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The best movies on Hulu right now (July 2023)

Are you frustrated by the fact that there are barely any new movies on Disney+? If so, it might be time to make sure that you’re subscribed to Hulu. This is the streaming service where the adults can come out to play, as well as the place where many of 20th Century Studios’ legendary films reside, from G-rated kids flicks to R-rated action and drama. In July alone, movie lovers have a lot to enjoy, including Ford v Ferrari, Whiplash, and one of the all-time great action films, Die Hard.

Thankfully, there are new movies coming to Hulu every month, and we’re on top of the ever-changing lineup so you can have the top options at your fingertips. All you have to do is check out our updated list of the best movies on Hulu right now.

Subscribe to a different platform? Not only do we have a guide to the best shows on Hulu, but we’ve rounded up the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Netflix, and the best movies on Disney+.

Recently added to Hulu

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Ford v Ferrari
81%
8.1/10
pg-13
153m
Genre
Drama, Action, History
Stars
Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Jon Bernthal
Directed by
James Mangold
Watch on Hulu

Between Wolverine and Indiana Jones movies, director James Mangold tackled the larger than life rivalry between Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) and Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone). However, neither man is the central character in Ford v Ferrari. Instead, the focus falls on ex-racer turned car designer, Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), and Ken Miles (Christian Bale), a fiery racer whom Shelby recruits to help him build a Ford that can outrace a Ferrari.

Miles quickly makes enemies inside Ford who threaten to derail the entire operation just to sideline him. But once Miles gets behind the wheel of the car he helped design, he delivers the race of a lifetime.

Die Hard (1988)

Die Hard
72%
8.2/10
r
131m
Genre
Action, Thriller
Stars
Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov
Directed by
John McTiernan
Watch on Hulu

Is it Christmas already? Die Hard is back on Hulu, and it’s still one of the greatest action flicks ever made. Bruce Willis made the leap from TV star to action icon for his turn as John McClane, an NYPD cop who is in Los Angeles for the holidays to win back his estranged wife, Holly Gennaro-McClane (Bonnie Bedelia).

John’s reunion with his wife is going about as well as expected at the holiday party for Holly’s company when Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his terrorists crash the event and take everyone hostage. Everyone except John. Now, John will have to outlast this gang of thieves and killers in order to reunite his family. Action films don’t get any better than that.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Bohemian Rhapsody
49%
7.9/10
pg-13
135m
Genre
Music, Drama, History
Stars
Rami Malek, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy
Directed by
Bryan Singer
Watch on Hulu

Rami Malek won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as Farrokh Bulsara, the man who became Freddie Mercury, the legendary lead singer of Queen. Bohemian Rhapsody is named after Queen’s most famous song, but this is really Freddie’s story, as well as his rise and fall alongside his bandmates Brian May (Gwilym Lee), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), and John Deacon (Joe Mazzello).

On his way to the top, Freddie is engaged to Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) before he falls in love with Paul Prenter (Allen Leech) and allows him to guide his career. But when Freddie’s bad decisions catch up to him, it’s going to take something tragic to bring Queen back together.

Whiplash (2014)

Whiplash
88%
8.5/10
r
107m
Genre
Drama, Music
Stars
Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser
Directed by
Damien Chazelle
Watch on Hulu

Whiplash is built around the performances of Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick) and J.K. Simmons as it wrings every drop of drama out of a young man’s quest to be a great musician. Andrew Neiman (Teller), a student at the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory, studies under Terence Fletcher (Simmons), an emotionally and physically abusive instructor and band leader.

Andrew is so obsessed with winning Fletcher’s approval that he neglects his relationship with his girlfriend, Nicole (Melissa Benoist), and focuses on music above all else. This single-minded pursuit of musical perfection not only destroys Andrew’s life, it also threatens to claim his future as well.

Flamin' Hot (2023)

Flamin' Hot
65%
5.8/10
pg-13
99m
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Stars
Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert
Directed by
Eva Longoria
Watch on Hulu

What do you do when there’s a true story that may not be true? As was famously said in the 1962 Western classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, “when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” The story of Flamin’ Hot is truly inspirational regardless of whether these events actually played out this way in reality. The film is based on the memoir of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia), the man who claims that he created Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. And he didn’t do it alone.

With the support of his wife, Judy Montañez (Annie Gonzalez), and his co-worker, Clarence C. Baker (Dennis Haysbert), Richard rises from the rank of janitor and works up the nerve to pitch his Flamin’ Hot ideas to Frito-Lay executive Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub). From there, a snack food legend is born.

