A new era of streaming selections is here. For the past several years, our monthly column, the Nerd’s Watch, has been the place to find out all the best genre titles coming to the biggest streaming services. It wasn’t a complete list. We just posted the titles we think you’d care about, but it was still long, and frankly, it was hard to pick out the best of the best.
Well, over the past few months, that changed. What follows isn’t a list of all the best stuff streaming on all the big streaming services. We’ve looked at all those lists and come up with a few dozen titles that we think are noteworthy this month. Some are new, some are old, but either way, we’ll tell you why you should care. Or at least joke about it. So sit back, grab your remote, and get ready for the new and improved Nerd’s Watch, highlighting the best movies and shows coming to streamers this month.
Image: Universal PicturesAnaconda (August 1 on Netflix)
Months before the new remake with Jack Black and Paul Rudd, revisit the iconic camp classic with Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez. It wasn’t meant to be a camp classic, but it is now.
Groundhog Day (August 1 on Netflix)
Groundhog Day is one of those movies that just gets better and better the more you watch it. It’s so expertly put together, so funny, so heartfelt. Just a true modern classic.
The original Jurassic Park trilogy (August 1 on Netflix)
We’re onto our third Jurassic Park trilogy, but the original—Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and the underrated Jurassic Park III—are all reemerging on Netflix this month.
Weird Science (August 1 on Netflix and Peacock)
Just in time for its 40th anniversary, the John Hughes comedy about two nerds who create a woman in a computer is popping up on two streamers. It’s incredibly dated but also, thanks to John Hughes, still pretty delightful.
The Fast and the Furious 1-7 (August 16 on Netflix)
Call them the Paul Walker years. The first seven Fast and Furious movies are all coming to Netflix (as well as Hobbs and Shaw), and you can make an argument that it was the passing of Walker, during Furious 7, that derailed the whole thing. Hopefully things get back up to speed in the future, but at least we’ll always have these movies (and Hobbs and Shaw, unfortunately).
Image: BlumhouseThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (August 1 on Hulu)
The star-studded adaptation of the iconic Douglas Adams novel is nowhere near as good as the source material, but is anything? That the movie shared even a sliver of the genius and fun of the novel makes this one worth watching.
Kick-Ass (August 1 on Hulu)
Remember when Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Chloë Grace Moretz co-starred in one of the best superhero movies ever, alongside Nicolas Cage, and directed by Matthew Vaughn? Well, if not, now is the time to watch it again.
Super 8 (August 1 on Hulu and Peacock)
J.J. Abrams writes and directs this Amblin-inspired tale of a group of kids who film a train crash, only to realize it’s at the center of mysterious happenings around town. I’ve been meaning to revisit this one.
The Monkey (August 7 on Hulu)
One of the weirdest movies you’ll see this year is this Stephen King adaptation, produced by James Wan and directed by Osgood Perkins. It’s about a family tied in with a toy monkey that kills people seemingly at random. It’s super violent and super funny.
Hell of a Summer (August 29 on Hulu)
I’m writing this one more for myself than anyone else. Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard co-directed this camp-based slasher movie that looks like a lot of fun. I missed it in theaters but definitely will check it out on streaming.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (August 1 on HBO Max)
Please refer to the above video.
Freaky Tales (August 8 on HBO Max)
From Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the directors of Captain Marvel, comes this “freaky” retro anthology starring Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Dominique Thorne, and other actors who aren’t in Marvel movies.
The Legend of Ochi (August 15 on HBO Max)
You may have missed it, but earlier this year, A24 released this very unique and gorgeous film about a seemingly regular rural town that’s thrown into peril because of a group of nearby creatures. Creatures that one of the young women in the town becomes friends with. Willem Dafoe is among the stars.
Peacemaker, Season 2 (August 21 on HBO Max)
It’ll be about a year until we next see James Gunn’s DC Universe on the big screen, but before then, it’ll be very active on HBO Max. First up, season two of the irreverent Peacemaker starring John Cena. It ties directly into the events of Superman and pushes the whole narrative forward.
Eyes of Wakanda (August 1 on Disney+)
Have you ever wanted to know more about Wakanda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, this new animated series is just the ticket.
Image: PeacockEdge of Tomorrow (August 1 on Peacock)
I feel like I’m in Edge of Tomorrow with how I always repeat myself, but here it goes again. Every time Edge of Tomorrow, the Tom Cruise-Emily Blunt time loop sci-fi action film, appears on a streamer, I will let you know.
Field of Dreams (August 1 on Peacock)
If you stream it, we will watch.
Oblivion (August 1 on Peacock)
It’s not quite Edge of Tomorrow, but if you want another super solid Tom Cruise sci-fi film, this one from Joseph Kosinski, the director of Tron: Legacy, Top Gun: Maverick, and F1, well, here you go.
Twisted Metal, Season 2 (August 7 on Peacock)
After a season with equal parts character and carnage, the video game adaptation starring Anthony Mackie is back. And, this season, it’s all about the car battle royale that made the series so popular.
Monkey Man (August 14 on Peacock)
One of the more underrated films of 2024 was this incredibly visceral action film starring and directed by Dev Patel. Highly recommended.
Image: TriStar PicturesAdaptation (August 1 on Paramount+)
Spike Jonze directs, Charlie Kaufman writes, and Nicolas Cage stars alongside Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, and others. Not many movies could live up to that incredible roster, but this one does.
Paranormal Activity 1-6 (August 1 on Paramount+)
There have been seven Paranormal Activity movies, and the first six (1, 2, 3, 4, Ghost Dimension, and Marked Ones) are all coming to Paramount+. Some are better than others, but it’s a really strong, scary, found-footage franchise.
The Truman Show (August 1 on Paramount+)
Jim Carrey stars as a man who lives a pretty great life until he figures out he’s the star of the world’s largest reality TV series. A modern classic that gets better and better with age.
Urban Legend (August 1 on Shudder)
One of those 1990s slashers that came out in the wake of Scream and has its fans, as well as its haters. We’re in the first camp, what about you?
Clown in a Cornfield (August 8 on Shudder)
Weeks after becoming probably the first indie horror movie to get its own corn maze at San Diego Comic-Con, the horror movie with the perfect, direct title is coming to streaming.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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