It’s August and things get pretty hit or miss at the theaters, right when things are so miserably hot that we’re looking for movie distractions wherever we can. We’ve already established you can skip the latest superhero movie and unless you live in a town with some of the more interesting indie fare, you may just save yourself a few bucks, put that moolah toward blasting the AC and snuggling down for some solid home-entertaining. If you can’t make it out to see Kristen Wiig in theaters this weekend, you can watch her at home. And with VOD, you can see the new Charlize Theron-starring, Gillian Flynn-written thriller, as well as a new political drama with Nicolas Cage. Kick back, cool off and watch away. We’ve got all your new home streaming recommendations ahead.

Netflix

Welcome to Me (Shira Piven, 2014)

Kristen Wiig fans can go see her in theaters today in The Diary of a Teenage Girl, but if that Sundance favorite film isn’t playing in your town, you’re not out of luck. Wiig also stars in Welcome to Me, an indie film by relative newbie Shira Piven (brother is actor Jeremy Piven). Wiig stars as Alice Klieg, a socially awkward and borderline personality disorder patient who wins the lottery and decides she wants her own TV show and now has the money to buy herself one. Wes Bentley and James Marsden play two brothers running an infomercial TV studio strapped for cash who take advantage of Alice’s newfound fortune and iffy mentally ill decision-making. The film walks a fine line in finding the humor in mental illness, but mostly exceeds at finding the humor in self-therapy and in the entirely human desire to be understood. It’s a funny and colorful film and the perfect platform for Wiig to showcase the many sides of her humorous abilities.

Other titles new to Netflix this week:
HitRECord on TV (Season 1)
Doctor Who(Season 8) on 8/8/15
Club de Cuervos (Season 1)
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (Kiah Roache-Turner, 2015)
Kill Me Three Times (Kriv Stenders, 2014)
The Look of Love (Michael Winterbottom, 2013)

Fandor

The Sun’s Burial (Nagisa Ôshima, 1960)

The early ’60s were an intriguing time in Japanese cinema at a central peak of the Japanese New Wave movement, not especially unlike the French New Wave movement but distinct in its influencing factors, among which was a desire to spark some fresh perspective into the dying Japanese film industry. Among the most prominent young filmmakers to emerge was Nagisa Ôshima. A few of his later titles may be what we most recall him for including Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and the samurai film Taboo, but his second film Cruel Story of Youth launched him into the New Wave spotlight earning him a place alongside Truffaut and Godard. The Sun’s Burial is his follow-up to Cruel Story of Youth, released only months later—he released three films in total in 1960—and contains much of the same themes including youth living in the midst of socioeconomic disparity. Following a group of young gangsters committing crimes and dealing with drama on the streets of Osaka, its the perfect way to see a master in the making, finding those moments within the film that showcase Ôshima’s brilliance.

Other titles new to Fandor this week:
The Man in the Iron Mask (James Whale, 1939)
Society (Brian Yuzna, 1989)
Charles Manson Superstar (Nikolas Schreck, 1989)
Girl on a Bicycle (Jeremy Leven, 2013)

MUBI

Actress (Robert Greene, 2014)

When we caught the film at Hot Docs last year our critic’s consensus was that Actress is “mesmerizing the whole way through” and one of the better documentary films we saw last year. Robert Greene blurs the lines of documentary filmmaking by focusing on Brandy Burre, an actress and mother most publicly known from her role on the HBO series The Wire. In the film, Greene is given access into Burre’s home life as a mother and her latest endeavors to get back into acting. A simple enough focus, but what makes it interesting is the way in which Burre’s behavior calls into question how much of what we see is her acting and what is her being herself. Or an even bigger question is if she is being herself, but influenced by the direction of Greene. When on camera, how much is anyone really themselves? Intriguing ponderings and an excellently made film.

Other titles new to MUBI this week:
I Saw The Devil (Kim Jee-Woon, 2010)
What Now? Remind Me (Joaquim Pinto, 2013)
Cure – The Life of Another (Andrea Staka, 2014)
Kati With an I (Robert Greene, 2010)
Laila (George Schnéevoigt, 1929)

Video On-Demand

Dark Places (Gilles Paquet-Brenner, 2015)

Gone Girl being the discussion film of 2014, it will be interesting to see if as many people pick up on the next Gillian Flynn novel adaptation, with another script by Flynn herself. Similarly twisty, Dark Places stars Charlize Theron as Libby, the sole survivor of the brutal murder of her family when she was a child. Years later public interest in her family’s murder case cause Libby to revisit the crime, unearthing new information and throwing Libby for a loop. The film also stars Drea de Matteo, Corey Stoll, Christina Hendricks, and Nicholas Hoult but let’s be honest, Charlize Theron is basically our favorite actress right now due to Mad Max: Fury Road. We’ll be rushing out to see her next 10 films for sure.

