From Russell Crowe as an MMA trainer in Beast to the Korean drama Teach You a Lesson, July offers a diverse lineup of streaming content. Here are our picks for your new favourite film or bingeable series this month.
Beast (Stan)
Patton James (Daniel MacPherson) is a retired mixed martial arts fighter facing tough financial circumstances. He finds it impossible to resist when the opportunity arises to earn $150,000 fighting his former nemesis, world champion Xavier Grau (Bren Foster). Patton returns to his old trainer Sammy (Russell Crowe). Despite some bad blood between them, Sammy and his daughter Rose (Amy Shark) help him get in shape for the fight.
Beast has all the expected cliches, and the narrative is predictable. But for a feel-good “against the odds” sports film, this isn’t necessarily a problem. Watching cliché after cliché unfold can be pleasurable, and genre cinema’s capacity to fulfil expectations is one reason we keep coming back. Despite being soapy and not very convincing, Beast is quite watchable as a sports telemovie – earnest, if a bit lame. According to Ari Mattes, “There’s something eternally pleasurable about watching an against the odds sporting movie replete with training montages, even if it is Home and Away’s answer to Rocky IV.”
Straight to Hell (Netflix)
Straight to Hell, a nine-episode drama series from Japan, stars Erika Toda as the late Kazuko Hosoki, a famous Japanese fortune teller who became popular on television and published best-selling books. Set in Tokyo, it covers 60 years of her life from post-World War II through to the 2000s. The story is told in flashback via a fictional character, author and journalist Minori Uozumi (Sairi Ito), who serves as the framing device for the non-linear story.
As Hosoki’s authorised biographer, Uozumi is torn over whether to voice her doubts about Hosoki’s integrity. For Japanese audiences, the story is well known and mediates public memory of her fame and scandals. For other cultures, it is not so much a biopic but an epic tale of gender and power. Beginning with Hosoki’s childhood of poverty and homelessness, the narrative explores how deprivation and adversity foster resilience while fuelling a capacity for reinvention. Lisa French notes: “Hosoki is a bad woman, but a fascinating one, and the series makes it difficult not to admire her.”
Off Campus (Prime Video)
From showrunners Louisa Levy and Gina Fattore, Off Campus explores the devastating impacts of sexual violence on young women with sensitivity, without gratuitous depictions. Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) is a college junior, and we follow her fake dating scheme-turned-romance with star hockey-player Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli). In a subplot, we learn Hannah was drugged and raped by a classmate, Aaron Delaney (Quinten James), at a party when she was 15.
Hannah’s experience of assault takes place before the first episode, hinted at subtly through flashbacks. The focus is on her life in the aftermath. She confides in Garrett about her inability to orgasm, is hesitant to drink at parties, and feels guilty that the only result of her legal trial was the alienation of her family in Indiana. Bridget Mac Eochagain comments: “Off Campus successfully touches on problematic ideologies before challenging a legacy of storylines that have helped endorse rape myths and minimise the effects of sexual violence.”
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Season 3 (Netflix)
Season three of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders presents an intriguing portrait of contemporary femininity. In a mediascape flooded with tradwives and the manosphere, there is a trend towards traditional values and gender roles. The cheerleaders were previously documented in a CMT reality show with more flash and colour. After transitioning to Netflix, everything seems too bright and desaturated. The watchable annual audition and training camp elements feature but are covered in a veneer of sisterhood and lukewarm fourth-wave feminism.
This season focuses on New-Zealand-born Australian Faith Ward, the 2025 rookie, who brings some much-needed cheek. The hilarity often derives from cringy moments like driving on the right side of the road and subjecting teammates to Vegemite tasting. The cast’s global fame presents stronger storylines as they grapple with social media success while trying to hold down normal lives. Director Kelli Finglass attempts to control the dissemination of sexualised internet imagery, reminiscent of Aunt Lydia disciplining the Handmaids. The most interesting arc is “dancing for Jesus” Reece Weaver, who married young and whose partner seems keen to move back to Alabama.
NZ Spy (TVNZ, coming to ABC in late 2026)
The retro James Bond parody NZ Spy asks: what if the greatest threat to New Zealand was actually Australia? It’s the mid-1970s, and New Zealand is in economic turmoil. Brand new spies Michael (creator Paul Williams), Michael #2 (Joe Thomas) and Sue (Rose Matafeo) got the job because no one else applied. After a quick training montage and a nod from their boss (Bret McKenzie), they are off to save the country from the Australian Intelligence Service, who have a secret plan to ruin it.
This is the latest in a long line of absurd Kiwi comedies about awkward, childlike adults failing forward. Williams’ leading man is a hapless dolt who can barely remember his own name. Hypercompetent Sue bails him out; Matafeo is in great form. The six episodes run back-to-back and take a while to get going despite an excellent alpine set piece in episode one. Erin Harrington notes: “The martini needs more chilling, but it’s still a nice drop.”
Teach You a Lesson (Netflix)
Teach You a Lesson is about a government-backed vigilante unit trying to fix wrongs in schools. It depicts a version of Korean society where rising school violence and declining teacher authority have pushed the educational system to breaking point. Education minister Choi Gang-seok (Lee Sung-min) establishes the Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB) after his daughter, a teacher, dies at the hands of a student. The ERPB unit is granted extraordinary legal powers to intervene in troubled schools.
Each episode tackles a new case involving bullying, corruption, academic misconduct, juvenile crime, gambling, drug trafficking or exploitation. One striking line comes as Hwa-jin reflects: “If adults become afraid of children, the world is doomed.” Yanyan Hong observes: “Beneath its action, drama and satisfying takedowns lies a question troubling parents, educators and policymakers everywhere: what is education for, when the classroom itself is in crisis?”
Matt and Mara (Mubi)
Led by Matt Johnson and Deragh Campbell, Matt and Mara is an intimate relationship drama rich with subtlety and melancholy. The 2024 film, directed by Kazik Radwanski, follows Mara (Campbell), a creative writing professor at the University of Toronto struggling with the routine of her academic career and marital life. Her husband, Samir (Mounir Al Shami), is an experimental musician, a space Mara feels estranged from. Tensions mount when Mara unexpectedly reconnects with Matt (Johnson), an outgoing writer from her past.
As they rekindle what they once shared, Mara confronts her existential unrest. According to Oscar Bloomfield, “Johnson captivates with his hilarious, improvised take on the charismatic, narcissistic writer. The film poignantly captures the complexity of human relationships and broader reflections on creative ambitions.”
The Boroughs (Netflix)
The eight-part paranormal adventure The Boroughs offers a fresh take on unruly seniors. Set in a mid-century modern retirement village in New Mexico, it features an outstanding ensemble cast. The Duffer brothers of Stranger Things fame are among the executive producers. The narrative is scary from the get-go but has gentle humour, rich characters, and celebrates community.
The show playfully challenges stereotypes that ageing diminishes sexuality. Some retirees are banned from the Community Centre for having orgies; two neighbours have an affair; and the youngest, at 70, has a 40-something lover. Themes include feminist commentary via a Thelma & Louise homage and the character of Renee (Geena Davis), who faces economic hardship after divorce. Lisa French notes: “The retirees are dismissed as senile, so their account of alien monsters is disregarded. This enables those who know the truth to keep it secret until the residents form an unexpected alien alliance.”