Keanu (2016)

Keanu
63%
6.2/10
r
100m
Genre
Action, Comedy, Crime
Stars
Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Keanu Reeves
Directed by
Peter Atencio
Watch on Hulu

Before Jordan Peele became an acclaimed horror director, he reteamed with his Key & Peele co-star, Keegan-Michael Key, for the action comedy Keanu. Rell Dresden (Peele) is emotionally bereft following a breakup until he and his cousin, Clarence Dresden (Key), find Keanu, an incredibly adorable kitten who is promptly stolen from them.

To get Keanu back, Rell and Clarence venture into some shady areas of town and end up being mistaken for gangsters by Trina “Hi-C” Parker (Tiffany Haddish) and Cheddar (Method Man). And if the duo want Keanu back (and to keep on breathing), they will have to go to extreme lengths to keep their deception intact.

Idiocracy (2006)

Idiocracy
66%
6.5/10
r
84m
Genre
Comedy, Science Fiction, Adventure
Stars
Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard
Directed by
Mike Judge
Watch on Hulu

The central joke of Mike Judge’s Idiocracy is that Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson), the most average man in the U.S. army, is the smartest man in the world … by default. After Joe and a prostitute named Rita (Maya Rudolph) take part in a military hibernation experience, they wake up in a future hundreds of years later where the rest of the people are profoundly dumb.

In this futuristic era, Joe’s average intelligence makes him seem like a super genius compared to everyone else. However, President Camacho (Terry Crews) has given Joe only a single week to solve some very serious problems. And the penalty for failure is death.

Dune (2021)

Dune
74%
8.0/10
pg-13
155m
Genre
Science Fiction, Adventure
Stars
Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac
Directed by
Denis Villeneuve
Watch on Hulu

Director Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune is one of the most visually arresting sci-fi films of the last decade. Timothée Chalamet stars as Paul Atreides, the son of Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), the leaders of House Atreides and the new stewards of a world vital to the intergalactic empire: Arrakis.

Duke Leto has bold ideas to make fair deals with the people of Arrakis, unaware that he and his family have been targeted for death. Meanwhile, Paul has unexplainable visions of Chani (Zendaya), a young woman among the Fremen of Arrakis. Paul seemingly has a grand destiny to fulfill — he just has to live long enough to do so.

The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games
68%
7.2/10
pg-13
142m
Genre
Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Directed by
Gary Ross
Watch on Hulu

There’s a Hunger Games prequel coming to theaters later this year, and that’s reason enough to revisit the film that made Jennifer Lawrence a superstar. In The Hunger Games, Lawrence made her first appearance as Katniss Everdeen, a young woman who volunteers for a deadly combat event in order to save her younger sister. Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a teenager who harbors a crush on Katniss, is also chosen to fight for their home, District 12.

Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) mentors Katniss and Peeta in the capital to prepare them for the fight of their lives. But once the games begin, all bets are off. Can Katniss and Peeta trust each other when their lives are on the line? May the odds be ever in their favor!

The Joy Luck Club (1993)

The Joy Luck Club
84%
7.7/10
r
139m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Ming-Na Wen, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita
Directed by
Wayne Wang
Watch on Hulu

2023 marks the 30th anniversary of The Joy Luck Club, a drama that charts the stories of four Chinese mothers who immigrated to America, and their Chinese-American daughters who often have trouble relating to the generation that came before them.

All of the mother-daughter pairings have compelling stories behind them, but the connection between Suyuan Woo (Kieu Chinh) and her daughter, June Woo (Ming-Na Wen), is particularly noteworthy because of the deep emotional wounds between them, and June’s fear that she can never be who Suyuan wants her to be.

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Once Upon a Time in America
75%
8.3/10
r
229m
Genre
Drama, Crime
Stars
Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern
Directed by
Sergio Leone
Watch on Hulu

The late Sergio Leone made his name with several famous Spaghetti Westerns, but his final film, Once Upon a Time in America, is an unforgettable crime epic that further solidified Leone’s legendary career. During the Great Depression, a pair of young thieves, Noodles (Scott Tiler) and Max (Rusty Jacobs), become fast friends before Noodles is sent to jail.

When Noodles (Robert De Niro) is finally released during the height of Prohibition in the ‘30s, he reunites with Max (James Woods) in their growing criminal enterprise. But as Prohibition winds down, Noodles and Max’s friendship is tested in ways that may destroy both of them.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
68%
7.6/10
pg-13
105m
Genre
Thriller, Action, Drama, Science Fiction
Stars
James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto
Directed by
Rupert Wyatt
Watch on Hulu

The Planet of the Apes franchise has gone through a few different incarnations, but the modern reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, is a cut above the rest.

