The top 10 movies coming to Netflix in August.
July is almost over somehow. Time really flies when you’re having fun. I suppose that’s why summer always seems so short. Thankfully, we still have a few weeks of summer left. More if you map it all the way out to the autumnal equinox on September 22nd. Of course, for many kids school will start back up long before we get to September.
While the summer is obviously a great time to get outdoors and experience nature, it’s also hot out there and you have to balance all that sweaty activity out with some good lazy time, whether that’s playing video games, board games or watching the latest series on Netflix, Hulu or Prime Video. To that end, I have some movie suggestions for you as we hurtle toward August.
As always, a bunch of new movies are headed to Netflix next month. The following list includes action-packed blockbusters, classic high school comedies to celebrate summer break, cop dramas and much more. Here are the top ten movies headed to Netflix ranked by Rotten Tomatoes score. I’ve seen most of these. All of them hit Netflix on August 1st unless otherwise noted.
Groundhog Day (1993)
One of my favorite comedies of all-time, Groundhog Day is also one of my top Bill Murray films up there with What About Bob? Murray’s Ghostbusters co-star Harold Ramis directed this one. It follows curmudgeonly prima donna weatherman Phil Collins (Murray) as he finds himself trapped in Punxsutawney during the annual Groundhog Day festival, reliving the same day over and over again.
Critical Acclaim: 94% on Rotten Tomatoes with 144 reviews
Dazed and Confused (1993)
I would be very hard-pressed to rank Richard Linklater’s films (other than to say that his Netflix original Hit Man would be way, way down at the bottom) but I’d definitely put Dazed and Confused near the top. It’s one of the best high school coming-of-age films ever made. It captures the 1970s so well, it’s easy to forget the movie was made in the 90s. Matthew McConaughey puts in perhaps his second best performance here as well (after True Detective, of course). Just a delightful movie all around.
Critical Acclaim: 94% Rotten Tomatoes score with 70 reviews
The Departed (2006)
Not in the least delightful, this one, but Martin Scorsese’s 2006 crime drama The Departed is one of my favorite Scorsese films – another director whose films I would have a really tough time ranking. The cast is bonkers, for one thing: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga. It’s dark, twisty and turny, with some genuinely great dialogue and shocking moments. You need to watch this one if you haven’t yet. Bonus: Scorsese’s film is based on the 2002 Hong Kong movie Internal Affairs which is available on HBO Max. I’ve never seen it but I hear it’s quite good.
Critical Acclaim: 91% Rotten Tomatoes score with 286 reviews
Jurassic Park (1993)
As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one Jurassic Park movie (and only one Jurassic Park novel). Everything that came after was worse, was unnecessary, badly missed the ingredients that made the original film so spectacular. I love this movie. I barely even like any of the follow-ups. The characters are terrific. The suspense is palpable. It’s funny at times, terrifying at times. The score is one of the greatest movie scores ever composed. Even for John Williams, this was a musical highpoint. Just brilliant. Life will find a way.
Critical Acclaim: 91% on Rotten Tomatoes with 202 reviews
Furious 7 (2015) – August 16th
The first movie on this list that I haven’t seen. I have a confession to make: I have never watched a single Fast and the Furious movie. I’ve seen a bunch of trailers for these movies and every time I see a trailer I think “Okay, I think I basically know what happens in this movie, I don’t think I need to actually watch it.” Do I need to watch these movies? I do love action movies, but these always looked so cheesy. But this is 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences give it the exact same rating, and that’s not bad for a fast cars and explosions popcorn movie. Can you just start with Furious 7 and skip the others?
Critical Acclaim: 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with 278 reviews
Clueless (1995)
I don’t think I’ve seen Clueless since the 90s. I was 14 when this movie came out, and just watching the trailer again makes me nostalgic for that decade. Simpler times, no doubt. More innocent. More hopeful. There was division and plenty of other problems, but there was also a palpable optimism that we were moving toward a better world. This was shattered in 1999 with the Columbine shooting, then again in 2001 and 9/11 and, well, pretty much ever since we’ve just been spiralling. But watching Clueless will give you a window back into that kinder, gentler era.
Critical Acclaim: 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with 125 reviews
Thirteen (2003)
This is actually a good segue into 2003’s Thirteen, another film on this list that I haven’t seen and that I’m not sure I want to see despite its strong cast and unique direction. I mean, it does look like a great movie, it just also looks like a really tough watch, especially for parents who have or have had teenage girls. Westworld’s Evan Rachel Wood stars alongside Holly Hunter in this story of teenage rebellion and pain. The poptimism of the 90s was gone by 2003.
Critical Acclaim: 81% on Rotten Tomatoes with 153 reviews
Despicable Me (2010)
Not a lot of kids or family movies on this list, but you could do a lot worse than 2010’s delightful Despicable Me. Steve Carell stars as the would-be villain with a heart of gold, Gru, leader of the babbling Minions. His misadventures lead him down a path he never intended: Away from super-villainy and toward something a lot more like goodness. It’s such a charming film. Yeah, they probably took it too far with all the sequels and Minions movies, but the original was great. Kristin Wiig also stars.
Critical Acclaim: 80% on Rotten Tomatoes with 201 reviews
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
This really is a list filled to the brim with classic high school comedies and coming-of-age stories. I guess that’s just the theme this August. In any case, while it’s not as good as Dazed and Confused, Cameron Crowe and Amy Heckerling’s Fast Times At Ridgemont High remains one of the greatest in the genre. It’s as 80s a movie as 80s movies get, with all the raw humor, nudity and innuendo you can ask for, and while it has plenty of stoner jokes and skin, it also touches on more serious topics like teen pregnancy and abortion. Sean Penn’s best movie.
Critical Acclaim: 78% on Rotten Tomatoes with 59 reviews
Rush Hour (1998)
Honestly, at just 62% I might be cheating here. There is probably another Fast and Furious movie that gets a higher score coming to Netflix next month. I don’t care. This Rotten Tomatoes score is nonsense. It’s the most ridiculous RT score for a movie I’ve seen since I looked up Hook. That classic Spielberg / Robin Williams film is a masterpiece and it has a 29% Rotten Tomatoes score! Honestly, what is wrong with movie critics? In any case, Rush Hour is one of the greatest buddy cop comedies ever made. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker have the best chemistry.
Critical Acclaim: 62% on Rotten Tomatoes with 77 reviews
That’s all folks! What are some of your Netflix movie recommendations? Anything you’re excited to see next month? Anything you think I should watch and write about?
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