I cover the new movies arriving on Netflix every single month, and I have to be brutally honest, August 2024 is one of the weakest months for fresh flicks that I can remember. But even in a generally weaker selection (this month is dominated by the largely awful “Child’s Play” franchise), there are still a small handful of excellent picks you’ll want to stream right now.
Usually, this list is twice (something three times) as long, but that doesn’t diminish the quality of the three movies added to Netflix this month that have scored 90% or higher on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. So, if you’re looking for something new to watch on Netflix, here are the three movies I recommend you add to your watchlist this month…
'Room' (2015)
Brie Larson won an Oscar for her role as Joy, a woman kidnapped in her teens, and now living in a tiny shed with her five-year-old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay), who is the product of rape at the hands of her captor. That description alone should send a cold shiver down your spine, and let me warn you now “Room” is often a very difficult watch. It tackles some serious subject matters and isn’t afraid to show the brutal fallout of such a heinous act.
But while “Room” is emotionally devastating, and likely to bring many viewers to tears, by the end it’s also uplifting and fully displays the resilience of the human spirit. It comments on the vital connections we make with those around us, and the on-screen maternal love between a mother and son is seriously touching. Plus, Larson was every bit worthy of her Academy Award, and the performance from a young Jacob Tremblay is similarly of a very high caliber.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Netflix
'The Spectacular Now' (2013)
I have a small list of what I like to call “comfort blanket movies”. These are the flicks I turn to whenever I’m feeling a little blue and need a pick me up, and “The Spectacular Now” has been on this list for more than a decade. This romantic drama is a masterful reflection on that awkward stage of adolescence when you’re on the cusp of adulthood trying to figure out where to go next. It’ll be almost painfully relatable for some viewers, but even if the high school senior experience depicted on screen doesn’t match your own, you should still watch as it's highly charming.
“The Spectacular Now” centers on Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) a proud slacker who isn’t so concerned about acting his age and is more preoccupied with parties and spending time with his girlfriend (Brie Larson, it’s a great month on Netflix for Brie Larson fans!). However, Sutter’s immature carefree attitude eventually leads to him being dumped by his girlfriend and starts to spiral. Soon afterward he meets the shy Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley), and the unlikely pair strike up a romance as they share their hopes, goals and fears for the future ahead of them.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stream it on Netflix
'Pearl' (2022)
Now is a great time to watch “Pearl”, as it’s the predecessor to “Maxxxine” which just recently arrived on premium streaming platforms (after a relatively short theatrical run). “Pearl” is the second chapter in Ti West’s “X” trilogy (the other piece of the puzzle is 2022’s “X”), and is a psychological horror that is very tame on scares, but goes heavy on the dramatic tension. I rank the closing scene as one of my favorite in the whole genre this decade and it really displays the acting chops of Mia Goth.
Goth plays the eponymous “Pearl”, a young woman living on her parent’s Texas ranch with fanciful dreams of making it big as a Hollywood star. Set during the final months of World War I, Pearl’s ambitions of becoming famous are put on hold as she must look after her ill father and tolerate her strict mother. Unsurprisingly, her conservative parents disapprove of her Hollywood dreams, but as Pearl continues to yearn for the bright lights of stardom, she gives in to increasingly dark temptations.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Netflix
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