There’s one surefire way to beat the heat: staying inside. And what better way to pass the time than with a great new movie? August has a number of new features hitting streaming, and we’ve put together a curated list of some of the best films on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Max, Disney+ and beyond. They range from recently released horror films (“Final Destination: Bloodlines”) to brand new comedies (“The Pickup”) to hidden gems destined to take off on streaming (“Freaky Tales”).
Check out our list of the top new movies streaming right now below.
My Oxford Year
Netflix – Aug. 1
“My Oxford Year” is a brand-new Netflix original film, written by Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne and directed by Iain Morris. It’s based on the novel of the same name by Julia Whelan and stars Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest. Here’s Netflix’s official synopsis: “When Anna (Carson), an ambitious young American woman, sets out for the UK and the University of Oxford to fulfill a childhood dream, she’s got her life completely on track. That is, until she meets a charming and clever local Jamie (Mylchreest) who profoundly alters both of their lives.”
Final Destination: Bloodlines
HBO Max – Aug. 1
It’s rare for a horror franchise to feel so fresh – so vital – six movies in. But that is the case with “Final Destination Bloodlines,” arguably the best entry in the franchise since the original. This time around, instead of a teen narrowly avoiding some catastrophe, the focus is on, as the title would suggest, a single family – one that goes back to the very beginning (in this case a disaster that happened back in the late 1960’s). Our young hero (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) isn’t just fighting for survival, but making sure that her family tree isn’t maliciously pruned. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, working from an idea by recent “Spider-Man” director Jon Watts, smartly stage the suspense set pieces, giving them levity and surprise, along with the required buckets of blood. And this is arguably the most emotionally resonant entry in the franchise; you care about these characters and their relationships to one another in a way that feels deeper and more nuanced than in any other movie. In short, “Final Destination Bloodlines” is one of the great surprises of the year. (It was also a surprise smash, making nearly $300 million worldwide.) Ready to cheat death?
Alien: Covenant
HBO Max – Aug. 1
While Ridley Scott’s return to the “Alien” franchise with “Prometheus” was perhaps more exciting and is certainly a better movie, the filmmaker’s 2017 sequel “Alien: Covenant” is a delicious, wonderfully strange chapter in the storied sci-fi series. Michael Fassbender takes center stage this time around as his synthetic android David – and another droid named Walter – as he’s set up shop on a different planet and is certainly up to something. The human characters, led by Katherine Waterston and Danny McBride, are the crew of a spaceship carrying thousands of colonists and embryos that stumble upon David’s planet, and the horrors within. This one has teeth.
Licorice Pizza
Prime Video – Aug. 1
What better way to prepare for a new Paul Thomas Anderson movie than to revisit his last feature film? 2021’s “Licorice Pizza” continues the “hangout” vibe from PTA’s “Inherent Vice,” this time as a coming-of-age story between a high schooler (Cooper Hoffman) and a 25-year-old photographer’s assistant (Alana Haim). The 1973-set film boasts a terrific supporting cast that includes Sean Penn, Benny Safdie and a scene-stealing Bradley Cooper as producer Jon Peters, and it’s an extremely fun “vibes” movie.
You Hurt My Feelings
HBO Max – Aug. 1
The aptly named “You Hurt My Feelings” is built on a very relatable premise. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a successful memoirist who has just written her first novel, and Tobias Menzies is her supportive therapist husband. But one day, she overhears her husband revealing what he really thinks about her book to a friend – that it’s not good. Nicole Holofcener’s warm comedy is about the white lies we tell our loved ones, and what happens when they find out the truth.
Love and Monsters
Paramount+ – Aug. 1
A little-seen film from 2020, “Love and Monsters” is a charming post-apocalyptic tale with a YA bent. Dylan O’Brien plays a young man living with a group of survivors underground seven years after all cold-blooded animals on earth mutated into giant monsters and killed off much of the population. But the thing is, he’s still in love with his high school girlfriend, so one day he steels his nerves to brave the outside world to see if she might still be in love with him too. Also there’s an adorable dog who (spoiler alert) does not die.
Adventureland
Paramount+ – Aug. 1
A gem of a coming-of-age movie, 2009’s “Adventureland” holds up. Set in 1987 Pittsburgh, the film stars Jesse Eisenberg as a college student whose plans for summer vacation are canceled when he crashes the family car and is forced to pick up a job at a local amusement park to pay it off. There he finds a kindred spirit in Kristen Stewart, whose own complicated love life throws Eisenberg’s character for a loop when he begins to fall in love with her. Ryan Reynolds has a great supporting role, and Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are a hoot as the park’s owners.
