13 best movies new to Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max, and Hulu: May 2022

May is finally here, and not only does that mean that summer is nearly upon us, it means there’s a whole new slate of movies to watch on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount Plus, and more. From the Wachowskis’ erotic thriller BoundThe 2018 Heist Movie Den of ThievesThe classic romance drama Chungking Express, there’s a wealth of movies to watch from home this month.

To help you choose what to watch next, we’ve put together a list of the 13 best movies new to streaming in May. Here’s what you should make plans to watch this month.

A Scanner Darkly

Warner Home Video

2006’s A Scanner DarklyIt is the Phillip K. Dick’s only adaptation that can be as disorienting as actually reading the Philip K. Dick novels. Keanu Reeves stars as an undercover narcotics agent posing as an addict on an assignment to bust the supplier of a highly addictive narcotic known as Substance D. When his own cover identity is implicated as the prime suspect, he’ll have to stay one step ahead of his superiors and unsuspecting stoner cohort in order to nab the true culprit and clear his name — at least, that’s what he Think about itIt is taking place.

This film is a mixture of a psychological thriller about drug wars and a black comedy about permafrost trying to get high in surveillance states. A Scanner DarklyIt is an unforgettable experience, thanks to the inventive use of Rotoscope Animation and three outstanding supporting performances by Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey Jr. and Winona Ryder. —Toussaint Egan

A Scanner DarklyIt is available on Criterion Channel.

Bound

Gramercy Pictures

The Wachowskis’ directorial debut is this scintillating neo-noir thriller about two women who fall for each other and steal $2 million in mob money. Jennifer Tilly is Violet, Caesar’s high-femme girlfriend. (Joe Pantoliano). Gina Gershon plays Corky, an excon who is a maintenance worker at Violet’s apartment. When Corky and Violet catch each other’s eyes in the elevator, the seduction begins, as they become irresistibly drawn to one another and the possibility of a better life outside of their respective confined circumstances.

It has been many years since then and so many great movies. Bound may still be the high mark of the Wachowskis’ illustrious career. Gershon and Tilly are fantastic (and had an amazing time; read the excellent interview with them). The movie is also highly sexual in some scenes. Corky fixing the pipes with her hands with the water is intensely sensual and satisfying for both viewers and Violet. It’s an unforgettable romantic crime thriller, and among the sexiest American movies ever made. —Pete Volk

BoundParamount Plus may stream it on Paramount Plus, May 2.

Chungking Express

Image from The Criterion Collection

“We rub shoulders with each other every day. While we may not have met, our friendship may blossom. Fifty-seven hours later, I fell in love with this woman.”

So begins Wong Kar-wai’s 1994 masterpiece, made on a shoestring budget in just two months while taking a break from his wuxia epic Ashes of Time. Chungking Express Two stories about love and heartbreak in Hong Kong are told over the course of the 98 minute run time.

This movie is a beautiful story about loss, love and life in large cities. Chungking Express is one of the 20th century’s most remarkable films, deftly balancing moments of romance, comedy, and melancholy. With striking cinematography that alternates between colorful comfort and blurry alienation, a memorable score that makes repeated use of The Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreamin’,” and layered performances by the gorgeous lead actors, Chungking Express It is one the all-time greatest experiences that every person should have at least once. —PV

Chungking ExpressAvailable on HBO Max

Den of Thieves

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

An LA Heist Movie starring Gerard Butler (Pepto Bismol-chugging Gerard Butler). Den of Thieves could accurately be described as “dirtbag Heat.” The movie follows a team of former Marines (including Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and 50 Cent) who plan to rob the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles, and the amoral detective (Butler) who hopes to stop them. Christian Gudegast directs his first feature film. He is assisted by Joel Cox (a regular Clint Eastwood collaborator) and Cliff Martinez (an ex-red hot chili peppers drummer). Den of Thieves This movie is hard hitting and delivers its plot. —PV

Den of ThievesIt is streaming on Netflix.