Andy Serkis stars as Caesar, a remarkably intelligent chimpanzee who lives with his adoptive father, Dr. William Rodman (James Franco). Will’s attempt to cure Alzheimer’s disease has catastrophic results for the world, but it also greatly enhances the intelligence of apes. And when Caesar is locked away with this fellow apes, he takes the initiative to lead a revolution.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Official Trailer (HD)

Something in the Dirt (2022)

Something in the Dirt
r
116m
Genre
Science Fiction, Mystery
Stars
Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Sarah Adina Smith
Directed by
Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson
Watch on Hulu

An exciting example of the kind of narrative ingenuity that only a worldwide pandemic can foster, Something in the Dirt is the latest film from writer-director duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (The Endless, Synchronic), and is arguably the most primitively fascinating work of these two collaborators. Shot over the course of a year with a crew of just 12, our story follows Levi and John, apartment-dwelling neighbors who decide to make a documentary about a range of supernatural events occurring in their Los Angeles residence. But as the two men discover that these kinds of extraordinary happenings are taking place all over L.A., their findings lead them to a combative exchange of theories and calculations.

The Valet (2022)

The Valet
pg-13
124m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Eugenio Derbez, Samara Weaving, Max Greenfield
Directed by
Richard Wong
Watch on Hulu
In The Valet, Eugenio Derbez and Samara Weaving star as Antonio and Olivia, a dedicated valet driver and a Hollywood starlet that “hires” Antonio to act as her new boyfriend when the actress is accidentally photographed with the man she’s actually seeing (New Girl‘s Max Greenfield), who just so happens to be married. As the mass media aims the spotlight more and more at the fake couple, it’s only a matter of time before the news breaks that the romance is fabricated. It’s a heartfelt comedy with attention paid to character development and earnest performances, something that is often lacking in many of today’s bigger-budget comedies.

War Dogs (2016)

War Dogs
r
114m
Genre
Comedy, Crime, Drama
Stars
Miles Teller, Jonah Hill, Ana de Armas
Directed by
Todd Phillips
Watch on Hulu
Co-written and directed by Todd Philips, and based on a 2011 Rolling Stone article and Efraim Diveroli’s 2016 memoir Once a Gun RunnerWar Dogs stars Jonah Hill and Miles Teller as a pair of longtime pals who have the opportunity to rake in gigantic piles of cash by becoming multinational arms dealers. Enjoying their lives of newfound riches, reality comes crashing down on the boys after they land a $300 million contract to supply Afghan troops with weaponry. A fun thrill ride concerned less with authenticity and more with narrative bravado, War Dogs is the kind of movie that excites at every turn, even if what we see on-screen is only a fragment of the true story the film is based upon.

Ultrasound (2022)

Ultrasound
55%
5.8/10
r
103m
Genre
Science Fiction
Stars
Vincent Kartheiser, Chelsea Lopez, Breeda Wool
Directed by
Rob Schroeder
Watch on Hulu

In director Rob Schroeder’s Ultrasound, Mad Men alum Vincent Kartheiser stars as Glen, an unassuming everyman who just so happens to encounter some car trouble on a dark and stormy night. Seeking some help, he knocks on the door of a perfectly kind stranger named Arthur (Bob Stephenson), leading the former down an uncanny rabbit hole of deceit and mind control. Presenting a nail-biter of a story without diving into carnage and other typical screen grabs, Ultrasound does its best work as a quietly curious foray into a world that’s hard to pin down.

The Worst Person in the World (2021)

The Worst Person in the World
90%
7.8/10
r
128m
Genre
Drama, Comedy, Romance
Stars
Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum
Directed by
Joachim Trier
Watch on Hulu
In The Worst Person in the World, Renate Reinsve stars as Julie, an Oslo-based medical student, and it follows the course of four years throughout her personal life and career. It’s the kind of meditative and hard-talking dark comedy that only comes around once in a while, but The Worst Person in the World is one of those rare cinematic home runs that doesn’t need to act big and tall to stand out from the crowd. And thanks to Reinsve’s down-to-earth performance, it’s a film that’s easy to get on board with.

