I spy with my little eye … some great new movies streaming on Hulu in May.
And the film at the top of Watch With Us’ weekend bingelist is Spy, the hilarious Melissa McCarthy comedy about a mousy CIA agent who gets to live her James Bond fantasy as a secret agent.
Another great film worth checking out is Hallow Road, an under-the-radar thriller starring Matthew Rhys and Rosamund Pike.
If you’re craving an unusual romance, fall in love with Only Lovers Left Alive, which stars Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as vampires engaged in a centuries-long love affair.
‘Spy’ (2015)
Susan Cooper (McCarthy) works for the CIA, but her life isn’t that thrilling. That quickly changes when she’s taken away from her desk job in Virginia to a field assignment in Paris, where she has to spy on the beautiful Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne), whose father might have a nuclear device. As Susan gains Rayna’s trust, she’s not so sure Rayna is acting alone. Susan will need the help of veteran agent Rick Ford (Jason Statham), who doesn’t approve of Susan’s unorthodox tactics. Can Susan get her woman and save the world from certain destruction?
Put a vintage James Bond movie, the original Austin Powers and a dash of Bridesmaids into a blender, and you’ll get something like Spy. Spy works as both an action film and a comedy — the fight sequences are surprisingly legit, and the jokes are delivered frequently and expertly. McCarthy is a hoot as Susan, who is living the 007 dream she’s been imagining all her life, and Byrne is fantastically droll as the rich-bitch villain you can’t help but empathize with. With a cast that also includes Jude Law, Allison Janney, Bobby Cannavale and 50 Cent (yes, 50 Cent), Spy is an enormously enjoyable comic romp that will leave you asking one question — why haven’t they made a sequel yet?
Spy is streaming on Hulu.
‘Hallow Road’ (2025)
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare — your child is in danger, and you’re not there to help them. Maddie (Rosamund Pike) and Frank (Matthew Rhys) don’t let that stop them from trying, especially when their teenage daughter Alice calls them in the middle of the night. Alice confesses she hit a woman while driving, and she doesn’t know what to do. As the terrified parents drive to her to help, they discuss the events that led up to the accident and what they’re willing to do to protect their daughter — including covering up her crime. Does being a good parent mean protecting your child no matter what, even if it involves murder?
Hallow Road is a tense thriller that’s set primarily in the couple’s car. That doesn’t sound too exciting, but the movie accomplishes the near-impossible — it’s suspenseful just by staying with Maddie and Frank in the car and eavesdropping on their increasingly fraught conversations. As it progresses, Hallow Road gets surprisingly weird. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that Alice might not be all alone with the woman she ran over. The ending is deliberately indecisive — was what we saw real or imagined? It’s up to you to decide for yourself, which makes the film all the more enjoyable to watch.
Hallow Road is streaming on Hulu.
‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ (2014)
The lovers in Only Lovers Left Alive are appropriately named Eve (Swinton) and Adam (Tom Hiddleston). They’ve drifted apart over the years, but time for them is meaningless — they’re vampires, after all, and they’ve lived for centuries.
They depend on an untainted and very limited bloody supply to keep them alive in the 21st century, which is why they’re so anxious when Eve’s wild-child younger sister, Eva (Mia Wasikowska), barges into their lives. Her reckless behavior threatens not only to expose them, but also their very existence. Eva and Adam thought they would live forever, but is there time on this mortal plane finally up?
Directed by indie film auteur Jim Jarmusch, Only Lovers Left Alive is more romantic than horrific, although there is a gruesome death or two in the picture. Melancholic and wistful, the film takes its vampiric protagonists seriously but lovingly. As an undead Adam and Eve, Hiddleston and Swinton are perfectly cast. With their pale skins and faded glamour, they suggest ancient lovers who have grown weary of the world around them but not of each other. Only Lovers Left Alive is a love story for all the grown-up goth kids who still listen to The Smiths and Depeche Mode and dream of charming men and black celebrations.
Only Lovers Left Alive is streaming on Hulu.
