August is a pretty boring month for TV, generally. Summer is practically over, school is going back into session, and nothing good comes on until the fall. In fact, the only thing we can think of that might keep things interesting in August is the McGregor-Mayweather fight. That is, unless you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber. Amazon Prime has invested a lot of money into its growing catalog of streamable movies and shows, as well as its original content, and it shows. August is going to be a decent month for subscribers, with the debut of some long-awaited and highly anticipated original content, and the addition of a few excellent classics. Enjoy!
Wayne’s World 2
Available Now
Wayne’s World is one of the few franchises that doesn’t disappoint. In Wayne’s World 2, Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) have the brilliant idea to put on a rock and roll concert—aptly titled “Waynestock”—with Aerosmith as its headliners. The only problem is that nobody buys into it, they can’t sell enough tickets, and bands won’t sign on to play it. While all this is happening, Garth gets roped into killing a beautiful woman’s ex-husband, Wayne hangs out with a weird naked Indian guy (and meets Jim Morrison’s ghost in the desert), and Cassandra, Wayne’s love interest, gets a new producer who tries to take her away. But in the end, everything works out the way it should—Thelma & Louise style (only not really).
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure/Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
Available Now
Both of the Bill & Ted movies make their way to Amazon this month, which makes us more excited than it probably should. Released in what many would call the Golden Era of “Buddy Films” and Back To The Future-era plot lines, both films star Keanu Reeves as Ted “Theodore” Logan and Alex Winter as Bill S. Preston, Esq. In Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill & Ted are given the help and guidance from future rock and rollers to complete their high school history presentation and stop them from flunking out of school—which means keeping Ted out of military school, keeping their band Wyld Stallyns together, and fulfilling their destiny as some of rock and rolls most legendary and influential characters. In Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Bill & Ted are killed by their evil robot counterparts and must compete with the Grim Reaper himself to gain their lives back, defeat the evil robots, and save the world.
Yeah. They’re awesome.
Bad Boys
Available Now
The Bad Boys title comes in a few incarnations, but this version is for the 1983 classic starring Sean Penn, Reni Santoni, Jim Moody, and Esai Morales. Penn plays the roll of Mick, a 16-year-old street-tough who gets sent away for killing an 8-year-old kid in a robbery gone wrong. His life of crime catches up with him when the brother of the kid he killed—and the person he was trying to rob—ends up in the same cell block as him. The film is a little on the cheesy side, but what ‘80s crime thriller isn’t? It’s definitely worth the watch.
Saw I–V
Available Now
The Saw franchise is one of the most commercially successful horror movie series to date, and movies one through five make their way to Amazon streaming in August—just in time to get you warmed up for the Halloween season. Follow Jigsaw and his disciples as they torture and torment people with their “games.” If you’re into brutal gore and anxiety-inducing simulated torture, you’ll love the series—especially the first one.
Valkyrie
Aug. 2
Valkyrie is one of those historical films that constantly has viewers on the edge of their seats—a rarity in a genre that’s usually convoluted by a director’s desire to get the story right. It stars Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg, one of the key architects in the very real 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler. The film received high marks for its historical accuracy and portrayal of the real-world events that unfolded before, during, and after the attempt, and Cruise’s acting is spot on. While it only received a 62% from Rotten Tomatoes, it’s worth having a watch if you’re a history nerd like us.
Comrade Detective Season 1
Aug. 4
It may not look like much on the surface, but Comrade Detective is a huge deal for Amazon’s content studios. It’s a spendy Cold War-era detective spoof that stars a bunch of not-famous people being over-dubbed by some pretty famous people, and it’s absolutely hysterical. It has that ‘80s cop thriller feel to it—complete with explosions, bad electronic music, and dramatic plot twists—with the added bonus of terrible voiceovers from Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and none other than Nick Offerman—yes, the Nick Offerman. We’re excited.
The Tick Season 1
Aug. 25
Amazon teased us with the pilot episode for The Tick last August, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting the rest of the season since. Well, the time has come. The Tick Season 1 debuts in August, and stars Peter Serafinowicz as The Tick and Griffin Newman as Arthur. The Tick is a generally goofier brand of superhero, and based on the trailer, we’re excited to see what they’re going to do with it.
