Some people spend their days arguing over the merits of Netflix, but the rest of us are too busy enjoying new movies, engaging series, and fun specials. It’s just one more way to re-watch the movies we already love and find new ones to cherish, and this month sees some of both hitting the service. The complete list of new movies and shows hitting (and leaving) Netflix this month — August 2020 — is below, but first I’m going to highlight a few that stand apart from the bunch.
Netflix Pick of the Month
Hear me out here. While all four of Daniel Craig’s outings as James Bond — yes four, seeing as the fifth has been delayed due to a pandemic — feature enough reasons to make them worth watching, the films have so far been an example of decreasing returns. Casino Royale (2006, arriving August 31st) remains the best, by far, as its combination of action and character present a jolt of adrenaline and emotional thrills to the franchise. It’s arguably the best film of the entire Bond series as it nails every angle from exciting set-pieces to supporting characters to engaging story turns while also remaining true to Bond himself.
Now, and this is where it gets tricky, I’m here to say that Quantum of Solace (2008, lands on August 31st) is Craig’s second best Bond adventure. Sure, it’s not as pretty as Skyfall (2012) or as mind-numbingly stupid as Spectre (2015), but it’s a great little action film that manages some fun, surprising beats. The female character of Camille (Olga Kurylenko) is a rare “Bond girl” who not only kicks ass but also doesn’t have to sleep with the legendary spy, and Mathieu Amalric delivers one of the series’ best villains with a greedy little bastard who fights with explosive fury in place of skill. It’s an outlier as a standalone, but — and here’s the reason why my “pick of the month” features two films for the first time — Quantum of Solace is a fantastic “fourth act” to Casino Royale. It literally starts just minutes after the end of the first film, it wraps up some narrative threads left dangling, it offers Bond displays of compassion and awakening, and it’s just a tight blast of excitement. So yes. Watch these two back to back and find a new appreciation for the most unfairly maligned Bond film in modern history.
Dinosaurs!
Many of you appear to be fans of the current Jurassic World franchise, and while I don’t understand that exactly I remain a big supporter of the original trilogy. Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993) is still an all-timer, 1997’s The Lost World is still great fun (despite that horribly stupid gymnastics sequence), and Jurassic Park III (2001) has never been as bad as people say. It’s true, but now you can judge for yourself as all three are streaming on Netflix.
International Weirdness!
Weird, offbeat, frightening genre films come from all over the world, but it’s rare that their first appearance in the US is on Netflix. That changes this month as two intriguing titles arrive to mess with our heads. August 27th brings The Bridge Curse (2020), a Taiwanese horror film involving a bridge, an urban legend, and death as college kids tempt fate and ghostly consequences. And then on August 28th we get a new Netflix Original called Unknown Origins which sees a detective tracking a serial killer through the streets of Madrid. Victims are being found in tableauxs copying the first appearances of various superheroes, but does that mean it’s a super villain behind the madness?
Fun With Horror!
Horror comedies almost always defer more towards the latter half of that equation, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. So let’s highlight some fun examples of entertaining horror/comedies! The Addams Family (1991) remains a blackly comic gem of an adaptation delivering fantastic visuals, gags, and dialogue beats among some pitch perfect performances. August 8th brings We Summon the Darkness (2019) and a trio of friends enjoying the heavy metal music scene in the 80s only to discover they might have been targeted by satanists. And finally, Scary Movie 5 (2013) hits Netflix on August 12th, and while I’m not the biggest fan of the film or the franchise I know plenty of others who are.
