May Media Roundup
Popcorn, Plot Twists, and Missed Punches: May Watchlist Hits and Misses
May was a wild mix of explosions, awkward romances, and emotional gut punches. From shows like The Studio that hit every note to movies that probably should’ve stayed in the drafts folder, here’s the spoiler-free, matcha-fueled, thoroughly opinionated, and mildly unhinged round-up.
Thunderbolts (2025) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Marvel is back, babbbyyyyyy (or at least on its way there).
You know that moment when a movie doesn’t blow your socks off, but you still leave the theater going, “OK, that made me feel something”? Well, hear me out — Thunderbolts is the Marvel version of Inside Out 2. Bob is to Thunderbolts what Anxiety is to Inside Out. Or it’s like The Breakfast Club, but with trauma and explosives.
That pretty much sums up the team dynamic and villain backstory. It has that familiar MCU flair but with a grittier tone that actually works.
Florence Pugh continues to carry every scene as if she owns the franchise (because she essentially does at this point), and the group dynamic is messy in the best way.
Fight or Flight (2024) ⭐️⭐️ ½
This one was a surprise (literally, because if it weren’t for the Cinemark Secret Movie, I probably wouldn’t have gone to see it).
The premise? It gave knockoff Bullet Train. The pacing? As unpredictable as my sleep schedule. It aims to be a suspense thriller but ends up veering a little too close to melodrama. The kind where characters scream instead of talk, and somehow there aren’t many regular passengers? Yeah. It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not the adrenaline rush it promised.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Our lives are not defined by any one action. Our lives are the sum of our choices.”
The fact that we made the choice for this to be the first time we don’t see an opening night show only for Tom Cruise to surprise our regular theater. 🫠
Aside from that, the first half masked heavy exposition as a love letter to Tom Cruise. It almost felt like it was trying to create an emotional tie to its fan base, similar to the Fast & Furious franchise—but without a consistent team storyline throughout the series, the emotional weight falls solely on Cruise.
The second half is tense from the moment our boy Ethan jumps into the water. Comic relief comes in the form of the Inuit woman and Mr. Milcheck, but once again, the film wants you to be in awe of Cruise’s stunts more than anything else.
Also, the villain lives in a USB drive now. Take that as you will.
Overall, if I can look half as good as Tommy boy at 62, I’d want to be given my flowers too.
Karate Kid Legends (2025) ⭐️ ½
OK, hear me out: Nostalgia bait can be fun if it’s done with care. This was not that. More like someone microwaved a VHS of the original and served it with a TikTok filter. The script felt like AI wrote it after bingeing Reddit threads about “the good old days.” Ralph Macchio deserves better. We deserve better.
One star for the sweet older gentleman who was belly-laughing with his son throughout the entire movie. Aside from that? This is the most Gen Z take on Karate Kid—down to the number of cuts to hold a two-second attention span.
Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple TV) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sharp, funny, and uncomfortably honest. The kind of writing that makes you laugh then immediately makes you rethink your group chats. Each episode unpacks the messiness of adulting through Mel and Andrew’s dynamic, with Sam, Nick, and the kids rounding out the chaos. It’s painfully relatable—even if it’s set in a tax bracket I don’t understand.
There’s this slow-burn moment of clarity for Andrew that hits hard. Somewhere between the PTA drama and the late-night parking lot confessions, he realizes he’s not just reacting to chaos—he’s been creating it. Watching him piece together his own villain origin story (in a cardigan, no less) is both hilarious and brutal. You want to yell at him, but also… you kind of are him. Or know him.
The show is packed with “yep, I’ve been there” moments—awkward potlucks, frenemy couples, whispered gossip that spirals into existential dread. If you’ve ever questioned your life choices while microwaving leftovers or replayed a conversation 12 times while folding laundry, this one’s for you.
The Studio (Apple TV) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This. Show. Has. EVERYTHING. Every episode is a master class in tension, hilarity, and emotional payoff. Set in a late-night writers’ room, it somehow makes you care deeply about egotistical showrunners and over-caffeinated interns. The cast chemistry? Unreal. The writing? Razor-sharp. The rewatch value? Dangerously high. It’s one of those rare series where you finish an episode and immediately text someone, “You have to watch this.”
If you’re a lover of film, still visiting theaters even though people say it’s dying—and can’t get enough of Seth Rogen’s magic touch for assembling star-studded casts—this one’s for you.
2025 is shaping up to be a weirdly great (and occasionally cringe) year for screen time. Whether you’re into explosions, existential dread, or ensemble casts that make you question your life choices, there’s something out there. Just maybe skip Karate Kid Legends. Your childhood self will thank you.
Until next time,
Your friendly neighborhood screen critic who still can’t believe Tom Cruise is doing his own stunts at this age.
