#What’s New to Stream on Hulu for April 2021

Crossing the Streams is our look at all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month, and this time we’re checking out the new Hulu arrivals for April 2021, including new documentaries on WeWork and Bigfoot, a pair of Denzel Washington thrillers, one of 2017’s best films, and more!

Hulu Pick of the Month for April 2021

Thelma, which premieres on April 17th, is four years old by this point, but as too many of you still haven’t experienced its absolute beauty I’m recommending it once more. (Here’s my original review.) One of the best films of 2017, Thelma is a coming of age tale with a dark twist as a teenager with — abilities — tries to make her way in the world by leaving home and heading off to college. The film captures the struggles familiar to anyone who’s left home at an early age while also adding in fundamentalism, unnatural powers, and an amorphous moral identity. Did I mention it’s also a stunningly shot film with some truly gorgeous shots?

A Denzel Double!

It’s never less than disappointing to remember that only a single one of Walter Mosley’s mystery novels has been adapted for the screen, but at least it managed to snag Denzel Washington in the lead role. Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) should have been a franchise starter with Washington’s Easy Rawlins skirting racist authorities and solving murders in mid 20th century Los Angeles, but even as a one-off it’s a fantastically moody and atmospheric experience worth watching. Carl Franklin directs, and Washington is joined by Don Cheadle, Tom Sizemore, and Jennifer Beals for this terrific mystery.

Washington’s other box-office flop that year was Virtuosity (1995), an action/thriller riding the short-lived “virtual reality” wave of the mid-’90s. It’s far from great, but there’s fun to be had with the dated effects — cutting edge at the time! — and the antics of a particularly nasty villain brought to life by Russell Crowe. It’s silly even if it takes itself seriously, and as the last of director Brett Leonard’s theatrical outings before heading to direct-to-video fare, it’s an interesting watch. As a bonus, adventurous viewers with time to spare can make it a Crowe double feature by chasing it with another new arrival to Hulu: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2004).

Hulu Docs

If you’re like me, you’ve heard the name WeWork and thought nothing more about it outside of “hey isn’t that the shared office company?” WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn is a new documentary revealing that there’s a hell of a lot more to the story. From simple beginnings to the manipulation, fraud, huckstering, greed, and madness that followed, the doc uses archival footage and new interviews to tell the pretty fascinating story of what amounts to a cult hiding in plain sight. People will never cease to amaze me.

Sasquatch (premieres April 20th) is a different beast altogether — it’s a series rather than a feature, and it’s investigating a past crime that just might have been committed by a Bigfoot. Yeah, you read that right. A vicious triple homicide from twenty years ago is the focus here as “evidence” suggests it might have been the work of a sasquatch, and did I mention this is a documentary series? Bonkers stuff, and as a big-time Bigfoot movie nerd of course I’ll be tuning in for the premiere.

Two Movies Better Than Their Reputation Suggests!

Zach Braff’s feature debut as writer/director was beloved upon its initial festival and theatrical release, but over the years Garden State (2004) turned into a punching bag of sorts. Some find it too emo, others too twee, and some just hate Braff — but the movie is still a wonderfully open look at coming of age and moving on from the damage caused by others. Braff, Peter Sarsgaard, and Natalie Portman are terrific, the film is impeccably crafted on the visual front, and the soundtrack (one of Braff’s real strengths) is a beautiful blast of aural memories. If you haven’t seen it in a while, maybe give it another spin with an open mind and heart.

By contrast, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky (2001) was pretty much dismissed by most on its release despite being arguably better than Crowe’s other Tom Cruise collaboration, Jerry Maguire (1996). A remake of 1997’s Open Your Eyes, the film had the gall to leave Cruise beneath a distorted face for a good chunk of its running time, and that combined with its mindfuck of a premise left audiences cold. Hopefully, they’ve matured since then and are willing to give the film another shot as it’s a beautiful, haunting, wonderfully acted exploration of life and mortality. Kurt Russell is also aces in a small but pivotal role, and like the film above, its soundtrack is a great one.

The Complete Hulu List for April 2021

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