The arrival of August triggered another round of new movies to watch on Netflix—oh, and another round of movies leaving the platform. There are dozens of movies exiting Netflix between today and August 31, including a recent Best Picture winner that spans multiple universes, a modern farce that would both make Shakespeare proud and pop his eyes out of their sockets, and a mockumentary based upon a short-lived video series from the early days of YouTube. Yes, this month’s list of soon-to-be-gone movies is quite eclectic, making it difficult to know which ones to watch.

Well, hopefully I can help with that decision. Below are ten movies that I love, that I believe cross enough genres and types of storytelling to appeal to a large swath of tastes. Then, at the bottom of the article, you will find a comprehensive list of every movie leaving Netflix by August’s end. I believe that in this bunch you’ll find a new favourite, or perhaps remember a movie you’ve been itching to revisit.

The 10 Best Movies Leaving Netflix in August 2024

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Is it just me, or does the hype that surrounded Everything Everywhere All at Once feel like it happened...forever ago? I saw the Best Picture winner back in 2022, but it feels like I haven’t seen it in years—which makes it prime for a rewatch before it leaves Netflix. For those who haven’t seen it yet (consider yourself lucky, because now you can fix that), the film follows a mother named Evelyn Wang, a middle-aged woman running a struggling laundromat with her husband, Waymond, and daughter, Joy. When their business is audited by the IRS and it seems like they’ll lose everything, Evelyn is thrust into a multiverse-spanning adventure where she connects with different versions of herself from alternate realities where she made different decisions. The genre-bending adventure features an eclectic mix of science fiction, action, comedy, drama and martial arts, making for one of the more bizarre yet profound experiences in recent cinematic history.

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka The Daniels), Everything Everywhere All at Once stars Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Burn After Reading (2008)

It’s no secret that Joel and Ethan Coen love Shakespeare, especially given the former’s adaptation of “Macbeth” in 2021. But less conspicuous traces of Shakespeare can be found throughout their filmography as well, perhaps most prominently in their wildly ridiculous farce Burn After Reading—which also happens to be their funniest movie to date. This dark comedy circumnavigates a series of misunderstandings and coincidences involving a group of clueless characters. After CIA analyst Osborne quits his job, his wife, Katie, files for divorce and steals his financial records. The files end up in the hands of two bumbling gym employees, Linda and Chad, who mistake them for top-secret government documents. Hoping to cash in, they blackmail Osbourne—setting off a chain of events that involve infidelity, espionage...and murder. The preposterous and eccentric characters of this film are played perfectly by it’s all-star cast, who together offer a bleak and cynical view of a world dominated by selfish, misguided motives.

Directed by the Coen brothers, Burn After Reading stars George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Richard Jenkins and Tilda Swinton.

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (2021)

Never in a million years did I expect Marcel the Shell, a shy, stop-motion, anthropomorphic seashell—one that starred in a series of short videos that circulated my circle of friends back in college—would become the star of a feature-length mockumentary over ten years later. But boy am I glad we got this strange, wonderful film. Marcel the Shell With Shoes On is a heartwarming story that follows Marcel, who lives with his grandmother, Connie, in a house they share with an oblivious Airbnb guest. A filmmaker discovers Marcel and begins to document his life, leading to viral fame. As Marcel traverses his new life in the spotlight, he longs to find his family, who were accidentally taken away when the previous owners moved out of the house. The warm and intimate storytelling of this puts-a-smile-on-your-face story, with its focus on small details and mundane beauty, makes you forget you’re watching a shell in the first place—you’re just that invested.

Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp (who also stars in the film), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On stars Jenny Slate (as the voice of Marcel), Rosa Salazar, Lesley Stahl, Isabella Rossellini and Thomas Mann.

