Paramount Plus doesn't quite make the cut on our guide to the best streaming services but that doesn't mean it isn't worth subscribing to Paramount's streaming service. Every month, it adds tons of new shows and movies, including more than a few excellent ones.
This month, there are actually around a dozen movies that are new to Paramount Plus that also hold the distinction of having a 90% or higher rating on Rotten Tomatoes. These movies are the cream of the crop with near-universal acclaim and to add this many in a given month is no small accomplishment.
But, that's also a lot of movies to watch at a time — perhaps too many. So I've narrowed it down to the seven best movies with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes new to Paramount Plus this August. Here's what you need to be watching.
'Extra Ordinary' (2019)
Rose Dooley (Maeve Higgins) may seem like a simple driving instructor, but her father Vincent Dooley (Risteárd Cooper) trained her into a talented paranormal expert. His untimely demise caused Rose to shun her gifts, but a chance encounter with a Mr. Martin Martin (Barry Ward) and his possessed daughter Sarah (Emma Coleman) forces her to dance with the devil and stop one-hit-wonder rock star Christian Winter (Will Forte) from sacrificing Sarah to Satan.
I rarely find an acclaimed movie on these streaming services that I'm not at least casually aware of, but I'll admit I had never heard of "Extra Ordinary." After watching the trailer and laughing on more than one occasion, I'll almost certainly be watching it when it hits Paramount Plus later this month.
Genre: Comedic horror
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stream it on Paramount Plus with Showtime starting Aug. 24
'Airplane!' (1980)
"Airplane!" is one of the greatest comedies of all time. Period. The disaster comedy stars Robert Hays as former fighter pilot turned taxi driver Ted Striker. His girlfriend Elaine (Julie Hagerty) breaks up with Striker right as she's about to work as a flight attendant on a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago, and Ted gets a last-minute ticket to board the flight and win her back.
Also starring Leslie Nielsen as Dr. Rumack alongside many other talented actors (including basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), the plot of "Airplane!" is almost forgettable despite its brilliance. Instead, you'll remember iconic lines like "Don't call me Shirley," absurd moments like Ted depressing passengers to the point of suicide and so many other quotes and gags. This movie is a must-watch for anyone.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it on Paramount Plus with Showtime
'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (1956)
If you thought this was the 1978 film starring Donald Sutherland, I wouldn't blame you. Both are excellent, acclaimed adaptations of the 1955 novel "The Body Snatchers" by Jack Finney. But while more people may now know the 1978 remake, it's the 1958 original that's arguably the most critically well-received version.
The original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" stars Kevin McCarthy as Dr. Miles Bennett. The movie starts with him being held in custody in a Los Angeles hospital, recounting his hellish tale of alien imposters replacing the human residents of Santa Mira with soulless duplicates. Even if you've seen the remake, don't miss the original on Paramount Plus this month.
Genre: Science fiction
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
'Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968)
When it comes to Western films, no actor, writer or director is more synonymous with the genre than Italian director Sergio Leone. His incredible camerawork and his classmate Ennio Morricone's iconic scores are responsible for the place the "Spaghetti Western" holds in cinema history. The soundtrack for this movie is still one of the best-selling original scores of all time.
"Once Upon a Time in the West" stars Charles Bronson as "Harmonica," a gunslinging hero who rolls into Flagstone on the hunt for the notorious gangster Frank (Henry Fonda). While initially unsuccessful, Harmonica eventually crosses paths with the fugitive "Cheyenne" (Jason Robards) and the former prostitute Jill (Claudia Cardinale), both of whom have scores to settle with the villainous Frank. Don't miss one of the greatest Westerns ever made while it's on Paramount Plus.
Genre: Western
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
'Face/Off' (1997)
Nicolas Cage was just announced to star in a John Madden biopic as the legendary coach turned announcer. While that movie may well ultimately be incredible, it will be tough for it to beat Cage's performance in "Face/Off."
John Travolta stars alongside Cage as FBI special agent Sean Archer, a federal agent who has, for years, been chasing down the criminal Castor Troy (Cage). But after chasing down an elusive criminal turns into a mission for revenge, Archer discovers a revolutionary new technology that could give him the edge against Troy.
By the end of this John Woo action thriller, both men fully immerse themselves into the other's being to try and gain victory. "Face/Off" is still a unique action movie to this day and is a must-watch for any action movie fan. I promise you, there’s nothing else out there quite like it.
Genre: Science fiction action thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
'An Inconvenient Truth' (2006)
While he never managed to become the "next President of the United States," Al Gore certainly managed to make waves with "An Inconvenient Truth." Following his failed, totally controversy-free bid to become the 43rd U.S. President, former Vice President Gore started doing public speaking engagements warning the world about the rapidly developing global warming crisis. In 2006, he and producer Laurie David took his PowerPoint presentation and turned it into an award-winning documentary.
In the years since, much of what Gore discussed in "An Inconvenient Truth" is more common knowledge than in the early 2000s, in no small part due to the success of this documentary. But it's still as relevant as ever, and worth watching if you've never seen it.
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
'Pulp Fiction' (1994)
"Pulp Fiction" follows three interconnected stories that are told out of chronological order, though the film starts and ends in the same scene at the same diner. Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are a pair of hitmen tasked with hunting down the briefcase of their boss, the criminal Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). Over the course of the movie, they cross paths with Marsellus' wife (Uma Thurman), a boxer named Butch (Bruce Willis), a "cleaner" named Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) and a pair of thieves named Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer).
Looking back, you'd assume this was a major studio movie — but it wasn't. Many of the actors were either washed up or unknown, and this movie is why they're now household names. Made on a budget of just $8.5 million, Quentin Tarantino's indie film went on to gross $213.9 million en route to a Palme d'Or win and seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay, which Tarantino won.
Genre: Crime
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
'Heart Beats Loud' (2018)
Frank Fisher (Nick Offerman) is a former musician running a failing record store in Brooklyn. He lives alone with his daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) after his wife died in a biking accident. Sam is set to go to UCLA but after Frank uploads a song they wrote together to the internet, their lives are thrown into a state of upheaval as the song becomes a viral hit.
"Heart Beats Loud" is on the sweet, feel-good side of the comedy-drama spectrum, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. Critics loved the film and its cast, which includes Toni Collette as Frank's landlady and Ted Danson as his best friend.
Genre: Comedy-drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
'City of God' (2002)
This epic Brazilian crime film is one of the best foreign movies made this century. Set in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, this movie is narrated by Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), a resident of Rio's Cidade de Deus (City of God) favela who dreams of being a photographer. When a gang war between drug dealers Li'l Zé (Leandro Firmino) and Carrot (Matheus Nachtergaele) breaks out in the favela, Rocket seizes the opportunity to find a life outside the Brazilian slum.
Despite earning nominations for Best Director, Best Cinematography and more, "City of God" somehow didn't make the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film. But it did make numerous top 10 lists in 2002. There's a lot to like about this movie, but its cast made up largely of real favela residents is the real draw.
Genre: Crime (foreign)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
