Brow Beat

The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix in July

The Guest is coming to Netflix Instant.

Photo by Ursula Coyote © 2014 Picturehouse. All Rights Reserved.

Every month, a number of movies and TV series leave Netflix streaming, sometimes only temporarily, usually because licensing deals have expired. Several new titles arrive in their place. So what’s coming this month, and which of these new arrivals should you watch? Below, we’ve chosen the best new movies and TV shows coming to Netflix Instant streaming in July 2015. Plan your Fourth of July–weekend marathons accordingly.

Bulworth
Arriving: 
July 1

In the wake of the Charleston massacre and the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police, it’s an interesting, uncomfortable time to revisit 1998’s Bulworth. The bleak, often-hilarious comedy features director Warren Beatty as suicidal, Clintonesque Sen. Jay Bulworth, who, in a personal nadir, buys a $10 million life insurance policy and orders a hit on himself. Knowing he’ll be killed in days, Bulworth starts speaking very frankly about the Democratic Party’s apathy toward black Americans. (At a black church: “You got half your kids out of work and the other half are in jail. Do you see any Democrat doing anything about it? Certainly not me! So what’re you gonna do, vote Republican? Come on! Come on, you’re not gonna vote Republican. Let’s call a spade a spade!”) Sleep-deprived in the extreme, Bulworth starts mimicking black culture on the campaign trail, rapping horribly and parroting the word-for-word arguments of poor, smart, neglected-by-Washington black people he meets and parties with in South Central Los Angeles. On television and at campaign stops, Bulworth punctuates speeches about government corruption and inequality with baroque profanity, and he constantly smokes weed and drinks. The movie’s racial calculus is informed by a white-guilt fantasy of black culture and the ghetto—everyone black is authentic and colloquially wise—but the movie still provides a lot to enjoy, including a memorable soundtrack that features the unstoppable hit “Ghetto Superstar.” Beatty, Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, and Don Cheadle give great performances, and the film offers a searing, existential lament about politics and race in America.—Seth Maxon, nights and weekends homepage editor

Grandma’s Boy
Arriving: 
July 1

Watch Grandma’s Boy because it features Linda Cardellini, at peak levels of relatable fetchingness, busting out a life-changing karaoke rendition of Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It.” Because it should have made Nick Swardson a (okay, maybe Rob Schneider-level) comedy star solely on the strength of his smacktalk when he crushes a videogame opponent: “New high score, is that bad? What does that mean? Did I break it?” Because High Times named it Best Stoner Movie at the 2006 Stony Awards, and it boasts a scene in which titular grandma Doris Roberts gets unwittingly blazed to the bejeezus bells. Because its end credits song—“Grandma’s Boyee,” by Kool Keith and KutMasta Kurt—is mostly just a straight recitation of the film’s plot, including lyrics like, “He’s looking for a small space to light up his bong at Nana’s house.” And watch it because Slate’s own Reihan Salam, in a magisterial 2006 piece titled “Masturbation and Solitude,” called this movie “the most thoughtful meditation on the plight of the beta male that I’ve ever seen,” and wagered that merely watching it could rescue humanity from a “Spenglerian spiral of misery and torment.”—Seth Stevenson, frequent contributor

The Secret of Roan Inish
Arriving: 
July 1

Perhaps the most unlikely film of writer-director John Sayles’ career, The Secret of Roan Inish was mostly ignored back in 1994, when it was released. A quiet, odd fable set in an Irish fishing village, the meditative Roan Inish tells the story of a young girl exploring the myth of the selkies, half-seal, half-human creatures of Irish legend. It’s a great under-the-radar family pick that will appeal to curious 9-to-13-year-olds, while reminding their parents of the storytelling skill Sayles (Eight Men Out, Lone Star) has brought to his finest projects.—Dan Kois, culture editor

The Wrecking Crew
Arriving: 
July 30

You may have never heard of the Wrecking Crew, but I can guarantee that you’ve heard them. The group of crack Los Angeles studio musicians that assembled under that name in the ’60s played on a truly absurd number of classics, from artists including the Beach Boys, the Monkees, the Crystals, Nancy Sinatra, Elvis, Sonny & Cher, and more—altering the way that musicians would play many of these songs forever. But it’s only with this documentary that they’re getting the kind of widespread recognition they deserve. I’m not sure if this labor of love ever would have gotten the kind of attention it has if it weren’t for the Oscar-conquering success of the similarly-minded 20 Feet From Stardom last year—the movie first premiered to raves in 2008, before languishing for years on the shelf—but I’m glad it did. —Forrest Wickman, senior editor

The Guest
Arriving: 
July 25

David (Dan Stevens) shows up at the front door of a family grieving a fallen son in Afghanistan. He says he served with the son—and they invite him to stay. Oops! Before long, David’s no-nonsense charm gives way to a demented homicidal agenda. It’s hard to pin down all the influences on Adam Wingard’s strange, sexy comic thriller, but B-movie fans of all stripes will find much to admire in a delirious movie that sends up a half-dozen genres at once. Watch with something strong to drink.—Jeffrey Bloomer, associate editor

Also arriving:

July 1

Alive
An Honest Liar
Bad Hair Day
Bionicle: The Legend Reborn
Dave Attel: Road Work
Death in Paradise,
 Season 3
Hostage
Invizimals: The Alliance Files
La Reina del Sur
Octonauts
, Season 3
Piglet’s Big Movie
El Senor de los Cielos
, Seasons 1-2
Saw V 
Set Fire to the Stars 
Shooting Fish
Underworld: Evolution
Velvet
, Season 2

July 3

Knights of Sidonia, Season 2

July 4

Faults
Hell on Wheels
, Season 4
White Collar, Season 6

July 7

Monster High: Scaris, City of Frights
Witches of East End
, Season 2

July 9

Monsters: The Dark Continent
Serena

July 10

Chris Tucker Live
Violetta
, Seasons 1-2

July 14

Bad Ink, Season 1
Bible Secrets Revealed, Season 1
Creep
Goodbye To All That
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanleys Island of Dr. Moreau
Preachers’ Daughters
, Season 2
Storage Wars: Texas, Season 1
The Killer Speaks, Season 2

July 15

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
H20 Mermaid Adventures (five new episodes)
Penguins of Madagascar
The Physician

July 16

Changeling

July 17

BoJack Horseman, Season 2
The Human Experiment
Tig

July 18

Glee, Season 6
Java Heat

July 23

Teacher of the Year

July 28

Comet
Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
, Season 2

July 30

Almost Mercy
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
, Season 5

July 31

Turbo Fast, Season 2
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp