival

In a time when right-wing politicians’ and parents’ efforts to ban kids from reading “controversial” books are leading to terrified teachers and empty school library shelves, Judy Blume’s story couldn’t be more timely or relevant. Blume shares her experiences as a frequently challenged – but even more frequently celebrated — children’s author in Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchuk’s engrossing documentary Judy Blume Forever, which sheds light on both Blume’s career and her personal life.

Interviews

Alice Birch and Rachel Weisz on DEAD RINGERS and the Female Flip – Beth Accomando interviews

April 13, 2023 Beth Accomando Alice Birsh, amazon prime, David Cronenberg, Dead Ringers, rachel weisz

The new Dead Ringers series was created, written, and executive produced by Alice Birch who credits actress Rachel Weisz for getting the ball rolling on this reimagining of David Cronenberg’s film. Weisz, a fan of Cronenberg’s classic, looked at the material – a story of twin brother obstetricians – and thought it was ripe for a gender flip. And it was that delicious challenge that attracted the actress.– and the producer. They discuss the evolution of the project with Beth Accommando.

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