Crossing the Streams is our look at all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month, and this time we’re checking out the new Hulu arrivals for May 2021, including a fun B-movie, exciting new Originals, an acclaimed chiller from the UK, and more!
Hulu Pick of the Month for May 2021
There’s something to be said about the power we collectively give to bad people to ruin the work of others. Take Roseanne Liang’s Shadow in the Cloud (2021, premieres May 5th) for example. The World War II-set creature feature is a B-movie blast — think of it as the little sister to 2018’s Overlord — about a woman with a secret fighting off both sexist crewmen and a gremlin on the wing. It’s great fun with an energetic and charismatic lead turn by Chloe Moretz, but far too many people dismissed it outright as it originated with a script written by Max Landis. It’s unfair to everyone else involved, especially Liang who actually rewrote the bulk of the prick’s original script. Anyway. It’s new to Hulu this month, and if you dig fun, fast-moving monster movies it’s more than worth your eighty minutes.
Hulu Originals
Marvel’s high profile series are all playing out over on Disney+, but the Disney-owned Hulu is still home to some of the family’s black sheeps. Case in point? Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. (premieres May 21st) is a new animated series about a big-headed, tiny-bodied supervillain (voiced by Patton Oswalt) and the heroes who try to keep him in line. Jon Hamm is Iron Man, Nathan Fillion is Wonder Man, Bill Hader is The Leader, and others include Whoopi Goldberg, Melissa Fumero, Sam Richardson, and more. I’ll be truly surpised if this isn’t a truly funny good time.
Girls just wanna have fun, and sometimes that ends in unexpected consequences. Natalie Morales’ Plan B (2021, premieres May 28th) is a teen comedy in the vein of Booksmart (2019) following two teenage girls on a quest for a plan B pill. Teen hijinks, road trips, sexist pharmacists, and a world unwelcoming to girls wanting to control their own destiny all come together for what looks like a good time with a side of sly commentary.
A Triple Feature of Korean Perfection
South Korean cinema has something for all tastes, and that goes triple for those of us who love fantastic genre fare. Action fans can hardly do better than Lee Jeong-beom’s The Man from Nowhere (2010) as it takes a somewhat simple plot — think Leon (1994) as a man with a past is pulled into protecting a young girl — and makes absolute action gold from it. Spectacular gun play, car stunts, martial arts, and more fill the screen building up to an unforgettable knife fight. More than a decade on, and this remains one of the best action films of the millenium.
Hulu keeps that action train rolling with Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan (2016) about a zombie outbreak that erupts within and outside a commuter train’s daily run. The zombie antics are frightening, bloody, and fast-moving, and Yeon pairs the horror effortlessly with action and suspense beats throughout. Add in the great Ma Dong-seok, some terrifically emotional sequences, and genuine suspense throughout and you have a real banger. There’s both an animated prequel and a vaguely related sequel out there too, but neither reaches this film’s genre heights.
While both of the films above are high energy gems, Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing (2016) is a wholly different beast. That’s not to say there aren’t some intense, nerve-shredding beats here, but much of the film is a dark mind-fuck of a mystery involving murder, supernatural happenings, and a simple man struggling to save his daughter’s life against something he fails to comprehend. Horror, mystery, drama, suspense, and an immersion into cultural conflicts and beliefs find life with gorgeous cinematography, a compelling score, and memorable performances. Hollywood could never.
New Horrors
A couple recent horror films are new to Hulu this month too starting with Rose Glass’ acclaimed Saint Maud (2020, premieres May 13th) which is also hitting Amazon Prime in May. The film follows a young woman’s descent into obsession and faith as she comes to believe her connection with god is not only real but also bursting with power. It’s a slow burn tale punctuated by sadness and striking imagery leading up to an unforgettable climax.
I try to watch as many horror films as I can each year, but it’s inevitable that some slip past me. Keith Thomas’ The Vigil (2021, premieres May 28th) is one such title, but the praise I’ve heard for it means I’ll be amending that omission this month. Like Saint Maud above, it’s a slice of religious horror from an angle we don’t typically see with its story of a man sitting with a recently deceased member of his strict Orthodox Jewish community. The scenario is creepy on its face, and the film ramps up the terror with the arrival of a supernatural threat.
