What's New To Streaming In May 2020
Featuring Uncut Gems, Contagion, School of Rock, and more
We couldn’t get too far into May without giving you the best titles new to streaming this month. Below are five very different movies that are worth checking out when you get the chance, as well as a list of other titles that might be up your alley.
Billy recommends…
Back to the Future (streaming on Netflix)
The original blockbuster… No, not the first blockbuster, Jaws. A blockbuster movie that is an original screenplay. It seems like a thing of the past. In modern day cinema there are original blockbusters every year, but if it does well it turns into sequel after sequel after sequel. The movie I am speaking of, Back to the Future, was one of the leading movies to start that trend, but not many original efforts are better.
The premise of this movie is a simple one with crazy time travel elements thrown in. What were our parents like when they were teenagers? Such an easy question, right? Certainly that by the time their kids are close to being adults they would open up. Not the case, actually. The history of our parents always seems to be a mystery. Back to the Future and director Robert Zemeckis use this as a device to show the seemingly invincible Marty McFly some perspective.
Michael J. Fox is an all time perfect casting for a character. The role was originally given to Eric Stoltz. A young method actor that was hand picked to be the next big thing. Zemeckis did not vibe with the portrayal he gave, so after thinking Fox was unavailable, the stars aligned and Fox came on to become the iconic character. What makes him so great is his voice. Somehow he is confident, but always out of breath. It creates the necessary urgency to a movie plot that should only be ridiculous.
That urgency is placed into every character, though. Marty’s urgency is to get back to where he once came from and preserve his future. George’s urgency is to be the man he wants to be, but has the capability of being. Lorraine Baines (one day, Mrs. McFly) wants to seem cool to everyone else, but needs to maintain what she defines as pure. Then there is Biff who needs to hold on to the one period of life that he is the top dog. Each character has a simple, but for the plot of the movie is the most important possible thing in that moment. For that reason and that reason alone this movie can be picked up at any moment and be enjoyed. A perfect vibe for the time we are in. (Last thing: God bless composer Alan Silvestri.)
Uncut Gems (streaming on Netflix May 25th)
I can’t think of a different movie to team up with Back to the Future. Uncut Gems has a raw and rough quality to it. Back to the Future is polished and stylized to a point of pure enjoyment. Frankly, the Uncut Gems vibe is welcome during this insane time. It creates a sports vibe that I crave and, like a classic game, it climaxes with an ending that even the best writers can’t create. Somehow they did in this case.
Adam Sandler is an enigma. At no point has anyone been able to pinpoint what he wants to be as an actor. Most of his career are comedies. Some classics like Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison hit hard without much meaning. Then there are the crappy comedies made with his best friends in tropical locations. All because he wants to hangout with his friends. That mentality transitions into a movie that tries really, really hard. It doesn’t quite land, but the dramatic moments work just enough. Think The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, and Click. Then it turns into something that only the best actors in the world can do. Punch-Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, Funny People, The Meyerowitz Stories, and the crowning jewel of it all, Uncut Gems.
Uncut Gems is a movie by Benny and Josh Safdie. They are a brother duo that create tensity in unique ways. They focus on creating urgency at every turn. Using tactics that are inspired by live sporting events. The sound being a main component. When the action isn’t happening there is loud music that mimics the crowd. When the action is happening people are screaming for their team with reckless abandon. Somehow creating clarity while also creating uncertainty for how things are going to end.
Uncut Gems will give you a feeling of the past. A past that represents 2012 in its setting, but is reminiscent of a reality that is two months ago. Unpredictability is welcome if it is presented in the right scenario. Sports and movies present those scenarios in ways that are comfortable. The endings while tragic are non-consequential. Watch Uncut Gems to harken back (it really hasn’t been that long) to a time that seems so foreign.
Drew recommends…
HBO Now and HBO Go have a slew of great titles new to streaming this month, so I’m recommending three of them -- one is serious (but extremely relevant) and the other two are more on the fun side.
Contagion (streaming on HBO)
Once COVID-19 turned into a global pandemic, you were likely in one of two camps: You curiously sought out Contagion, or you completely avoided it. The movie has become incredibly popular over the last few months, rocketing into the top 10 rentals on iTunes and sparking articles and fresh conversation about the thriller from 2011. I was in the first camp, both because I had never seen it and I was interested to see how Hollywood foresaw our current situation almost a decade ago. While I can totally understand not wanting to subject yourself to something so frighteningly real, I was surprised at how Contagion both freaked me out and strangely comforted me.
