Finished rewatching your favorite films and comfort TV shows? Now, it’s time to check out the new releases this month. May 2023 saw Halle Bailey appear on the big screen as a mermaid, ‘Everything, Everywhere All At Once’ stars Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh, and Ke KHuy Quan in a Disney+ series, and Lara Jean’s younger sister Kitty in Seoul in a Netflix series. Here are TV series that premiered this month and movies that were released in May 2023 that you need to add to your watchlist now!
While we will keep the May 2023 tire-burning and gravity-defying action blockbuster ‘Fast X’ off this list, it is worth mentioning that the Fast and Franchise has added further two films in development with Dwayne Johnson’s character Luke Hobbs slated to return.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Filmmaker James Gunn’s final swan song with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is rated one of the best films of the franchise in recent times. After a brief appearance in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ (2022) and ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ (2022), this latest installment sees the Guardians pitted against a vicious scientist, the High Evolutionary. Peter Quill aka Star-Lord resumes his quest to find Gamora, Rocke’ts origins are dived into and Adam Warlock finally makes his MCU debut.
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Will Poulter, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nathan Fillion, Sylvester Stallone.
Voice Roles: Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Linda Cardellini, Maria Bakalova.
Air
Michael Jordan’s esteemed sports career and legacy continue to be spotlighted after the highly rated ‘The Last Dance’ (2020) docuseries. In ‘Air,’ friends and Hollywood mega stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon dive into the Nike corporation’s pursuit into landing then newcomer Michael Jordan as a marquee signing to the company. Facing stiff competition from brands Adidas and Converse, Nike executives need to come up with a strategy to convince Jordan to sign with the brand. The film is based on true events and depicts the origins of Nike’s iconic Air Jordan shoes and the nature of the merchandise deal, which molded the tone for the years to come.
Cast: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis.
Watch Air on Amazon Prime Video: HERE
Kathal – A Jackfruit Mystery
Two ‘Kathals’ or Jackfruits weighing fifteen KGs each are stolen from a tree in the garden of a politician’s residence in this satirical comedy-drama. The politician tasks the police to retrieve the jackfruits before they ripen. What begins as a case of missing jackfruits, the film dives into deeper themes of the misuse of power that politicians and other governing bodies engage in. The film is loosely based on true events that took place in 2014, where a squad of police officers was dispatched to look for missing jackfruits in India.
Cast: Sanya Malhotra, Anant V Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Brijendra Kala, Neha Saraf
Watch Kathal – A Jackfruit Mystery on Netflix: HERE
The Little Mermaid
Author Hans Christian Andersen’s literary works from 1857 and Disney’s 1989 animated musical fantasy film get a brand new live-action adaptation. Helmed by musical film great Rob Marshall, the plot follows Ariel, the princess mermaid, who is fascinated with life outside the ocean. After saving a shipwrecked Prince Eric, Ariel makes a deal with Ursula to become more human-like.
Cast: Halle Bailey as Ariel the Mermaid, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula the sea witch, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian the crab, Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle the seagull, and Jacob Tremblay voices Ariel’s best friend Flounder. Singer/actress Jodi Benson who voiced Ariel in the 1989 animated movie also makes a cameo appearance.
Singer-songwriter Halle Bailey, cast as the fictitious character Ariel, was met with staunch criticism, backlash, and racist comments. In an interview with The Face, Bailey expressed, “As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore.” Halle and her sister Chlöe, who go by Chloe x Halle, are also signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood record label.
Rally Road Racers
We conclude our list of movies with the animated racing flick ‘Rally Road Racers.’ Zhi, a beginner race car driver, is given the opportunity to pit himself against the rally car circuit’s best. Zhi befriends Gnash, a veteran racer-turned-mechanic, and must face dangerous terrain, other racers, and unexpected challenges to prove he is the next great racer. The film takes the racers to the ancient Silk Road trade route.
Voice Cast: J.K. Simmons, Chloe Bennet, Jimmy O. Yang, Catherine Tate, John Cleese, Lisa Lu, Rebecca Yeo
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Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ is a prequel spin-off series of Netflix’s hit regency romance series, inspired by Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels. This six-episode series tells the iconic love story of the young Queen’s marriage to King George of England. It also sees the high society’s transformation in the Bridgerton universe.
Cast: Golda Rosheuvel (‘Bridgerton’, ‘Dune’), India Ria Amarteifio, Arséma Thomas, Corey Mylchreest, Cyril Nri, Adjoa Andoh, Michelle Fairley (‘Game of Thrones’), Ruth Gemmell, and Samuel Clemmett (‘Cherry’).
Stream ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ on Netflix: HERE
American Born Chinese
The ‘Everything, Everywhere, All At Once’ stars Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh, and Ke KHuy Quan reunite for ‘American Born Chinese,’ an action comedy series streaming on Disney+. This series follows Jin Wang, a teenager juggling his social life at school with his life at home.
Things change when he is introduced to a new student at school. Soon, Jin finds himself in the middle of a fight between Chinese mythological gods. This Disney+ series is based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel ‘American Born Chinese.’ Destin Daniel Cretton (‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’) served as the director of many episodes of this series.
Cast: Ben Wang, Michelle Yeoh (‘Crazy Rich Asians’), Daniel Wu (‘Into the Badlands’, ‘Tomb Raider’), Stephanie Hsu (‘Joy Ride’), Chin Han (‘Mortal Kombat’), Sydney Taylor, Ke Huy Quan (‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’), Poppy Liu, and Yeo Yann Yann.
Watch ‘American Born Chinese’ on Disney+: HERE
XO, Kitty
‘Xo, Kitty’ follows Kitty Song Covey, the younger sister of Lara Jean from Netflix’s film trilogy ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.’ This series takes place after the third film from the To All the Boys franchise. In ‘XO, Kitty,’ we see Kitty on her way to the Korean International School of Seoul (KISS) where she aims to learn more about her late mother who also was a student at KISS. She is also all set to meet Dae, her long-distance partner.
Cast: Anna Cathcart (‘Descendants 3’), Sang Heon Lee, Jocelyn Shelfo, Anthony Keyvan (‘Love, Victor’), Choi Min-young (‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’), Gia Kim, Regan Aliyah, Peter Thurnwald (‘Kong: Skull Island’), Ryu Han-bi, Théo Augier Bonaventure, and Yunjin Kim (‘Lost’).
Find ‘XO, Kitty’ on Netflix: HERE
Primo
The Amazon Freevee series ‘Primo’ is a coming-of-age comedy centering on Rafa, a San Antonio teenager. It is inspired by the life of showrunner, creator, and executive producer Shea Serrano. ‘Primo’ sees Rafa Gonzales, who is raised by his mom and five uncles, as he meets a girl he likes and approaches the end of high school. Rafa might also be the first person from his family to attend college. Rafa, his friends, and everyone, including his single mother Drea and his uncles, end up helping one another in their own way.
Cast: Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Christina Vidal (‘Freaky Friday’), Carlos Santos, Nigel Siwabessy, Stakiah Lynn Washington, Henri Esteve, Efraín Villa, Martin Martinez, and Jonathan Medina.
