August 2025’s Best Streaming Titles: King of the Hill, Alien: Earth, Wednesday, Blazing Saddles, Wayne’s World

NBC’s classic comedy stars Tina Fey as the head writer of a sketch comedy show who tries to balance her professional and personal lives with varying degrees of success — which isn’t easy when dealing with temperamental stars, a motley crew of writers, and pressures from her new boss, played by Alec Baldwin. As surreal as it is satirical, 30 Rock is widely considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, and has received numerous accolades for its writing and performances.

What is best in life? Well, as Conan taught us once so well, it is “to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!” In this classic sword-and-sorcery film, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays one of his signature roles, the titular barbarian who must take on an evil cult to avenge his family’s death.

If you’re my age, then Miami Vice brings to mind pastel jackets, sports cars and speedboats, and big hair. But for his 2006 big screen adaptation, director Michael Mann went for a grittier, rawer feel — and it worked pretty well. A lot of that had to do with some great casting, especially Luis Tosar as a drug kingpin and Gong Li as his paramour. But Mann’s striking use of digital photography also played a big role, giving the film a very immediate and distinctive look.

I was a college freshman when Pulp Fiction arrived in theaters, and it was everywhere. Tarantino’s twisty, twisted morality play about hitmen, gangsters, drug addicts, boxers, and a mysterious briefcase blew everyone away with its snappy dialog, retro aesthetic, and celebrated performances (including John Travolta in a career-resurrecting performance). The diner conversation between Jules and Vincent is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time (read my review).

Daniel Dae Kim stars in this adaptation of Arash Amel’s graphic novel series about a former US intelligence agent who must face a horrible secret from his past while staying one step ahead of the sociopath sent to kill him. I’m always a sucker for a spy series, and this one looks pretty entertaining. As an added bonus, it features some of South Korea’s biggest stars, including Park Hae-soo (Squid Game) and Kim Tae-hee (Iris).

Our family enjoyed the first season of Limitless back in 2022, which featured Chris Hemsworth (aka, the MCU’s Thor) taking on various feats in a bid to improve and extend his life. This second season finds the actor tackling three new challenges: learning to play drums for an Ed Sheeran concert, climbing a frozen 600-foot wall in the Swiss Alps, and undergoing some brutal training with the South Korean Special Forces.

Over the course of four episodes, this original animated series follows the adventures of Wakanda’s elite fighting group — the Hatut Zaraze — throughout history as they travel the world in search of stolen vibranium artifacts. The series’ visual style is influenced by contemporary African-American artists and features a soundtrack by Egyptian composer Hesham Nazih, who previously composed the soundtrack for Moon Knight.

Emily Watson and Willem Dafoe star in this fantasy film about a young Carpathian girl who’s been raised in fear of a mythical creature called the ochi. But her beliefs are challenged when she encounters a young ochi and resolves to take him home. Released by A24 and directed by Isaiah Saxon, The Legend of Ochi has drawn comparisons to classic fantasy films like The Neverending Story and The Dark Crystal.

When aliens arrive in Johannesburg, they’re forced to live in a rundown area called District 9 where they’re subjected to horrific living conditions. But when a mid-level bureaucrat gets mixed up in the unrest, he finds himself seeing the aliens in a new way. With its exploration of heavy themes like racism and apartheid, as well as its stunning visuals and action, District 9 has been called one of the best sci-fi movies of the 2000s.

Steve Martin and Diane Keaton star in this 1991 comedy about a father who discovers that his daughter is engaged, only he’s not quite ready to let her go. What ensues is a comedy of errors as Martin’s pride, ego, and fears land him in all manner of embarrassing and difficult situations, from a flamboyant and over-eager wedding coordinator (Martin Short) to a too-small tuxedo and a kerfuffle over hot dog buns.

With its absurd, humanist humor, Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a beloved cult classic that resists easy adaptation. But director Garth Jennings certainly gave it his best shot. His adaptation doesn’t fully work, but it’s still an enjoyably silly romp, hitting the novel’s major highlights with clever special effects. It doesn’t hurt that the movie boasts an awesome cast, including Martin Freeman as the hapless Arthur Dent, Sam Rockwell as galactic president Zaphod Beeblebrox, and best of all, Alan Rickman as voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android.

In this madcap adventure from the Coen Brothers, a small-time thief and police officer get married and set out to start a family. But when their efforts prove unfruitful, they opt for the next best thing: stealing a baby from a wealthy family. What follows is a zany comedy of errors involving hapless bank robbers and a bounty hunter from hell. But beneath the hijinks — which include one of the best car chase scenes in cinema history — lies a heartfelt and surprisingly moving film about love and family.

I know I seemed a bit harsh on J. J. Abrams in my review of The Rise of Skywalker, but if you want an example of where his nostalgia-driven approach to filmmaking does work, then check out Super 8. An obvious love letter to classic Spielberg films — it was even produced by Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment — Super 8 is nevertheless a fun sci-fi action romp as a group of teenage filmmakers find themselves caught between an alien life form and the military trying to capture it.

After 15 years, Hank and Peggy Hill are returning to Arlen, Texas to retire and reconnect with their son Bobby and all of their old friends. But are they ready for a changed Arlen? And is a changed Arlen ready for them? Mike Judge’s much-beloved animated series returns after a long hiatus, and a lot has happened for Hank to get confused, befuddled, and confounded over.

