What's New on Amazon Prime Video (July 2020)

7500 is an action movie that takes place primarily in the cockpit of a plane. An international collaboration between Austria, Germany, and the U.S., 7500 premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in 2019 before landing on Prime Video in 2020.

This movie about a terrorist hijacking is more of a psychological thriller than a standard action flick. Patrick Vollrath's directorial debut isn't a masterpiece, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt's intense performance will definitely keep your attention for an hour and a half.

Based on a series of illustrated books about a cool-tempered feline, Pete the Cat features the voice talents of notable celebrities including Jacob Tremblay and Elvis Costello. This adaptation also includes original music by various artists such as Costello and Diana Krall.

If you like the show, there are children's books that tie-in with the series. There's also a holiday special called Pete the Cat: A Groovy New Year as well as a Valentine's Day special titled Pete the Cat: A Very Groovy Valentine's Day.

The Floor is Lava is Gina Brillon's first standup comedy special exclusively for Amazon Prime Video. The 2012 winner of NBC's Standup For Diversity competition in 2012, you may recognize Brillon from her recurring roles in The Conners and Kevin Can Wait.

In her special, Brillon reflects on growing up poor in the Bronx and her subsequent move to the midwest. The jokes are funny, but the comic's story is also inspirational. The set concludes with a powerful appeal to human kindness and a call for greater equality for all.

Dirty Dancing holds the distinction of being the first movie to sell over one million copies on VHS. This romantic story of Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) made more than $214 million during its theatrical run, and the movie's soundtrack received accolades at the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Academy Awards. If you can't get enough of Dirty Dancing, be sure to check out the 2004 prequel Havana Nights as well. The film even inspired a stage adaptation and a 2017 series.

In How To Train Your Dragon, a teenage Viking (Jay Baruchel) who aspires to be a dragon hunter strikes up an unlikely friendship. This thought-provoking family movie explores themes of empathy without being preachy. Thanks to the film's impressive 3D animation, emotional story, and whimsical musical score, How To Train Your Dragon received two Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.

This documentary about John Lennon focuses on the legendary artists' antiwar activism. As the title suggests, the movie centers around the Nixon administration's attempts to ban Lennon. Viewers are treated to extensive archival footage of Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono. Released exactly 26 years after Lennon's assassination, The U.S. vs. John Lennon is worth a watch even if you're not a huge fan of his music.

Child's Play is everything a remake should be. It puts a fresh spin on a familiar story, remaining loyal to the source material without ripping it off. Whether or not the remake is better than original is hard to say because they are very different films. Nonetheless, the new Child's Play has enough gore to please horror fans and offers an interesting perspective on the future of artificial intelligence.

This heart-racing thriller is about an online game that encourages teens to perform increasingly risky acts in public. What starts as adolescent fun soon turns dark and twisted. Nerve is a movie about teenagers for teenagers, but it's smart enough to keep adults engaged. It received a positive reception for its creepily realistic premise.

Most of the original Star Trek movies are now on Amazon Prime. If you only watch one of them, it should be Wrath of Khan. Even if you've never seen the movie, you've likely seen the famous clip of William Shatner yelling "Kahn!" into the camera. Although it looks campy by today's standards, the movie featured groundbreaking computer animation for its time.

The first Star Trek film received a mixed reception upon its release, which is why Wrath of Khan is credited for saving a franchise that has continued in different incarnations for decades. This is essential watching for fans of the original series.

This Persian-language movie starts out as a story about a married couple (Shahab Hosseini and Taraneh Alidoosti) co-starring in a stage production of Authur Miller's Death of a Salesman. When the wife is assaulted, their relationship is upended. The Salesman received international praise, winning an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and two Cannes Film Festival awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actor. The Salesman is a must-watch for fans of emotionally charged thrillers, so long as you don't mind reading subtitles.

Pootie Tang is an absurdist comedy about an urban superhero with an unparalleled sense of style. After his father (Chris Rock) is mauled by a gorilla while working at a steel mill, young Pootie (Lance Crouther) inherits a magic belt that helps him fight greedy corporations who wish to corrupt inner-city youth.

Best described as "campy," the humor is light-hearted yet definitely not for kids. Pootie Tang speaks in highly quotable gibberish, and the supporting characters are just as memorable. The all-star cast includes Usher, Wanda Sykes, and Missy Elliot.

Going through a breakup? The First Wives Club might make you feel a little better. Inspired by Olivia Goldsmith's best-selling book, the film is about three divorced women (Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and Bette Midler) who conspire to plot revenge against their cheating ex-husbands. 

Despite marketing itself as a feel-good comedy, the film starts out heavy as the lead characters learn about the death of a mutual friend. Grief and loss bring the estranged woman back together to rebuild themselves and their relationships with one another.

What happens when you combine Tim Burton and Roald Dahl? You get a weird adaptation of a weird kids story. This movie stays closer to the book than the 1971 classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, although the remake still introduces some new ideas.

For better or for worse, Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka is very different from Gene Wilder's. Nonetheless, fans of the novel and the original movie should give Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory a chance, if only to see what the wacky factory looks like with modern special effects.

If you're into British dramas and supernatural stories, put The Living and the Dead on your watch list right now. This stylish fantasy set in 1894 follows a couple who inherit a farm, only to learn that the land is the nexus between the land of the living and the world of the dead.

The Living and the Dead manages to be spooky without relying on jump scares or shocking scenes of gore. Many episodes stand on their own, but the show is best watched in order.