With May flowers also comes new May streaming additions.
Netflix just added a ton of great new movies to its library, and it’s tough to decide which ones to stream first.
Fortunately for you, Watch With Us has put together a list of five cinema masterpieces that you need to check out this month.
Our first selection is Under the Skin, an arthouse sci-fi from The Zone of Interest’s Jonathan Glazer, starring Scarlett Johansson as a woman hiding a disturbing secret.
‘Under the Skin’ (2013)
A female alien disguised as a beautiful human woman (Johansson) drives around Glasgow in a van seducing unsuspecting men. When she lures one into her clutches, she drives them to an abandoned house and submerges them in a black pool of liquid. Her first victim is a swimmer on a beach, and the second victim is a man at a nightclub. When the second man comes home with her, he is submerged in the liquid void, where he witnesses the swimmer suspended and immobile. Yet as the alien spends more time on Earth, she begins to question the body she’s in.
Under the Skin is haunting and enigmatic, and may prove to be too challenging for some viewers. But for those willing to get on its abstract wavelength, they will find the experience to be rewarding, disturbing and undeniably unique; a singular examination of womanhood and humanity. Johansson positively commands the film in her performance, and the hypnotic atmosphere only adds to her unsettling and magnetic screen presence. Under the Skin is a minimalist and unconventional sci-fi masterpiece.
‘Burn After Reading’ (2008)
When a disc containing the memoir of a former CIA analyst named Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) manages to fall into the hands of dimwitted gym employees Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), the two believe it to be highly classified government intel. Linda and Chad thus attempt to leverage the CD as blackmail to get Linda the cosmetic surgery she desires. However, a true comedy of errors ensues in which a series of mishaps and misunderstandings cause their ill-conceived plan to spiral into unforeseen (and deeply stupid) consequences.
Burn After Reading is handily one of the funniest additions to the Coen brothers’ oeuvre of various genre pastiche. The film features a terrific ensemble cast, including George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and J.K. Simmons, and the goofy (if unwieldy) espionage farce is the perfect playground for the directing duo, who further prove their expertise in seamlessly oscillating across multiple genres in one movie. Plus, Burn After Reading cements the comedic prowess of both Clooney and Pitt.
‘Jennifer’s Body’ (2009)
Childhood best friends Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) and Anita “Needy” Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried) couldn’t be more different in high school, as Jennifer has become popular eye-candy while Needy is awkward and bookish. But when a rock group looking to make a deal with the devil mistakes Jennifer for a virgin, their blood ritual turns her into a demon who hungers for teenage boys. When Needy realizes what has happened, she races to stop Jennifer before she makes mincemeat out of every guy in their graduating class — including her boyfriend.
Jennifer’s Body has become a cult classic in the 17 years since it hit theaters, having initially bewildered both critics and audiences. The film’s screenwriter, Diablo Cody, attributes the poor reception to poor marketing, which made the feminist film look more like a sex-comedy for horny boys who are in love with Fox. The film does succeed as a horror-comedy, but it’s also a genuinely thoughtful examination of the exploitation of women’s bodies. 17 years later, Jennifer’s Body has a fanbase that understands it as a smart revenge fantasy.
‘Ouija: Origin of Evil’ (2016)
Almost 50 years before the events of Ouija, this spirited prequel follows single mom and widow Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser), who runs a phony seance business with her two daughters, teenager Lina (Annalise Basso) and her little sister Doris (Lulu Wilson). But when the family decides to add a seemingly harmless Ouija board into their usual routine, it unwittingly invites a demonic presence into their home that possesses Doris. Together, Alice and Lina must confront the spirit controlling Doris and send it from whence it came before it takes the little girl away forever.
Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) manages to take the bland, by-the-numbers starting point established in 2014’s Ouija and turn it into an affecting horror delight that is full of nail-biting tension, unsettling imagery and an emotional undercurrent that allows you to connect with the characters. Ouija: Origin of Evil is a prequel that proves that sometimes the original film isn’t always the best one, and in this case, it handily outshines it.
‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)
In a dystopian future, humanity is in a seemingly endless war with a race of giant, bloodthirsty alien insects. Purportedly intent on eradicating all human life, these Arachnids — or “bugs,” as they are derisively referred to — frequently go to battle against the Mobile Infantry, a military unit of humans who are engaged in the interstellar war against the Arachnids. One such human, teenager Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), enlists in the Mobile Infantry against his parents’ wishes to be closer to his girlfriend, pilot Carmen (Denise Richards).
Paul Verhoeven‘s blistering sci-fi satire was misunderstood upon release, when it was viewed as an endorsement of fascism instead of what it really was — a sharp takedown of gung-ho patriotism and bloodthirsty war hawks. In the years since release, Starship Troopers has been reclaimed by a cult following and numerous critical reevaluations that examine the movie’s critique of the military-industrial complex, government-backed propaganda and American nationalism — themes that only feel more prescient as time has gone on. Starship Troopers has even made its home on various “best sci-fi movies ever” lists.
