WHAT WE CAN’T WAIT TO WATCH
Shrill
Loosely based on Lindy West’s memoir Shrill: Notes From A Loud Woman, this fat-positive series stars Aidy Bryant as Annie, an alt-weekly journalist who fights against being pigeonholed and mistreated by her boss (John Cameron Mitchell) and mom (Julia Sweeney). Though West’s book chronicled her disagreements over coverage of fat activism with her editor (and sex columnist) Dan Savage, West has said Cameron Mitchell’s character is not inspired by Savage. The show earned good reviews when it premiered in the U.S. on Hulu in March. All six episodes drop on Crave on May 3.
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men
Fresh from screenings at Sundance, Tribeca Film Festival and Hot Docs, journalist/filmmaker Sacha Jenkins’s four-part docu-series about the seminal New York City rap group gathers the nine surviving members together in a Staten Island theatre to banter, reminisce and self-mythologize. The first two episodes that played the festival circuit cover their childhoods, formation and breakout success with Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Ta-Nehisi Coates, Seth Rogen, Jim Jarmusch and Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s widow Icelene Jones also offer talking-head commentary. May 10
Deadwood: The Movie
From 2004 to 2006, David Milch’s maverick HBO series about day-to-day life in a South Dakota frontier town – and the constant negotiation required to survive the rise of rapacious capitalism and amorality – was a bulwark of complex, challenging storytelling, stellar character work and gleefully profane dialogue… but it ended before Milch could wrap things up as he’d intended. Finally, in a two-hour movie set a decade after the last episode, Milch and director Dan Minahan are putting paid to Deadwood, reuniting almost the entire cast – no small feat, considering this includes Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Molly Parker, Anna Gunn, Paula Malcolmson, John Hawkes, Kim Dickens, Brad Dourif, W. Earl Brown, Geri Jewell and Gerald McRaney – for one last drink at the Jewel. We wouldn’t miss it. May 31
Game of Thrones (series finale)
After seven seasons of brutal beheadings, crossbow deaths, Arya’s flesh masks and torrid love affairs, Game of Thrones is coming to an end. The eighth season is already off to an emotional start full of reunions and campfire songs, but the real battles are just beginning. That means it’s time to preemptively mourn all your favourite characters because yes, a good chunk of them are going to die. In just a few weeks we’ll find out who will take the Iron Throne. Will it be the ethically dubious lovers, Dany and Jon Snow? The wicked Cersei, alone with a barrel of wildfire? Or maybe the Night King will destroy humanity and all its memories. Your guess is as good as ours. Following the series finale on May 19, British filmmaker Jeanie Finlay’s two-hour doc about the making of the show, Games Of Thrones: The Last Watch, will air on May 26. Sundays at 9 pm to May 19
Samuel Engelking
SOLID BETS
MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A.
The horrific Easter bombings in Sri Lanka have many worried about reigniting violence in a country that hasn’t known peace for decades. That’s just the latest reason why you should check out this vibrant and intimate doc about Paper Planes and Bad Girls singer M.I.A. Directed by the recording artist’s friend Steve Loveridge, it’s an unvarnished and intimate look at how Maya, born Matangi, filtered Sri Lanka’s war and complex history and her refugee perspective into her identity, music and controversial brand. May 16
The Tale
Documentary filmmaker Jennifer Fox made the jump to scripted drama with this inventive and searing look at the way we suppress traumatic memories – and how society is happy to help us do so. Laura Dern stars as a middle-aged woman – based on Fox – who suddenly realizes a relationship she had with an older man as a young teen was, in fact, abusive. HBO debuted the film on TV and streaming last year but it’s now becoming available to non-premium Crave subscribers. Read our interview with Fox here. May 31
Ava