The Last Tourist (2021)

The Last Tourist
7.3/10
84m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Elizabeth Becker, Sangduen Lek Chailert, Costas Christ
Directed by
Tyson Sadler
Watch on Hulu
When traveling somewhere tropical and off-grid, we typically view these vacations as nothing more than personal getaways for us and those we love. But there’s a whole other side of the tourism coin that doesn’t get talked about — until director Tyson Sadler came along, that is. Through his eye-opening documentary The Last Tourist, Sadler paints a much different picture of tourism’s impacts on the parts of the world that need extra care and protection from humanity’s grip, while also discussing the positive aspects of worldly excursions. In the end, the audience is left with an important message that may have you thinking twice about your next venture to somewhere distant and remote.

Hellraiser (2022)

Hellraiser
r
121m
Genre
Horror, Mystery
Stars
Odessa A'zion, Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison
Directed by
David Bruckner
Watch on Hulu

It’s about time the world of Hellraiser received some much-needed reimagining. For years now, the franchise has seen sequel after sequel, and while Cenobite fans are always pleased to see Doug Bradley donning his Pinhead garb, the series has certainly run into its fair share of cinematic duds. But director David Bruckner has come along to get the saga on track once more. The 2022 remake stars Odessa A’zion as Riley, an on-the-mend drug addict who comes into the possession of a runic puzzle box — a mysterious device that summons an armada of hellish entities. Led by the Hell Priest (Jamie Clayton), Odessa is plunged into a fight for survival when the demonic visitors begin wreaking havoc in the real world. Bruckner’s Hellraiser reboot may not satisfy all of the saga’s diehards, but when you consider it as a gruesome yet polished homage to Clive Barker’s source novella and first batch of films, the 2022 version more than gets the job done.

I Think We're Alone Now (2018)

I Think We're Alone Now
51%
5.7/10
r
100m
Genre
Science Fiction, Drama, Mystery
Stars
Peter Dinklage, Elle Fanning, Paul Giamatti
Directed by
Reed Morano
Watch on Hulu
Have you ever heard of the classic Twilight Zone episode “Time Enough at Last” about a book-loving bank teller who finds solace in a post-apocalypse rid of humanity, but filled with plenty of excellent reading material? While the “last man on Earth” narrative has received plenty of cinematic attention over the years, each stab at the formula may be traced back to Burgess Meredith’s Twilight Zone episode, with 2018’s I Think We’re Alone Now serving as yet another homage to it. Peter Dinklage stars as Del, a man who embraces a life of solitude in the wake of a global pandemic that has seemingly eradicated the rest of mankind. That is until one fateful day, when a woman named Grace (Elle Fanning) arrives, disrupting Del’s idyllically quiet day-to-day. In I Think We’re Alone Now, director Reed Morano creates a world where isolation is less a curse and more a blessing, where companionship begins as an adversarial force and slowly unravels into something potentially more meaningful.

Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself (2020)

Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself
82%
8.2/10
pg-13
90m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Derek DelGaudio, Hal Schulman, Marina Abramović
Directed by
Frank Oz
Watch on Hulu
We all ponder over the great existential questions of life from time to time. Who are we? Why are we here? Where are we going next? And while cinema is often used as a philosophical medium through which we can explore such inquiries through fiction and nonfiction lenses, such introspection has never been captured like it has in Derek Delgaudio’s mesmerizing documentary/stage spectacle In & Of Itself. Directed by Frank Oz, Delgaudio’s work combines elements of traditional stage performance and unconventional narrative structure to deliver a filmic spectacle that is hard to describe but impossible to forget.

This Mountain Life (2018)

This Mountain Life
7.2/10
77m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Simon Beck, Martina Halik, Tania Halik
Directed by
Grant Baldwin
Watch on Hulu
This Mountain Life is the kind of documentary film that exposes viewers to treacherous, isolated environments where geographically remote livelihoods are par for the course and tundra survival is as second-nature as putting milk in your cereal. Released in 2018, director Grant Baldwin’s thought-provoking film explores the lives of British Columbia residents living in and around the region’s mountainous landscapes. The subjects include a mother and daughter pairing who are looking to undertake a significant traversing of the local Coast Mountains area. A philosophical deep-dive into what it takes to be one with your land and hills, This Mountain Life is up there with the best deeply-pondered Herzog nature docs and National Geographic specials.

