The list of new movies on netflix because this month has made me both happy and confused. When we received the May 2023 schedule, I was a little disappointed with the lack of critical gems, but ultimately was pleased to see some movies worth watching.
But then something weird happened. One of my favorite classic movies that I’ve only recently seen popped up on Netflix out of the blue with no warning. This movie, combined with six other gems, gave me reason to build this list that rounds out our super-sized best movies on netflix roundup.
But while this list is based on my own preferences, I’ve included Rotten Tomatoes’ solid (to excellent) scores of the titles, so you can get a vote of confidence. These titles include an all-time action drama, an animated family movie that parents will really love, and Natalie Portman’s breakthrough performance.
Heat (1995)
This one is weird. I spend a lot of time checking out what’s coming and going at Tom’s Guide. I also love Michael Mann’s detective film Heat (which I admit I only saw for the first time last year). Yet somehow Heat slipped under my radar, much like thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) attempts to do in this movie.
Appearing on Netflix without warning, Heat is one of the best cat-and-mouse movies of all time. Neil and his gang have just emerged from an armored car heist that netted them $1.6 million in bearer bonds, which caught the attention of the LAPD. Specifically, resourceful Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) has clung to the case, and this boisterous lieutenant doesn’t give up easily.
Based on a true story (yes, Neil McCauley was a real crook), Mann’s film is filled with tense drama, pitch-perfect action scenes, and touching moments for the characters to reflect on their mistakes. It’s also one of the most influential films of its time, as you’ll see shots and moments that you might have thought other films (i.e. The Dark Knight) invented. Also, let Heat serve as a benchmark: it may only be 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s still an all-time classic.
Coming to Netflix on: Unknown
Gender: Police drama
Rotten Tomato Score: 88%
Discard: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd
Director: Michael Mann
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Leon: The Professional (1994)
Leon: The Professional was the first film on Netflix’s May list to pass my “oooh!” test. Whenever I go through the list of new movies, I always come across a few titles that make me open Netflix on my phone and add them to my list.
The Professional earned that right because it’s one of those great movies I haven’t thought of in ages. Léon (Jean Reno) is a hitman living in New York, in a humble building in Little Italy where his young neighbor Mathilda (Natalie Portman) has suffered too much at the start of the film. But when corrupt DEA agents led by Gary Oldman’s Normal Stansfield somehow make this child’s life worse, she manages to convince her neighbor to help – by teaching him her tricks.
Despite its bizarre premise between killer and child, The Professional works on many levels. Natalie Portman hits a home run as Mathilda, with natural charisma and vulnerability. And while Jean Reno is superb as the titular hitman, Gary Oldman steals every scene he can as the unhinged villain.
Coming to Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Gender: Stock
Rotten Tomato Score: 74%
Discard: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello
Director: Luc Besson
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Chicken Coop (2000)
If Netflix’s Kids section is too neon-soaked for your liking (and even the best family movies on netflix can’t escape this problem), you better watch Chicken Run right now.
On a modest farm in Yorkshire, England, Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) and Mr. Tweedy (Tony Haygarth) have discovered that it is not enough to demand eggs from their hens. Their alternative is an evil machine that will turn their chickens into chicken pot pies, as clever clucker Ginger (Julia Sawalha) discovers. And with the help of Rocky (Mel Gibson), an American rooster who spent time in the circus, these chickens can actually fly around the coop.
While some kids might find the threats to chickens a little scary, most viewers will revel in Chicken Run’s humor. Not only is the dialogue great, but it cuts through far more thoughtful ideas than you might expect given its barnyard history.
Coming to Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Gender: Animated comedy
Rotten Tomato Score: 97%
Discard: Julia Sawalha, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson, Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson,
Directors: Peter Lord, Nick Park
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Not Perfect (2012)
I think of Pitch Perfect as one of those films that was too good to be let down by my expectations. Even though “competitive a cappella” is the sweet phrase that would normally make me click on Netflix, Pitch Perfect managed to surprise with some hilarious and occasionally crude antics.
