8 Hot Movies For The Hottest Month of the Year

It’s hard to believe that we’re already three quarters of the way through with 2015. With each passing day, the odds are looking less in my favor that I'll be achieving my New Year's Resolution of watching every movie on my Netflix List. If you're anything like me, you're finding yourself in a similar position, as your List lengthens with each new wave of streaming additions. My List is at the point where it's so long and diverse that I don't even know where to begin to attack it. If you're facing a similar problem, you might need some help deciding what movies you need to prioritize. On that note, take advantage of the dog days of summer by checking out these hot titles, from my list to yours. Wet Hot American Summer (2001) Now that the prequel series to this cult comedy is officially available to stream, there's no better time to see what you’ve been missing out on for the past 14 years. And what exactly it is you’ve been missing is an all-star cast led by Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, and Amy Poehler, among other names, as they navigate the trappings of the final day of summer at Camp Firewood. It’s a parody by definition, but the humor is more absurd and off-the-wall than a typical spoof. If you’re not in the mood to laugh, you may not even crack a smile. But if the mood is right and you’re ready to go where writers Michael Showalter and David Wain want to take you, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results. Snowpiercer (2014) Snowpiercer, or as I like to call it, the summer blockbuster that never was, had all the right ingredients to be a breakout hit: a unique spin on the dystopia genre, strong performances from Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton, and arguably the most unsettling scene to ever take place in a classroom. But somehow this epic movie, about a future where life is only sustainable inside a constantly moving train, only pulled in $4.6 million at the box office. Luckily for those of you who didn’t catch it in theaters, it has found a new home on Netflix. And trust me when I say that for fans of action thrillers and dystopias, Snowpiercer is not to be missed. They Came Together (2014) Another comedy from the minds of Michael Showalter and David Wain, They Came Together spoofs contemporary romantic comedies as couple Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler recount the story of how they fell in love. Unlike Wet Hot American Summer, the comedy here is more in your face and, in my opinion, gut-busting. The jokes hit harder and they come faster, thanks to great performances from a cast that also includes Bill Hader and Colbie Smulders. Sometimes the story can feel hackneyed, but keep in mind that this is a spoof, so that’s exactly how the writers want you to feel. Clocking in at a mere 83 minutes, They Came Together is the perfect movie to throw on while you’re nursing a hangover or looking for a quick fix with your friends. Adventureland (2009) If it’s possible for a movie to make you nostalgic for a time during which you had yet to be born, that’s exactly what Adventureland does. Set in the summer of 1987, the film begins with recent college graduate James Brennan (Jessie Eisenberg) finding out his parents can no longer afford his Euro trip. So, instead of joining his friends on the adventure of a lifetime, he ends up working at an amusement park where the games are rigged and the corn dogs are inedible. Loosely based on director Greg Mottola’s life, Adventureland is so relatable because it perfectly captures the naiveté and insecurity of post-graduates who still don’t quite have life figured out. This comedy is often as heartwarming as it is funny, making it a standout entry in the twilight of the Apatow-age of comedy. Punch-Drunk Love (2002) Come for Adam Sandler and stay for Paul Thomas Anderson when you watch this darkly satisfying drama. With recent releases like Pixels and Blended, it’s hard to imagine a time when Sandler dazzled you with his acting ability. But here, he utilizes his full range of talent to portray Barry Egan, an insecure man whose life gets complicated when a sex line operator blackmails him at the same time as he falls in love with a woman as quirky as himself. Essentially, Barry embodies the characteristics of some of Sandler’s best roles: he's naïve like Bobby Boucher in The Waterboy, as well-meaning as Happy in Happy Gilmore, and as enraged as Dave Buznik in Anger Management. But while those movies focused on the light-hearted side of the characters, director Paul Thomas Anderson shifts his attention to the exploration of the darker side of the human condition. The cinematography reflects this, as many of the shots are overwhelmingly bleak; however, the ending will still make you feel warm inside by the time the credits roll. The Skeleton Twins (2014) It’s been a year since I saw this one in theaters, but The Skeleton Twins is as fresh in my mind as if I had seen it this past week. Its memorability is courtesy of the chemistry between Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, two Saturday Night Live alumni who play siblings that, unbeknownst to each other, attempt suicide on the same day. What follows is a reunion between the estranged siblings, which explores surprisingly heavy issues for a movie that stars such big names in contemporary comedy. These issues range from topics of suicide to homosexuality to student-teacher intimacy, and Hader and Wiig perfectly strikes the balance between thoughtful and humorous when approaching them. And while The Skelenton Twins does deliver on the humor front, you’ll thank me later for insisting that you keep a box of tissues nearby while you watch it. The Babadook (2014) Horror movies as of late all seem to be lacking the same thing: scares. They’re cliché and wholly unoriginal, and the characters are so unremarkable that you feel the same amount of emotional heft when an extra dies as you do one of the main characters. It takes a lot for me to impressed by horror movies, because I have a high tolerance for the supernatural, but I can safely say that The Babadook surpassed my expectations. I’d argue that it’s one of the best horror movies of the past decade, namely because it delivers where every other recent release does not. For starters, its plot is unique: a book called The Babadook mysteriously appears on a young boy’s bookshelf, and once he and his mother read the bedtime story, it is impossible for them to rid themselves of the titular ghoul. It is certainly not the scariest movie I’ve ever seen, but its characters are well developed and its suspenseful sequences keep you on the edge of your seat. And honestly, there’s really not much more you can ask for from a modern day horror film. Nightcrawler (2014) Lou Bloom is the anti-hero that crime journalism deserves, but not the one it needs. Part satire and part thriller, Nightcrawler follows Jake Gyllenhaal’s titular character as he espouses the “If it bleeds, it leads” concept in journalism. Desperate for a job, Lou gets involved in crime journalism by following a police scanner and recording the events that unfold. But as he gets more adept at doing so, his innocent motives give way to more sinister actions; how far he’s willing to go to get the best story just might surprise you (and terrify you). So although this movie has an agenda that you might not have been anticipating, this only improves its ability to get under your skin. No doubt Nightcrawler is as creepy as its title insinuates, but it also poses important questions about the ethics of a story. All journalists take note.