The best movies new to streaming on Netflix, Max, Prime Video, and Hulu (August 2023)

05.08.2023 - 13:31 / polygon.com / Christopher Nolan / Samuel L.Jackson / Vin Diesel / New / Best

Greetings, Polygon readers!

August is finally here, which means the fall season of new movies and television is just starting to ramp up. Before we can partake in all the wonderful new releases this month has in store for us, let’s run through our monthly roundup of the best movies arriving on streaming.

Our roundup includes Miloš Forman’s masterful period biopic Amadeus (which was a heavy influence on Christopher Nolan’s own blockbuster biopic, Oppenheimer), Robert Aldrich’s classic war drama The Dirty Dozen, and Jim Jarmusch’s fantasy vampire romance Only Lovers Left Alive. Plus, the first five Fast and Furious movies are available to stream on Netflix!

Let’s dive in and see what this month has in store.

Year: 1988Genre: ComedyRun time: 1h 56mDirector: John LandisCast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones

Eddie Murphy stars as Akeem Joffer, the crown prince of the fictional African country of Zamunda who, tired of his mother and father’s meddling in his love life, journeys to New York with his personal aide Semmi (Arsenio Hall) to search for a wife. Directed by John Landis and based on a story by Murphy, Coming to America is packed with endlessly quotable performances by Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, Louie Anderson, John Amos, and Murphy and Arsenio in multiple roles. The movie is an absolute riot front to back and an enduring classic for good reason: It’s one of Murphy’s finest and funniest films. —Toussaint Egan

Coming to America is streaming on Netflix .

Year: 2001 (The Fast and the Furious); 2003 (2 Fast 2 Furious); 2006 (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift); 2009 (Fast & Furious); 2011 (Fast Five)Genre: Family actionRun time: 1h 46m (The Fast and the Furious); 1h 47m (2 Fast 2 Furious); 1h 44m (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift); 1h 47m (Fast & Furious); 2h 10m (Fast Five)Director: Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious); John Singleton (2 Fast 2 Furious); Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,Fast & Furious,Fast Five)Cast: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris

Forget a quarter mile at a time: The Fast and Furious franchise is coming to Netflix nearly all at once. The first five movies in the franchise are now on Netflix, just in time for you to do a whole franchise rewatch with the recent release of Fast X.

We have a few different Fast and Furious watch orders for you if you embark on that particular journey, complete with a surprise addition — the origin of Sung Kang’s Han, first found in Justin Lin’s coming-of-age classic Better Luck Tomorrow.

That one’s not on Netflix, but The Fast and The Furious through Fast Five are. That means arguably the two best movies in the franchise — Tokyo Drift and Fast Five,