Summer is just around the corner—or maybe it’s already here, depending on the weather where you live. Either way, May is almost over, and that means movies won’t be available on streaming services at the end of the month.
This month we have two very different thrillers – one about corporate misdeeds, one about an evil box – an underrated video game adaptation and a very silly comedy with a great cast. We also highlight The crowThe new version with Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs will be released in just a few months.
Here are the best movies to watch before they disappear from streaming in May.
Editor’s Choice: The Insider
Image: Touchstone Pictures
Director: Michael Mann
Pour: Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer
Leave Criterion Channel: 31. May
In 1996, 60 minutes aired a caustic episode exposing the tobacco industry for intentionally adding dangerous chemicals to cigarettes and lying to the public. The episode relied on the testimony of whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand, former vice president of research and development for a major tobacco company. And the story of how that episode came about (and how it almost never aired) is fascinating, as documented in Michael Mann’s excellent thriller. The Insider.
A powerful film about the difficulties of working ethically in a large company and what true heroism actually looks like. The Insider
Movies to watch when you leave Netflix
silent Hill
Image: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Director: Christophe Gans
Pour: Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Laurie Holden
Leave Netflix: 31. May
This movie doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Not only is it one of the best video game movies of all time, but it’s also a very scary (and gory) horror film that does a great job of capturing the growing existential dread of games. You already know the premise: a girl gets lost in Silent Hill and someone else has to rescue her, only to discover all sorts of unspeakable horrors in the abandoned town. While some CGI elements aren’t quite convincing, the rest of the film contains some truly terrifying creatures and sequences, as well as an absolutely devastating ending that few horror films can match. —Austen Goslin
Movies to watch when you leave Prime
The crow
Image: Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Director: Alex Proyas
Pour: Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott
Exit Prime Video: 31. May
There is a new adaptation of The crow is coming this summer, so why not watch the original th is month? Although it is best known for the tragic death of star Brandon Lee, who was shot in an accident during production, The crow
And if you like Brandon Lee in this film, check out some of the other films in his far too short filmography. His two previous films – Showdown in Little Tokyo And Rapid fire — are both outstanding. Like his father, he was an incredible movie star whose l ife and career ended far too soon. —PV
Movies to watch when you leave Max
The box
Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Richard Kelly
Pour: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella
Leave Max: 31. May
I have a vivid memory of The box marketed as a horror film, but it really isn’t. After falling head over heels in his Stories from Southland (and with Donnie Darko Having made films long before, I wanted to complete my experience of Richard Kelly’s filmography with his latest film, which was rejected by critics and audiences alike but is nevertheless a fascinating film. And I was rewarded for that decision, albeit with some reservations.
You know the basic idea. It’s been done to death – a family is given a button that will earn them a million dollars if they press it, but someone they don’t know will die. But that basic idea hides a much richer film, a suspenseful family drama that evolves into a conspiracy thriller that [redacted for spoilers]. Like Kelly’s other films, The box is full of interesting imagery and ripe for all sorts of metaphorical interpretations, even if it is less successful than his previous two films. I was quite frustrated by the ending, especially with regard to the connection to disability, but it is still a fascinating and endlessly debatable thriller. —PV
Movies to watch when you leave Hulu
Blockers
Photo: Quantrell D. Colbert/Universal Pictures
Director: Kay Cannon
Pour: Kathryn Newton, John Cena, Leslie Mann
Leaving Hulu: 31. May
A hybrid sex comedy/generation conflict comedy by 30 rocks Graduate Kay Cannon, Blockers is about three parents trying to stop their daughters from losing their virginity on prom night… and also about the three daughters trying to lose their virginity on prom night. The film isn’t nearly as conservative about sex with young women as the premise might lead you to believe, with the ridiculous overprotectiveness of the parents often being the joke, but the real strength lies in the cast: rising stars Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan and Gideon Adlon shine as the three leads, while Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz are all great in the roles of the overprotective parents.
Often childish and not always funny, Blockers is not a major breakthrough in American comedy, but it is an entertaining moment with a very playful cast. The gap between the parents and the children and their various problems and complexes are almost like an American version of Derry Girl. While Blockers Although it lacks the emotional resonance of the Netflix series, it is still an underrated Hollywood comedy in an era when very few comedies of this kind were worth talking about. —PV
Table of Contents