Streaming highlights in August: the movies and series you need to see

Luca Fontana

1.8.2023

Translation: Veronica Bielawski

New month, new streaming recommendations. Here’s what you can stream on Netflix, Disney+ or Apple TV+ this August.

Hell is where the English cook, the Italians direct traffic, and the Swiss are in charge of TV entertainment... or giving you series and movie tips for August. Did I forget anything? Set me straight in the comments!

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (miniseries)

Akira Tendo can’t take it anymore. He’s been working for an exploitative company that feels like literal hell for three years. Day after day, he works himself to death, under constant harassment from his boss. Akira has long since run out of strength. His spirit is broken. Then, the world is hit by a zombie apocalypse – a stroke of luck for Akira, as he no longer has to go to work. In a burst of inspiration, he creates a bucket list: 100 things I want to do before I become a zombie.

I’ve read the volumes that have been published so far of the manga. Great stuff. It’s an absurd mix of horror, comedy and drama, with a pinch of social criticism. The author of the manga is no no-name – it’s Haro Aso, known for the manga Alice in Borderland. There’s even a very successful Netflix adaptation of it. So, I’m optimistic about Zom 100. And if the live-action adaptation is lousy, I’ll simply switch to the recent anime adaptation. It’s available on Crunchyroll. Early reviews say it’s terrific. I’m glad the manga is getting the recognition it deserves.

Starts: 3 August
Where: Netflix

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (movie)

Just when my faith in Marvel had hit a new low, director James Gunn delivered one of the best Marvel movies ever with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Not necessarily in the «hottest movie of the year, I’ll be watching it at least five times at the cinema» kind of way (I’ve only seen it twice). It’s more so that Gunn has found not only a worthy, but also an unexpectedly emotional conclusion to the otherwise upbeat Guardians trilogy.

Gunn, in fact, gave his work a gravitas that Marvel seemed to have long since lost; a unique blend of action, humour and depth, in which he formed an unusual but all the more endearing band of heroes from a motley collection of screwed-up characters. Paired with the movie’s dark tone that's pulled through so consistently, I had to swallow hard more than once in the cinema. In a Marvel movie! Where normally every even remotely emotional scene is punctuated with humour. I mean, God forbid we feel something!

Long story short, if you haven’t seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 yet, go watch it. Stat!

Starts: 3 August
Where: Disney+

Only Murders in the Building (miniseries, Season 3)

I’ll admit it: until now, I’d successfully avoided Only Murders in the Building. I figured it wasn’t my cup of tea. Maybe I was a tad too hasty in my judgement. The ratings of this true-crime persiflage are terrific across the board. And if Disney’s subsidiary Hulu is producing an entire third season, it can’t be that bad. Especially taking into account how fast-paced the streaming world is, where sometimes even the best series are cancelled after just one season because they didn’t immediately trigger a huge hype.

So, what’ this series about? The story centres around the trio of actors Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short. Their characters have extremely different backgrounds and life experiences, but they share a common obsession: true crime. When there’s a murder in their building one day, the three develop an obsession with the case and decide to produce their own podcast about it, titled Only Murders in the Building. As they investigate the case, they not only discover secrets about the victim, but also about the other tenants.

That really doesn’t sound bad. Maybe I’ll finally give the series a chance. Season 3 is no longer set in the trio’s apartment building, but in the theatre. The victim is the main character of the play, played by Paul Rudd. Among the suspects is Meryl Streep. Only Murders in the Building evidently isn’t lacking in star power.

Starts: 8 August
Where: Disney+ (Star)

Painkiller (miniseries)

Full disclosure: I’m not entirely sure about this tip. Painkiller is about the beginning of the opioid crisis that first rocked America in the mid-1990s and still has a stranglehold on the country today.

It all seemed harmless when the pharmaceutical company Purdue claimed that its new miracle painkiller, OxyContin, was safe and hardly addictive. As it would turn out, it was anything but that. Encouraged by Purdue’s aggressive marketing campaigns, physicians started prescribing even more OxyContin at even higher doses. It took years to realise this had, in fact, condemned millions of people to death. The opioid crisis has since long been considered an epidemic. Twenty years later, there’s still no end in sight.

So, why my hesitation to hype this miniseries? Because there’s already an almost flawless series adaptation of the opioid epidemic – Dopesick. It’s frankly one of the best, most touching series I’ve ever watched. How is Painkiller supposed to compete with that? But here’s the thing: Eric Newman is one of the producers on this Netflix adaptation. He’s the man behind Narcos and Narcos: Mexico. With that, I want to give the Netflix version a chance.