Other titles new to VOD this week:
Five Star (Keith Miller, 2014)
The Runner (Austin Stark, 2015)
Harbinger Down (Alec Gillis, 2015)
Spare Change (Arturo Guzman, Jonathan Talbert, 2015)

For those of you smart enough not to have cable and unlucky enough that your parents aren’t HBO subscribers, you’re now in luck! HBO has now officially announced HBO Now, the standalone streaming service without being tied to a cable provider. Apple currently has a 3-month exclusive window, so if you want it sooner than later, you’ll have to stream on the web or through an Apple TV. For $15/month, you’ll get access to dozens of HBO original shows and hundreds of movies. Not to be outdone, Showtime quickly announced their plans for a standalone version of their Showtime Anytime app. Oh, and Sony launched Playstation Vue, which offers up to 85 streaming channels. They also debuted their first original show, Powers, which stars Sharlto Copley as a superhero criminal investigator. It’s a good time to be in the streaming game! While you decide if it’s time for you to cut the cord, here are some new titles streaming this weekend:

Netflix

Force Majeure (Ruben Östlund, 2014)

One of the best films of 2014, Force Majeure involves an idyllic family vacation that goes horribly wrong after an avalanche and a quick decision. The film is one of the most brutally honest films about marriage and masculinity, but with an incredibly funny black streak. If you missed this film last year or ignored it due to its Oscar snub, this is a perfect time to check it out.

Other titles new to Netflix this week:
3rd Rock from the Sun (complete series)
Bloodline (Season 1)
Life Itself (Steve James, 2014)
Saw (James Wan, 2004)
The Way He Looks (Daniel Ribeiro, 2014)

Amazon Prime

Pulp: A Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets (Florian Habicht, 2014)

Fans of Pulp and indie rock will love this quirky profile and concert film. The film is less of a history of the “Common People” band and more of a love letter to the band’s final UK performance. With frontman Jarvis Cocker’s strange personality and a number of interviews with odd superfans, the Pulp doc is as hip and kooky as the band’s catchy tunes.

Other titles new to Amazon Prime this week:
God’s Not Dead (Harold Cronk, 2014)
Jamie Marks Is Dead (Carter Smith, 2014)
The Zero Theorem (Terry Gilliam, 2013)

Video On-Demand

Song of the Sea (Tomm Moore, 2014)

The Oscar nominated animated film that nobody saw, here is your time to change that. Tomm Moore’s sparkling follow-up to The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea is about a young Irish boy dealing with the untimely death of his mother – and his odd sister who may happen to be a mystical sea creature. The film is both light and heartbreaking, with a wonderful story built from Irish myths and traditions. It also has one of the most adorable dogs you’ll see in any film, which makes Song of the Sea worth a watch on its own.

Other titles new to VOD this week:
Annie (Will Gluck, 2014)
Top Five (Chris Rock, 2014)
Tracers (Daniel Benmayor, 2015)
Spring (Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, 2015)

It’s cold outside, so stay in this weekend. Also, do we really all need to go see Hot Tub Time Machine 2?

Instead, here are some movies newly available to stream on Netflix, VOD, and Amazon Prime.

Netflix

The Overnighters (Jesse Moss, 2014)

With the Oscars this weekend, this is a lovely opportunity to see just how wrong they were with their Best Documentary selections. No offense to those nominated films, but there wasn’t a doc last year as thrilling, compelling, or surprising as The Overnighters. Filmed in the oil boom town Williston, North Dakota, The Overnighters tackles complex economic and spiritual questions surrounding a church that has opened its doors to shelter those who can’t find work or afford increasing property costs. It is also a stunning portrait of Jay Reinke, the pastor who supervised the “Overnighters” program. Reinke is a complicated subject, one who is difficult to pin down and changes throughout the course of the film. Though he is taking on this incredible mission, it isn’t always easy to see his motivations as pure. The film isn’t exactly a thriller or a mystery, but the community is so well captured in its complexity that it almost feels like one. Not just one of the best docs of 2014, but one of the best films period.

Stream The Overnighters on Netflix

Other titles new to Netflix this week:
Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain (Ravi Kumar, 2014)
Earth to Echo (Dave Green, 2014)
In Secret (Charlie Stratton, 2013)
Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People (Thomas Allen Harris, 2014)
White Bird in a Blizzard (Gregg Araki, 2014)

Amazon Prime

Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962)

The winner of 7 Oscars in 1963, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography (Color), David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia is one of the best examples of the Academy getting it right. While I can’t fully endorse seeing Lawrence of Arabia anywhere but in a movie theater (preferably on film), if you’ve never seen the epic, you can’t spend 216 minutes of your life any better way. Peter O’Toole (who never won an Oscar, for shame), stars as T.E. Lawrence, one of the most enigmatic biographical characters in all of cinema. His journey across African deserts during World War I are gorgeously captured and as breath-taking as ever. It’s great classic epic filmmaking, without the use of technology and special effects filler. Certainly, it’s length and scope takes a commitment, but not without rewards.

Stream Lawrence of Arabia on Amazon Prime

Other titles new to Amazon Prime this week:
Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson, 1996)
Hook (Steven Spielberg, 1991)
Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2013)
In a World… (Lake Bell, 2013)
Nebraksa (Alexander Payne, 2013)

Video On-Demand

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Isao Takahata, 2013)

Sticking with the Oscar theme, though positively this time. The absence of The LEGO Movie still stings, but not at the expense of Isao Takahata’s masterful work in The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. If you weren’t able to check out this gem from Studio Ghibli, now is the perfect time. Expansive and magical, the film is a unique coming of age tale of a young princess birthed by a bamboo stalk and her reluctance to fit in with feudal Japanese high society. Its beautiful hand-drawn animation is a literal work of art and shows how old-school methods can still find a place in current trends. We just need filmmakers and studios that are willing to put in the work—hopefully Takahata’s work here will help inspire the next generation of animators to continue this legacy.

Other titles new to VOD this week:
All the Wilderness (Michael Johnson, 2014)
The Better Angels (A.J. Edwards, 2014)
Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014)
St. Vincent (Theodore Melfi, 2014)
The Theory of Everything (James Marsh, 2014)