This Month’s Highlight
An American Pickle
One of the permanent theatrical casualties of the lockdown may well turn out to be the studio comedy. While so many other releases, big and small, are being held for theaters, a lot of comedies (like The Lovebirds and The King of Staten Island) have been shunted right to streaming or VOD. And here’s another case in point: An American Pickle, which went from being a planned Sony release to becoming the first original film to premiere on the soon-to-launch streaming service HBO Max. The film, based on a 2013 novella by Simon Rich, stars Seth Rogen in two roles — that of a 1920s immigrant who ends up in the present day due to a pickling accident, and that of the computer coding great-grandson with whom he has nothing in common. The film’s the solo directorial debut of Brandon Trost, who served as a cinematographer on Rogen’s The Interview, This Is the End, and Neighbors, among other titles. — Alison Willmore and Bilge Ebiri
Full List of What’s New on HBO — August 2020
Noteworthy selections in bold.
Available August 1
10,000 BC (2008)
All the President’s Men (1976)
Altered States (1980)
Awkwafina is Nora from Queens (Season 1)
Bad Influence (1990), HBO
Barefoot in the Park (1967)
Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
Batman (1989)
Batman & Robin (1997)
Batman Begins (2005)
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman Returns (1992)
The Bear (1989), HBO
Bee Season (2005), HBO
Before Sunrise (1995), (HBO)
Before Sunset (2004), (HBO)
Biloxi Blues (1988), HBO
Blade Runner: The Final Cut (2007)
Blue Crush (2002) HBO
The Candidate (1972)
Carefree (1938)
The Change-Up (2011), HBO
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Contact (1997)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dishwasher (2020), HBO
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Elf (2003)
The First Grader (2011), HBO
The First Wives Club (1996)
Flipper (1996) HBO
Flying Down to Rio (1933)
Flying Leathernecks (1951)
Fool’s Gold (2008)
Fracture (2007)
The Fugitive (1993)
The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Get on Up (2014), HBO
Go Tell It on the Mountain (2004), HBO
Grace Unplugged (2013), HBO
Hard to Kill (1990), HBO
Harley Quinn: Seasons 1 & 2
Highlander: The Final Dimension (1995), HBO
Highlander IV: Endgame (2000), HBO
The Hindenburg (1975), HBO
Hours (2013), HBO
House of Wax (2005)
House Party (1990)
House Party 2 (1991)
House Party: Tonight’s the Night (2013)
How to Be a Player (1997), HBO
Idiocracy (Extended Version) (2006), HBO
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
Jim Thorpe: All-American (1951)
Jojo Rabbit (2019), HBO
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Leprechaun (1993), HBO
Leprechaun 2 (1994), HBO
Leprechaun 3 (1995), HBO
Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997), HBO
Leprechaun: Origins (2014), HBO
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
The Lost Boys: The Thirst (2020), HBO
The Lost Boys: The Tribe (Unrated Version) (2020), HBO
Love Field (1992), HBO
Lovelace (2013), HBO
Lying And Stealing (2019), HBO
The Marine (Unrated Version) (2006), HBO
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), HBO
Marvin’s Room (1996), HBO
Maverick (1994)
Monkeybone (2001), HBO
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007), HBO
Murder at 1600 (1997)
The Mustang (2019), HBO
My Blue Heaven (1990)
My Sister’s Keeper (2009)
Nell (1994), HBO
New Year’s Eve (2011), HBO
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
On Dangerous Ground (1952)
On Golden Pond (1981), HBO
Phantom (2013), HBO
Pi (1998), HBO
Raise the Titanic (1980), HBO
Roberta (1935)
Romeo Must Die (2000)
Savages (Unrated Version) (2012), HBO
Say It Isn’t So (2001) (HBO)
Serendipity (2001)
Skyline (2010) (HBO)
South Central (1992)
Spy Game (2001) (HBO)
Steven Universe Movie (2019)
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
Striptease (1996)
Swing Time (1936)
They Live by Night (1949)
Things Never Said (2020) (HBO)
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Time Bandits (1981) (HBO)
Top Hat (1935)
Two Minutes of Fame (2020) (HBO)
Walk the Line (Extended Version) (2005), HBO
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Without Limits (1998)
Yes Man (2008)
Available August 2
I’ll Be Gone In The Dark: Docu-Series Finale — HBO Original
Available August 3
Invisible Stories — HBO Asia Original
Available August 4
Aldnoah.Zero
Inuyasha
Mob Psycho: Season 1
Promised Neverland: Season 1
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
The Swamp: Documentary Premiere — HBO Original
Available August 6
An American Pickle: Film Premiere — HBO Original
Doom Patrol: Season 2 Finale
Esme & Roy: Season 2B
On The Trail: Inside the 2020 Primaries: Documentary Premiere (CNN)
Available August 7
Habla Now (2020), HBO
Available August 8
Richard Jewell (2019), HBO
Available August 9
Perry Mason: Season Finale, HBO
Available August 11
Hard Knocks ‘20: Los Angeles: Series Premiere — HBO Original
Available August 12
Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn — HBO Original
Available August 13
Infinity Train: Season 3 Premiere
Available August 14
Carmen Y Lola (Carmen And Lola) (2020), HBO
Available August 15
Birds Of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020), HBO
Available August 16
Lovecraft Country: Series Premiere — HBO Original
Available August 18
Looney Tunes: Batch 3
Smurfs: Season 2
Available August 20
The Fungies: Season 1A
Singletown: Season 1
Available August 21
No Quiero Ser Tu Hermano (I Don’t Want to Be Your Brother) (2020), HBO
Available August 22
Queen & Slim (2019), HBO
Available August 23
Mia’s Magic Playground
Available August 24
I May Destroy You (Finale), HBO
Available August 27
Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness: Docuseries Premiere — HBO Max Original
Available August 28
Seneca (2019), HBO
Steven Universe Future: Season Six
Available August 29
The Way Back (2020), HBO
For more coverage of the best movies and TV shows available on Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Showtime, check out Vulture’s What to Stream Now hub, which is updated throughout the month.