Where does the time go in a month? It seems like only last week that the nation was celebrating the Fourth of July, but here we are with only a few days left to catch some of the best movies on Hulu before they depart at the end of the month. There’s still one last weekend in July, so that should help you find some time to sneak in a movie or three.
Our selections for the five movies leaving Hulu in July include two stories of survival, a quirky comedy, a real monster mash, and one of the greatest music biopics we’ve ever seen.
Cast Away (2000)
Tom Hanks is one of the greatest actors of his generation and a two-time winner for Best Actor at the Oscars. So when we say that Cast Away features one of his most-impressive performances, you should really take note. Under the direction of Robert Zemeckis, Hanks threw himself into the role of Chuck Noland, an employee of FedEx who is stranded on an island after surviving a plane crash.
Hanks spends long stretches of the movie acting against himself and making us care for his only companion, a volleyball with a blood-painted face that he calls Wilson. Chuck has something to live for, but surviving by himself is a challenge and escape is nearly impossible.
Watch Cast Away on Hulu.
Rushmore (1998)
Rushmore was not Wes Anderson’s first movie, but it is the film that really got him noticed by mainstream audiences. Jason Schwartzman makes his big-screen debut as Max Fischer, a student at Rushmore Academy whose extracurricular activities can’t hide the fact that he’s close to flunking out. One of the parents at Rushmore, Herman Blume (Bill Murray), is so impressed by Max that he strikes up a friendship with the younger man.
Max also has an age-inappropriate crush on Rushmore teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams) that borders on obsession. Herman discourages Max’s feelings for Rosemary, only to start a relationship with her himself. And that betrayal may end the bond that Max and Herman had with each other.
Watch Rushmore on Hulu.
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
Thanks to Warner Bros.’ failed push to release films day and date on digital and in theaters, Those Who Wish Me Dead didn’t get the audience it deserved in 2021. A film from the co-creator of Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan, with Angelina Jolie in the lead role, should really be able to sell itself. Jolie plays Hannah Faber, a smokejumper who specializes in rescuing people during forest fires. Except Hannah is haunted by the people she couldn’t save.
Hannah gets her chance for redemption when she meets Connor Casserly (Finn Little), a boy whose father has just been murdered by the mob in an attempt to retrieve files now in Connor’s possession. To smoke Hannah and Connor out of hiding, the assassins target Hannah’s friends and set a raging fire that may ultimately kill all of them.
Watch Those Who Wish Me Dead on Hulu.
Van Helsing (2004)
Long before the Dark Universe failed to ignite renewed interest in the Universal Monsters, Van Helsing tried to reboot most of them in a single movie! Deadpool & Wolverine‘s Hugh Jackman stars as Gabriel Van Helsing, the Vatican’s favorite monster hunter, who has a murky past. Van Helsing isn’t entirely sure who he really is when he is sent to slay Dracula (Richard Roxburgh).
That’s easier said than done even under the best of circumstances. Dracula has plans that include werewolves and Frankenstein’s monster (Shuler Hensley) that can overwhelm even Van Helsing. The good news is that Van Helsing has help in the form of Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), a woman with her own reasons to see Dracula destroyed. However, the Count may have his eye on Anna in order to turn her into his latest bride.
Watch Van Helsing on Hulu.
Walk the Line (2005)
Logan director James Mangold had the best of all possible worlds with his Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line. The two leads of the film, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, not only turned in great performances, but they also did their own singing as Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, respectively. That meant an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for Phoenix and an Oscar win for Best Actress for Witherspoon.
The film recounts Johnny Cash’s troubled life and his battle with addiction even as his music talent made him a superstar. But not even Johnny’s fame could save his first marriage to Vivian Cash (Ginnifer Goodwin). June can help set Johnny on a path of redemption, but he has to take the hardest steps by himself.
Watch Walk the Line on Hulu.
