What’s New to Stream on Netflix for August 2023

Crossing the Streams is our series of guides looking at all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month. This time we’re checking out what’s new to streaming on Netflix in August 2023, including Killer Book Club, an entertaining reboot of The River Wild, and more!

Netflix Pick of the Month for August 2023

Look, I’ll be honest. My success rate when it comes to making Netflix Original films my pick of the month sight unseen has been pretty damn low. I’m an optimist, though, and I refuse to let that deter me when a movie looks worthwhile. Which brings us to August’s pick of the month, Killer Book Club (2023). It’s a new Spanish horror/thriller about a group of horror story fans who start getting picked off one by one by a killer clown. There’s a lot here to pique my interest, from horror lovers to homicidal clowns, so while I don’t recognize any of the filmmaking talent I’m still hopeful that this tight, eighty-nine minute thriller might just bring the crazy clown goods.

New Netflix Originals and More

Curtis Hanson’s The River Wild remains one of the mid 90s more well-crafted adventure/thrillers, and it’s far from a film you’d think was in need of a remake. That’s never stopped Universal 1440 Entertainment, though, but while most of their direct to video revisits are mediocre at best, River Wild (2023) is actually pretty darn entertaining. Leighton Meester steps into Meryl Streep’s very big shoes while Adam Brody plays the sociopath previously brought to life by Kevin Bacon. It’s not a direct remake and instead finds its own story, but the core concept remains as a bad guy ruins a rafting trip resulting in a very mean little thriller.

New films from Poland don’t always reach these shores, but those odds are now increasing thanks to Netflix’s global reach. Soulcatcher (2023) is a new Polish thriller blending sci-fi thrills and action with its tale of a weapon capable of turning people into psychotic killers. A military man sets out to steal it after his own family falls victim, and action beats and murder follow. Director Daniel Markowicz’s fifth film in four years, Soulcatcher looks to be a visually exciting and engaging time.

Zombies are one of the more ubiquitous of movie monsters in part because they’re cheap and easy to produce. Cake on a little makeup, and Bob’s your uncle. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023) is a new feature from Japan, and it looks to be a mix of fast zombie action, dark humor, and thrills. The film is an adaptation of a popular manga and anime, and director Yûsuke Ishida is making his feature debut with it. Zom-coms can be a difficult subgenre to balance right, but here’s hoping Ishida and friends nail the blend.

A “Friendly” Double Feature

Sometimes competing movie studios release a pair of films close together that are conspicuously similar. Think 1998’s Deep Impact and Armageddon as a big, bombastic example. 2011 saw just that occur with the release of No Strings Attached in January and the premiere of Friends With Benefits just six months later. Both movies are about a young, attractive couple who decide to hang out and bang with the complication of emotional feelings — surprise, they end up falling for each other anyway. What makes this especially fascinating are two things. First, Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman star in the former while Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake star in the second. Kutcher and Kunis are a couple! Is that where the script concept leaked?! And second, each film tapped out at the worldwide box office with $149 million each. That’s a wild coincidence implying the same exact people went to see each film.

The Oldest New Arrival to Netflix for August 2023

Netflix is deserving of numerous criticisms, and the streamer’s lack of older titles is somewhere near the top. It’s a site built on new content and relatively recent movies, but a few older titles — pre 90s — occasionally sneak through. Steve Martin may be best known for 1991’s L.A. Story, but his filmography features a few more bangers over the years. Carl Reiner’s The Jerk (1979) was a monster hit on its $5 million budget and sees Martin playing a country bumpkin who accidentally makes it big in the city. He’s joined by M. Emmet Walsh, Reiner himself, and a terrific Bernadette Peters, and the comedy remains bold, broad, and hilarious more than thirty years later. Martin commits to the character while finding fun and heart along the way, and for those lamenting the dearth of studio comedies these days it’s a very funny time.

The Complete Netflix List for July 2023

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