It all starts when Beca (Anna Kendrick) struggles to fit in at Bearden University and decides to try out for the Bearden Bellas women’s a cappella team. Or at least she chooses to After insult the team’s queen bee by dispelling their passion.
While Pitch Perfect gave Rebel Wilson a breakout role as the always awkwardly named Fat Amy, he ultimately wins because of how his script is a very solid group comedy where students learn to get along. .
Coming to Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Gender: Musical comedy
Rotten Tomato Score: 81%
Discard: Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow
Director: Jason Moore
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Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Two years after the excellent British zombie film 28 Days Later brought the undead genre back to life, Zack Snyder has brought the resurgence of the genre to the United States with a new Dawn of the Dead. Much like the original, the new Dawn of the Dead places a group of obnoxious Americans in a mall and forces them to try to band together in order to survive.
Filled with great action and a dark sense of humor, the new Dawn of the Dead declared the zombie movies to be back in their entirety. Also catch a pre-modern family Ty Burrell as Steve, one of the least sympathetic or least helpful survivors.
Coming to Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Gender: zombie horror
Rotten Tomato Score: 76%
Discard: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly
Director: Zack Snyder
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Traffic (2000)
Drug trafficking, seen through the lens of Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, is every bit as complex as one might imagine. Traffic connects the world through three storylines at different levels of the situation.
In Mexico, policeman Javier Rodriguez (Benicio del Toro) ends up getting hired by a general to hunt down a drug cartel. In Ohio, Judge Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) leads the war on crime at work and at home, while his daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen) dabbles in everything from cocaine to methamphetamine. In San Diego, a DEA investigation traces all the links of the drug lords working with the cartel.
This would all be too much in the hands of most directors, but Soderbergh deftly threads the needle by jumping from story to story. It doesn’t hurt that it has a fantastic cast, and Stephen Gaghan’s screenplay juggles all of those storylines in an almost effortless way. There’s no preacher tone either, or just a good versus bad dynamic: just chaos.
Coming to Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Gender: Drama
Rotten Tomato Score: 92%
Discard: Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman
Director: Stephen Soderbergh
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Flight (2012)
I have heard some call Flight corny, or Oscar bait. And while Denzel Washington earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as pilot Captain Whip Whitaker, Flight is anything but sweet if you ask me.
Whitaker, who uses cocaine to stay awake at work, makes matters worse when he mixes himself a screwdriver cocktail during a robbery the next morning. Waking up mid-flight to see the plane is in a state of chaos, Whip manages to land the ship on ground safe enough for only six out of 102 fatalities. that’s when he has to face the secrets he’s kept – all while being hailed as a hero.
Washington received plenty of deserved applause for her tough performance, and critics raved about the scene in the sky where the plane enters in utter disarray.
Coming to Netflix on: May 1, 2023
Gender: Drama
Rotten Tomato Score: 77%
Discard: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, Bruce Greenwood
Director: Robert Zemeckis
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Other movies that just hit Netflix on May 1, 2023
- above suspicion
- Airport
- Airport ’77
- Airport 1975
- Austin Powers in Goldmember
- Austin Powers: The International Mystery Man
- Austin Powers: The Spy Who Fucked Me
- Black Hawk Down
- cable guy
- Captain Phillips
- thriller
- Conan the Barbarian
- The Croods
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- For girls of color
- girl interrupted
- The glass castle
- Back at home
- Hop
- igor
- kindergarten cop
- Last Action Hero
- Fall Legends
- Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events
- marshal
- paranormal activity
- Peter Pan (2003)
- Rainbow High: Season 3
- Rugrats: Seasons 1-2
- The Smurfs: Season 1
- Starship Troopers
- Steel Magnolias
- The Legend of Despereaux
- Vampires
- The date of the wedding
- The young Victoria