Dinner in America (2022)

Dinner in America
80%
7.2/10
r
106m
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Music
Stars
Kyle Gallner, Emily Skeggs, Pat Healy
Directed by
Adam Rehmeier
Watch on Hulu
It’s not often that you see the punk rock music genre getting any kind of cinematic limelight (sans films like Her Smell and Green Room), but even less so when the film genre of choice is an indie rom-com. Such is the case, though, with writer-director Adam Carter Rehmeir’s 2020 film Dinner in America, and the results are pretty great. Starring Kyle Gallner and Emily Skeggs as a singer and his band’s devoted fan, our story follows the star-crossed lovers as they travel around the lesser-seen suburbs and pervading urban sprawl of the American Midwest. If you’ve seen Garden State or Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, picture these two films being tossed into a blender with a healthy bit of rated-R this and that for extra punch, and you’re probably at least halfway to the look, feel, and budgetary, off-the-cuff sensibilities of Dinner in America.

The Act of Killing (2012)

The Act of Killing
91%
8.2/10
r
159m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin
Directed by
Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn
Watch on Hulu
When it comes to documentary filmmaking, The Act of Killing stands as one of the deepest-cutting uses of the genre’s conventions, unpacking a subject that may not be easy to talk, look, or think about. But director Joshua Oppenheimer and his creative team did the hard work of getting the topic on-screen. The subject: the mass execution of accused Indonesian communists from 1965 to 1966. And perhaps most disturbingly, the film explores the prolific rise of the executors, observing the various layers of corruption and extortion that these individuals are responsible for. It’s not an easy watch, but if you’re looking for something that’s insightful and emotionally complex, The Act of Killing more than fits the bill.

Pig (2021)

Pig
82%
6.9/10
r
91m
Genre
Drama, Thriller
Stars
Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin
Directed by
Michael Sarnoski
Watch on Hulu
In Pig, Nicolas Cage stars as Robin Feld, a truffle forager living off the grid in the backcountry of the Pacific Northwest. With a day to day composed of seeking out and selling rare fungi to a local restaurant supplier named Amir (Alex Wolff), Feld is content to go about a simple life of living off the land, that is until a posse of malcontents steal his truffle-foraging swine. Teaming up with Amir to track down the thieves, Robin must go to great lengths to infiltrate the locales and social circles he left behind to regain the animal he loves. A stirring blend of arresting performances and a unique narrative, Pig is the kind of independent film that makes a quiet but powerful impact before fading into the greater ephemera of bigger-budget pictures. That being said, catch it while you can — you won’t be disappointed.

The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022)

The Bob's Burgers Movie
75%
7/10
102m
Genre
Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Stars
H. Jon Benjamin, Kristen Schaal, John Roberts
Directed by
Loren Bouchard, Bernard Derriman
Watch on Hulu
The Bob’s Burgers Movie is like the distantly-related cousin of the similarly titled 2007 film The Simpsons Movie. Both flicks are the feature-length descendants of two widely popular and long-running TV series, each backed by a bountiful collection of awards, endless amounts of merchandise, and fueled-up fanbases always looking for more. And just as The Simpsons Movie was an excellent (but somewhat unnecessary) addition to The Simpsons canon, so too is The Bob’s Burgers Movie to its own namesake series. The story follows the Belcher family, idiosyncratic restauranteurs faced with an interesting challenge — how to get patrons into the burger shop with a massive sinkhole in front of the entrance. The narrative begins here, and like the show, branches out into all sorts of misadventures. The Bob’s Burgers Movie is a dish tailor-made for the show’s legion of supporters, but it’s an awesome watch for new viewers, too.

Prey (2022)

Prey
79%
7.3/10
r
100m
Genre
Science Fiction, Action, Thriller, Horror
Stars
Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro
Directed by
Dan Trachtenberg
Watch on Hulu
Serving as a centuries-ago prequel to the 1987 film Predator, Prey gives us the story of a Comanche warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder) who aspires to be the mighty protector of her Great Plains tribe. One day, a powerful new foe descends on her clan, forcing Naru and her fellow Comanche to summon up all their wits and strength to thwart the combatant extraterrestrial. Prey is a propulsive and blood-soaked nail-biter of an action film, and one that could effectively stand alone as a singular entity. But in this case, it’s a new entry in a much-loved franchise, and it’s one we’re betting will make plenty of fans happy.

John Dies at the End (2013)

John Dies at the End
53%
6.3/10
r
99m
Genre
Horror, Comedy
Stars
Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Doug Jones
Directed by
Don Coscarelli
Watch on Hulu

Based on the David Wong novel of the same name, John Dies at the End is a kaleidoscopic horror-comedy of epic proportions. Chase Williamson stars as David, your typical everyman protagonist, and the story follows his mind-altering adventures alongside his gang of friends. At the center of these otherworldly jaunts is a mysterious new drug called “Soy Sauce,” a nightmarish substance accidentally injected by David that allows him to jump through time and space, into and out of alternate dimensions. The end result for us viewers? A wild trek of a film that will leave your brain hovering somewhere over a triple rainbow in a distant universe.

