The Best Movies and TV Shows to Stream in August 2020
End your socially-distant summer with a bang with these cinematic picks
While the summer may be winding down, streaming services are definitely not. Quarantine has given the world a unique opportunity to sit back and enjoy the simpler things in life - namely, films, documentaries, and television - during these past few hotter months. Luckily, August is packed with brand new original specials to keep us entertained with all of our extra time at home. Whether you want to educate yourself on the United States’s current political landscape, follow a young rapper's journey in preparing for fame, or just cook spaghetti alongside Selena Gomez, there is intriguing content for every different mood that may come your way. If you’re curious on what exactly to tune into, here’s a guide for all the exciting movies and TV shows to stream this month:
Two of Academy Award winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s most notable films are coming back to Netflix on August 1st. Follow an aching break-up aided by science fiction in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or become enveloped in John Malkovich’s eccentric mind portal in the aptly titled Being John Malkovich; either way, Kaufman will take you on a mesmerizing journey that’s still entertaining even after the third watch.
Coming out on August 3rd, the new Netflix docuseries Immigration Nation graphically details the horrific results of Trump's travel ban. The six episodes serve as a controversial look at America’s current human rights crisis; according to its filmmakers, ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) actually tried to have several scenes deleted out of fear of backlash.
Seth Rogen plays a 1920s immigrant factory worker who wakes up one morning in present day Brooklyn (after accidentally being preserved in pickle juice for a century) in An American Pickle. He also plays the immigrant’s introverted computer-programmer grandson. More than just the typical, raucous Seth Rogen-style comedy, this movie also seeks to compare both the past and the present’s idealization of the American dream. An American Pickle is available on HBO Plus on August 6th.
Hailed as one of the most important political films of the year, this documentary about gerrymandering comes to Hulu on August 6th. Slay the Dragon confronts the issue on a human level, exposing the depth in which gerrymandering unjustly impacts democracy in the United States. 2020 has proved to be an important year for us to stay politically informed as ever, and there is no time like the present to educate ourselves about the radical mistreatment of governmental power.
Sometimes we just feel the need to relax and unwind with trashy, bingeable television. The hedonistic antics of the Oppenheim Group are coming back to Netflix on August 7th for a third season of Selling Sunset. Directed by the same man who created The Hills, Selling Sunset chronicles the lavish, petty lifestyle of top real estate brokers working in the most luxurious sections of Los Angeles. Their unscripted drama is the perfect way to escape from day-to-day reality.
This second episode of Hulu’s investigative docuseries The New York Times Presents showcases Floridian rapper and 'new-age rockstar' Dominic Fike as he is thrust from obscurity into stardom, while preparing his debut album What Could Possibly Go Wrong and first international tour. Premiering August 7th, we’ll get to see if Dominic rises to the challenge, and view all of the trials and tribulations that come with signing a four million dollar record deal at the tender age of twenty-three.
Directed by the minds behind hits like Catfish and Nerve, Project Power stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordan Levitt, and Machine Gun Kelly as the three all seek to gain control over a new, powerful pill that gives you temporary superpowers. This movie is out on Netflix on August 14th, and satisfies that specific craving for an action-packed summer blockbuster while movie theaters remain closed.
The stars, they really are just like us: Selena Gomez has also been trying to figure out the whole cooking thing now that she’s been in quarantine. In this new HBO Plus series, a different master chef will be joining Selena remotely each week to instruct her on fundamental cooking techniques, cuisines, and recipes. The series, out throughout August, is set up as a light-hearted, casual cookalong to make you feel like you’re Zooming with your best friend.
Executive produced by Lili Reinhart, Chemical Hearts chronicles the unlikely love story between two teenagers co-editing the same high school newspaper. Chemical Hearts stars both Lili and Austin Abrams (Ethan from Euphoria), and looks to be the sweet coming-of-age romance we need in such uncertain times, reminiscent of modern-day cult classics The Fault in Our Stars or The Spectacular Now. It will be released on August 21 on Prime Video.
Actor Ravi Patel asks strangers deep, probing questions in Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness. Premiering on HBO Max on August 27, the Master of None star travels to Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and Denmark with his friends and family members in order to gain a better understanding of the lifestyles led by these different cultures. How do their philosophical ideas and approaches to life compare? We’re expecting it to be a thought-provoking, enlightening watch.
