Are you ready to party this summer? Here at Watch With Us, there’s no party quite like a movie party. That’s why we’re recommending a trio of films that are guaranteed to entertain — and maybe bring the house down.
Those craving for a metaphysical comedy involving killer robots and Death — yes, Death — should check out Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.
We also selected a con artist comedy starring a sci-fi icon and a Party of Five actress and a neglected adaptation of one of the most famous cartoons of the 1980s. None of these films are Oscar-winners, but they will win you over. All you need is an Amazon Prime Video subscription and a few hours of spare time to enjoy them.
‘Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey’ (1991)
Sometimes, sequels are better than the original, and that’s the case with Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. The 1991 follow-up to the massively successful Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure finds the titular duo getting ready to compete in a Battle of the Bands contest with a $25,000 grand prize — enough to pay for both of their upcoming nuptials. But when their evil robot duplicates from the future (don’t ask) kill them and take their place, Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) have to escape from the afterlife to save their girlfriends — and the world — from doom.
It’s a silly plot but a fun one, and it all pays off when the duo partner with Death (William Sadler) to save the day. The Grim Reaper turns out to be a hilarious straight man to Bill and Ted’s antics, and Sadler’s deadpan performance steals the entire movie. A threequel, Bill & Ted Face the Music, was released in 2020, but it’s not as fun as the first two.
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Heartbreakers’ (2001)
Max and Page (Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt) are a mother-daughter con artist duo looking to pull off one last hustle before they go their separate ways. They find their next target in William Tensy (Gene Hackman), a wealthy tobacco owner who is on death’s door. When William dies before Max can marry him and inherit his wealth, the two women fear they could be implicated and run. But even if Max and Page can outrun the cops, they can’t escape their past forever, especially when one of Max’s past victims, Dean (Ray Liotta), wants revenge.
Heartbreaks is a light-hearted comedic farce that has a lot of serious actors like Weaver, Hackman, Liotta and Anne Bancroft doing very silly things. While it’s not quite as smart and fun as similar movies like Ocean’s Eleven and Now You See Me, Heartbreakers is nonetheless an entertaining con comedy about two women who use what they’ve got to get what they want.
Heartbreakers is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Masters of the Universe’ (1987)
Before the MCU, Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings, fantasy films were looked down upon by critics and even some audiences. Masters of the Universe, a live-action adaptation of the popular He-Man cartoon in the 1980s, received the cold shoulder from both in 1987, but seen today, its sincerity, cheap-looking special effects and gung-ho spirit are a welcome respite from the cynical money grabs that dominate the genre today.
When two California teens, Julie (Courteney Cox) and Kevin (Robert Duncan McNeill), find a weird device one night, they think it’s a Japanese keyboard. But they soon find out it’s actually an interdimensional key that opens a portal to Eternia, where the warlord Skeletor (Frank Langella) has taken over Castle Grayskull. He wants that key back, but so does He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) and his team of good guys. Will the forces of good prevail over Skeletor’s very bad men?
The outcome is never in question, but Masters of the Universe makes up for its predictability by being a charmingly low-stakes adventure. The blond hunk Lungdren is ideally cast as a moving action figure, and Langella has fun wearing a cheesy skull mask and hissing maniacally as Skeletor. It’s not great cinema, but Masters of the Universe is an enjoyable enough romp that should appeal to ‘80s kids who never want to grow up.
Masters of the Universe is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
