Hulu has been stuck in the third place position when it comes to movie streaming behind Netflix and Amazon Prime because most people still see them strictly as a home for next-day television. They have movies too, though, and more than a few of them are gems that make Hulu a destination beyond last night’s TV shows.
The complete list of new movies hitting Hulu this month — May 2019 — is below, but I wanted to highlight the best of the bunch along with several others worth seeking out.
Hulu Pick of the Month
Morning Glory (2011) isn’t a new film, and it doesn’t even land on Hulu until May 26th, but it’s still my pick of the month. Why? Because it’s pretty damn fantastic and far too many people have slept on it. The always brilliant Rachel McAdams headlines, and she’s joined by veterans Diane Keaton and a perfectly grumpy Harrison Ford for director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, 2001). All three actors are at the top of their game, and the smart and funny romantic comedy hearkens back to the fast-talking classics of the 40s. It’s just a damn delight.
George Clooney Alert!
Catch-22 (Hulu Original) premieres on May 17th as a limited series, and while we’ll have to wait and see if that format benefits or hurts Joseph Heller’s classic novel the talent involved here suggests the former. George Clooney directs and stars opposite Christopher Abbott, Kyle Chandler, Hugh Laurie, and others across six episodes of what should be a smart and biting satire on war.
More Novel Adaptations
While George Clooney and friends lay claim to a new adaptation of a literary classic, other books are making their way to Hulu this month too in cinematic form. Stephen King’s The Green Mile (1999) gets a solid movie from Frank Darabont (The Mist, 2007) delivering grim character beats and magic. H.G. Wells is another author with a ton of movies bearing his name, and The Time Machine (2002) is one of the latest (and last to play theatrically). It’s not bad! Last, but definitely not least, Dan Simmons’ frozen epic The Terror was adapted to television last year, and the entire first season hits Hulu on May 29th.
Random Shot in the Dark
A few movies arriving on Hulu this month are wholly new to me — not only have I not seen them, but I also have never heard of them — but something about them deserves a call out. So I’ve chosen one that feels like it could be interesting? It’s a drama called Painkillers (2018), and while it stars a couple familiar faces I’m including it here strictly for its IMDB plot synopsis. “Plagued by guilt following the death of his son in a car crash, John Clarke, a brilliant surgeon comes to realize that the only thing that can ease his pain is the taste of human blood.” I just love that segue.
The Complete List
May 1st
Anger Management (2003)
Bait Shop (2008)
Billboard Dad (1998)
The Big Kahuna (2000)
The Birdcage (1997)
Black Rain (1989)
Borat: Learning of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation Kazakhstan (2006)
Breakdown (1997)
Bully (2001)
The Burrowers (2009)
Catacombs (2007)
Cecil B. Demented (2000)
Center Stage (2000)
Chocolat (2000)
Chuck & Buck (2000)
Clerks (1994)
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)
El Pantra (2018)
The English Patient (1996)
Fair Game (2010)
Fatal Attraction (1987)
Flashdance (1983)
The Green Mile (1999)
Ground Control (1998)
Happy Endings (2005)
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
Hardware (1990)
Harsh Times (2006)
Hoodlum (1997)
Hunt for the Skinwalker (2018)
Imagine Me and You (2005)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Kazaam (1996)
The Krays (1990)
Kygo: Stole the Show (2017)
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies (2017)
Larger Than Life (1996)
The Landing (2018)
The Last Animals (2017)
Le Divorce (2002)
The Lucky Ones (2008)
Made (2001)
Major League (1989)
Man of the House (2005)
Mermaids (1990)
My Five Wives (2000)
New Guy (2002)
Nick of Time (1995)
The Night We Never Met (1993)
Passport to Paris (1999)
Possums (1998)
The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981)
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
Rollerball (1975)
Rollerball (2002)
Shaolin Soccer (2001)
Show of Force (1990)
The Sicilian (1987)
Slow Burn (2000)
Spirit (2002)
Star Kid (1998)
Steal this Movie (2000)
Switching Goals (1999)
The Time Machine (2002)
The Toybox (2018)
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2001)
Thirteen (2003)
Twelve Monkeys (1996)
Twice Upon a Yesterday (1999)
Under Siege (1992)
Wargames (1983)
Welcome to Mercy (2018)
Zombieland (2009)
May 3rd
Don’t Believe the Hype – (Complex)
Everything’s For Sale -1 (Complex)
Into the Dark: All That We Destroy [Hulu Original]
Jobs Unlisted – Season 1 (Complex)
Price the Hype – Season 1 (Complex)
The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)
May 4th
The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
Drunk History – Season 6 (Comedy Central)
Painkillers (2018)
May 6th
Crash (2005)
Unicorn (2018)
May 8th
Hillbilly (2019)
May 9th
Action Point (2017)
May 10th
Dinosaur 13 (2014)
May 11th
Above Majestic (2018)
Driver X (2018)
Funny Cow (2017)
One Million American Dreams (2018)
Swimming With Men (2018)
May 12th
Claws – Season 2 (TNT)
May 14th
The Romantics (2010)
May 15th
Astral (2018)
Beautiful Girls (1996)
Big Bad BBQ Brawl – Season 2 (Cooking Channel)
Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction – Season 4 (Food Network)
A Breath Away (2019)
Burgers, Brews & ‘Que – Seasons 1-3 (Food Network)
Cash Cab – Season 13 (Discovery Channel)
Counting On – Seasons 2-3 (TLC)
Diesel Brothers – Seasons 3-4 (Discovery Channel)
Eat, Sleep, BBQ – Season 1 (Food Network)
Egg (2019)
Four Weddings – Seasons 7-8 (TLC)
Getting Grace (2018)
I Found the Gown – Seasons 2-3 (TLC)
Iris (2001)
La Promesa – Season 1 (Caracol)
Little Voice (1998)
Love It or List I – Season 12 (HGTV)
The Little Couple – Seasons 11-12 (TLC)
May 16th
Knocked Up (2007)
May 17th
Catch-22 – Series Premiere (Hulu Original)
Punisher: War Zone (2008)
The Punisher (2004)
May 18th
The Riot and the Dance: Earth (2018)
Thanks for Sharing (2013)
May 20th
Federal Hill (1994)
May 21st
Bernie the Dolphin (2018)
Jesus’ Son (2000)
Preacher – Season 3 (AMC)
May 22nd
Tracers (2015)
May 26th
Morning Glory (2011)
May 27th
Broad City – Season 5 (Comedy Central)
The Frozen Ground (2013)
May 29th
The Terror – Season 1 (AMC)
May 30th
Angie Tribeca: Complete Season 4 (TBS)
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Related Topics: Catch-22, Hulu, The Green Mile, The Terror, The Time Machine