The virus in the movie kills faster and with a much higher mortality rate than the current coronavirus, but there are still many disturbing similarities, considering it’s a virus that originated in pigs and bats and it spreads via respiratory droplets and contaminated surfaces. The opening of Contagion acts as a kind of horror setup (especially today), where infected people in restaurants and on buses cough and touch tables and door handles, the camera ominously lingering on these surfaces for maximum effect. It’s a distressing depiction of how a virus spreads.
After the first half hour or so, the story turns to the experts’ search for a vaccine while showing us how society crumbles under fear and misinformation. One of the most prescient characters is Jude Law’s conspiracy theorist, who stokes uncertainty through lies and false claims of a miracle drug. You would think this part of the film would be just as distressing as the opening, but I found myself consoled by the movie’s highly competent scientists and epidemiologists that work tirelessly (and successfully) for a vaccine. Similarly, the death toll and society’s collapse in Contagion left me weirdly optimistic that things won’t get that bad in real life.
Once again, I understand why some might want to avoid Contagion like the plague (pun very much intended) right now. However, the remarkable accuracy of the science in the movie and the high level of filmmaking from director Steven Soderbergh and his deep cast of famous actors and actresses (no one orchestrates a movie full of stars like Soderbergh) make Contagion a fascinating watch in our current time.
School of Rock (streaming on HBO)
The list of movies that bring me as much unbridled joy as School of Rock is very, very short. Seventeen years later, this is a musical comedy that has aged wonderfully. Jack Black is at his irrepressible best as Dewey Finn, the classic rock-obsessed slacker that falsely becomes a substitute teacher at an elite elementary school. His buoyant and hysterical performance carries the entire film, but kudos has to go to the cast of children that actually played their own instruments. (Also, I just found this clip of the whole cast at the movie’s 10-year reunion. It will bring a smile to your face.)
I could watch School of Rock 100 times and never tire of it. It’s delightfully quotable (I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve said or heard someone say, “You’re tacky and I hate you” or “Celloooo, you’ve got a bass.”) and the rock performances are legitimately exhilarating, mostly due to Jack Black and the direction from the talented Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Dazed and Confused). After you get through Contagion, I can’t think of a more enjoyable palette cleanser.
Unstoppable (streaming on HBO)
Is there any movie that Denzel Washington can’t improve by his mere presence? You get exactly what you expect with Unstoppable. There’s a runaway train in Pennsylvania and Denzel and Chris Pine have to stop it. What we get is a streamlined and intense action thriller that is better than it should be.
With Denzel starring and Tony Scott directing, Unstoppable was always going to be decent and worth the price of admission at the very least. It’s awesome that this movie manages to be even better than that. Tony Scott brought us Top Gun, Enemy of the State, and Man on Fire over the years, and Unstoppable was his last film before he passed away in 2012. Denzel -- well, you know him. These two collaborated on five movies and Unstoppable is a fantastic popcorn action capper to their partnership.
While this runaway train movie doesn’t contain many twists, it’s a heart-stopping and immensely satisfying ride. There are surprising emotional stakes, thanks to the empathetic performances from Denzel and Pine. All around, from the acting to the storytelling and action, Unstoppable is exactly what you want it to be: an edge-of-your-seat action movie with star performances.
Other movies new to streaming in May
Netflix
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Patriot
Jarhead
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
District 9 (May 15)
United 93 (May 16)
Hulu
Escape From Alcatraz
Goodfellas
The Graduate
The Green Mile
Rocketman (May 22)
HBO
BlackKklansman
Cast Away
Crazy Rich Asians
The Fighter
Friday Night Lights
Jaws
La La Land
Michael Clayton
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Signs
Joker (May 16)
Links to get you through your quarantine
When will movie theaters open again? Basically every major studio movie has postponed their release until at least mid-July, when Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is supposed to debut. Variety takes a look at if it’s realistic for us to be in theaters again for Nolan’s latest on July 17.
Space Force, the new Netflix show from Steve Carell and The Office creator Greg Daniels, has a trailer. It premieres on May 29.
Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit) is directing a Star Wars movie!
Sink deep into nostalgia with this ranking of every single Disney Channel Original Movie. And then head to Disney+ where you can find all of them streaming.