Furiosa, If, Netf lix’s Unfrosted among May’s must-see movies
Get set for more monkey business, dive back into the world of Mad Max and discover how Pop-Tarts came to be,
Maymarksthestartof Hollywood’s annual blockbuster season, albeit one this year subdued by the ongoing effects of last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes. That means that while there are still a few effects-laden behemoths, there is also a wide selection of eclectic treats coming to a movie theatre – or streaming service – near you.
For those keen on a trip to the cinema, there’s Kiwi comedy The Moon is Upside Down (on now), ballet biopic Joika, Camino di Santiago-set drama The Way, My Way (both May 16), Anthony Hopkins-starrer Freud’s Last Session and animated-adventure The Garfield Movie (both May 30). The Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival (on now) and the French Film Festival Aotearoa (from May 29) also begin their journeys around the country.
Meanwhile, Netflix debuts Brooke Shields’ rom-com Mother of the Bride (May 9), animated-comedy Thelma the Unicorn (May 17) and football documentary The Final: Attack on Wembley (May 8), Prime Video boasts Mark Wahlberg canine drama Arthur the King (May 10) and aeronautical doco The Blue Angels (May 23) and Disney+ has teen comedy Prom Dates (on now) and Sir Peter Jackson’s restoration of 1970 Beatles’ film Let It Be.
However, after looking through the schedules, this is the dozen flicks Stuff To Watch is most excited to see.
Atlas (May 24, Netflix)
Jennifer Lopez plays a brilliant, but misanthropic data analyst with a deep distrust of artificial intelligence in this sci-fi action-adventure.
But that’s an attitude that will have to change – if she’s to save humanity – after a mission to capture a renegade robot with whom she shares a mysterious past goes awry.
Barbie’s Simu Liu, American Fiction’s Sterling K Brown and Shazam!’s Mark Strong also feature.
Back to Black (cinemas)
Nowhere Boy and Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson helms this drama inspired by the life and music of Amy Winehouse, tracing her journey from adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century so far.
Industry and Cobra’s Marisa Abela takes on the singer, while Eddie Marsan, Leslie Manville and Jack O’Connell play key roles. Variety magazine’s Owen Gleiberman thought Abela “nails Amy Winehouse in every look, mood, utterance and musical expression”.
The Beach Boys (May 24, Disney+)
A celebration of the legendary band and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream. Frank Marshall (Arachnophobia) and Thom Zimny’s (Sly) documentary traces the band from humble family beginnings and features never-beforeseen footage and all-new interviews with band members and other luminaries in the music business.
Boy Kills World (cinemas)
Left deaf-mute by the attack that resulted in the rest of his family being murdered, Boy (Bill Skarsgard) vows revenge on the corrupt Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen).
After being trained in martial arts by a mysterious shaman, Boy and a ragtag resistance group embark on a campaign of vengeance, in this action-comedy-thriller.
“A high-octane action extravaganza sure to satiate genre fans’ delirious bloodlust,” wrote The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager.
Copa 71 (May 23, cinemas)
Told by the pioneering women who took part, this documentary investigates the extraordinary story of the 1971 Women’s Soccer World Cup, a tournament that had seemingly been written out of sporting history – until now. “Copa 71 is a revolutionary political parable that goes beyond football. A different world is possible; not only that, a different world was not just possible but did in fact exist,” wrote The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw.
Furiosa (May 23, cinemas)
Anya Taylor-Joy essays a younger version of the character made famous by Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road. Snatched from her home by a biker horde led by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), she plots – and fights – her way back through the Wasteland.
The Idea of You (Prime Video)
Anne Hathaway (Eileen) stars opposite Nicholas Galitzine (The Changeover) in this romantic-dramedy based on the acclaimed 2017 novel of the same name by Robinne Lee.
It’s the story of a 40-year-old single mum who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.
“Michael Showalter’s film feels like both a return to form and step forward for Hathaway, who hasn’t lent her mega-watt charisma this successfully to a rom-com in at least a decade,” wrote Slant magazine’s Rocco T. Thompson.
If (May 16, cinemas)
John Krasinski (A Quiet Place) wrote and directed this family fantasy about a young girl (The Walking Dead’s Cailey Fleming), going through a difficult experience, who begins to see the imaginary friends left behind by children who have grown up. Ryan Reynolds appears in the flesh, while the impressive vocal ensemble assembled includes Emily Blunt, Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Matt Damon, Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina and Louis Gossett Jr.
James Blunt: One Brit Wonder (May 30, TVNZ+)
Documentary which charts the rise of the UK soldier-turned-singer, while also following him on his chaotic 2022 Greatest Hits Tour.
Directed by Who Killed the KLF?’s Chris Atkins, it is billed as “the story of an ageing, British pop-star, still fighting for relevance some 17 years after his star momentarily twinkled”.
“Blunt emerges as a kind of pop Hugh Grant with a dash of Michael McIntyre,” wrote The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw.
Jim Henson Idea Man (May 31, Disney+)
Ron Howard attempts to take viewers into the mind of the creative visionary who helped bring 70s and 80s childhood favourites The Muppets, Dark Crystal and Labyrinth to life, as well as the longrunning educational programme Sesame Street.
Features new interviews with Henson’s closest collaborators and children, as well as never-before-seen materials from his personal archives – including home movies, photographs, sketches and diaries.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May 9, cinemas)
Set nearly 300 years after the events of 2017’s trilogy-ending war, this focuses in on an ape civilisation, led by Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), who have enslaved other clans while searching for the last traces of human technology. Questioning what he’s been taught about the past
– and the potential future – is a young chimpanzee named Noa (Owen Teague).
Unfrosted (Netflix)
Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer and Hugh Grant join forces for this comedic tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar and menacing milkmen. Loosely based on the true story of the creation of Pop-Tarts toaster pastries, this 1963-set story revolves around the race between sworn cereal rivals Kellogg’s and Post to create a product that will change the face of breakfast forever.