Zodiac
Paramount+ – Aug. 1
Inarguably a masterpiece, David Fincher’s 2007 film “Zodiac” is ostensibly about the hunt for the Zodiac Killer in the Bay Area in the 1960s/70s, but it’s actually a movie about obsession. Jake Gyllenhaal plays cartoonist Robert Graysmith who closely follows the Zodiac case and becomes convinced he can crack it. Fincher keeps a master’s handle on tone and pacing as the film has some truly terrifying moments and delivers on the “hunt for a serial killer” aspect while also serving up a thematic meal. Gyllenhaal is terrific, and he’s flanked by a phenomenal ensemble cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Chloe Sevigny and Brian Cox.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Prime Video – Aug. 4
Martin Scorsese is really out here making some of the best films of his career in his 70s. “The Wolf of Wall Street” is a hilarious, vivacious chronicle of 1990s excess, but it’s also an evergreen tale of American capitalism bolstered by one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s best performances. Based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir, the film chronicles his rollercoaster career as a stockbroker, complete with corruption and fraud allegations that led to his downfall. Jonah Hill and Kyle Chandler are excellent in supporting roles, while the film also introduced most audiences to Margot Robbie, who more than holds her own opposite DiCaprio.
The Pickup
Prime Video – Aug. 6
How’s this for sobering – when “Shrek 5” is released next Christmas, it will be the first theatrically released Eddie Murphy movie in ten years. It’s easy to see why he’d retreat to the relative comfort of streaming – big paydays, fewer press commitments, no fretting over box office receipts. And the movies he’s made for the streamers have been pretty good. And we’re sure “The Pickup” will get the job done too. Tim Story, who directed the 2000’s-era “Fantastic Four” movies, directed and produced “The Pickup,” a high-concept action comedy that sees Murphy and Pete Davidson as armored car guards who get abducted by an ambitious thief (Keke Palmer). The marketing materials, so far, have been promising and the supporting cast includes Eva Longoria (as Murphy’s wife), Andrew Dice Clay (as the dispatcher) and Marshawn Lynch (as a member of Palmer’s crew). If you’re not sold so far, we’re not exactly sure how else to get you interested in this one. It could be a silly, occasionally exciting little jaunt. We’re looking forward to it.
The Monkey
Hulu – Aug. 7
Over the past few years Osgood Perkins has proven himself to be one of the most exciting filmmakers working today, with movies like “The Blackcoat’s Daughter,” “Gretel & Hansel” and last year’s sensation “Longlegs.” His latest, “The Monkey,” is also one of his best. Loosely based on the Stephen King short story of the same name, it concerns a wind-up monkey that, when unleashed, leads to the horrific death of someone around you. “White Lotus” hunk Theo James plays twins who grew up with the monkey (and suspect it caused the death of their adorable mom, played by Tatiana Maslany) and who are now trying to unravel its blood-soaked mysteries. The movie has a loose, freewheeling style that feels both indebted to horror movies of the 1980’s and King’s oeuvre, leading to a truly chaotic climax that few filmmakers would dare attempt, let alone pull of. A dark comedy about the randomness of death, “The Monkey” is also one of the year’s most sublime horror movies. Wind it up.
Freaky Tales
HBO Max – Aug. 8
This movie flew way under the radar after premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, but “Freaky Tales” is a blast. The film is a “Pulp Fiction”-like anthology set in 1987 Oakland, California. In one story, Pedro Pascal is a criminal running from his past. In another, punk teens are battling literal Nazis. And in another, two young women are preparing for a rap battle. Everything converges in an explosive, violent finale that’s impossible to see coming. A nice curveball from “Captain Marvel” filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
Stolen: Heist of the Century
Netflix – Aug. 8
In 2003 a group of thieves known as the School of Turin, pulled off a daring diamond heist – in a vault in Antwerp’s diamond district. They made off with hundreds of millions of dollar’s worth of diamonds and have never been caught. What happened to the diamonds and, more importantly, what happened to the thieves? This new documentary was helmed by Mark Lewis, who made “Vatican Girl” and “Don’t F*** with Cats,” two exemplary Netflix docs that wrapped you up in their mysteries. And his latest is produced by Amblin, Steven Spielberg’s production company, which is even cooler.
Fixed
Netflix – Aug. 13
For a while it seemed like nobody would ever see “Fixed.” The R-rated, traditionally animated dog comedy from legendary animator Genndy Tartakovsky, was co-produced by Sony Pictures Animation and New Line Cinema. But when the movie was completed a couple of years ago, New Line (a division of risk-averse Warner Bros. Discovery) backed out of their distribution deal, leaving Sony to search for a new home for the dog comedy. After initially passing, Netflix came back around and adopted “Fixed,” giving it a splashy premiere at this year’s Annecy International Film Festival and a prime spot on the summer schedule. And it is deserving of all of this – the movie is an absolute hoot, full of gross out humor you probably never thought you’d experience in a film (animated or otherwise) but also a fair amount of heart and emotion. It sneaks up on you. It’s the story of a dog (Adam Devine) on the eve of getting fixed, who embarks on a debaucherously unhinged nocturnal odyssey – think “The 25th Hour” meets “Lady and the Tramp.” Gorgeously animated, deeply funny and so unique, “Fixed” will now be seen by the entire world. It really escaped the pound in the biggest, best way possible. Thankfully Netflix took the chance and gave “Fixed” its forever home.
