What to Stream This Month: May 2020 (VIDEO SCRIPT)

Welcome to May 2020. Here are my recommendations for what to stream this month

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Readers, as you know, there are 4 streaming platforms currently trying to get your attention with mainstream shows and movies, along with original content that are exclusive to them. So here are the ones for each of them I think are worth your time.

Let’s start with Netflix, starting with the new original series Hollywood.

/Released Friday May the 1st, this miniseries co-created by American Horror Story and Pose creator Ryan Murphy tells the story of a handful of people trying to make it in Hollywood after World War II, tackling the topics of racism, sexism, and homophobia both in regards of tolerance and acceptance and how things were behind closed doors./

So I’ll admit it; American Horror Story is pretty much the only thing by Ryan Murphy that I’ve seen. And even then, it’s only like a small handful of seasons. Team Coven all day.

I have heard that Pose is excellent, and I do plan on watching the first couple of seasons.

As far as this show is concerned, I do have SOME concerns about it as far as the writing.

Every episode has himself and his longtime collaborator Ian Brennan involved. And while I have no doubt that Murphy probably did a good job with handling the queer storyline and representation in the mini-series considering his own experiences, he and Brennan clearly can’t say the same thing about the storyline for the two black leads in this show.

Yes, African American writer and transgender activist Janet Mock, who writes for Pose, was also involved in the writing process and directed an episode, but she only helped co-write 2 episodes.

So this is looking to be one of those instances where I’m gonna have to see how well Murphy and Brennan did their homework before they decided to tackle the topic they decided to sprint toward.

Despite the final season being released over a year ago, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is coming back to Netflix in the form of a special!

/It’s called Kimmy Vs The Reverend, and it’ll be an interactive special like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, making this the second on the platform. It guest-stars Daniel Radcliffe and will be released on Netflix May the 12th/

Thankfully I already have the first two seasons of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt under my belt, so I still have a bit of catching up to do before I get to the interactive special. But from what I’ve seen of the show, I love it.

Titus and the rest of the side characters really help drive the comedy home to me. And considering that the story of the special is gonna focus on I guess the final battle between herself and the reverend, I’m interested in seeing what all they can do despite seeing how they handled it up to this point.

The final season of She-Ra and the Princess of Power comes out on March 15th, and all that did was remind me that I...REALLY need to start watching that series. And finish Voltron. Especially finish Voltron

Well, if you’re like me and haven’t watched it yet, now you can watch the show in its entirety. For everyone else, you’re finally gonna get the closure you’ve wanted ever since the show came out, and I’m so happy for you. You deserve it.

As usual, there are plenty of non Netflix Originals that are coming out for the platform in May. The ones I recommend are Back to the Future parts 1 and 2, Fun with Dick and Jane with Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the first 3 Underworld movies, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, (huffs) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Public Enemies, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Uncut Gems, which I am HIGHLY looking forward to finally watching.

Hulu’s originals are on the low side, but the most talked about one is the premiere of the new animated series Solar Opposites

/It’s co-created by one of the co-creators of Rick & Morty, and it’s about a family of aliens that have to survive in middle-america. All eight episodes of the first season will be released on May the 8th./

And to anyone who is genuinely looking forward to watching this, I hope you have fun

Rick and Morty is a mixed bag for me. It’s a bit too Nihilistic for my tastes and I hate how much influence Rick has on his family.

Honestly, after watching the first episode of season 3, I was ready to throw the entire show away.

I know things get a bit better since Rick gets cut off from them during the later half of season 3 and the majority of season 4, so at this point I just watch it to teach myself how to truly write a character that everyone loves to hate.

Despite the fanbase of Rick and Morty just...REFUSING to hate Rick because he became a pickle that one time.

So while i’m not looking forward to Solar Opposites because I anticipate that same style of humor that’ll bring about that same type of Cartman level ideology from whatever fanbase this sparks

I do know people who watch Justin Roiland’s stuff -- both ironically and unironically -- that don’t go that far off the deep end. So...good for you guys. Go have fun.

A bunch of non-original stuff is also gonna be hitting Hulu in May.

My recommendations are the live action Aeon Flux movie starring Charlize Theron, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Demolition Man, Friday the 13th parts 3 & 4, Goodfellas, The Graduate

The Green Mile because we should always keep Michael Clarke Duncan in our hearts

Megamind because it’s the closest thing we’re gonna get to a proper Superman movie in a while

Monster House, The Patriot, and the Elton John bio-drama Rocketman.

Amazon Prime’s originals are also a bit on the low side, with season 2 of the anthology series Homecoming being the one that’s currently peaking my interest.

/Starring Janelle Monae, this season tells the story of a woman who wakes up in a rowboat with amnesia and tries to get her memories and identity back. All the episodes will be available to stream on May 22nd./

Thankfully this IS an anthology series ala AHS and True Detective. I’m down to watch an entire season of a story starring Janelle Monae as opposed to having to watch the first season in order to understand it.

No shade to Julia Roberts; I have SO MUCH respect for her and her career.

But if there is anything with Janelle Monae in it in which she is doing the thespian thang, I am immediately invested

She’s already a great singer and I love her for it. But I need more of her acting. However I can get it.

With that being said, please...PLEASE just release Antebellum on home video. I understand WHY you want to hold off releasing it, but I need to see that THIS year.

Amazon Studios is making 2019’s Seberg exclusively available on Prime come May 15th

/It stars Kristen Stewart and tells the real-life story of actress Jean Seberg, and how the United States government made life a living hell for her in the 1960’s for how she chose to involve herself in the Civil Rights movement./

The movie’s gotten pretty mixed reviews with a lot of people not really caring for how this specific time in her life was portrayed, and I mean I get it

This is more of a “I’m bored and there’s nothing else better to” watch for me, mostly because of what the narrative of the movie is in general

Other than that, however it is you have prime, give it a watch and form your own opinion about it

Or don’t. I’m not your dad.

A few non-original movies and shows from Hulu this month found themselves over on Prime as per the usual. Such as Friday the 13th parts 3 and 4, Rocketman and one of The Rock’s first movies after the Scorpion King, Walking Tall.

With that being said, the complete series of Jennifer Garner’s Alias will be available for you to stream on Prime starting the month of May

As you can imagine, it’s all Star Wars over on Disney+

Star Wars Rise of Skywalker, the series finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the first episode of the Mandalorian behind-the-scenes documentary all will be available to stream on (looks around) the fourth of May.

Now if you’re looking for more non-Star Wars stuff coming out for the platform this month that reminds you of your childhood, then you’re in luck.

Because both the Homeward Bound movies and George of the Jungle starring Brendan Frasier also hit Disney+ this month, as well as the Angelina Jolie starring sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Wes Anderson’s stop-motion Roald Dahl adaptation of The Fantastic Mr. Fox starring George Clooney.

But Readers, I know that what I just listed over the course of everything coming out on all four of these platforms are exactly that: a FEW

So your homework assignment for the day is to write in the comment section below any exclusives or original series that are premiering in May for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime or Disney Plus that I may have missed

Or, if you feel like sharing with the rest of the class, which ones out of what I mentioned you’re mostly hype about.

Either way, I’d love to know your thoughts.