Flee (2021)

Flee
91%
8/10
pg-13
89m
Genre
Documentary, Animation
Stars
Amin Nawabi, Daniel Karimyar, Fardin Mijdzadeh
Directed by
Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Watch on Hulu
Flee is one of those movies that fully commands the power of documentary filmmaking to tell an unbelievable true story. With jaw-dropping animation as our visual medium of choice, director Jonas Poher Rasmussen unpacks the emotionally arresting past of one Amir Nawabi, a refugee from Afghanistan (operating under an alias) who recounts his experience of fleeing his native country close to two decades ago. Heartfelt, beautifully constructed, and filled with frame after frame of immersive imagery, Flee is an important bit of storytelling you don’t want to miss.

Apollo 11 (2019)

Apollo 11
88%
8.1/10
g
93m
Genre
Documentary, History
Stars
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins
Directed by
Todd Douglas Miller
Watch on Hulu
The idea behind Apollo 11 is engaging archival footage and audio recordings in a way that weaves and threads an inspiring narrative. Chronicling the 1969 Apollo mission, the documentary negates the traditional talking-head format in favor of cinéma vérité-style 70mm behind-the-scenes footage of the historical space mission and its primary crew — specifically Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and a host of mission engineers providing Earth support to the trio of astronauts. “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” is a phrase that is deeply engrained in the fabric of humanity, and this powerful documentary is a monolithic reminder of the many grand triumphs that man is capable of discovering.

Sundown (2022)

Sundown
70%
6.6/10
r
82m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios
Directed by
Michel Franco
Watch on Hulu
In Sundown, Tim Roth is Neil Bennet, the emotionally and financially domineering patriarch of a high-class family. Vacationing in Mexico with his sister Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her two children (Samuel Bottomley and Albertine Kotting McMillan), Alice receives distressing news about a death in the family. Planning to travel home, Neil makes up an excuse at the last second to stay in Acapulco, where he indulges in a series of cheap thrills in an effort to distance himself from his sister, the death, and anything else that could pester the quiet and miserly gentleman. A bleak drama, Sundown is propelled by the chameleon-like performance of Tim Roth at its center, portraying a man who has it all but would seemingly give it all up if it meant disappearing was a possibility.

Three Identical Strangers (2018)

Three Identical Strangers
81%
7.6/10
pg-13
97m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
David Kellman, Robert Shafran, Lawrence Wright
Directed by
Tim Wardle
Watch on Hulu
Joining the ranks of Hulu’s jaw-dropping documentaries, Three Identical Strangers traces the story of Edward Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafran, identical triplets who were separated at birth and reunited years later after a chance meeting in New York. After spending time together and learning about each other’s lives, the three brothers unravel a deep-seated mystery that changes everything they knew about each other, themselves, and the clinical details of their adoptive upbringings. This is a documentary that screeches into huge hairpin turns, forcing its viewers to question the nature of reality and what it means to have your life altered without your knowledge or consent. 

Death on the Nile (2022)

Death on the Nile
52%
6.3/10
pg-13
127m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer
Directed by
Kenneth Branagh
Watch on Hulu
Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded Death on the Nile is a sequel to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, and sees Branagh returning to the director’s chair and performing once again as one Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective that stumbles upon another grand murder-mystery. After boarding a river steamer in celebration of a couple’s nuptials, the glamorous trek becomes a nightmare when foul play is unearthed. Once more, Poirot must go to work to discover who amongst the aristocratic movers and shakers is the suspect of this new, horrific crime. A dazzling, powerhouse ensemble piece, Death on the Nile is propelled by the unbeatable talents of its sprawling cast, with Branagh being particularly excellent as the hard-nosed Poirot.

Fresh (2022)

Fresh
67%
6.7/10
r
114m
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Stars
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jonica T. Gibbs
Directed by
Mimi Cave
Watch on Hulu
Noa (Daisy-Edgar Jones) is sick of swiping through dating apps to find a true companion. Lucky for her, she seems to have run into the man of her dreams, Steve (Sebastian Stan) at the local grocery store. After quickly warming up to each other, Noa’s new suitor invites her on a weekend retreat. But it’s not long before the idyllic, romantic outing devolves into a horrific fight for survival. A brilliantly brutal riff on the horror-comedy, Fresh is a bombastic amalgamation of familiar genre tropes that we can’t get enough of.

