What's New To Streaming In August
We've also got two Netflix shows that are worth checking out
It’s always nice when a movie you missed in theaters finally hits your streaming service. This week we are recommending three 2018 movies that are new to streaming in August. Maybe you missed them on the big screen, but now is a good time to check them out. Plus, we threw in a thriller from 2002 that still works today. Your mission -- should you choose to accept it -- is to read on to see our selections, as well as the streaming TV we’ve been watching this week.
Billy recommends…
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (streaming on Amazon Prime and Hulu August 23)
I don’t think there is an actor that will get me into a theater faster than Tom Cruise. Sadly for me, in every Tom Cruise movie I am reminded of how slow of a runner I am. He’s always running. Incredibly fast, by the way.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout might be the greatest action movie of the 2010s. Sure, it plays into the cliches of pretty much every other Mission: Impossible movie. The Scooby-Doo-like masks and saving the world at the last second are a couple of them. Fallout differentiates itself by giving us some of the best action set pieces I have ever seen.
You know who jumped out of a cargo plane? Tom Cruise. Who flew an actual helicopter? Tom Cruise. Who is leaping across tall buildings? Tom Cruise. That is why this movie feels so intense. We don’t need far away shots or quick cuts to cover up bad action choreography. The camera is almost always close to Cruise portraying the action. With that type of camera positioning the danger of the stunts is obvious.
Tom Cruise’s efforts would be completely pointless if it weren’t for the brilliant direction and writing from Christopher McQuarrie. He brings in many emotional beats that give the action more weight and brings pacing that keeps the audience from taking a breath. Turn on Mission: Impossible - Fallout immediately. It will be one of the quickest rides of your life and give you an understanding of how brilliant films are made.
A Simple Favor (streaming on Amazon Prime and Hulu August 21)
For me Mission: Impossible - Fallout was one of the least surprising movies I’ve ever seen. I knew I would love it. Now, A Simple Favor is one of the most surprising movies from last year.
We have director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) directing a confusing crime thriller? This makes no sense to me. Plus with a lead who isn’t known for her comedic or dramatic chops in Blake Lively. I’m not sure what is more surprising, the actual twist in the movie or the fact that this team of director and actor made one of the more fun movies I’ve seen in awhile.
A Simple Favor feels like it was made in the 1960s. Films back then were much sexier and this movie is sexy. Not just because of the attractiveness of the actors, but because of the way this movie is shot. Every frame is tantalizing and it kept my eyes glued to the screen. This movie’s sexiness is a pleasant surprise for a movie I thought was going to be incredibly dull.
Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, and Henry Golding are a wonderful trio. Their interactions are so natural, but we slowly find out that pretty much everyone is putting on a facade. Each of their lies packs so much tension beneath the surface and it creates a beautiful mystery. Movies that surprise me like A Simple Favor don’t come around often. I hope you enjoy this recommendation. Do me a favor… and watch this one.
Drew recommends…
The Favourite (streaming on HBO Now August 3)
The Favourite came out last year and proved kind of divisive for audiences. It’s the kind of movie you have to be on the same wavelength with, and I don’t fault anyone that can’t there. A whole group walked out of my theater when I saw it. But for those that find themselves enjoying its rhythms, it can be an unpredictable and highly enjoyable watch.
Basically, it’s a royal version of Mean Girls set in 18th century England. It’s also based on a true story -- the key word being “based.” An unpleasant and ill Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) sits on the throne, while her close confidant Lady Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) runs the country. When a servant girl named Abigail (Emma Stone) shows up and gets into Queen Anne’s good graces, a nasty competition for her affections begins between Sarah and Abigail.
Colman, Weisz, and Stone are all amazing as the three leads in The Favourite. It’s not often three women get a chance to lead a prestigious, award-worthy film like this, and they seize the opportunity, going all in on the cruel fun. The not-so-subtle shade being thrown between the characters throughout this entire film is a joy to watch. Unsurprisingly, all three actresses earned Oscar nominations last year, and Colman won for Best Actress. It helps that the script is witty, peculiar, and ridiculous in all the best ways. Overall, The Favourite landed 10 Oscar nominations.
Director Yorgos Lanthimos shoots The Favourite in an extremely unique fashion, so that you could never confuse this for any old period-piece drama. The royal setting and clothing are the same as those movies, but the wicked humor and dialogue is on a different planet. The Favourite may not be your cup of tea, but I can confidently say you’ve never seen anything like it before.
Panic Room (streaming on Netflix)
Sometimes all you want when you settle in on the couch is a nerve-wracking, hair-raising good time. That’s what movies like Panic Room are for. It’s not a life-changing experience, just a very suspenseful and effective thriller.
Released in 2002, Panic Room is a showcase for director David Fincher and actress Jodie Foster. The story is lean and gets straight to the point -- it’s kind of a like a Hitchcock movie in that way. Meg Altman (Foster) and her young daughter (Kristen Stewart) move into an expensive brownstone in New York City. The house’s previous owner installed a panic room, where there is also hidden $3 million in “bearer bonds” (whatever those are, doesn’t really matter). Three crooks break in after the bonds without realizing anyone was living there. They decide to continue with the robbery, but Meg and her daughter escape into the panic room. What follows is a tense game of chess as both sides try to gain the upper hand in this precarious stalemate.
Without a director like Fincher, Panic Room would probably be a pretty forgettable film. He elevates the material here with visually striking flourishes. His camera is pretty active for a movie set entirely in one house, as he never allows our interest to wane or our senses to dull. It’s not even close to his best work (for my money, it’s The Social Network), but Fincher is just incredibly adept at this kind of dark thriller.
Foster is in a role that suits her well, as the tough and smart Meg. This is probably my favorite performance of hers, after The Silence of the Lambs. Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoakam play the thieves with just the right amount of menace and small-time incompetence. In one of her very first roles, Kristen Stewart impresses as Meg’s daughter. She was only 10 when shooting the film, still six years away from her Twilight era.
If you need an effective thriller that you don’t have to ponder too hard when it ends, you could do much worse than Panic Room.
Streaming TV Corner
What we’re watching this week…
Billy: Workin’ Moms (Netflix)
I’m a sucker for these type of Netflix shows. Small comedies with a simple premise that is carried by comedy and enough drama to keep me interested. Nothing about this show is over the top. Each episode is easy to digest while also bringing reasons to care for these characters. Workin’ Moms is a perfect show to have on in the background, but it also has enough there to keep you interested the whole way. Give it a shot.
Drew: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Netflix)
This is one of my favorite shows to put on late at night. If you haven’t seen it, each episode Jerry Seinfeld picks up a different comedian/entertainer in one of his luxury cars (he owns about 150) and they go for coffee. Something about the simple concept, the slo-mo shots of baristas brewing coffee, and the light-hearted vibe makes Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee my perfect relaxing, unwind-before-bed show. The sixth season is out on Netflix right now featuring Eddie Murphy, Seth Rogen, Jamie Foxx, and more.
The Office Episode of the Week
Billy: “The Inner Circle” (Season 7, Episode 23)
The Office creators brought in Will Ferrell to ease the pain of Michael Scott leaving the show. It helped just enough and this is the reason why. We have Will Ferrell fake juggling to the wonderful band Evanescence. This visual gag is one of the best laugh-out-loud scenes of the entire series. We needed this episode to transition us into the Michael-less era.
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