Another round of movies has arrived on Paramount Plus in August 2023. The streaming service boasts a massive film section and it just keeps growing, thanks to the ability to draw from the catalog of the second-oldest American movie studio.
Every month brings dozens of new titles, but scrolling through them all could take you hours — which would totally ruin movie night. We’re here to help by narrowing down the options to the ones with scores of 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes, the review-aggregating site.
That’s essentially an A-grade, so you can feel confident these movies are excellent.
Boogie Nights (1997)
Paul Thomas Anderson takes a salacious topic — porn in the 1970s — and makes it feel as normal and workaday as paper sales. That's not to say Boogie Night is boring; far from it. It just makes what seems like an outrageous industry more relatable and real.
In 1977, a San Fernando Valley teen busboy named Eddie (Mark Wahlberg) is discovered by adult film director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds). After taking Eddie under his wing, Jack transforms him into porn star Dirk Diggler. Soon, Dirk is making waves in the business and befriending fellow actors like Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) and Rollergirl (Heather Graham). But his rise to fame is threatened by an addiction to drugs.
Genre: Comedy/drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
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Force Majeure (2013)
You know an international film is really good when it’s remade into an American version. Ruben Östlund’s darker-than-black Swedish comedy was adapted into a new take starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but the original is better.
Businessman Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke), wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and their two kids look like the picture-perfect Swedish family straight off Instagram. During a skiing holiday in the French Alps, an avalanche rolls toward the restaurant where they’re having lunch. Tomas panics and flees on his own, shaking up their family dynamics to the core.
Genre: Black comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
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Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Ben Affleck hit it out of the park with his directorial debut, based on a novel by Dennis Lehane. While he didn’t star in it himself, he did call upon brother Casey Affleck to take the read role of private investigator Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) who is hired to find a missing girl named Amanda.
The case takes him and partner/girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) deep into a world of corruption, deception and betrayal, forcing them to confront the darker aspects of their community. As they uncover unsettling truths about Amanda's disappearance, they find their beliefs and commitment to justice challenged to the breaking point.
Genre: Crime drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
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Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The horror classic is widely considered a groundbreaking film ahead of its time in portraying sexual themes, challenging societal norms and delving into the concept of gaslighting. Mia Farrow stars as Rosemary Woodhouse, who moves into a new apartment in New York City with husband Guy (John Cassavetes).
After becoming pregnant, Rosemary starts experiencing strange occurrences and begins to suspect a sinister conspiracy surrounding her unborn child. Her paranoia builds and tensions mount until a shocking and unforgettable climax.
Genre: Psychological horror
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
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Sicario (2015)
Denis Villeneuve is a master of thrills, whether they involve violent criminals, mysterious aliens or bioengineered humans. One of his earlier Hollywood forays is this gripping drama featuring some of the best actors working today, including Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin.
After a deadly raid on a Sonora Cartel safe house, FBI agent Kate Macer (Blunt) is recruited to join a task force led by shady CIA agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and Mexican operative Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro). As they pursue the cartel’s leaders, Kate finds herself herself questioning her own morals and whether justice should be gained at any cost.
Genre: Action thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
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The Fighter (2010)
Christian Bale has undergone many startling transformations for roles, like losing 30 pounds to play an addict in David O. Russell’s sports drama. Dicky Eklund (Bale) is a former boxer whose addiction to crack ended his career. His ravaged body clearly shows the toll taken by drug use.
The story follows his brother Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), who is striving to make a name for himself in the boxing world despite family struggles and personal demons. With Dicky’s guidance, Micky rises from the shadows of their working-class background to find redemption for both of them.
Genre: Sports biopic
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
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The Truman Show (1998)
This eerily prescient film from Peter Weir foreshadowed the rise of reality television and 24/7 surveillance culture, as well as the resulting issues of privacy, consent and media manipulation. Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) has, unbeknownst to him, lived his entire life on a set surrounded by actors. He is the unwitting star of a show that peddles advertisers’ wares to a worldwide audience.
Then, Truman starts to notice peculiarities in his seemingly perfect life and becomes increasingly suspicious of what’s happening around him. Seeking to discover the truth, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and rebellion that will break the artificial walls around him.
Genre: Sci-fi drama/comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
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