Netflix is bringing the heat this summer with more original movies

Netflix will bring some major hits to us this summer with more original movies. Well, they hope they're hits. We'll just hope they're entertaining enough to give us another reason to stay inside and beat the heat. Now, where's that blender...

This summer promises to be a scorcher. You can thank Netflix for that. Oh, you thought I meant the weather. Nah, that's a topic for another time and place. I'm talking about the heat your favorite streaming service is bringing to your retro Nokia, your 87th-generation iPad, or your massive 105" mini-OLED media altar.

However you watch, and whatever you watch, you'll want to catch these. You don't have to pay $30 for a couple of tickets and then another $40 for sodas and a large popcorn to be entertained. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't go to the movies, despite what CEO Ted Sarandos says about movie theaters. All I'm saying is, Netflix will have some very good reasons to stay home a few nights this summer.

Netflix brings laughs, thrills, tears and chills this summer

It all kicks off in June with Straw, a thriller written and directed by the insanely prolific Tyler Perry. I've never been a fan of his near-endless Madea series, but films like For Colored Girls and his more recent hit The Six Triple Eight stand up with nearly anyone's work. So when Perry teams up with his frequent collaborator Taraji P. Henson, I'm watching. Henson stars as a single mother whose life has not gone as planned. Things are about to get even worse in this tense drama. June 6th.

One of the best original Netflix movies of the past few years is finally getting the sequel it deserves. The Old Guard 2 blasts onto your screens this July. Charlize Theron returns as Andy, the immortal who maybe isn't quite as immortal anymore. To find out why, you'll have to join her and her band of warriors, including Chiwetel Ejiofor and Henry Golding, as they fight for the very existence of the world again. Me, I just fight for dollar-off coupons at 7-11. July 2nd

Remember what I said about those Madea movies? Yeah, well, here's the next one to land on Netflix. Madea’s Destination Wedding probably has something to do with an outrageous wedding in a beautiful location. And it most definitely has a lot to do with Tyler Perry's Madea tearing it up. Enjoy it, fam. Who am I to judge - I love Godzilla movies. July 11th.

Speaking of long-awaited sequels - this one makes Charlize Theron's movie look like a six-week turnaround. Adam Sandler returns as Happy Gilmore 2 continues the story of Happy, Shooter, and more after nearly 30 years have passed. Margaret Qualley, Bad Bunny, and John Daly are just a few of the new faces around this time. July 25th.

There's more in August. The title I'm really looking forward to is The Thursday Murder Club. Four retirees solve old murder cases for fun, as one does when one is retired. At least, that's what they do in England. It's all wonderfully British. With this cast, how could it not be? Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, and Celia Imrie are the amateur sleuths. If that wasn't enough, it also stars Jonathan Pryce, David Tennant, and Richard E. Grant. August 28th.

New on Netflix this summer

May

• Karol G: Tomorrow was Beautiful
• Nonnas
• A Deadly American Marriage
• Fear Street: Prom Queen
• Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds

June

• Straw
• KPop Demon Hunters

July

• The Old Guard 2
• Brick
• Madea’s Destination Wedding
• Happy Gilmore 2

August

• Fixed
• The Thursday Murder Club

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