The days are long, the sun is hot, and sitting in an air conditioned room to watch something on streaming is more inviting than ever. That said, these titles are only available for a limited time, so be sure to catch them before they melt away.
What’s leaving Netflix
Dunkirk
If Oppenheimer has left you hungry for Christopher Nolan movies and/or historical dramas, then be sure to catch Dunkirk. The film takes place at a pivotal moment in World War II, when hundreds of thousands of Allied troops successfully evacuated the shores of Dunkirk, France and escaped a deadly German offensive. With overlapping timelines, a sprawling ensemble and inventive visuals galore, it’s a quintessential Nolan film—and one of his best. You can catch Cillian Murphy as the purposefully unnamed “Shivering Soldier,” or Mark Rylance as a fearless civilian sailor, or Tom Hardy as a skillful pilot willing to risk it all. Dunkirk streams through Saturday, August 12th.
The Water Man
Actor David Oyelowo made his directing debut with this fascinating fairy tale on youth and grief. The Water Man centers on a young boy with a love of detective stories and a wariness towards the small town he and his family have just moved to. He’s also grappling with his mother’s (Rosario Dawson) leukemia diagnosis, so he latches onto the local legend about a ghostly being who may be able to grant immortality. The boy ventures into the wilderness alongside a fellow young outcast, in the hopes of finding this mysterious being and an adventure worth reading. The Water Man streams until Saturday, August 26th.
What’s leaving Hulu
She’s the Man
Does the World Cup have you in the mood for women’s soccer and female empowerment? Then She’s the Man makes for the perfect watch. Amanda Bynes stars as Viola, a high schooler with a real passion and talent for soccer, but her sports dreams get shattered when her school cuts the girls soccer team. So, in a Shakespearean fit of identity swapping (the movie is one of those late ‘90s, ‘00s contemporary adaptations a la 10 Things I Hate About You), she steps into the shoes of her twin brother to join his school and dominate his soccer team. She’s the Man streams through Friday, August 11th.
Jurassic Park
Believe it or not, this summer marks 30 years of the Jurassic Park movies. Steven Spielberg’s revolutionary blockbuster brought dinosaurs back to life on the big screen thanks to an ingenious combination of animatronics and CGI, and Jurassic Park remains just as thrilling all these years later. Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum star as a trio of scientists invited to experience the well-funded park’s breakthrough: the cloning of dinosaurs. Of course, hubris trumps scientific achievement, and the dinos go rogue—to put it mildly. Jurassic Park (and its sequels) stream until the end of the month.
What’s leaving Max
Norma Rae
In the midst of the historic SAG and WGA strikes, perhaps it’s a fine time to return to a lauded film that puts labor at its forefront. Norma Rae stars Sally Field (in an Oscar-winning role) as its title character, a woman whose family and community is largely dependent on a cotton mill that holds little respect for its workers and their rights. The movie is an inspiring story about a woman who learns what she’s capable of not as a worker but as a leader, and Norma Rae Wilson’s journey rings true to what we’re seeing today. Norma Rae streams until the end of the month.
Over the Garden Wall
Over the Garden Wall is a sweet and spooky animated miniseries that has been a cult favorite since its premiere in 2014. The show follows two half-brothers, Wirt and Greg, as they trek through a strange forest only known as the Unknown. With little hope of getting out on their own, they must follow the lead of woodland creatures of varying trustworthiness, all of whom have their own ulterior motives. Max hasn’t exactly been kind to its animated fare, which makes this one all the more worth watching. Over the Garden Wall streams until the end of the month.
What’s leaving Peacock
Do the Right Thing
As we swelter in the dog days of summer, Do the Right Thing stands out as an enduring story that combines the brutal heat of the season with the simmering tension of race relations in New York. Spike Lee’s classic film stars the auteur as Mookie, a pizza delivery man in Bed-Stuy who shares a child with his girlfriend (Rosie Perez). The neighborhood is primarily Black, which is a point of contention for the Italian family that owns the pizzeria (Danny Aiello, John Turturro). Ultimately, the conflict spills out into the streets and leaves the neighborhood shaken. Do the Right Thing streams until the end of the month.
What to Watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