Night Always Comes
Netflix – Aug. 15
This looks like some skuzzy, white-knuckle stuff. Vanessa Kirby plays, as is described in the official synopsis “a desperate woman in the Pacific Northwest” who is attempting to drum up some money. How she drums up that money looks like it will take her into a seedy underbelly full of criminality and vice. And we are here for it. The movie, based on the novel by American author Willy Vlautin, features a supporting cast that includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stephan James, Randall Park, Julia Fox and Michael Kelly, and was directed by Benjamin Caron, who has helmed episodes of “The Crown,” “Sherlock” and “Andor.” (He also directed the A24/Apple thriller “Sharper.”) Kirby is riding high off her recent appearance in “The Fantastic Four” and we can’t wait to see what she does in this gritty thriller.
John Wick 1-4
Hulu – Aug. 15
Why not spend a day revisiting the “John Wick” franchise? The first film was so unassuming – it was a borderline direct-to-video action movie, starring Keanu Reeves as a hitman who is pulled back into the game after some goons kill his beloved puppy. (Nothing like starting a movie with something audiences are notoriously allergic to!) But Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, stuntmen-turned-filmmakers, brought so much style to the movie, not to mention a fun bit of mythology and world building, that it was irresistible. “Wick” was it. A sequel, perhaps the weakest film in the franchise, quickly followed, and a third film (which has some of the best set pieces in the entire series). And by the time the fourth film came around, the little-franchise-that-could was competing with the big boys. “John Wick: Chapter 4,” is such an insane accomplishment, full of even larger set pieces, incredibly pushed visuals (courtesy of cinematographer extraordinaire Dan Laustsen) and a deeply committed, nearly wordless performance by Reeves. Whether or not “John Wick: Chapter 4” is the last time he’ll appear, physically, in his own movie, remains to be seen. He popped up in “Ballerina” earlier this year and there are various spinoff movies currently being plotted (including an animated movie, which Reeves will star in). Before the next wave of “Wick” material hits, why not revisit the classics?
The “Fast & Furious” Franchise
Aug. 16 – Netflix
It’s about family. Or so they say. Seven films in the “Fast & Furious” franchise hit Netflix this month, offering a great opportunity to revisit one of the more bonkers film series in recent memory. What started as a pretty innocuous couple of movies about street racing morphed into a sort of “Mission: Impossible” on steroids by “Fast Five” and a full-on Hollywood blockbuster epic by “Fast & Furious 6” and “Furious 7.” All those films and more are streaming, up to 2019’s Dwayne Johnson/Jason Statham spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw.”
Eenie Meanie
Hulu – Aug. 22
Well this looks fun. “Eenie Meanie” is an original, R-rated Hulu action movie, written and directed by Shawn Simmons, that stars genre queen Samara Weaving as a getaway driver who is pulled back into a life of crime in an effort to save her dipshit boyfriend (Karl Glusman). The supporting cast is full of agreeably colorful character actors (including Steve Zahn, Andy Garcia, Randall Park and the always wonderful Marshawn Lynch), the action teased in the trailer is superb and it was produced by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, perhaps best known as the writers of “Deadpool” (they’ve done a bunch of other stuff too). A kicky, well-made B-movie to close out the summer? We’ll take it.
The Thursday Murder Club
Netflix – Aug. 28
“The Thursday Murder Club” answers the question – what if all of your favorite older actors got together to make a cozy British murder mystery and it was low key one of your most anticipated movies of the year? Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie star as the amateur sleuths trying to solve a murder, anchoring a ridiculously rich cast that also includes David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Tom Ellis and Richard E. Grant. (The movie is based on the book of the same name by Richard Osman.) And if that wasn’t enough, the movie was directed by Chris Columbus and produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment – in previous decades they collaborated on projects like “Gremlins,” “The Goonies” and “Young Sherlock Holmes.” Grab a cup of tea, your wooliest blanket and your biggest sweatshirt. It’s “Thursday Murder Club” time.
Hell of a Summer
Hulu – Aug. 29
Finn Wolfhard, star of “Stranger Things,” is many things – a musician, a performer and a filmmaker. His feature debut is a horror movie with summer camp slasher vibes, directed with his friend and fellow actor Billy Bryk (they both starred in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”). “Hell of a Summer” features a hell of a cast, which includes Fred Hechinger, Abby Quinn, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Bryk, Wolfhard, Pardis Saremi, Rosebud Baker and Adam Pally. Most play camp counselors who are trying to evade a masked killer. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall and was warmly received, but wound up with a puzzling spring release date from Neon instead of coming out, you know, in the summer. Well, at least it’s streaming this summer.
