5 new to Netflix movies with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes
Netflix has confirmed its slate for July 2025, and I'm picking out the top new additions that scored highly on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.
This month's newcomers include a stirring romantic drama starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga; you can probably guess it from that vague description. Plus, there's also a pair of 'Mission: Impossible' movies that see Tom Cruise in full flow performing death-defying stunts and saving the world even when the odds are seriously stacked against him.
If you're planning a Netflix movie marathon this weekend, these movies all make for excellent choices. So, here's the best new to Netflix movies according to Rotten Tomatoes.
'A Star is Born' (2018)
'A Star is Born' became a major cultural phenomenon in 2018, and even all these years later, you're never far from hearing its enduring original song 'Shallow' played in a bar or grocery store.
Starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, it's the third remake of the 1937 original, but it certainly doesn't feel derivative, with a fantastic cast, smart direction from Cooper and a soundtrack that you'll be playing on repeat for weeks after watching.
Ally (Gaga) is a waitress and hopeful musician who meets Jackson Maine (Cooper), an alcoholic country rockstar whose star is fading fast. Their chance encounter in a dive bar leads to an intense romance, but as Ally's fame rapidly rises, Jackson struggles to battle his own demons.
Triumphant in parts, but also deeply tragic, 'A Star is Born' is a mesmerizing romantic drama with award-caliber performances from Gaga, Cooper and Sam Elliott.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%Watch on Netflix now
'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' (2011)
Netflix has added the first five 'Mission: Impossible' movies this month, and it won't come as a surprise to franchise fans that 'Ghost Protocol' has made this list.
The fourth installment, 'Ghost Protocol,' took the series to a new level and set the standard that subsequent sequels would look to match. Even if follow-ups 'Rogue Nation' and 'Fallout' surpassed it, in my opinion at least, this entry still offers some jaw-dropping set pieces, including a sequence that sees superspy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) scale the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai.
In 'Ghost Protocol,' the IMF (Impossible Missions Force) is blamed for a devastating terrorist attack on the Kremlin. Disavowed by the U.S. government, and with the eponymous protocol activated, it's up to Hunt and his team (Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Paula Patton) to discover the true culprits, clear their names, and save the world from a nuclear threat.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%Watch on Netflix now
'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' (2015)
Successfully following up a rip-roaring action blockbuster like 'Ghost Protocol' seemed a tall order, but credit to the creatives behind 'Mission: Impossible' because they did just that in 'Rogue Nation.'
This sequel offers up more thrilling spy set pieces, and the section set in a Viennese opera house is among my favorite moments in the whole franchise. Plus, 'Rogue Nation' adds Rebecca Ferguson to the cast, which is always a win.
'Rogue Nation' sees the IMF disbanded, with the team's unconventional methods questioned by CIA director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin). But in the shadows, a clandestine organization known only as the Syndicate is working to install a new world order, and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must reunite with this team to locate this sinister new threat.
In short, 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' is one of the best action blockbusters of the past decade.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%Watch on Netflix now
'Captain Philips' (2013)
Tom Hanks gives one of his most powerful performances in this intense thriller from director Paul Greengrass. Inspired by true events, it sees Hanks play the titular Richard Philips, a merchant mariner who is at the helm of a container vessel when it's hijacked by Somali pirates, led by the desperate Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi). Philips' priority is keeping his crew safe from harm, but as the situation escalates, the pirates become more desperate.
Even if you've never seen 'Captain Phillips,' you've probably encountered the 'I'm the captain now' meme, but this gritty thrill ride is so much more than a frequently shared online clip; it's gripping from the get-go, and Hanks' performance will have you enthralled. Gritty, grounded, and surprisingly multi-layered, 'Captain Phillips' is a masterclass in building tension. As the hostage situation develops, things reach a dramatic climax that you won't soon forget.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%Watch on Netflix now
'Tangerine' (2015)
Before Sean Baker became the toast of Hollywood, winning Best Picture and Best Director at the 2024 Oscars for his latest project, 'Anora,' he helmed an equally unflinching portrayal of the sex work industry, 'Tangerine.'
In fact, this 2015 movie is an even more uncompromising exploration of the sex work industry. It focuses on a side of Los Angeles that strips away the glitz and glamour and instead presents something that feels undeniably real and raw.
Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), is a transgender sex worker who's just got out of jail and learns from a close friend, Alexandra (Mya Taylor), that her boyfriend/pimp has been cheating her on while she was locked up.