Sadaf Foroughi’s debut feature was nominated for the Best Canadian film prize by both the Toronto Film Critics and Canadian Screen Awards in 2017, becoming the latest example of how our films know no borders. Set in Iran, this small and observant coming-of-age tale features a stellar performance by Mahour Jabbari. Her Ava navigates adolescence, neighbourhood gossip and parental hypocrisy, all of which is weighted by strict customs. Comparisons to Asghar Farhadi films like A Separation are obvious (given the setting) but not undeserved. Foroughi’s film is more minute and more insightful in ways that could pass unnoticed. May 30
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead
A suffocating feel-bad drama about two broke sons who hatch a plan to rob their own parents jewellery store might be too cynical to handle. Someone dies when the robbery is bungled and the rest of the movie will have you squirming right alongside the characters. But the talent here makes every minute gripping and worthwhile. Sydney Lumet’s final film surrounds the late Philip Seymour Hoffman with a high-calibre ensemble that includes Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney. Don’t sleep on it. May 17 (with the Starz add-on)
Buried
Fans of one-man films like Locke and The Guilty should check out Ryan Reynolds’s 2010 foray into the rare, challenging and intense genre. The Detective Pikachu star plays a contractor who wakes up in a coffin with only a phone, a lighter, a flashlight and a wristwatch that clocks how much time he has before his oxygen runs out. The camera never leaves that claustrophobic space as we listen to Reynolds’s Paul Conroy make panicked phone calls for help. A terrific performance, an airtight script and resourceful direction from Rodrigo Cortés makes Buried worth digging up. May 24 (with the Starz add-on)
The Abyss
James Cameron has defined his career on taking great big swings (the first two Terminators, Titanic, Avatar) but none was as ambitious or as risky as this 1989 undersea thriller about a handful of deep-sea oil workers – among them a divorcing couple played by Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and an unstable Navy SEAL played by Cameron’s Terminator and Aliens hero Michael Biehn – who encounter something inexplicable at the edge of the Marianas Trench. Plagued by production problems, the film ran wildly over budget and missed multiple release dates, only making it to theatres after Cameron abandoned a massive subplot about the U.S. and Russia pushing each other to the brink of nuclear war. But amazingly, the drastic cuts made the movie better, keeping the story on the ocean floor to focus squarely on the relationship between Harris and Mastrantonio. No version of the movie has ever made it to Blu-ray, so this might be your first chance to see The Abyss in high definition. Play it loud. May 10
Full list of new titles available in May, by date. The + symbol indicates a TV show or movie that is only available on Crave+ . The * symbol indicates a TV show or movie that is only available with the Starz add-on.
TV
May 1
The Act (season 1, episode 8)*
May 2
Desus & Mero (season 1, episode 10)
May 3
Doom Patrol (season 1, episode 6)
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 17, episode 14)+
Shrill (season 1)
Warrior (season 1, episode 5)+
Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (season 2, episode 5)+
May 5
America To Me (season 1, episode 9)*
Barry (season 2, episode 6)+
Billions (season 4, episode 8)
The Chi (season 2, episode 5)
Game Of Thrones (season 8, episode 4)+
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (season 6, episode 10)+
Mary’s Kitchen Crush (season 1, episode 2)
Veep (season 7, episode 6)+
You Me Her (season 4, episode 4)
May 6
Chernobyl (episode 1)+
Gentleman Jack (season 1, episode 3)+
May 9
Desus & Mero (season 1, episode 11)
May 10
Doom Patrol (season 1, episode 7)
The Good Doctor (season 10)
Inside Amy Schumer (season 4)
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 17, episode 15)+
Super Mario World (season 1)
Warrior (season 1, episode 6)+
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men (episode 1)
Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (season 2, episode 6)+
May 12
Barry (season 2, episode 7)+
Billions (season 4, episode 9)
The Chi (season 2, episode 6)
Game Of Thrones (season 8, episode 5)+
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (season 6, episode 11)+
Mary’s Kitchen Crush (season 1, episode 3)
Our Cartoon President (season 2, episode 1)
Veep (season 7, episode 7)+
You Me Her (season 4, episode 5)
May 13
Chernobyl (episode 2)+
Gentleman Jack (season 1, episode 4)+
May 16
Desus & Mero (season 1, episode 12)