The Complete List
August 1st
Acts of Violence (2018)
The Addams Family (1991)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Death at a Funeral (2010)
Dennis the Menace (1993)
An Education (2009)
Elizabeth Harvest (2018)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Hardcore Henry (2015)
Iron Man: Armored Adventures: Season 1-2
Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park III (2003)
A Knight’s Tale (2001)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Mad Max (1979)
Mr. Deeds (2002)
My Perfect Landing: Season 1
Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea: Season 1
The NeverEnding Story (1984)
The NeverEnding Story 2: The Next Chapter (1990)
The Next Step: Season 6
Nights in Rodanthe (2008)
Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
Operation Ouch: Season 1
Operation Ouch: Special
Remember Me (2010)
Seabiscuit (2003)
Toradora!: Season 1
Transformers Rescue Bots Academy: S2
The Ugly Truth (2009)
What Keeps You Alive (2018)
August 2nd
Almost Love (2019)
Connected [Netflix Documentary]
August 3rd
Immigration Nation [Netflix Documentary]
August 4th
A Go! Go! Cory Carson Summer Camp [Netflix Family]
Malibu Rescue: The Next Wave [Netflix Family]
Mundo Misterio/Mystery Lab [Netflix Original]
Sam Jay 3: In the Morning [Netflix Comedy Special]
August 5th
Anelka: L’Incompris/Anelka: Misunderstood [Netflix Documentary]
World’s Most Wanted [Netflix Documentary]
August 6th
The Rain – Season 3 [Netflix Original]
The Seven Deadly Sins: Imperial Wrath of the Gods [Netflix Anime]
August 7th
Alta Mar/High Seas – Season 3 [Netflix Original]
Berlin, Berlin [Netflix Film]
The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Kids in Space [Netflix Family]
Nailed It: Mexico – Season 2 [Netflix Original]
The New Legends of Monkey – Season 2 [Netflix Family]
Selling Sunset – Season 3 [Netflix Original]
Sing On! Germany [Netflix Original]
Tiny Creatures [Netflix Original]
Wizards: Tales of Arcadia [Netflix Family]
World Party Songs [Netflix Family]
Work It [Netflix Film]
August 8th
The Promise (2016)
We Summon the Darkness (2019)
August 10th
Game On: A Comedy Crossover Event [Netflix Original]
Nightcrawler (2014)
August 11th
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)
Rob Schneider: Asian Momma, Mexican Kids [Netflix Comedy Special]
August 12th
Scary Movie 5 (2013)
Un(Well) [Netflix Documentary]
August 13th
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Une fille facile/An Easy Girl [Netflix Film]
August 14th
3% – Season 4 [Netflix Original]
El robo del siglo [Netflix Original]
Fearless [Netflix Film]
Glow Up – Season 2 [Netflix Original]
The Legend of Korra – Book One: Air
The Legend of Korra – Book Two: Spirits
The Legend of Korra – Book Three: Change
The Legend of Korra – Book Four: Balance
Octonauts & the Caves of Sac Actun [Netflix Family]
Project Power [Netflix Film]
Teenage Bounty Hunters [Netflix Original]
August 15th
Rita – Season 4 [Netflix Original]
Stranger – Season 2 [Netflix Original]
August 16th
Johnny English (2003)
Les Miserables (2012)
August 17th
Crazy Awesome Teachers [Netflix Film]
Drunk Parents (2019)
Glitch Techs – Season 2 [Netflix Family]
August 19th
Crimeness de familia/The Crimes That Bind [Netflix Film]
DeMarcus Family Rules [Netflix Original]
High Score [Netflix Documentary]
August 20th
Biohackers [Netflix Original]
Good Kisser (2019)
Great Pretender [Netflix Anime]
John Was Trying to Contact Aliens [Netflix Film]
August 21st
Alien TV [Netflix Family]
Fuego negro [Netflix Film]
Hoops [Netflix Original]
Lucifer -Season 5 [Netflix Original]
Rust Valley Restorers – Season 3 [Netflix Original]
The Sleepover [Netflix Film]
August 23rd
1BR (2019)
Septembers of Shiraz (2015)
August 25th
Emily’s Wonder Lab [Netflix Family]
Trinkets – Season 2 [Netflix Original]
August 26th
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol [Netflix Original]
La venganza de Analia [Netflix Original]
Million Dollar Beach House [Netflix Original]
Rising Phoenix [Netflix Documentary]
August 27th
Aggretsuko – Season 3 [Netflix Anime]
The Bridge Curse (2020)
The Frozen Ground (2013)
August 28th
All Together Now [Netflix Film]
Cobra Kai – Seasons 1 & 2 [Netflix Original]
I am a Killer: Released [Netflix Original]
Origenes secretos/Unknown Origins [Netflix Film]
August 31st
Casino Royale (2006)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
What’s Leaving?
Leaving 8/1/20
Skins: Vol. 1-7
Leaving 8/3/20
Love (2015)
Paranormal Survivor: Season 1-2
Leaving 8/7/20
6 Days
Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
St. Agatha
Leaving 8/14/20
Adventures in Public School
Being AP
Goon
Leaving 8/18/20
The Incident
Leaving 8/19/20
Some Kind of Beautiful
Leaving 8/20/20
Bad Rap
Leaving 8/21/20
Just Go With It
Leaving 8/23/20
Fanatic
Leaving 8/25/20
Blue Is the Warmest Color
Leaving 8/28/20
Bring It On: Worldwide Showdown
The Wicker Man
Leaving 8/31/20
Bad Boys
Bad Boys II
Candyman
Child’s Play
Clueless
Failure to Launch
Get Him to the Greek
Groundhog Day
He’s Just Not That Into You
Jerry Maguire
The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid Part II
The Karate Kid Part III
The Lake House
Life as We Know It
Murder Party
Observe and Report
One Day
Public Enemies
Rugrats Go Wild
School Daze
Tootsie
United 93
V for Vendetta
Valentine’s Day
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