Devil in a blue dress

Image: Sony Pictures

Based on Walter Mosley’s novel of the same name, the 1995 neo-noir mystery Devil in a blue dress stars Denzel Washington as Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, an African American World War II veteran attempting to earn a living in 1948 Los Angeles. Easy, desperate for some extra cash to keep his home, accepts a job from an untrustworthy P.I. to track down a missing white woman hiding somewhere in the city’s Black community. Easy discovers that he is a part of a plot involving corrupt cops, brutal politicians and cold-blooded death.

Devil in a blue dressTakes the well-known tropes of a Chandler-esque crime and reinvents them. The focus of the story is on rich Black characters that never seem like one-note stereotypes. Washington gives a compelling performance and Don Cheadle plays the role of Mouse as Washington’s trigger-happy, unhinged sidekick. Devil in a blue dressIt is truly a movie of excellence. —TE

Devil in a Blue DressYou can stream it on HBO Max.

Hatching

Photo: Sundance Institute

Finnish horror film that doubles for satire on online culture. Hatching follows Tinja, a 12-year-old girl who has been the subject of her parents’ video blog for seemingly her entire life. When Tinja comes across a strange egg and brings it home, it quickly grows before … well, hatching into a creature nicknamed “Alli.”

Our review:

Alli, however, is an enchanting presence which gives the film its cultish shivery centre. Bergholm tells Polygon that she literally Googled the world’s best specialist in movie animatronics, then reached out to him about working on the film. It paid off. Gustav Hoegen, Bergholm’s animatronics supervisor came from working with Lucasfilm’s practical creatures-effects teams. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Solo, The Last Jedi, Rogue OneAnd The Force Awakens. Her SFX makeup head, Conor O’Sullivan, comes with a similar pedigree, as half of the Oscar-nominated effects duo who gave Heath Ledger his grotesque leer as the Joker in The Dark Knight. They make Alli horribly visceral together with their teams, giving it the weight and conviction that a practical effect rather than a CG one. And Solalinna’s performance with the puppet is convincing and distressing. They bring the film to an unforgettable end, pushing it past its weaknesses.

Hatching Hulu stream it May 6,

Mamma Mia!

Universal Pictures

Mamma mamma mia. How can I extol the virtues of cinematic excellence? Mamma Mia!? You may have seen some reviews that shook their heads and called it drunken karaoke, and y’know, they aren’t wrong per se, but that is exactly what makes Mamma Mia! so wonderful. As they frolic around a beautiful Greek island singing ABBA songs, the cast looks as if they’re having a great time. They are so infectious and have big, vibrant musical numbers. Mamma Mia! is a celebration of womanhood, of friendship, of mothers and daughters — with some hot silver foxes in the mix for flavor. It is impossible to be sad while listening to ABBA, and it is extra impossible to be sad watching Meryl Streep triumphantly dance to “Dancing Queen” and pull in every woman in a 50-mile radius, reminding them that no matter how old they are, they are still Dancing Queens at heart. —Petrana Radulovic

Mamma Mia!It is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Way to Perdition

Dreamworks Pictures – Photo

Sam Mendes’ Depression-era gangster drama stars Tom Hanks as Mike Sullivan Sr., henchman to Illinois crime boss John Rooney. After Sullivan is captured by the police following a mob hit, Rooney’s son Connor deems him a loose end and puts a hit out on both him and his family. His entire family is killed, except for Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin), and the Sullivans embark on a journey for justice and redemption. Way to Perdition is as visually evocative as it is thematically challenging, with cinematographer Conrad Hall’s atmospheric lighting creating a moody tableau of stark silhouettes that would feel right at home in an Edward Hopper painting. —TE

Way to PerditionIt is streaming on Netflix.

