July 2025’s Best Streaming Titles: Foundation, Community, Sinners, Sandman, Pulp Fiction
Space opera, Greendale hijinks, Michael B. Jordan, the Lord of Dreams, Jules and Vincent, 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
Fiddler on the Roof (Jul 1)
Based on the Tony-winning play, and directed by Norman Jewison, Fiddler on the Roof follows the trials and tribulations of a Jewish family in Tsarist Russia. Village milkman Tevye (played with gusto by Topol) is doing his best to provide for his family, but he faces constant challenges in the form of rising pogroms and the Russian government’s interference. Meanwhile, his five daughters are challenging his precious traditions. Fiddler on the Roof has since come to be regarded as one of the finest movie musicals of all time, filled with heart, humor, and pathos.
Gladiator (Jul 1)
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator was one of 2000’s biggest and most successful films, thanks to an epic plot, incredibly special effects, and thrilling action sequences. Russell Crowe stars as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a disgraced Roman general who is enslaved and forced to compete in Rome’s brutal gladiatorial exhibitions. Gladiator also stars Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed (in his final film appearance), Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris, and Joaquin Phoenix as the corrupt Roman emperor.
Hidden Figures (Jul 1)
Based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s book, Hidden Figures tells the true story of three female African-American mathematicians and their previously unsung work at NASA during the height of the “Space Race.” This inspirational film stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, and Kevin Costner.
Mad Max (Jul 1)
In the near future, Australia is a wasteland filled with roving motorcycle gangs. Law and order is maintained by the highway patrol, but just barely. Max Rockatansky is the patrol’s top officer, but when his family’s threatened by one of the gangs, he tosses aside the law for a rampage of revenge. Filmed in 1979 for a few hundred thousand dollars, Mad Max held the Guinness record for the world’s most profitable film — and helped reinvigorate Australia’s film industry. More importantly, though, it launched one of the most action-packed film franchises of all time.
The Usual Suspects (Jul 1)
Even after you know the big twist, The Usual Suspects is still a fun noir film to watch due to powerhouse performances from Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, and of course, Kevin Spacey. But if you don’t know the big twist, then you’re in for a treat. And once you’ve seen the twist, you’re going to want to rewatch it, just to see how the film put everything together leading up to that sublime “A ha!” moment.
Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War (Jul 23)
The first season of Shiny Happy People explored the Duggar family, which became popular as a result of the 19 Kids and Counting reality TV series, and their ties to a fundamentalist Christian organization (read my review). The upcoming season explores the Evangelical teen pop culture of the ’90s, and in particular, the Teen Mania youth ministry. Having been a ’90s youth group kid myself, this is absolute catnip for me, and I suspect that the new season will evoke equal parts nostalgia and cringe.