Crossing the Streams is our look at all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month, and this time we’re checking out what’s new on Hulu for April 2022 including Open Range, some Bruce Willis films, Hulu Originals, and more!
Hulu Pick of the Month for April 2022
Could I go back and see if I’ve made Open Range (2003) my streaming pick of the month before? Sure, but I’m not going to because, honestly speaking, it deserves the honor any time a streamer is wise enough to add it to their offerings. Kevin Costner’s third (and so far last) directorial effort is arguably one of the finest westerns ever made. Dances with Wolves (1990) remains fantastic, and The Postman (1997) — a post-apocalyptic western — is perfectly okay, but Open Range just captures everything we love about the genre. Gorgeous locales, a heartfelt yearning for the freedom of an open and free landscape, brutally effective scenes of violence, and some beautifully drawn characters. Costner is damn good here, but Robert Duvall steals the movie every time he’s onscreen as an older, wiser cowboy determined to hold his own against any and all threats against him or his property. It really is an all-timer, and while it’s been way too long since Costner stepped behind the camera, there’s hope on the horizon as he’s currently in pre-production on a new western called… Horizon.
New Hulu Originals for April 2022
True crime documentaries are all the rage with streamers, and Hulu has an intriguing-looking one landing this month with Captive Audience (premieres April 21st). The limited series looks at the fascinating — and devastatingly sad — story of Steven Stayner who was abducted at the age of seven. He escaped seven years later, rescuing a five-year-old at the same time, and made his way to the police. So far so good, but what followed was one tragedy after the next as a fucked-up legal system, bad luck, and a crazy turn of events took the story in some wildly unfortunate directions. As I said, it should be a fascinating watch, but don’t expect a happy ending.
Teen rom-coms can go a few different directions, but the good ones offer up fun and engaging characters who find their way into a romantic situation. Crush (premieres April 29th) stars Rowan Blanchard (so good on TNT’s Snowpiercer series) as a high-schooler with a crush, but her struggle to connect opens up new doors and new possibilities for the heart. The trailer looks entertaining with supporting turns by Megan Mullally and Aasif Mandvi, and it also makes the smart choice of letting teens talk like real teens (ie with a bit of the dirty sass). The film doesn’t drop until the end of the month, but we’re definitely looking forward to it.
A Bruce Willis Marathon!
Bruce Willis recently announced his retirement from acting due to health reasons, and we wish him and his family nothing but the best. He’s left behind a career filled with memorable movies from nearly all genres, and Hulu has four of them hitting this month. Blind Date (1987) was his first foray into a leading film role, and the Blake Edwards comedy remains a goofy romp of a good time. Willis plays a straight-laced office worker set up on a blind date with a wild Kim Basinger, and chaos ensues.
Willis only does voiceover work in Amy Heckerling’s Look Who’s Talking (1989), but it’s as the voice of a baby named Mikey — so there’s that. This isn’t a Boss Baby situation, meaning the adults can’t actually understand him, but we hear the baby’s thoughts and frustrations as his mom (Kirstie Alley) romances John Travolta. It’s a silly 80s comedy, but people love(d) it enough to warrant a sequel or two, so who am I to judge.
The 90s saw Willis continuing to alternate between leading roles and supporting, heroes and villains, and The Siege (1998) features him in a villainous supporting turn. The Ed Zwick action/thriller posits a terror attack in New York City that leads to martial law, and Willis plays a prick of a general with violent, racist tendencies. Denzel Washington takes the lead here, and the supporting cast includes the likes of Annette Bening, Tony Shalhoub, Lance Reddick, Aasif Mandvi (make it a double feature with Crush!), Chris Messina, and more. It’s a solid flick.
Finally, the best of the Willis arrivals is Rian Johnson’s Looper (2012) which blends action, sci-fi, and noir into something cool and special. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a mob assassin whose specialty is killing people sent back from the future for extermination, but things take a turn when his own older self is sent back to be killed. Now the two men — the same guy, different ages — are running for their lives. This remains one of Johnson’s best, up there with Brick (2005) and Knives Out (2019), and it’s always a good one for a rewatch.
90s Bangers!
Mike Nichols’ brilliant adaptation of Carrie Fisher’s semi-autobiographical novel isn’t the kind of film people often refer to as bangers, but my column my rules. Postcards from the Edge (1990) is still a hilarious, emotionally resonant look inside Hollywood and from the perspective of a once-popular actor who finds herself addicted and broke. Meryl Streep takes the lead, and she nails moments both funny and sad. She’s joined by Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Reiner, and many more. It’s a smart look at the industry while also being a very human story. Watch it!