Spencer (2021)

Spencer
76%
6.6/10
r
117m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Kristen Stewart, Jack Farthing, Sally Hawkins
Directed by
Pablo Larraín
Watch on Hulu
Spencer offers a fresh take on the introspective turmoils of Princess Diana, portrayed by the grounded and  arresting Kristen Stewart. With her marriage to Prince Charles in a tumultuous place, the two nobles have agreed to keep the peace through the Christmas season. But as the holiday festivities ensue, Diana’s inner demons begin to boil over, as she considers what life could be as an ex-communicate of the royal family. A moving character study with powerful performances and thoughtful storytelling at its core, Spencer does its due diligence in paying homage to the tragic Princess through a lens of harmonious self-discovery.

No Exit (2022)

No Exit
54%
6.1/10
r
96m
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Stars
Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez, Dennis Haysbert
Directed by
Damien Power
Watch on Hulu
When Darby (Havana Rose Liu) discovers her mother is in critical condition, she escapes from her rehabilitation center, hoping to return home to tend to her ailing parent. But when a powerful blizzard puts a monkey-wrench into Darby’s homecoming, she’s forced to take shelter at a highway rest-stop. There she meets a group of fellow travelers, all stranded by the storm. After wandering outside, Darby discovers something in a parked van that initiates a deadly game of cat-and-mouse between her and the rest stop’s other inhabitants. A taut thriller that treads familiar waters, No Exit moves forward, full-steam ahead, dropping one thrill after the other.

Deep Water (2022)

Deep Water
53%
5.4/10
r
116m
Genre
Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Grace Jenkins
Directed by
Adrian Lyne
Watch on Hulu
A Hulu original, Deep Water stars Ben Affleck and Mary Ana de Armas as Vic and Melinda Van Allen, a married couple that has entered an unsettling part of their relationship. As their love wanes, the troubled husband and wife engage in a tantalizing set of mind games with each other, a psychological battle that ropes in more casualties than just the wedded pair. Based on the 1957 Patricia Highsmith novel of the same name, Deep Water is a slow-burning thriller with blistering performances from both Affleck and de Armas. They’re cinematic waters that have certainly been trodden before, but director Adrian Lyne delivers a rich, if at times troubled, adaptation of Highsmith’s source material.

The Assistant (2020)

The Assistant
79%
6.3/10
r
88m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Julia Garner, Matthew Macfadyen, Makenzie Leigh
Directed by
Kitty Green
Watch on Hulu
The Assistant stars Ozark actress Julia Garner as Jane, the new hire at a laurel-touting production company. Serving as the assistant to a powerful executive, Jane’s day-to-day errands and responsibilities become increasingly strenuous as the young woman learns about the sinister underbelly of the production house. But will Jane end up taking action? A grim and realistic take on the significant #MeToo events of recent years, The Assistant is a searing drama led by an understated performance from Garner.

In the Earth (2021)

In the Earth
63%
5.2/10
r
107m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires
Directed by
Ben Wheatley
Watch on Hulu
After a deadly virus has ravaged much of the world, Martin Lowery (Joel Fry), a scientist, and Alma (Ellora Torchia), a park ranger, are tasked with transporting equipment through the woodlands to a research center. En route, Martin sustains a serious injury after he and Alma are attacked at their campsite. Taken in by a man named Zach (Reece Shearsmith), Martin and Alma are thankful for the rescue — until they realize the mysterious man may have an ulterior motive for rescuing them. A hallucinatory indie sci-fi from the talented mind of writer-director Ben Wheatley, In the Earth landed in cinemas mid-pandemic, making for a perfect cinematic allegory on the state of the world and how we contend with disease and the madness of humanity.

The Obituary of Tunde Johnson (2019)

The Obituary of Tunde Johnson
58%
5.6/10
r
104m
Genre
Drama, Thriller
Stars
Steven Silver, Spencer Neville, Nicola Peltz
Directed by
Ali LeRoi
Watch on Hulu
Blending cultural awareness with a sci-fi-laced narrative bedrock, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson follows the titular character (portrayed by Steven Silver), a gay Nigerian-American man. Out driving, Tunde is pulled over by a disgruntled police officer who pulls his weapon and ends Tunde’s life. Immediately after the trigger is pulled, Tunde awakens, finding himself trapped in a time loop with his inevitable death facing him repeatedly. Leaning on the big trope of such memorable hits as Groundhog DayThe Obituary of Tunde Johnson pushes the typical light footing of the time loop sub-genre aside in favor of a more character-driven approach, a feat more than accomplished by director Ali LeRoi and Steven Silver’s grounded approach to the lead role.

