Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
10. (tie) On the Count of Three (VOD)
Jerrod Carmichael is having a moment, garnering all the praise for his revealing and powerful HBO special (Rothaniel, watch it again!), a great turn as SNL host, and now, for the release of his festival fave narrative directorial debut, On The Count Of Three. But, of course, you knew Carmichael was a force from his previous specials and The Carmichael Show. You’re just happy to see everyone else catch up and, with this film, get the chance to see Carmichael flex his dramatic muscles opposite Christopher Abbott as two friends trying to get the most out of the last moments before they execute each other as a part of a suicide pact. Track it down on your VOD service of choice.
10. (tie) Cha Cha Real Smooth (Apple TV Plus)
Everybody clap your hands for Cha Cha Real Smooth, the second feature from writer and director Cooper Raiff. He also stars in the comedy-drama as a recent college graduate with an aimless life until he finds a job (bar/bat mitzvah “party starter”) and friends (a suburban mom played by Dakota Johnson and her autistic teenage daughter). It sounds like Indie Movie Trope Overload, but Cha Cha Real Smooth is a real charmer, with a heartfelt performance from Johnson. Watch it on Apple TV Plus.
10. (tie) Jerry and Marge Go Large (Paramount Plus)
Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening play a married couple who discover a loophole in the state lottery and use it to win millions and millions of dollars. There should be more movies like this. Hundreds of them, probably. But this is a good start. Watch it on Paramount Plus.
9. They/Them (Peacock)
The setting: a summer conversion camp run by a group of weirdos. The villain: Kevin Bacon, a camp counselor hoping to scare the gay out of a bunch of Queer kids. The plot: a murderer on a killing rampage deep in the woods who’s targeting a bunch of kids questioning their identity thanks to the out-of-touch adults in their lives. In other words, this is your worst Gen Z nightmare. Watch it on Peacock.
8. Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe (Paramount Plus)
Beavis and Butt-head debuted on MTV something like 30 years ago and is still, somehow, against truly staggering odds, still going strong, with this movie sending them to the cosmos and other projects in the works down the line, too. It’s good news, to be sure, but please do imagine telling someone from like 1997 that these two would still be around in 2022 and would be going to space. It would be almost as shocking as the thing where time travel was apparently invented. Watch it on Paramount Plus.
7. Anything’s Possible (Amazon Prime)
Billy Porter directs a sweet coming-of-age story centered around a trans high school senior named Kelsa who is attempting to navigate… well, all of that. It’s all very sweet and very heartfelt and very Gen Z and it could make for some nice weekend movie if you’re feeling up for a little cry. Who isn’t, sometimes, you know? Watch it on Amazon Prime.
6. The Bob’s Burgers Movie (Hulu)
Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard insisted on The Bob’s Burgers Movie getting a theatrical release instead of being plopped directly on streaming. He was right to do so: The Bob’s Burgers Movie is, like the show itself, an absolute delight with lovely animation, fun fan service, and catchy songs (it’s also Disney’s first hand-drawn 2D animated movie in over a decade). If you didn’t catch it in theaters, however, you can now enjoy “Sunny Side Up Summer” at home. Might I suggest pairing it with an Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Zucchini Burger. Watch it on Hulu.
5. The Gray Man (Netflix)
The Gray Man is: Trash-staches. Ryan Gosling as a himbo assassin. Psychotic Chris Evans. A spy thriller. An on-the-run adventure. Trains. Butt-shots. Ana de Armas with a bob cut. And action courtesy of the Russo brothers. In other words, The Gray Man is a hell of a good time and a worthy blockbuster movie night for those wanting to stay on the couch. Watch it on Netflix.
4. I Love My Dad (VOD)
A cringe comedy about the (sometimes desperate) quest for intimacy and connection in the age of social media casts Patton Oswalt as a father trying to stay in his adult son’s life by catfishing him. Hilarity and therapy inspo surely ensue in this festival fave from writer/director James Morosini, who also stars as the son who oh so willingly falls for the well-meaning con. If you’ve loved Oswalt in other indie-flavored films like Big Fan and Young Adult where he gets to flash his acting chops, this should be exactly what you’re looking for. Watch it on VOD..
3. Luck (Apple TV Plus)
John Lasseter helped build Pixar into a dominant animation brand and now he’s trying to bring the same magic to Apple with Luck, a movie about an unlucky young girl who goes on a whimsical adventure to try to turn her fortunes around. It’s got the starpower (Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Pixar staple John Ratzenberger) and the financial backing from Apple, so the big question remaining is whether it has the same spark as those other films he created a few decades ago. Only one way to find out. Watch it on Apple TV Plus.
2. The Princess (HBO)
There’s truly an abundance of Princess Diana onscreen takes lately. These have been largely dramatized versions with The Crown sh*tting on the fairy tale and Kristen Stewart really going for it. Now, there’s a new documentary approach that aims to explore why the world was (and continues to be) so obsessed with Shy Di. Cameras followed her throughout courtship with Prince Charles and all the way to divorce, and then came the most tragic developments at all, and the film asks us to really consider the role of the public and the press in Diana’s ultimate fate. Watch it on HBO.
1. Prey (Hulu)
The Predator franchise was desperate for a new vision following the lackluster response to, well, every Predator movie since 1990’s Predator 2. Enter: Prey. The Hulu film follows a Comanche warrior (played by Amber Midthunder) who has to protect her tribe from an alien predator. Prey gets back to what made the original Predator a classic — and thankfully ignores everything that made Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem unwatchable. Watch it on Hulu.
Source: https://uproxx.com/movies/best-new-movies-to-stream-august-prey/
