August 2023’s Best Streaming Titles: Amadeus, Ahsoka, Ong Bak, The Naked Gun, Paddington
Mozart vs. Salieri, Star Wars, Thai martial arts mayhem, Frank Drebin, marmalade, and more.
As Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, et al. add more content, it can be difficult to know what to look for amidst all of the new titles. I’ve compiled a list of particularly noteworthy and interesting movies and TV shows to add to your streaming queues in the coming month.
Amazon Prime Video
Amadeus (Aug 1)
The devout Salieri has dedicated his life to becoming a great composer, only to be upstaged by the young and rebellious Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — who immediately becomes his great rival. Based on Peter Shaffer’s play, Amadeus may play fast and loose with the historical facts of Mozart’s life, but it also delivers a fascinating story about art, faith, and artistic struggles. Since its release 1984, when it received numerous accolades and awards (including “Best Picture” and “Best Director” at the Oscars), Amadeus has come to be recognized as one of the greatest movies of all time.
Galaxy Quest (Aug 1)
The premise — actors from a classic sci-fi TV series are kidnapped by aliens who believe the show to be real — makes it sound like Galaxy Quest does nothing but poke fun at all things Star Trek. Which it does, and brilliantly so, but its jokes are coming from a place of love. As a result, it’s the best kind of parody, one that recognizes the inherent silliness of Star Trek while also capturing what makes Star Trek so great in the first place. By Grabthar’s hammer, indeed.
The Goonies (Aug 1)
Directed by Richard Donner and produced by Steven Spielberg, The Goonies is about as good as a classic kids adventure film can get. When a group of social misfits on the verge of being kicked out of their homes discover a pirate treasure map, they see it as the perfect solution to their problems — if they can survive the elaborate booby traps and vicious criminals on their tail.