It's August 1, and that means we still have a few more weeks of lazy summer days and (hopefully) spare time we can use to catch up on our favorite shows, new movies and classics, and auto-related content.
As we enter the final month of the summer, the movie industry is still on forced hiatus due to the ongoing actors' and writers' strikes. Hollywood has shut down, and some unions in other countries, like the UK, are showing solidarity, though not effectively striking. Part of the reason for the strikes is streaming, with streaming services accused of "breaking" the residuals system that kept industry people paid in between projects. For the time being, though, streaming is not affected by picket lines.
It's a selfish thing to say, but that's good news for us watching at home. It means that streaming platforms still have rich libraries to draw from, and we have plenty of options to choose from, whether we're looking for mind-blowing stunts, good storytelling, documentaries, or what-have-you.
As it's become a tradition here at autoevolution, we're here to offer you a curated selection of what we believe is content relevant to your interests. Ours, too. Dig in!
NETFLIX
Fast and Furious bonanza
Dominic Toretto is all about family, so it's great that Netflix is bringing together the entire gang. Starting on the first of the month, the first five installments in one of the most enduring and popular car-centric franchises of all time are available for binge-watching.
Fast X, the tenth movie in the series, came out in theaters earlier this year, so the timing of this FF fest is no coincidence. The first five movies are here to take fans to much simpler times, simpler plot lines, and less wacky action scenes, starting with the movie that kicked it all off: the 2001 The Fast and The Furious, starring the late Paul Walker opposite Vin Diesel's Dom.
Despite the seemingly undying popularity of the franchise, this first film, directed by Rob Cohen, is widely regarded as the best – a cinematic take on Los Angeles' underground racing scene. Aside from a really solid story, highlights from the film include the introduction of two of the most iconic FF cars: Walker's 1994 Toyota Supra Mk IV and Diesel's 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.
Photo: Universal Pictures
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
An oldie but goldie, this film is a reference one for movie buffs and auto enthusiasts alike. It is Matthew Broderick's career-defining role, a well-written and well-acted comedy, but it's also a rare instance of a movie that can boast of featuring an iconic Ferrari.
Unlike with the Fast and Furious films, this time, the car – a red 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder – isn't famous because of what it can do on the tarmac but rather because of what's done to it in that climatic ending. We won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen the movie.
"At 40,000 feet, no one is safe," reads the synopsis of this Jaume Collet-Serra-directed mid-air action thriller. In the presence of ultimate badass Liam Neeson, no bad guy is safe, no matter the altitude, whether they stick him in a bomb-rigged car, on an airplane, or a boat, or kidnap his daughter and haul her off to some East European country.
Liam Neeson, an established drama actor that made a spectacular career rebrand in his later years as an action star, is a Federal Air Marshal onboard a non-stop flight from New York to London. It's here that the proverbial number two hits the fan, and he gets text messages informing him that the flight has been hijacked. Surprisingly for an action thriller (but not so if you consider the release year), this film is packed with recognizable faces, from Julianne Moore to Michelle Dockery and Lupita Nyong'o. It's also packed with mid-air action, so don't miss it.
MAX
Avatar (2009)
James Cameron is among the few filmmakers of the moment to insist that their work is best appreciated on the big screen, preferably IMAX. Since that's not an option with this 2009 release, a large-screen TV or projector will do: Avatar is dropping on MAX on August 17.
It's the first installment in a planned franchise; the second movie, The Way of Water, opened in theaters earlier this year. Avatar is a brilliant story of intergalactic colonialism centered on the magical world of Pandora, which humans aim to deplete of resources once they have eliminated the native population of the Na'vis. It's packed with robots, futuristic weaponry, and aerial dogfighting scenes, but also flying creatures and spiritualism, which serve as counterbalance to highlight the brutality of man. It's a must-see.
Rubber (2010)
A loose tire on a highway is a disaster waiting to happen unless drivers' reactions can prevent it. A loose tire come to life and endowed with telepathic superpowers – like Robert here – is an unstoppable force that will sow bodies and mayhem where it goes.
Rubber is the story of Robert, a loose tire with a mind of its own that becomes obsessed with a strange woman and heads to the nearest down to shed some blood. The idea is preposterous, as is the execution, but Quentin Dupieux's film pays tribute to the concept of "no reason." This is a dark comedy that tips its toes into the horror slasher sub-genre, an ode to nihilism, and a bold and entertaining exploration of a not-so-uncommon accident on the world's highways.
HULU
The A-Team (2010)
It's not common for modern remakes to be able to rise to the standards of the original, but this one comes very close to it while giving it a very modern spin. The A-Team movie is based on the original TV series that aired between 1983 and 1987 and tells the story of an Alpha elite team whose members are falsely accused of a crime and who, as such, are forced to clear their reputation through whatever means necessary.
Starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper (and his six-pack), Rampage Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel, and Patrick Wilson, this Joe Carnahan-directed action pic has everything from aerial action to car chases, explosions, and good ol’-fashioned fist fights. Just don't looking for the original '83 GMC Vandura van from the series: the film used a 1994 Chevrolet G20 instead, in what purists considered a deplorable break from tradition.
RED (2010) and RED 2 (2013)
If you like spy action movies, you should definitely give these two a try. RED stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous and refers to a group of black-ops agents who are called back into action when a high-tech assassin is threatening world peace.