Spider-Man (2002)

It’s hard to pass up the opportunity to recommend Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. Because I do have to wonder, in a world dominated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its accompanying Spider-Verse films: have younger people even seen it? If you haven’t, then get ready. Serving as an original story for the web-slinging superhero, Spider-Man introduces us to Peter Parker, a high school student who gains superhuman powers after getting bit by a genetically modified spider. Thanks to his new powers, Peter quickly learns that, as his Uncle Ben tells it, “with great power comes great responsibility,” as he tries to balance a young budding career as a photographer and a potential romance with the girl next door, Mary Jane Watson, with a fight against the Green Goblin, who terrorizes New York City. Raimi’s innovative and inventive camerawork shines in this class superhero flick, with its quick zooms, snap cuts and tilted angles all evoking the comic book aesthetic that birthed the beloved crime fighter.

Directed by Raimi, Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, J.K. Simmons and Rosemary Harris.

The Gift (2013)

Joel Edgerton is, without a doubt, one of the best actors in Hollywood, with great performances in movies like Animal Kingdom, Warrior and Zero Dark Thirty. But let us not forget his greatest directing contributions: the fantastic thriller The Gift. Oh yeah: he gives a great performance in this movie as well. This psychological story follows a married couple, Simon and Robyn, after they move to Los Angeles hoping for a fresh start. Before long, they meet Gordo (Edgerton), an old high school acquaintance of Simon’s, who continually leaves mysterious gifts at the couple’s doorstep. While they initially seem harmless, these gifts grow increasingly unsettling as Gordo’s behavior becomes more and more intrusive, and before long he reveals some deep, dark secrets about himself. Edgerton does an expert job of drawing out the tension of this compelling story, opting for minimalist storytelling that doesn’t rely on overt exposition or flashy set pieces, that chooses to focus on the characters and their moral ambiguity.

Directed by Joel Edgerton (who also stars in the film), The Gift stars Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall.

The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

I remember watching The Lego Movie in theaters back in 2014 and thinking, “How has nobody ever made an animated movie that feels this alive and colorful and...funny?” Strange, then, that despite the movie’s reception, the Lego brand never seemed to replicate such success again. But for my money, The Lego Batman Movie is a worthy sequel—and just as funny. This story follows, as you might have guessed, Batman, the self-proclaimed hero of Gotham City who’s backed by a hilariously over-the-top ego (played to perfection by Will Arnett). After the Joker unleashes the most dangerous villains from the Phantom Zone, Batman must learn to work with others to save his city. The caped crusader adopts a young orphan named Dick Grayson, who becomes Robin, and forms a team with Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) and Alfred, his loyal butler. This super-high-energy flick is rich with innocent, playful humor for kids and irreverent, satirical humor for adults, all backed by the sort of visual aesthetic that has made the Lego movie franchise so exciting in the first place.

Directed by Chris McKay, The Lego Batman Movie stars Arnett, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes and Zach Galifianakis.

The Equalizer (2014)

If there’s one thing you can unequivocally say about Antoine Fuqua’s movies, it’s that they’re cool as heck. The gritty realism that reflects the harsh and unforgiving worlds of his stories, the methodical pacing that mirrors the calculated and precise natures of his protagonists, the super stylized cinematography that strongly emphasizes contrasts and shadows—yeah, a Fuqua movie gives you your money’s worth every single time. And that goes double for The Equalizer, which follows the most fascinating character of Fuqua’s catalog: a retired black-ops operative named Robert McCall. Played brilliantly by Denzel Washington, this character attempts to live a quite life in Boston, but feels called back to duty after he befriends a young prostitute who is being abused by a Russian mob. He takes on the mission of protecting the girl and dismantling her heinous handlers. Fuqua’s ultimate take on justice and vigilantism, a film that questions the morality of taking the law in one’s own hands through a complex anti-hero, has stood the test of time, and feels as vibrant and essential as it did when it released ten years ago.

Directed by Fuqua, The Equalizer stars Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz, Marton Csokas, David Harbour and Bill Pullman.