Determined to locate her boyfriend Chester (James Ransone), Sin-Dee and Alexandra search the city on Christmas Eve on a mission to settle the score.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%Watch on Netflix now
More from Tom's Guide
New on Netflix in July 2025
Netflix just cancelled two new shows — and third could follow
Netflix just got 'Born on the Fourth of July'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald on how Adam Sandler's ‘Happy Gilmore' changed golf
From left: Christopher McDonald and Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore 2." Scott Yamano/Netflix In the original film, Sandler played the brash and anger-prone titular character, a former hockey player who dreamed of playing for his beloved Boston Bruins, but found that his slap-shot skills were better suited for the back nine. Trying to raise money to save his grandmother's Connecticut home, Sandler's Happy turned into an unlikely pro-golf star, with his unorthodox play and feisty demeanor drawing a whole new (and wild) fanbase to the game. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up ''Happy Gilmore' the movie and Happy Gilmore the character gave this kind of cool, weird cachet to golf,' said Julie Bowen, 55, who reprises her role from the original film as Happy's love interest, Virginia Venit. She added, in a recent Zoom interview, 'There's a little bit of that rock 'n' roll rebel attitude that I guess it turns out we all want to claim for our own, even the golf world.' Advertisement Julie Bowen in "Happy Gilmore 2." Courtesy of Netflix Advertisement Set decades after the first film, the sequel features Happy now married to Virginia, with a big family of kids. But after stepping away from golf, Happy is forced to pick up his clubs again to win enough money to pay for the prestigious ballet school his daughter Vienna (played by Sandler's real-life daughter Sunny) wants to attend. While the original film poked fun at the sport and its old-fashioned conventions, golfers new and old have embraced 'Happy Gilmore' since it hit the big screen nearly three decades ago, with a who's who list of legends and today's stars lining up for parts in the sequel, including Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Lee Trevino, and even the great Jack Nicklaus. McDonald recalled his first day on set, where he wanted to just stop by and 'get a lay of the land,' which happened to be when a lot of current and former golf pros were filming a scene. 'They're all sitting there, and I waited for a break and I walked in, and then all of a sudden they all looked at me and went, 'Shooter!',' said McDonald. 'It was one of those magic moments that I wish I could encapsulate, but it'll always be in my mind.' 'I would sit down and talk to Jack Nicklaus, I mean come on, for like an hour,' he added. 'He was the nicest guy in the world, giving me tips here and there and just talking about his career.' From left: Adam Sandler and Rory McIlroy on the set of "Happy Gilmore 2." Scott Yamano/Netflix The list of celebrity cameos goes beyond golf to include Eminem, Margaret Qualley, Post Malone, Travis Kelce, and Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (a.k.a. Bad Bunny). Advertisement Tim Herlihy, who co-wrote the first film with Sandler, also co-wrote 'Happy Gilmore 2' with the New Hampshire-raised comic. Dennis Dugan, who directed the original, reprises his role as golf tour commissioner Doug Thompson in the sequel, which is directed by Kyle Newacheck. Other returning faces include Ben Stiller as the wacky orderly Hal L. Having worked with Sandler on the original film and more recently on the 2020 Salem-set comedy 'It's a boyish enthusiasm and something that was evident from the first 'Happy Gilmore,'' said Bowen. 'He's really collaborative and fun to work with and become only more so over the years.' 'He's got that director's head at all times, and if a scene is not working … he'll go, 'How do we make this better? Let's change that. Let's do this',' said McDonald. Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore 2." Courtesy of Netflix Bowen, a Brown University graduate, said Sandler's mix of heart, humor, and rage made Happy's angry New Englander persona memorable. 'There's something really lovely and raw and real about people that lead from the heart like that,' she said. The actress described the new film as 'a little bit more sad and heartfelt' than the first movie, but with a big focus on family, which is no surprise as Sandler is 'a dad first and foremost' whose happy place is with his loved ones, according to Bowen. In addition to his daughter Sunny, Sandler's other daughter Sadie and wife Jackie have roles in the film. 'He says he's happy that [his daughters have] gotten into acting, I'm like, did they have a choice?,' Bowen joked. 'They grew up on a set because he loves being with them.' Advertisement 'He really wanted to bring in his life experience and highlight how important family is to him,' she added. 'And that's a no-brainer for me. I mean, my kids own me, you know, and he gets that. So being surrounded by all the kids, piles of kids, it was just pure joy.' McDonald, who got his start in acting at the Charles Playhouse in Boston after graduating college ('It all started in Beantown, baby!' he quipped), said that, even after all these years in the business and hundreds of credits to his name, Shooter is still the role he gets recognized for the most. Christopher McDonald in "Happy Gilmore 2." Courtesy of Netflix 'To this day, I mean, I can't walk through an airport or walk down the street in New York or in Boston, and I'll hear, 'Shooter!' And I give them the old thing,' McDonald said. 'It's really a joy, and I'm glad I'm back, and I'm over the moon about how it turned out.' 'Happy Gilmore 2 ' premieres Friday on Netflix. Matt Juul can be reached at
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
