Hulu suffered a major blow earlier this year when The CW ended its relationship with the service, switching teams to make an exclusive streaming deal with archrival Netflix. While the loss of that programming likely stung, Hulu continues to make a name for itself in the film sector, offering an eclectic mix of recent hits, classics, and delightful obscurities that should please even the pickiest film fan. While that doesn’t mean Hulu has entirely shed its image as Netflix’s perennial also-ran, the service is doing its damnedest to try, offering a smattering of acclaimed films (The Silence of the Lambs, Black Hawk Down), rom-coms (Legally Blonde, The Best Man), and some ’80s favorites (the Bill & Ted and Robocop films, Beverly Hills Cop). And if you want to wallow in the fact that it didn’t earn an Emmy nomination this year, there’s also the full second season of You’re the Worst (a sentiment fans would perhaps like to send to the Television Academy). Here’s everything new coming to Hulu in August, and everything that’s leaving the service.
Lars and the Real Girl (8/1)
The premise of this 2007 dramedy is bonkers: Shy loner Lars (Ryan Gosling, in a role that deserved some awards attention) orders a Real Doll (a.k.a. a very realistic — down to the orifices — life-size sex doll), and tells everyone she’s his new girlfriend, who he met online. Bianca has a surprisingly rich backstory: She’s a wheelchair-bound Brazilian-Danish missionary. Lars’ flabbergasted brother (Paul Schneider) thinks Lars is having some sort of mental breakdown, and brings him to a psychologist (Patricia Clarkson) who suggests that the family humor Lars’ delusion while she evaluates him during weekly therapy sessions. The rest of the small community also plays along, and Lars proudly shows off his partner to neighbors and coworkers. A party scene where one guest helps Bianca dance in her wheelchair, while Lars sways beside her to the strains of Talking Heads, perfectly encapsulates the film, at once evoking joy with a tinge of underlying sadness. That Lars needs this not-so-real girl to feel like a real man is, on the surface, an inherently depressing thought, but Gosling’s brilliant, sweet performance sells it so convincingly is what makes this movie truly a winner. Bless this movie’s giant, weird heart.
Runaway Bride (8/1)
Director Garry Marshall, who died this week at 81, had a long, storied career, writing and directing dozens of iconic film and television projects over more than six decades. While his film work wasn’t especially beloved by critics (particularly this year’s Mother’s Day, which also bombed at the box office), Marshall was for a time the king of the rom-com genre, no more so than when he made a superstar out of Julia Roberts in 1990’s Pretty Woman. He reunited Roberts and costar Richard Gere for 1998’s Runaway Bride, a massive hit that proved lightning can strike twice, at least where those two magnetic stars are concerned. Bride can sometimes get bogged down in some ugly sexual politics (Gere’s character Ike in particular is cartoonishly chauvinistic to a fault, though the way Roberts’ Maggie is demonized is troubling, too), but it’s Marshall’s gentle touch that guides the flick away from the formulaic. Its characters are quirky and warm (Joan Cusack is especially winning as Maggie’s BFF), and fun set pieces like the wedding rehearsal scene where Maggie only has eyes for Ike — and not her groom-to-be — showcase Marshall’s signature style, and a knack for giving audiences what they want. Woman may be more iconic, but Bride is just as worthy of a revisit.
The Wine Show (8/13)
At long last, this UK export is finally available in the U.S. Starring friends and fellow actors Matthew Rhys (The Americans) and Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey, The Good Wife), the series is a sun-kissed, booze-soaked travelogue featuring Rhys and Goode sampling some of the worlds’s finest vintages — and getting sloppy drunk in the process. Rhys and Goode employ wine experts to provide the bottles and walk them through the production and tasting process, though the heart of the series is the longtime pals’ sheer joy at being in each other’s company (and yes, being very, very inebriated). There’s lots of giggling, though that shouldn’t get old when affable Brits Rhys and Goode are the source. Couple that couple with breathtaking views of the Italian countryside — not to mention all the wine porn — and we can’t wait to dip into this series and down a glass or two (or three) ourselves.
