Favorite First-Time Watches of August 2026
As everyone knows, my favorite thing to do is recommend movies. Bonus if it’s a movie you haven’t heard of. So, once a month, I recommend a handful of movies I watched last month that I recommend you check out. August was a fruitful month, especially for new releases. I suspect we may be all the way back for cinema.
I Want Your Sex (2026) – Gregg Araki
Gregg Araki is the John Waters of the Gen X generation. In your face about sexuality and unapologetic about it. His new film is no exception in that department; you could gather that by the title.
Olivia Wilde plays a popular artist who starts an affair with an intern working in her gallery. Things become complicated as her new show draws near. Part Sunset Boulevard, part Raunchy sex comedy. It’s a wonderful return to form for Gregg.
They Came Together (2014) – David Wain
With the release of David Wain’s new film Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, I decided to fill in my Wain gaps. They Came Together is a parody of every Rom-Com ever. Genuinely laughed out loud multiple times while watching this alone in my home. True strength of a comedy.
The Rivals of Amziah King (2026) – Andrew Patterson
Andrew Patterson’s long-awaited follow-up to his feature film debut The Vast of Night. It was not a disappointment, but a complete genre change. Matthew McConaughey plays Amziah King.
A beekeeper and leader of a folk band. He’s the center of his small-town community. He encounters his former foster daughter and brings her into his beekeeping business. His community comes together when tragedy strikes.
An amazing movie about the power of community and those special people who are the glue to these small communities.
The End of Oak Street (2026) – David Robert Mitchell
David Robert Mitchell took a Twilight Zone premise and made an Amblin-style film. I’d say this is a spoiler, but it was in the full-length trailer. Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway’s family’s neighborhood is transported back in time to the age of the dinosaurs.
It’s as simple as that. It’s a tight 90 minutes. It’s a rollicking blast. The best dinosaur movie since Jurassic Park. It’s also the best Anne Hathaway performance of 2026.
Tony (2026) – Matt Johnson
A slice of life biopic about Anthony Bourdain. A few years condensed into one summer, when Anthony fell in love with cooking and would become part of the inspiration for his novel “Kitchen Confidential”.
I’m a huge Matt Johnson fan. I was anticipating this film solely because I wanted to see if Matt could make a film he doesn’t star in and cannot use his typical bag of tricks. The answer is an emphatic yes. He made an, at times, too honest a coming-of-age film. Made me want to go back to Maine as well.
Buffet Infinity (2026) – Simon Glassman
Sometimes you watch a film with no expectations, no idea what it is about; it’s a blind recommendation. Sometimes a film comes along that makes you say “Wait. You can make a movie that way?”
This Something or Someone is behind the ever-expanding restaurant Buffet Infinity. The film is told through a series of cheap local ads. An entire story unfolds through commercials. I still can’t believe Simon pulled this off.
It definitely won’t be for everyone, but everyone should watch this at least once.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (2026) – Jane Schoenbrun
A young filmmaker, played by Hannah Einbinder, with success out of Sundance, is tasked with reviving an old horror franchise, Camp Miasma. She decides to go find the star of the original film, who secluded herself from society long ago, to convince her to be in the new installment.
Jane’s previous two films were scary and darkly serious. I really loved I Saw the TV Glow. Their films are idiosyncratic, and I still believe the closest thing to David Lynch. So I was surprised that their new film is actually quite joyful. A film about being true to oneself and finding oneself in the process.
Angus (1995) – Patrick Read Johnson
Angus is, on its face, another 90s teen comedy. But beneath the layers lies a deeply empathetic film that shows how all high school kids are more than their superficial caricatures. Angus is an overweight freshman; he’s very smart and pretty good at football.
He obsesses over Melissa Lefevre, the most popular girl in school. His nemesis is the quarterback and all-American golden boy Rick Sanford (James Van Der Beek). He hates Angus for no seeming reason.
As the movie goes on, it becomes clear this is more than a teen comedy. Rick hates Angus because Angus stays true to himself and refuses to live in the shadows. Rick thinks that because of how Angus looks, he should have no confidence and hates him for this. It’s one of the truest High School movies I’ve seen.
Our Hero, Balthazar (2026) – Oscar Boyson
Eddington for late Gen Z and Gen Alpha. It’s the best way I can describe this movie. It will be extremely unpleasant for some, but I think it’s quite honest about what growing up in this age is like. Constant mass shootings, access to everything, yet none of it feels real because we watch it all through a screen.
For generations who know no different, this has to take its toll on the brain and development. Pardon the metaphor, but this film looks straight down the barrel of this gun. If you liked Eddington, check this one out. If Eddington pissed you off, maybe skip.
