What's New To Streaming In May 2021

Christopher Nolan and Robin Williams lead our recommendations this month

May 07, 2021

This week we are keeping you up to date with all the notable titles new to streaming in May. Our recommendations include a full explanation of everything that happens in Tenet (not really) and a classic Robin Williams performance, but keep scrolling to see the full list.

Drew recommends…

Tenet (streaming on HBO)

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is constructed so that you can enjoy it as both a dazzling big-budget action movie or as a cerebral sci-fi puzzle to be solved. The first time I saw it I realized within the first 30 minutes that I wasn’t going to fully understand every plot development or the mechanics of time inversion, so I might as well just sit back and marvel at Tenet’s innovative set pieces, pulsating score, and globe-trotting spectacle. The second time I saw it I really focused in on what exactly was happening with the plot, and I tried to wrap my head around the academic discussion of reverse entropy and theoretical paradoxes. I don’t know how successful I was with that, but I can say that I enjoyed the hell out of Tenet watching it both ways.

Last year, Nolan’s sci-fi mind-bender unfortunately took on the burden of being The Movie That Would Reopen Theaters. When it finally did open in September 2020, many people were just not ready to get back to a theater and it underperformed in those extreme pandemic circumstances, which is a shame because Tenet is meant to be seen on the biggest screen possible with the volume jacked up to 11. If the movie had been delayed to this summer, so many more people would have experienced it that way. However, even at home this is a stunning achievement in high-concept blockbuster entertainment.

John David Washington plays the lead character (literally named The Protagonist), who tries to stop a world-ending threat from the future by inverting time itself. If that premise sounds a little wonky for you, rest assured that you are still getting some of the most original action set pieces imaginable. Just like with Inception’s rotating hallway or The Dark Knight’s flipped 18-wheeler, Nolan mostly utilizes ambitious practical stunts for the action in Tenet in order to make everything look as real as possible. (That means Nolan actually crashed a Boeing 747 into a building.) Plus, the movie’s manipulation of time makes for thrilling (if a little confounding) sequences that we see twice, each time from a different perspective.

As with every Nolan film, you can dive incredibly deep into the world he’s created for Tenet, as well as the ideas and themes he draws out. I have read way too much about temporal pincer movements, how the Turnstiles work, and what the Algorithm actually does. The movie is also a rich text for grand ideas about fate and free will, belief and fanaticism. For instance, there’s an ancient palindrome called the Sator square that greatly influenced Nolan’s story.

READ: Director Spotlight: Christopher Nolan

But if you have no interest in this kind of Reddit-fueled intense analysis, Tenet can also be seen as a trippy Bond movie, where sharp-dressed agents travel all over the world to stop an over-the-top villain from carrying out his evil plans. Except this time James Bond has to figure out how to move backwards through time to do it. This movie knows how convoluted it can be, because there are several instances where the characters actually remark on how confused they are. So, if you feel the same way, you’re in good company.

Is Tenet among Nolan’s best? When it comes to original Nolan projects, I don’t think it’s quite in the same tier as Inception and Memento. However, Tenet was a very rewarding rewatch for me. I was able to pick up on a lot more about the story and what the director is up to. I can already tell this will be another Nolan movie I will return to time and again to wrinkle my brain.

Billy recommends…

Good Morning, Vietnam (streaming on HBO)

A man of many talents in his most subdued role. Good Morning, Vietnam has all the classic Robin Williams-isms where he gets to riff like the master he is as a radio deejay in the Vietnam War. Where this movie differentiates itself are the quiet moments. Before this moment Hollywood was not sure if he was able to do that and after this he could pick and choose almost any role he wanted.

This movie differentiates itself from other Robin Williams movies because the entire movie is using the formality of rank in the military to try and subdue his schtick. He uses his improv skills as a source of rebellion that elevates his presence to a point unseen at times in his career. Framing his manic as a source of rebellion makes the audience listen rather than going too far into being overwhelming. So when the movie delves into the reality of war we don’t feel like it is out of place because Robin Williams has earned our trust.

Good Morning, Vietnam is one of those examples of how fun it is to see an actor breakout for the first time. His prior standup career and his role as Mork gave us the context we needed to slowly get ready for this type of Williams. His manic nature is a given, but once we realized he could go to these depths we didn’t want him to leave this lane.

Other movies new to streaming in May

Netflix

Back to the Future trilogy
Due Date
Mystic River
Notting Hill
Scarface
The Whole Nine Yards
Zombieland

Amazon Prime

Aliens
Almost Famous
Flight
The Da Vinci Code
The French Connection
The Sixth Sense
Skyfall
Unbreakable

Hulu

(500) Days of Summer
Almost Famous
Dances with Wolves
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
Flight
I Am Legend
The Iron Giant
Reservoir Dogs
Skyfall
Train to Busan
The Virgin Suicides
Warrior

HBO and HBO Max

17 Again
Anaconda
Black Hawk Down
Dumb & Dumber
Free Willy
Jackie Brown
Magic Mike
Rudy
Serpico
The Immigrant
When Harry Met Sally

Do You Like Apples

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