Available Aug. 1:
You’re The Worst: Complete Season 2 (FX)
A.R.C.H.I.E (2016) (*Showtime)
A Good Woman (2004)
The Accused (1998)
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996)
The Best Man (1999) (*Showtime)
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Black Hawk Down (2001) (*Showtime)
Body (2015) (*Showtime)
The Care Bears Movie (1985)
Chasing Amy (1997)
Clerks (1994)
Cloverfield (2008)
Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
Death Do Us Part (2014) (*Showtime)
Disturbing Behavior (1998)
Dr. Strange (2016)
Enough (2002)
Erotic Getaway (1995) (*Showtime)
Foot Fist Way (2006)
Frank and Jesse (1995) (*Showtime)
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) (*Showtime)
How She Move (2007)
Hulk Vs. (2009)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Joe the King (1999)
Kalifornia (1993)
Kicking and Screaming (2005)
Larry Gaye: Renegade Flight Attendant (2015)
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Legally Blonde (2001)
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (2003)
Lenny Cooke (2013) (*Showtime)
The Limey (1999)
Little Odessa (1994)
Marathon Man (1976)
Permanent Midnight (1998) (*Showtime)
Phat Beach (1996) (*Showtime)
Planet Hulk (2010)
Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
The Puffy Chair (2005)
Robocop (1987)
Robocop 2 (1990)
Robocop 3 (1993)
Runaway Bride (1999)
Rush (2013)
Shattered (2007)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Sister (2012) (*Showtime)
Six Shooter (2004)
Species (1995)
Species 2 (1998)
Species 3 (2004)
Split Decisions (1988) (*Showtime)
Stake Land (2010) (*Showtime)
Tales From the Darkside (1990)
The Invincible Iron Man (2007)
Thor: Tales of Asgard (2011)
Trees Lounge (1996) (*Showtime)
Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? (*Showtime)
Ultimate Avengers (2006)
Ultimate Avengers 2 (2006)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Virgin Suicides (1999) (*Showtime)
Wicker Park (2004)
Wonder Boys (2000) (*Showtime)
Available Aug. 2:
Running Wild with Bear Grylls: Season 3 Premiere (NBC)
Avalon High (2010)
Cloud 9 (2014)
Dadnapped (2009)
Gotta Kick it Up! (2002)
Life is Ruff (2005)
Twitches (2005)
Available Aug. 3:
Bachelor in Paradise: Season 3 Premiere (ABC)
Adam Devine’s House Party: Complete Season 3 (Comedy Central)
W: Series Premiere (Viki)
Available Aug. 4:
Steven Universe: Complete Season 2 (Cartoon Network)
Available Aug. 7:
Basketball Wives LA: Season 5 Premiere (VH1)
Available Aug. 8:
T.I &Tiny: Season 5B Premiere (VH1)
Available Aug. 9:
Ancient Aliens: Complete Seasons 7-9 (History)
Beyond Scared Straight: Complete Season 4 (A&E)
Dance Moms: Complete Season 5 (Lifetime)
Intervention: Complete Season 14 (A&E)
Jane Wants a Boyfriend (2015) (*Showtime)
Street Dance Family (2016) (*Showtime)
Available Aug. 10:
Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise: Season 3 Premiere (ABC)
Shaun the Sheep (2015)
Available Aug. 11:
American Ultra (2015)
Michael Ian Black: Noted Expert (2016)
Available Aug. 12:
Casino Royale (2006) (*Showtime)
Dancing in Jaffa (2013)
Ghost Rider (2007)
Godfrey: Regular Black (2014) (*Showtime)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)
Mr. Accident (2000) (*Showtime)
Proxy (2013)
Rocky Balboa (2006) (*Showtime)
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her (2000) (*Showtime)
Available Aug. 13:
The Wine Show: Complete Season 1/US Premiere (ITV)
The Gift (2015) (*Showtime)
Available Aug. 15:
Bastard Executioner: Series Premiere (FX)
Available Aug. 16:
Save the Date (2012)
Available Aug. 18:
Black Jesus: Complete Season 2 (Adult Swim)
Available Aug. 20:
King Georges (2015)
Strange Wilderness (2008)
Available Aug. 23:
Casual: Season 2 Finale (Hulu Original)
Available Aug. 24:
Bella and Bulldogs: Complete Season 2 (Nickelodeon)
Better Late Than Never: Season 1 Premiere (NBC)
Catfish: Season 5B Premiere (MTV)
Available Aug. 26:
Young & Beautiful (2013)
Available Aug. 31:
Despertar Contigo: Series Premiere (Univision)
The Investigation: Series Premiere (MTV)
WHAT’S LEAVING:
Aug. 8:
Houdini and Doyle
Aug. 20:
Bar Rescue
Aug. 31:
Foot Fist Way