May 17
Dark Side Of The Ring (season 1)
The Doodlebops (season 3)
Doom Patrol (season 1, episode 8)
Drunk History (season 6A)
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 17, episode 16)+
Warrior (season 1, episode 7)+
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men (episode 2)
Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (season 2, episode 7)+
May 19
Barry (season 2, episode 8)+
Billions (season 4, episode 10)
The Chi (season 2, episode 7)
Game Of Thrones (season 8, episode 6)+
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (season 6, episode 12)+
Mary’s Kitchen Crush (season 1, episode 4)
May 20
Chernobyl (episode 3)+
Gentleman Jack (season 1, episode 5)+
May 23
Desus & Mero (season 1, episode 13)
Vida (season 2)*
May 24
107 Facts
Brockmire (season 3)
Doom Patrol (season 1, episode 9)
Warrior (season 1, episode 8)+
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men (episode 3)
Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (season 2, episode 8)+
May 26
Game Of Thrones: The Last Watch+
Mary’s Kitchen Crush (season 1, episode 5)
Warriors Of Liberty City (season 1, episode 1)*
You Me Her (season 4, episode 6)
May 27
Chernobyl (episode 4)+
Gentleman Jack (season 1, episode 6)+
May 31
Doom Patrol (season 1, episode 10)
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 17, episode 17)+
Sabrina: The Animated Series (seasons 1-2)
Warrior (season 1, episode 9)+
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men (episode 4)
Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (season 2, episode 9)+
MOVIES
May 1
The Number On Great Grandfather’s Arm
May 3
At The Heart Of The Gold: Inside The USA Gymnastics Scandal+
Being Serena
The Blair Witch Project*
Burlesque*
Goosebumps 2+
Happy Endings+
House Of D*
Identity Thief*
The Infiltrator*
Kill The Irishman*
Little Women*
The Nun+
Secrets And Lies*
Stage Beauty*
Stir Of Echoes*
Unfriended: Dark Web+
White Oleander*
May 6
Niagara Motel*
May 7
Foster+
Oliver Sherman*
May 8
One Week*
May 9
Celeste And Jesse Forever*
May 10
The Abyss*
Battle Royale*
Blood Simple*
Cecil B. Demented*
The Cooler*
A Dangerous Son
Dolores Clairborne*
From Paris With Love*
The Girl With The Pearl Earring*
The Girlfriend Experience*
House Of 1000 Corpses*
La Bamba*
Mom’s Night Out*
Padre+
Paris Days*
Terrified At 17+
May 11
My Dad Wrote A Porno+
May 13
How To Build A Time Machine*
May 14
Devil Horn*
What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali: Part 1+
What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali: Part 2+
May 15
In The Wake Of The Flood*
May 17
3:10 To Yuma*
Akeelah And The Bee*
Altman*
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead*
Chuck & Buck*
Cop Car*
Crank*
Crank 2: High Voltage*
The Damn United*
Dolly Parton’s Coat Of Many Colors*
Glory*
Heaven Is For Real*
The Losers*
The Predator+
Pride & Prejudice*
Small Foot+
The Way Of The Gun*
Wolfman*
May 23
Doing Money+
May 24
About Last Night*
The Amazing Spider-Man 2*
Belle*
Beyond The Sea*
Buried*
The Big Kahuna*
Dark Shadows*
Dogville*
The Girl In The Spider’s Web+
I Am Going To Break Your Heart
The Ninth Gate*
Smokin’ Aces*
May 28
Running With Beto+
May 30
May 31
Deadwood: The Movie+
Lantana*
Lovely And Amazing*
The Lucky Ones*
The Midnight Meat Train*
Nemesis Game*
The Rules Of Attraction*
LAST CHANCE
TV series and movies leaving Crave this month.
May 1
Jackson
May 5
Becoming Cary Grant
The Rolling Stones: Stones In Exile
May 10
May 16
The House
May 19
Bon Jovi: Live In London
May 22
Ballerina
May 26
More Than This: The Story Of Roxy Music
May 30
Christmas Solo
May 31
The 11th Hour
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Alexander
Alien: Covenant
Along Came Polly
American History X
The American President
Arlington Road
Becoming Jane
The Best Man
Canadian Bacon
Complete Unknown
Cowboys & Aliens
A Cry In The Dark
The Dark Crystal
Darkness
Flawless
Friday Night Lights
A Gift To Remember
The Great New Wonderful
Her Secret Killer
Homeland (seasons 1-5)
I Am Sam
Max 2: White House Hero
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Mr. Troop Mom
The Net
Of Boys And Men
Only You
Phoenix Forgotten
Princess Grace
Resident Evil
Scent Of A Woman
Secret Window
Serenity
Shakespeare In Love
Spider-Man: Homecoming
A Star Is Born
Tower Heist
Tracks
Treasure Hounds
Vacancy
Wedding Daze
White Nights
The Year Of Living Dangerously
You Got Served
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