American Hustle (2013)

Until Amsterdam’s release in 2022, David O. Russell had been absent from the Hollywood scene for several years. Which is crazy considering the critically praised run he had enjoyed between 1999 and 2015, from Three Kings to I Heart to The Fighter to Silver Linings Playbook to Joy. But there was one movie during this insane stretch that many considered to be his contribution: the period piece American Hustle. This crime drama, which was inspired by the true events of the FBI’s Abscam operation in the late 1970s, follows con artists Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser, who are forced to work with ambitious FBI agent Richie DiMaso to set up a sting operation targeting corrupt politicians. Before long, personal and professional tensions arise between the party members, complicated by the unpredictable behavior of Irving's wife, Rosalyn. More than any other O. Russell film, American Hustle enjoys a vibrant, energetic pace, an aesthetic powered by fluid camerawork that moves with the characters as they swoop through scenes at a frenetic pace. This one is a joy to revisit.

Directed by O. Russell, American Hustle stars Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner.

Miami Vice (2006)

It goes without saying that Michael Mann’s career is unassailable. The man who brought us movies like Heat, The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans—and, not to mention, his classic debut film, Thief—has employed a visually dynamic aesthetic for decades, relaying on a combination of authenticity in his characters and locations, elegant camerawork that balances handheld immediacy and long-take beauty, and complex, morally questionable characters that serve as both guides and cautionary tales. And many people would agree that no Mann movie handles that formula better than Miami Vice. This modern adaptation of the classic 1980s television series follows undercover detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs as they infiltrate a powerful drug trafficking network. As this duo become deeply embedded in the criminal organization, their professional and personal lives begin to blur, leading to—in true Mann fashion—a dramatic confrontations with their morality, with their profession, with their selves.

Directed by Mann, Miami Vice stars Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li, Naomie Harris and Ciarán Hinds.

Pineapple Express (2008)

Why not close out this list with a comedy? And not just any old comedy—one of the absolute best comedies of the 2000s. The comedy that finally brought Seth Rogen and James Franco back together for their first true cinematic collaboration: Pineapple Express. This stoner comedy filled with plenty of absurd action follows Dale Denton, a lazy process server who can’t seem to grow up, and his laid-back, dimwitted dealer, Saul Silver—two men who are united by their one true passion: smoking marijuana—as they find themselves on the run from a drug kingpin and corrupt police officers after they witness a murder. Scared to death and armed with plenty of product, they go on the run and fight to survive, all while meeting an eclectic cast of characters along the way. The absurdist humor of this outrageous movie holds up to this day, driven largely by its hilariously compatible leads who share fantastic on-screen chemistry from beginning to end.

Directed by David Gordon Green, Pineapple Express stars Rogen, Franco, Danny McBride, Gary Cole, Craig Robinson, Amber Heard and Rosie Perez.

Every Movie Leaving Netflix in August 2024

Note: The dates mark your final days to watch these movies.

• August 19: A Walk in the Woods (2015)
• August 20: The Girl Allergic to Wi-Fi (2018)
• August 21: Avengement (2019)
• August 22: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
• August 23: Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2021)
• August 24: Berlin Syndrome (2017)
• August 26: The Accountant (2016)
• August 31: Airport ’77 (1977); Airport (1970); Airport 1975 (1974); American Hustle (2013); Beverly Hills Ninja (1997); Bonnie & Clyde (2013); Burn After Reading (2008); Dhanak (2015); First Knight (1995); First Sunday (2008); High-Rise (2015); Janky Promoters (2009); Kicking & Screaming (2005); Liar Liar (1997); Looking for Love (2017); Love in a Puff (2010); Miami Vice (2006); Monsters vs. Aliens (2009); Neon Lights (2022); Pan (2015); Pineapple Express (2008); Sniper: Ghost Shooter (2016); Spider-Man (2002); Spider-Man 2 (2004); Spider-Man 3 (2007); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 (2016); That’s My Boy (2012); The Amazing Spider-Man (2012); The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014); The Blind Side (2009); The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021); The Edge of Seventeen (2016); The Equalizer (2014); The Gift (2015); The Guilt Trip (2012); The Lego Batman Movie (2017); The Nutty Professor (1996); The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000); Tooth Fairy (2010); Total Recall (2012); Two Can Play That Game (2001); Uncle Naji in UAE (2019); Unthinkable (2010); Vampires (1998); Woody Woodpecker (2017)