May 2023’s Best Streaming Titles: Freaks & Geeks, Parasite, Speed, The Last Unicorn, Demon Slayer
High school hilarity, Korean suspense, Keanu Reeves, melancholy fantasy, action-packed anime, and more.
As Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, et al. add more content, it can be difficult to know what to look for amidst all of the new titles. I’ve compiled a list of particularly noteworthy and interesting movies and TV shows to add to your streaming queues in the coming month.
Amazon Prime Video
Babe (May 1)
Baa-ram-ewe! Baa-ram-ewe! The Citizen Kane of talking pig pictures, as one critic called it, will start streaming as soon as the new month rolls around. I plan on watching it with my kids, and all the while, I’ll try to wrap my mind around the fact that the man responsible for this charming little film is the same deranged genius who gave us Mad Max.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (May 1)
You know the story: two rock n’ roll-obsessed burn-outs are destined to save the world with their band Wyld Stallyns, but only if they can successfully complete high school with a kick-ass history presentation. Enter a time-traveling phone booth from the future and, well, the rest is history. Featuring what is arguably Keanu Reeves’ greatest role, this is truly a most bodacious movie. Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes.
Fletch (May 1)
Adapted from Gregory Mcdonald’s novels, Fletch stars Chevy Chase as the eponymous undercover reporter whose unorthodox methods always get results, much to his editor’s chagrin. After he’s asked to help a billionaire with terminal cancer end his life, Fletch finds his own life threatened when things turn out to be not quite what they seem. Fletch also stars Joe Don Baker, George Wendt, and George Wendt, with a cameo from the one and only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Kung Fu Hustle (May 1)
Sing (Stephen Chow) has one dream in life: to become a member of the feared Axe Gang. But when he encounters a group of reclusive and unlikely martial artists, he’s slowly begins to realize that he could be something more. But not without plenty of hijinks — this is a Stephen Chow movie, after all. Coming on the heels of Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle went even further into CGI-fuelled leaps of martial arts slapstick. While Shaolin Soccer is the better film overall, Kung Fu Hustle still has plenty of hilarious delights all its own.