T2: Judgment Days

Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

If 1984’s classic Terminator is sci-fi with a hint of slasher horror, James Cameron’s 1991 The sequel is sci-fi with high-budget action. Skynet dispatches Robert Patrick, a more sophisticated Terminator model to destroy John Connor after the events in the original movie. Human resistance sends Arnold Schwarzenegger, an older Terminator model (to help him). Incredible special effects made possible by computer-generated visuals. T2 The beauty of the sandstone still stands out and it packs an impressive punch even today. —PV

T2: Judgment DaysYou can stream it on HBO Max.

Resident Evil Movies

Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

I want to start by saying I recognize, especially writing at a site that covers video games quite extensively, that I’ve lost many of you here. This movie is controversial. It’s especially popular among the diehard gamer fans. However, let me say it plainly. I have never played the games. I simply love the games. Resident Evil movies, and I hope you’ll give them a chance, too.

Paul W.S., the cinematic husband of the best. Anderson directed 4 of the original movies and also wrote 6 of them. His chaotic energy and strong visual language gave the films a unique atmosphere that matched the subject matter. The series is an excellent display of his wife Milla Jovovich’s outstanding skills as a lead action star, and while fans of the games may complain about how much the movies stray from the source material, that does not stop them from kicking all sorts of ass.

This series also provided interesting examples of franchise filmmaking. While the core creative group remained mostly the same and the franchise did not stray away from zombie movies, the movies jump within zombie subgenres, and Milla Jovovich’s Alice is constantly getting restarted and rebooted like a video game protagonist. Although the original 2002 movie is mainly horror-oriented, the sequel has a lot more. Apocalypse Leans into action and begins the third movie. Intinction Directions by Highlander Russel Mulcahy (director), is a zombie Western. This series is only getting wilder with the addition of a trio of action films that deliver hard hitting action to close it out.

But hey, if you’re more interested in a more faithful adaptation of the games, there’s always the new one. —PV

Hulu has the Resident Evil movie streaming.

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Warner Home Video

Matt Damon’s lead performance in Anthony Minghella’s psychological thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley is inarguably one of the actor’s best: engrossing, shocking, and perversely sympathetic in equal measures. Damon is Tom Ripley. A low-achieving man with a knack for lying to others, Damon is employed by a shipping magnate in order to get his son Dickie, (Jude Law), from Italy. Befriending Dickie and his fiancé Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow), Tom’s ever-evolving grift morphs into a twisted love-hate obsession with Dickie and his lifestyle, a life which Tom will resort to Anything — anything — to possess.

With a brilliant performance by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as Dickie’s lewd, boisterous, and perceptive friend Freddie and terrific supporting performances by Cate Blanchett and Jack Davenport, The Talented Mr. RipleyIt is an intense, emotionally charged thriller with many twists and turns that will leave you rooting for a villain. —TE

The Talented Mr. RipleyYou can stream it on Peacock.

War of the Worlds

DreamWorks Home Entertainment

Steven Spielberg’s 2005 adaptation of War of The Worlds reimagines H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi disaster drama for the post-9/11 world. Starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning, Spielberg’s film follows a divorced dock worker who struggles to protect his children in the wake of an alien invasion that precedes to devastate the planet.

The trio trekked across the country to reunite their son and daughter. They were horrified by not only the evil plans of the otherworldly menace, but also the desperate acts of fellow survivors. 2005’s War of the WorldsIt is both a sci-fi masterpiece and an important cultural artifact from a time in which our institutions had to deal with terrors previously thought impossible. —TE

War of the WorldsIt is streaming on Netflix.

Sally and Harry: When Harry met Sally

Columbia Pictures

Rob Reiner’s Sally and Harry: When Harry met SallyThis is one of the most beloved romantic comedies. Starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, the film follows the story of the title characters’ blossoming friendship and eventual romance through 12 years of chance encounters. More than just a question of “Will they or won’t they,” the drama, humor, and heart of Sally and Harry: When Harry met SallyIt is grounded in the question whether women and men can be friends. Harry and Sally search for the answer to that question and more. They find it, and they also find one another. —TE

Sally and Harry: When Harry met SallyIt is streaming on Netflix.