May's Streaming Recommendations Include Couple of Music Docuseries, Thriller Starring Amy Adams

by Julian Spivey

From Cradle to Stage - Paramount+ - May 6
Paramount+'s new music docuseries "From Cradle to Stage" started off as a book by Virginia Grohl, mother of Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, in 2017 called From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars. The series, which premieres just in time for Mother's Day, takes a look at the special bond between musicians and their mothers and the first season features Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Pharrell Williams, Rush's Geddy Lee, country superstar Miranda Lambert, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and folk-Americana singer Brandi Carlile. I'm particularly looking forward to the Carlile and Lambert episodes. 

Hacks - HBO Max - May 13
HBO Max is doing a good job at rolling out original comedy series that aren't part of its mother channel HBO and stand out on their own and recently released the interesting "Made for Love," starring Cristin Milioti and Ray Romano. Now comes "Hacks," which looks like a terrific vehicle for Emmy-winner Jean Smart. In "Hacks," Smart plays a over the hill comedienne looking to appeal to a younger audience and hires a 25-year old, played by Hannah Einbinder, to freshen up her material and  a mentorship is formed. 

The Underground Railroad - Amazon Prime Video - May 14
Barry Jenkins, director of the Academy Award Best Picture winning "Moonlight," is bringing the limited drama series "The Underground Railroad," based off Colson Whitehead's novel to Amazon Prime Video. The series is set in an alternate timeline in which the Underground Railroad is an actual railroad system complete with conductors, engineers, tracks and tunnels in which freed slaves help others ride to freedom. The 10-episode series features Thuso Mbedu as its lead and will also star Joel Edgerton and William Jackson Harper. 

The Woman in the Window - Netflix - May 14
"The Woman in the Window," directed by Joe Wright who had a lot of success with "Pride & Prejudice," "Atonement" and "Darkest Hour," features a stellar cast and is seemingly another modern take on the Alfred Hitchcock classic "Rear Window," one of my all-time favorites. Amy Adams plays the titular woman in the window who is an agoraphobic psychologist who believes she's seen the murder of a neighbor, only to have nobody believe her. The supporting cast features Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Brian Tyree Henry, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Julianne Moore. 

MLK/FBI - Hulu - May 14
One of the most critically-acclaimed and talked about documentaries of 2020, "MLK/FBI," premieres on Hulu on May 14 and is sure to infuriate those who maybe don't know a whole lot about the relationship between Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. and the FBI. The documentary, directed by Sam Pollard, follows the investigation and harrassment of King by then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who went so far as trying to encourage King to commit suicide, and this asshole somehow still has his name on the FBI headquarters to this day. 

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything - AppleTV+ - May 21 
This year marks 50 years since 1971, perhaps the greatest year in the history of popular music. AppleTV+'s documentary '1971' focuses on that terrific year for music, which saw some of the greatest albums ever released like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, Joni Mitchell's Blue, Carole King's Tapestry, Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers and tracks like John Lennon's "Imagine" and Don McLean's "American Pie." This will be a can't miss docuseries for music lovers.