Starts: 10 August
Where: Netflix

The Bear: King of the Kitchen (miniseries, Season 2)

Heard of The Bear? If not, give this insider tip a go. It’s the kind of series you only watch because someone recommended it. And I recommend it. It’s no willy-nilly urging; this month, Season 2 will finally launch in Europe.

What’s it all about? The series revolves around Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), a young but talented chef who’s been top dog in some of the world’s best kitchens. When his brother dies unexpectedly, he inherits his run-down sandwich shop – debt and problems and all. To everyone’s surprise, Carmy leaves the prestigious realm of upscale cuisine behind. Although they hadn’t had a good relationship for years, Carmy really did love his brother. They’d once dreamed of running a restaurant called The Bear together. Now, turning their plans into reality may be Carmy’s only chance to heal the gaping wound left by his brother’s untimely death.

The Bear is incredible. The story gets to you like a knife cutting through warm butter (no pun intended). The characters are terrifically written and cast. And the chaos of a professional kitchen is portrayed so well that I needed a short break after each episode – that’s how real and intense it feels. I tip my hat!

Starts: 16 August
Where: Disney+

Star Wars: Ahsoka (miniseries)

I was actually counting on interviewing leading actress Rosario Dawson. Unfortunately, that fell through because of the actors’ strike in Hollywood. The strike doesn’t just mean a halt to filming. It also puts a stop to promotional events meant to market films and series that have already been shot. But that hasn’t detracted from the hype. At least not in my eyes. Just recently, I analysed the trailer above scene by scene.

As far as we know, Ahsoka is set in the Star Wars era of the New Republic. About five years after Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, to be precise. In other words, when the Empire was defeated, but remnants of it build a new military power to rule the galaxy again. The leader of this (still) scattered grouping is Grand Admiral Thrawn –

which has left fans over the moon. Thrawn is known as the antagonist in Timothy Zahn’s trilogy of novels, [Heir to the Empire],(/s12/product/star-wars-erben-des-imperiums-timothy-zahn-deutsch-belletristik-6622410) from the early 1990s. The trilogy triggered such a massive hype about Star Wars and Thrawn that it wasn’t only Star Wars creator George Lucas who finally started to tackle the prequel trilogy. Fans wasted no time, giving Zahn’s trilogy its own nickname: the Thrawn Trilogy. And now we get to see it in live action. Be still, my heart; the hype is real!

Starts: 23 August
Where: Disney+

Invasion (miniseries, Season 2)

This tip comes with a little warning: while Invasion is about an alien invasion, don’t expect a sci-fi action spectacle à la Independence Day. No space battles, historic buildings that are destroyed, or creepy alien attacks galore. At least not in the first season. Especially at the beginning, in Season 1, the tightly tangled story unfolds slowly and gently. You experience the invasion in real time through the eyes of five ordinary people around the world simply trying to understand the chaos around them.

I liked it. But be warned: reviews of the first season were very mixed. There was everything from «fell asleep, there’s hardly anything happening» and «finally a realistic, emotional drama set against an alien invasion». Season 2, is set a few months after the events of Season 1. The invasion seems to be in an advanced stage. The peoples’ resistance, too. If my interpretation of the trailer is correct, we can expect a bit more action. As much as I liked the first season, I wouldn’t mind more action.

Starts: 23 August
Where: Apple TV+

One Piece (miniseries)

This is another Netflix anime adaptation. I know, it’s a delicate subject. The less-than-faithful live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop did the Californian company no favours. But One Piece is supposed to be different. It’s one of the most popular Shōnen animes in the world. What’s more, my colleague Kevin claims it’s very well-suited for newcomers. It’s also the longest-running manga series ever. Creator Eiichiro Oda published the first volume in 1997. There are now 106 volumes, over 1,000 chapters – and no end yet in sight. Crazy.

The anime is just as successful, having started in 1999 and still running. It’s actually hard to believe that the first live-action adaptation is just now coming out. And fans who fear the worst can rest assured that Eiichiro Oda had great influence on the adaptation. In a letter to fans, he even promised that Netflix wouldn’t launch the series until he was satisfied – which is apparently now the case. And who are we fans to question the great Eiichiro Oda?

Starts: 31 August
Where: Netflix

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.» more

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