A western movie starring Jackie Chan could’ve gone wrong in all kinds of ways. But thanks to his chemistry with co-star Owen Wilson, this buddy action comedy is quite the enjoyable ride, as Chan plays a Chinese imperial guard who travels to the United States to help retrieve a princess after she’s kidnapped by a traitor. Not surprisingly, there’s plenty of culture clash comedy in Shanghai Noon, but when mixed with Chan’s inimitable stunt work and choreography, it makes for a fun little romp.

Two years before the events of Ridley Scott’s Alien, the deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, a young woman (who’s something other than human) and a group of soldiers make a disturbing discovery about the ship’s cargo — a discovery that could threaten the entire world. I wonder what it could be… Alien: Earth comes from the mind of Noah Hawley, who also created Fargo and Legion for FX.

In this coming-of-age classic by Richard Linklater, a group of high school students celebrate the last day of school by hazing the incoming freshmen, smoking pot, and hanging out. The film, with its meandering storyline and star-studded cast (e.g., Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Renée Zellweger), has become a cult classic since its 1993 release. Alright, alright, alright indeed…

In this surprisingly existential comedy, Bill Murray plays an arrogant weatherman who finds himself reliving the same day over and over again in picturesque Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania — and forced to confront who he is as a person. This is one of the classic Bill Murray movies, and was even added to the National Film Registry in 2006.

Scientists figure out a way to clone extinct dinosaurs, and the first thing they do? Why, create an amusement park on a remote island, of course. What can go wrong? Plenty, as it turns out, and it’s up to some paleontologists and Jeff Goldblum’s chaos mathematician to find a way to survive when life, uh, finds a way. Jurassic Park is a summer blockbuster in the best way possible.

On paper, the combination of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker seems terrible, or at the very least, terribly annoying. But in Rush Hour, the two became a surprisingly effective comedic duo as they race to save the kidnapped daughter of a Chinese dignitary with a combination of fast talking and martial arts mayhem.

Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) returns to the haunted halls of Nevermore Academy, where she encounters a brand new mystery while navigating friendships and rivalries. Most of the first season’s cast is back, alongside a new bevy of new faces, including Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper, Christopher Lloyd, Thandiwe Newton, Haley Joel Osment, and Lady Gaga herself.

Mel Brook’s satire of the Western film is a comedy classic — though its treatment of racism (and flatulence) may be jarring for modern audiences. When a new sheriff rides into the small town of Rock Ridge, its citizens are shocked to learn that he’s Black. However, he may just be their best hope when a greedy lawyer wants to destroy their town to make way for a new railroad.

In this harrowing neo-noir, the city of Boston is galvanized when a young girl is abducted. At the center of it is small-time private investigator Patrick Kenzie, whose quest to find the girl takes him from the city’s seediest neighborhoods to its loftiest halls of power. With its taut pacing, ominous atmosphere, and solid performances from Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, and Amy Ryan (who received an Oscar nomination for her performance as the young girl’s unstable mom), you’d never tell that Gone Baby Gone was Ben Affleck’s directorial debut.

Starring Wesley Snipes, Chris Rock, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, and Judd Nelson, New Jack City chronicles the rise of a vicious drug gang and the detectives determined to take them down. Upon its release in 1991, the film was a critical and commercial success and had a massive influence on the hip-hop and R&B scenes. The soundtrack, which featured songs by Ice-T, Keith Sweat, Color Me Badd, and 2 Live Crew, dominated the Billboard charts and quickly went Platinum, selling over a million copies.

Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) lives in a lovely little town, he has a lovely wife, and his life seems perfect and idyllic in every way. But unbeknownst to Truman, he’s actually the star of the world’s most popular reality TV show, and has been ever since birth. But a series of events soon arouse Truman’s suspicions that his world isn’t all that he thought it was, and he begins rebelling against his existence even as the show’s producers try to rein him in (read my review).

1996’s Bottle Rocket may have been Wes Anderson’s first film, but even then, his aesthetic was pretty well-established in this story about a group of hapless would-be thieves whose plans all go awry. Bottle Rocket was also the acting debut for Luke and Owen Wilson, who would become regular members of Anderson’s retinue.

One of the great buddy cop movies. No, scratch that… Lethal Weapon is the buddy cop movie. Written by Shane Black and directed by Richard Donner, this movie has it all: a by-the-books officer close to retirement, his new partner (who happens to be unhinged), a crazy conspiracy that pushes them to the edge of the law and beyond. Basically, it created the template for all buddy cop movies to follow… and it’s still the best one ever.

As the titular private detective, Richard Roundtree just oozes cool and swagger as he takes on Italian mobsters who’ve kidnapped a rival’s daughter. Undoubtedly the most famous blaxploitation film of all time, Shaft had a huge cultural influence, especially among Black audiences. And of course, one can’t talk about Shaft without mentioning Isaac Hayes’ Grammy-winning soundtrack, which includes “Theme from Shaft,” one of the most iconic movie themes of all time. I can dig it. Can you?

Written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan — of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Empire Strikes Back fame — Silverado is a rollicking western that takes some classic genre tropes and breathes new life into them. Namely, an unlikely group gunfighters and cowboys must join forces to prevent a wealthy cattle baron from taking over all of the surrounding land. Silverado stars Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, John Cleese, and Jeff Goldblum.

Arguably the best Saturday Night Live-inspired film, Wayne’s World follows the adventures of Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) as they bring to their public access TV show to the big time. It’s basically an opportunity for Myers and Carvey to do their schtick, but what a schtick it is. Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth. Sha-wing!