Derek Malcolm has been covering the worlds of tech and entertainment for more than two decades.
Before coming to How-To Geek in 2025, Derek was a contributing editor and writer for the A/V and Home Theater section at Digital Trends, where he wrangled and wrote everything from what to watch on Netflix to reviews, explainers, and guides on the latest Bluetooth speakers, turntables, projectors, and other A/V gear.
Based in Toronto, Derek graduated from Humber College's Journalism program in 1999, after which he started covering the worlds of music, movies, TV, and celebrity for publications such as TV Guide, Hello! magazine, and Inside Entertainment. He then got the bug for covering tech and gadgets in 2006, when he served as editor-in-chief of Canadian tech magazine Connected for more than a decade.
An avid skier, when all the snow's gone Derek can be found at home spinning vinyl with his daughter or cheering on his favorite F1 team, McLaren.
The most-watched movie on Netflix in the U.S. right now is about a family that's locked inside their house—which is either a stroke of marketing genius or a commentary on how a lot of Americans have spent August (or maybe a hint to get outside while the weather lasts).
But if you are going to be inside for a relaxing movie this week, it doesn't have to be about being cooped up. This week's roundup includes two recent arrivals (one with Adam Sandler's daughter and one with Liam Neeson) and three from the August 1 haul, including a baseball classic, a horror classic, and my top pick, a dark Jake Gyllenhaal thriller that isn't Donnie Darko.
I've loved Melanie Lynskey since 1994's incredible Heavenly Creatures (which you should totally see), and it's great to see her still killing it in this near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes Netflix original from Adam Sandler's Happy Madison imprint. But Lynskey isn't alone in this one. Sunny Sandler (Adam's youngest daughter) carries Don't Say Good Luck as Sophie Birenbaum, a high school student who lands the lead role in her school's musical as her mom Elizabeth's (Lynskey) cancer returns.
Sandler's performance is nothing short of remarkable, as we see her sweet demeanor struck by the shards of her family's lives coming apart while also going through all the coming-of-age motions of normal teenage life. It's a beautiful movie you'll need tissues for.
As nice as it was to see Liam Neeson ham it up as Frank Drebin Jr. in The Naked Gun reboot, there's nothing quite like the brooding Taken actor when he's using his very particular set of skills. Set in Donegal, Ireland, in 1974, in In the Land of Saints & Sinners, Neeson embodies the role of Finbar Murphy, who retires from his life of killing for local racketeer Robert McQue (Colm Meaney) and works in a quiet bookstore.
From thrillers to docuseries — how much do you know about what's hitting
Netflix in August 2026?
The Whisper Man is a Netflix thriller based on a bestselling novel by which author?
Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing focuses on controversies surrounding which aircraft
model at the center of fatal crashes?
My Life With the Walter Boys returns for its third season on Netflix. Where is the
series primarily set?
Ricky Gervais: Alley Cats marks which milestone for Gervais as a Netflix stand-up
special?
Outer Banks: Season 5 follows the cast in their ongoing adventures. What is the name
of the central friend group the show follows?
Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy examines the rise of which fast food chain that
became a cultural phenomenon?
The Last House, arriving on Netflix in August 2026, falls into which primary genre?
The Netflix documentary Mourinho profiles one of football's most controversial
managers. Which club did José Mourinho famously describe himself as a 'Special One' upon joining?