The Complete Hulu List for May 2021
| Release Date | Title | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 5/1 | (500) Days of Summer (2009) | |
| The A-Team (2010) | ||
| The Age of Adaline (2015) | ||
| Almost Famous (2000) | ||
| Any Given Sunday (1999) | ||
| The Assassin (2015) | ||
| Betrayed (1988) | ||
| Blast From The Past (1999) | ||
| Blue Chips (1994) | ||
| Bound (1996) | ||
| Burning (2018) | ||
| The Crazies (2010) | ||
| Cyrus (2009) | ||
| Dances With Wolves (1990) | ||
| Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018) | ||
| Dinosaur 13 (2014) | ||
| An Elephant’s Journey (2018) | ||
| Fascination (2005) | ||
| Goodnight Mommy (2015) | ||
| Grace Of Monaco (2015) | ||
| Grudge Match (2013) | ||
| Gundala (2019) | ||
| Hannibal Rising (2007) | ||
| Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004) | ||
| Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) | ||
| The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) | ||
| Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013) | ||
| How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) | ||
| I Am Legend (2007) | ||
| I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) | ||
| The Indian in the Cupboard (1995) | ||
| The Iron Giant (1999) | ||
| Knowing (2009) | ||
| Lost in Hong Kong (2015) | ||
| Lucky Number Slevin (2006) | ||
| Machete (2010) | ||
| The Man From Nowhere (2010) | ||
| Midnight Heat (1996) | ||
| Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) | ||
| One Fine Day (1996) | ||
| The Outsider (1980) | ||
| Predator (1987) | ||
| Predator 2 (1990) | ||
| Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977) | ||
| Reservoir Dogs (1992) | ||
| Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) | ||
| Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) | ||
| Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) | ||
| Sahara (1984) | ||
| Shattered (1991) | ||
| The Spy Next Door (2010) | ||
| Step Up 2 The Streets (2008) | ||
| Step Up 3D (2010) | ||
| Train to Busan (2016) | ||
| True Lies (1994) | ||
| Vampires in Brooklyn (1995) | ||
| Vantage Point (2008) | ||
| The Virgin Suicides (2000) | ||
| The Wailing (2016) | ||
| Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2009) | ||
| We Were Soldiers (2002) | ||
| What’s Love Got To Do With It (1993) | ||
| Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) | ||
| 5/2 | Flight (2012) | |
| The Iron Lady (2011) | ||
| 5/3 | The Legend of Baron To’a (2020) | |
| 5/4 | Love Sarah (2021) | |
| 5/5 | Shadow in the Cloud (2021) | |
| Skyfall (2012) | ||
| Warrior (2011) | ||
| 5/6 | The Unicorn (2018) | |
| 5/7 | Little Fish (2021) | |
| Shrill: Complete Season 3 | Hulu Original | |
| 5/9 | Robot & Frank (2012) | |
| 5/10 | Wander Darkly (2020) | |
| 5/13 | Saint Maud (2020) | |
| Some Kind of Heaven (2020) | ||
| 5/14 | MLK/FBI (2021) | |
| 5/15 | Cowboys (2020) | |
| Good Kisser (2019) | ||
| Mosquita Y Mari (2012) | ||
| A Perfect Ending (2012) | ||
| Reaching for the Moon (2013) | ||
| The Mountain Between Us (2017) | ||
| Tru Love (2013) | ||
| 5/18 | Supernova (2020) | |
| 5/19 | Red Dawn (2012) | |
| 5/21 | Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.: Series Premiere | Hulu Original |
| 5/22 | Neat: The Story of Bourbon (2018) | |
| 5/25 | Baewatch: Parental Guidance: Complete Season 1 | |
| Escape from the City: Complete Season 1 | ||
| Farmer Wants a Wife: Complete Seasons 7-10 | ||
| 5/27 | Madagascar: A Little Wild: Complete Season 3 | Hulu Original |
| 5/28 | PLAN B (2021) | Hulu Original |
| The Vigil (2021) | ||
| 5/31 | The Donut King (2020) | |
| The One I Love (2014) | ||
| The World to Come (2020) |
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Related Topics: Crossing the Streams, Hulu, shadow in the cloud