For Late Night, Epstein-Trump Is the Comedy Gift That Keeps On Giving
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night's highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. The Hits Keep Coming New footage of Jeffrey Epstein being questioned by the government in 2010 emerged this week — 'and you'll never guess whose name came up,' Josh Johnson said on Thursday. 'Go ahead — guess.' In the video, the multimillionaire financier and convicted sex offender is asked if he'd ever 'socialized with Donald Trump in the presence of females under the age of 18,' and responds by asserting his Fifth, Sixth and 14th Amendment rights. 'I'm going to put that down as a 'yes,'' Johnson said. 'I'll be honest, I've never heard anybody plead anything other than the Fifth before. But this guy's so guilty, he's calling out every amendment he can think of, like, 'No, no, no, what's the one with the women voting? Uh, 19th? Throw that in, too.'' — JOSH JOHNSON 'Wow. Not a great sign when the pedophile is being asked if you're doing a pervert ride-along, and their response is, 'I'd like to invoke the entire Constitution, the Magna Carta, the Napoleonic Code, and just to cover my bases, let's throw in the entire Cheesecake Factory menu.' — STEPHEN COLBERT 'So, we don't know if he was doin' the creepy crimin', but we do have a cover-up. And just like the cover-up on his face, it is patchy, and there's something really ugly under there.' — STEPHEN COLBERT 'Jeffrey Epstein died back in 2019, but not since Tupac Shakur has a dead man dropped so many bangers.' — JOSH JOHNSON Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Michelle Buteau talks saying goodbye to 'Survival of the Thickest' and her 'first true love' stand-up comedy
Buteau celebrates stand-up as a Gala star at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal From her incredible success with the Netflix series Survival of the Thickest and history-making stand-up shows, including being the first woman to film a comedy special at Radio City Music Hall, Michelle Buteau is one of the most beloved talents in entertainment. So the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal is lucky to have her featured as a Gala star. Whether she's acting, doing stand-up comedy, hosting, writing or producing a project, she excels at it all. But no matter how many hats she's worn in her career of more than 20 years, stand-up is her "first true love." "I fell in love with stand-up and everything else is just cherries on the cake," Buteau told Yahoo Canada. "When you get the Gala spot at JFL, it feels like you've won Formula One. ... When you start stand-up, there are a handful of things, especially New York comedians, always talk about getting. An SNL audition, or a Late Night spot, and JFL was right up there. So this is very exciting. I mean, it's been a long time, so very happy to be doing it." As Buteau highlighted, there's nothing like experiencing the thrill of a live stand-up show. But through her comedy specials on streaming sites and leveraging online platforms, Buteau has really been able to make her work available to people around the world. It's that accessibility component that's important for her. "There's a non-binary teenager in Kenya that's reaching out to me, a 62-year-old lesbian in Bulgaria, ... then there's cities in Brazil ... using my catchphrase," Buteau said. "It makes comedians feel like rock stars." Michelle Buteau is 'tired' of people being told their 'not worthy' With the success of Survival of the Thickest, the show has been praised for being particularly sex-positive, as the lead character Mavis (played by Buteau) works to thrive mentally, emotionally and sexually. "When we talk about mental health and making people feel good, it isn't just about how you look. It's about how you feel. And it's about how you feel in all chapters of your life," Buteau said. "So whether it is a piece of clothing, whether it is food, whether it is attention, whether it is sex, all of it is meant to build you up, not tear you down." "[I'm] sick and tired of the conversation, especially in and around the arts, film and TV, of bigger bodies always having to feel very grateful that someone finds them desirable, which is just plain bullshit. ... Since the beginning of time there has been thick people who have been loved on and dicked down. It's just like, excuse me, why is this such a wild concept that somebody would love their body? And honestly, it is what we are going through today and what we've been going through also since the beginning of time. It's control. It is a mental prison. If you tell people they are not worthy ... they're going to believe you, they're not going to feel good about themselves. And I'm so tired of that." Buteau added that what's great about having Survival of the Thickest on Netflix, which is available in 190 countries, is how many people she can reach with the show's core messaging. "I know that I can reach people of all gender expressions, of all sizes and shapes, and say, 'Hey boo, you look f—king good and you're worthy of whatever you want,'" she said. "That's why I made my character a stylist, because I think the platform of fashion can showcase the injustices. ... It's also a good excuse to be like, 'Hey, I need a lot of money for fashion.'" While we already know that Season 3 of Survival of the Thickest will be the show's last, a tough hit for many fans, Buteau is ready to go out with impact. "It feels earned and deserved," Buteau said. "I'm really lucky ... that I found something I love to do, and so I don't take the responsibility lightly. We're going to blow it up ... in the best possible way." "I know people are bummed that it won't be coming back, but it's actually such a gift to know that it is the third and final. I don't think a lot of platforms and networks give you that information all the time."
