See our list of 6 great shows, documentaries, and movies to watch this August on Netflix that we think you will enjoy!
Untold: Jake Paul The Problem Child | August 1
At 26, is Jake Paul the boxing world’s new savior or a “delusional” promoter who packs more punch in his marketing skills than in his right hand?
It depends on whom you ask in “UNTOLD: Jake Paul the Problem Child,” an unflinching deep dive into how a wide-eyed kid from Ohio morphed from Internet sensation to the most polarizing man in sports.
For every high-profile critic (UFC president Dana White), there’s another supporter in his corner (former professional boxer Mike Tyson).
In 2013, Jake and his older brother, Logan, lit up social media with pranks and antics posted first to Vine and then a YouTube channel that racked up millions of views.
The brothers parlayed their online success into lucrative side hustles, with Jake releasing music and landing a role on a Disney Channel show (Bizaardvark).
As their notoriety grew, so did tensions between the once-close siblings.
When Jake’s real-life controversies nearly ruined his career, he got a second chance as a boxer who shocked skeptics as he knocked out one opponent after another.
Built on gripping interviews with the Paul brothers – along with their parents, fans, fellow boxers, and the skeptical old guard – the film culminates with a nail-biting match that will prove if Jake has what it takes to rule his new kingdom.
Watch The Trailer:
Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop | August 9
This timely limited doc series recontextualizes the irrepressible women of hip hop and their role in the genre’s 50 years by reinserting them into the canon where they belong: at the center, from day one to present day.
Each of the four installments features a parade of iconic emcees like MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Rah Digga, up-and-comers, and artists currently at the top of the charts like Latto, and Tierra Whack alongside key figures from record labels, stylists, and journalists.
By giving flowers to originators like Sha-Rock and Roxanne Shante or hearing real talk from contemporary superstars like Saweetie and Coi Leray, “Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop” contextualizes the history of the music that changed the world within the wider social, racial, and political landscape of the times and, crucially, through a female lens.
Painkiller | August 10
A fictionalized retelling of events, “Painkiller” is a scripted limited series that explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America.
The six episodes will highlight the stories of the perpetrators, victims, and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin.
An examination of crime, accountability, and the systems that have repeatedly failed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
“Painkiller” is based on the book by Barry Meier and the New Yorker Magazine article “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe.
Watch The Trailer:
Heart Of Stone | August 11
Gadot plays secret agent Rachel Stone in the upcoming blockbuster directed by Tom Harper.
But she’s not your average operative — Stone is a member of an elusive and mysterious group of elite spies known as the Charter.
In the trailer, they’re described as “the most highly trained agents — no political leanings, no national allegiances — working together to keep peace in a turbulent world.”
To achieve their lofty aims, those agents rely on a one-of-a-kind asset called the Heart.
Watch The Trailer:
Depp v. Heard | August 16
The new limited series from director Emma Cooper covers the trial with the goal of presenting a neutral overview of what happens when the court of public opinion starts to overshadow reality.
For the first time, the three-part series presents Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s testimony side-by-side, using 200 hours of live-streamed trial coverage from the mainstream news and citizen commentators on TikTok and Twitter.
Ultimately, “Depp v. Heard” interrogates the role social media played in the trial, raising provocative, uncomfortable questions about how the conversations happening outside the courtroom may have influenced the outcome.
Watch The Trailer:
The Upshaws Season 4 | August 17
Bennie Upshaw (Mike Epps), the head of a Black working-class family in Indianapolis, is a charming, well-intentioned mechanic and lifelong mess just trying his best to step up and care for his family — wife Regina (Kim Fields), their two young daughters (Khali Spraggins, Journey Christine) and firstborn son (Jermelle Simon), the teenage son (Diamond Lyons) he fathered with another woman (Gabrielle Dennis) — and tolerate his sardonic sister-in-law (Wanda Sykes), all without a blueprint for success.
But the Upshaws are determined to make it work, and make it to the next level, together.
In this upcoming part, the Upshaws continue to ride life’s ups and downs, including new jobs, bigger dreams, health struggles, and some major life surprises but still hanging on with the love that comes with family.
Watch The Trailer:
Be sure to bookmark this post and check back as I will be adding more titles as they are announced.
Which Netflix shows, documentaries, and/or movies are you adding to your August watch list?
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