The Vigil (2020)

The Vigil
5.8/10
pg-13
88m
Genre
Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Stars
Dave Davis, Lynn Cohen, Menashe Lustig
Directed by
Keith Thomas
Watch on Hulu
In writer-director Keith Thomas’s The Vigil, Dave Davis stars as Yakov Ronen, a displaced Orthodox Jew residing in the Hasidic Borough Park area of New York. After accepting an offer from his former rabbi to be the overnight guardian of a deceased community member, a horrific entity begins haunting Yakov. Combining traditional Jewish folk influences and the glories of shoestring filmmaking, Thomas succeeds in building a dread-laden atmosphere with earnest performances, close-quarters cinematography, and clever storytelling.

Wander Darkly (2020)

Wander Darkly
66%
5.8/10
r
97m
Genre
Romance, Drama
Stars
Sienna Miller, Diego Luna, Beth Grant
Directed by
Tara Miele
Watch on Hulu
After a traumatic incident, Adrienna and Matteo (Sienna Miller and Diego Luna), a struggling young couple, are sent to the hospital. Confined to rehabilitative quarters, the once-happy pair are transported to an otherworldly realm of surreal memories. While each of them is forced to confront the hazy beginnings of their fizzling romance, their out-of-body paths will cross in bizarre and unexpected ways. Visually, Wander Darkly lives in an elevated plane of awareness, but the emotionally laden performances of both Miller and Luna help to anchor the film in a grounded and often relatable reality.

Another Round (2020)

Another Round
79%
7.8/10
117m
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Stars
Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe
Directed by
Thomas Vinterberg
Watch on Hulu
With an original Danish title of Druk (“binge drinking”), co-writer and director Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round follows a group of four high school teachers with a wild plan. Facing unenthused students, trouble at home, and other midlife hardships, the foursome agrees to test the theories of psychiatrist Finn Skårderud in the workplace. More specifically, the colleagues want to see if maintaining a constant blood-alcohol level of 0.5 will improve their creativity and overall mood. Truly more than another midlife boozer flick, Another Round sees Mads Mikkelsen in top form as Martin, the de facto onscreen leader who attempts to gain more out of his day-to-day through mild intoxication. It’s funny, at times dark, and tactfully hard-hitting.

Editors' Recommendations

Movie images and data from:
Blair Marnell

Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek Monthly, SYFY Wire, Superhero Hype, Collider, DC Universe, and the official sites for Star Trek and Marvel. He also lends his pop culture expertise to Digital Trends on a variety of TV, movie, and streaming features.

Michael Bizzaco

Michael Bizzaco has been writing about and working with consumer tech for well over a decade, writing about everything from A/V components and smart home devices to encryption software, cloud backup platforms, search engine tools, and more. He has written for Digital Trends for over three years, covering entertainment content, A/V, and smart home devices.

The best shows on Netflix in August 2023
Two young men staring lovingly at one another looking at a pamphlet abbot Paris in a scene from Heartstopper.

It's always a good sign when Netflix decides to start the month on a strong note. That means romance fans can spend the first weekend of August watching the new season of Heartstopper, while legal eagles can check out the intrigue on The Lincoln Lawyer as the second part of season 2 makes its premiere. And if you need more action, you could always revisit the new episodes of The Witcher that dropped last week.

Netflix seems to pride itself on always having something new to watch. And the selection is almost always impressive. It does become challenging to keep up with the latest additions. But that's why we're here with our weekly update of the best shows on Netflix.

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Jackie Chan and John Cena in Hidden Strike.

Love is in the air at Netflix. Well, love and high explosives. After all, Netflix does have to cater to many different viewers to maintain its status as the top streaming service. So for the first weekend of August, that's why the top two selections are an action film, Hidden Strike, and a romantic comedy called Happiness for Beginners. And that's just the beginning of what Netflix has to offer.

Take a moment to consider how lucky we are that there's still something new to watch on Netflix every week. It may not always be that way if the writers and actors strikes keep going for months without end. For now, we're here to help you plan your next movie night. That's why we've updated our list of the best movies on Netflix right now.

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The best free movies on YouTube right now (August 2023)
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Streaming services aren't nearly as budget-friendly as they used to be, but there is a hidden internet secret for those who seek free movies. YouTube isn't just for short-form content; it has an extensive collection of ad-supported free movies and TV shows available to all users.
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