Speaking of women in distress, Single White Female (1992) comes at it from a wholly different angle as a woman finds herself stalked by an obsessive wacko intent on murdering anyone who comes between them. Director Barbet Schroeder finds some intense thrills aided by strong performances from both Bridget Fonda and a wonderfully off her rocker Jennifer Jason Leigh. It’s a strong 90s thriller belonging to the same camp as Pacific Heights (1990), Unlawful Entry (1992), and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992).
Jon Amiel’s Copycat (1995) doesn’t quite get the attention it deserves, but one watch will reveal it to be a legitimately creepy tale about a serial killer and his would-be victim. The cast is headed up by a power duo in Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter as the agoraphobic psychiatrist and the determined cop, respectively, forced to confront a killer. The supporting roster ain’t too shabby either with Will Patton, Dermot Mulroney, William McNamara, and more. It’s a legitimately suspenseful thriller and highly recommended.
The Complete Hulu List for April 2022
| Release Date | Title | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 4/1 | All Inclusive (2008) | |
| Antz (1998) | ||
| Armored (2009) | ||
| Austenland (2013) | ||
| Battleship (2012) | ||
| Blind Date (1987) | ||
| Blue Streak (1999) | ||
| Boys on the Side (1995) | ||
| Brigsby Bear (2017) | ||
| Casese Quien Pueda (2015) | ||
| Casper (1995) | ||
| Cheech and Chong's Next Movie (1980) | ||
| Cheech and Chong's Get Out of My Room (1984) | ||
| Conspiracy Theory (1997) | ||
| Copycat (1995) | ||
| Crank (2006) | ||
| Death at a Funeral (2010) | ||
| Definitely, Maybe (2008) | ||
| The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) | ||
| Eyes Wide Shut (2009) | ||
| The Five-Year Engagement (2012) | ||
| Fly Away Home (1996) | ||
| Get Him to the Greek (2010) | ||
| Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011) | ||
| Hanna (2011) | ||
| Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) | ||
| I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) | ||
| In the Army Now (1994) | ||
| Insomnium (2017) | ||
| Instructions Not Included (2013) | ||
| The International (2009) | ||
| John Carpenter's Vampires (2009) | ||
| Just My Luck (2006) | ||
| Knowing (2009) | ||
| Kusama: Infinity (2018) | ||
| Ladrones (2015) | ||
| Look Who's Talking (1989) | ||
| Looper (2012) | ||
| Love Actually (2003) | ||
| Love Me - Complete Season 1 | ||
| Made in America (1993) | ||
| Mr. Popper's Penguins (2010) | ||
| National Lampoon's Dirty Movie (2011) | ||
| The Negotiator (1998) | ||
| Night Raiders (2021) | ||
| Open Range (2003) | ||
| Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) | ||
| Phantom (2013) | ||
| Postcards from the Edge (1990) | ||
| The Power of One (1992) | ||
| Practical Magic (1998) | ||
| Radio (2003) | ||
| Ramona and Beezus (2010) | ||
| Runaway Jury (2003) | ||
| The Runaways (2010) | ||
| Scooby-Doo (2002) | ||
| Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) | ||
| Shrek (2001) | ||
| Shrek 2 (2004) | ||
| The Siege (1998) | ||
| Single White Female (1992) | ||
| Snakehead (2021) | ||
| Stay (2005) | ||
| The Tailor of Panama (2001) | ||
| That's My Boy (2012) | ||
| Think Like a Man (2012) | ||
| Three Fugitives (1989) | ||
| Twilight (2008) | ||
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) | ||
| The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) | ||
| The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) | ||
| The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012) | ||
| Vertical Limit (2000) | ||
| Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) | ||
| Watchmen (2009) | ||
| Wolf (1994) | ||
| 4/3 | Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation - Complete Season 2 | |
| 4/4 | Madagascar: A Little Wild - Complete Season 7 | Hulu Original |
| 4/5 | The Croods: Family Tree - Complete Season 2 | Hulu Original |
| Monster Family 2: Nobody's Perfect (2021) | ||
| 4/6 | The Hardy Boys - Complete Season 2 | Hulu Original |
| 4/7 | Platinum End - Complete Season 1 | |
| Agnes (2021) | ||
| 4/8 | Let the Right One In (2008) | |
| Woke - Complete Season 2 | Hulu Original | |
| 4/9 | American Sicario (2022) | |
| 4/10 | The Hating Game (2021) | |
| 4/11 | The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - Complete Season 11 | |
| 4/13 | The Family Law - Complete Season 1 | |
| 4/15 | Black Death (2010) | |
| Compliance (2012) | ||
| Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon (2015) | ||
| 4/21 | Captive Audience (2022) | Hulu Original |
| 4/23 | In the Heart of the Sea (2015) | |
| 4/29 | Crush (2022) | Hulu Original |
| Permanent (2017) |