We're talking "retired" on considerations of age, so this premise alone should be enough to get you interested. Think of these films as the high-end, more sophisticated sibling of any of the Expendables flicks: geriatric action of the best and most surprising kind, offered with a healthy side of humor, good writing, and impeccable acting. With stars like Helen Mirren, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, and Karl Urban, really, what did you expect but stellar acting?
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015)
Moving away from fiction, here's a documentary that will convince you that life is, indeed, stranger and endlessly more fascinating than fiction could ever be. Steve Jobs, the man who needs no introduction because he's one of the most influential inventors and businessmen of our times, is the central focus of this critical and gritty doc by award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney.
The Apple CEO was a visionary and a genius, turning the Apple brand into one of the most recognizable brands in the world. He was the pioneer of the personal computer and a savvy businessman and investor. But he was also calculating and cruel, indifferent and aloof, which alienated those who worked with and for him when he'd lash out in difficult times. It's the ability to capture this well-known dichotomy in Jobs that sets this documentary apart from fictionalized attempts at telling his life story.
Photo: Magnolia Pictures
Container Homes, Season 1
Starting on August 15, the first full season of HGTV's highly-successful 2016 series Container Homes comes to streaming. No better time than today to catch up with the latest trends in downsizing and mobile homes by coming along for a journey that will see builders from across the U.S. showcase their creations.
Downsizing and tiny living have picked up incredible speed in recent years. Container homes, where shipping containers are transformed into livable, highly creative and unique homes, are an alternative for affordable housing while retaining some degree of mobility. A series like this one might just be your downsizing inspiration if you'll let it.
NASA's Unexplained Files, Season 1
Another documentary series, this time borrowed from Science. Don't let the name-throwing fool you, though. This 2012 production may boast of taking a "look at exclusive NASA footage and firsthand accounts of mysterious fly objects from astronauts and scientists," but it’s been described as "the Kardashians of science." Ouch!
That is to say, it's overhyped, over-sensationalized, gimmicky, and plain fake at times. But since there's never smoke without a fire, it is based on real events and incidents and might be worthy of your time – if you have plenty of it to kill on aliens, UFOs, and the monsters living on Saturn's Moons (*that's not a joke).
Photo: RADiUS/TWC
Snowpiercer (2013)
Hulu is really striving to give you a diversified, stimulating, entertaining, and packed summer. In Snowpiercer, director Bong Joon Ho creates a micro-cosmos in which he then shows off human nature at its best and worst. After the end of the world, the rich built a Noah's ark in the shape of a train that endlessly blazes through the frozen lands.
It carries the only survivors on the planet, but just because they're few in number doesn't mean that they live in peace or social equality. The train is divided into two classes, front and rear, with the former holding the rich and the latter the poor, and both being equally necessary for survival. Snowpiercer won't put you off public transport since the train itself is only a metaphor, but it should give you plenty of food for thought about the state of the world.
This one goes out to the gamers… the old-fashioned ones. 2023 marked the release of the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Hollywood's star-packed attempt at bringing some of the magic of the classic '74 role-playing board game of the same name to the big screen. Later this month, it goes to streaming on Amazon Prime.
Starring Chris Pine (aka "the best Chris in Hollywood"), Michelle Rodriguez, and Regé-Jean Page, the film is helmed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein and tells the story of a group of thieves who unwittingly unleash the biggest evil in the world. Now, they must make things right again, and they will do so with plenty of butt-kicking, incendiary action (both literally and figuratively), chases on magical creatures (yes, dragons!), and plenty of humor.
PARAMOUNT
Machete Kills (2013)
Summer and a good exploitation film go together like peanut butter and jelly, so Paramount is offering a classic in Machete Kills by Robert Rodriguez. If B-movies are not your thing, skip this one and do yourself a favor; oppositely, if you want to see how you can turn an exploitation film into cinematographic art, this is a good place to start. It's packed with all sorts of action, too.
The film stars a long list of who's who in Hollywood, like Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Mel Gibson, Demian Bichir, Alexa PenaVega, Jessica Alba, Amber Heard, Sofia Vergara, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, and Cuba Gooding Jr. It tells the story of Machete, who is hired by the U.S. government to track down and take out an arms dealer who's planning to launch a weapon into space.
Photo: Troublemaker Studios
Need for Speed (2014)
Talk about saving the best for last! This month brings the first Need for Speed movie to streaming, almost a decade after it came out to incredible hype but exactly zero love from the critics. Directed by Scott Waugh, the film is based on the insanely popular NFS racing video game, whose distinctive mood it tries to bring to the big screen with help from Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, and Imogen Poots. It's not a particularly good film, and it couldn't have been, given the source material.
But as a racing video game movie, it's awesome – and deeply enjoyable. It's packed with car action and will let you feast your eyes on a varied collection ranging from classics (a '66 Pontiac GTO, a '69 Ford Torino, a '68 Chevy Camaro) to supercars like the 2011 Koenigsegg Agera R, 2010 Lamborghini Elemento, or a 2013 McLaren P1. Not a single one of the supercars was real but custom-built replicas that could be trashed because action scenes were filmed without CGI (computer-generated images).
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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