The Month in Movies

What's coming to a theater near you in May.

by Donald McDermott

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In Theaters on May 1 :

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Hugh Jackman stars in this highly anticipated story of the gruff, steel-clawed Marvel superhero’s violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Matthew McConaughey plays celebrity photographer Connor Mead, a committed bachelor who loves freedom, fun and women...in that order. Just when it looks like Connor’s ways may single-handedly ruin his brother’s wedding, he is visited by the ghosts of his former jilted girlfriends, who take him on a revealing and hilarious odyssey through his failed relationships— past, present and future. Jennifer Garner, Lacey Chabert, Michael Douglas, Emma Stone and Anne Archer round out the cast.

Battle For Terra
The film tells the story of Senn (Justin Long) and Mala (Evan Rachel Wood), two rebellious alien teens living on the beautiful planet Terra, a place that promotes peace and tolerance, having long ago rejected war and weapons of mass destruction. But when Terra is invaded by human beings fleeing a civil war and environmental catastrophe, Mala befriends an injured human pilot (Luke Wilson) and each learns the two races are not so different from one another.

The Merry Gentleman

Michael Keaton goes from Batman to gentle-man in this beautiful romantic fable about a woman who leaves an abusive relationship to begin a new life in a new city, where she forms an unlikely and ironic relationship with a suicidal hit man. Enter a worn, alcoholic detective to form the third party in a very unusual triangle, and this dark, soulful, sometimes-funny story begins to unfold.

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In Theaters on May 8 :

Star Trek
Director J.J. Abrams gives a fresh new look and a new vision to one of the greatest space adventures of all time. Featuring a young new cast and an appearance by original Mr. Spock Leonard Nimoy, this fully revamped action epic chronicles the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members.

Next Day Air
When two bumbling criminals accidentally receive a package meant for someone else, they think they’ve hit the jackpot. But when they try to cash in on their luck, it triggers a series of events that forever changes the lives pf ten people in this hilarious new release starring Donald Faison, Mike Epps and Mos Def.

Powder Blue
Various lives cross paths on Christmas Eve as Ray Liotta, Jessica Biel and Forest Whitaker headline this touching ensemble drama featuring Liotta as an ex-convict who tracks down his estranged daughter after serving a 25-year jail sentence.

Little Ashes
Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson stars as Salvador Dali in this gripping epic that follows him from University in 1922 Madrid.

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In Theaters on May 15 :

Angels & Demons
Oscar winning director Ron Howard and Oscar winning actor Tom Hanks return to the big screen for the sequel to their international blockbuster adaptation of Dan Brown’s controversial novel, The DaVinci Code. Hanks once again stars as professor Robert Langdon, who uses his impressive knowledge of symbols to decode an icon on the skin of a murder victim and help uncover an international conspiracy involving the Catholic Church.

Management
After a one-night fling, a motel manager impulsively follows a small-time art dealer across the country in playwright-turned-director Stephen Belber’s romatic comedy starring Steve Zahn and Jennifer Aniston.

The Brothers Bloom
Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz and Academy Award winner Adrien Brody star in this globe-trotting comedy about the last great adventure of the world’s best con men. After having perfected the art of swindling fortunes through years of fraternal teamwork, the brothers decide to take on one last spectacular job in an elaborate plot that takes them around the world.

The Big Shot Caller
Real-life brother and sister David and Marlene Rhein are joined by the amazing beats of the break out salsa band La Excelencia to present this uplifting and inspirational tale about following your dreams, overcoming your fears and becoming who you are meant to be.

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In Theaters on May 22 :

Terminator Salvation
Opening in the year 2018, the fourth installment of the Terminator series follows an adult John Connor (played by Christian Bale) as he attempts to organize a human resistance force that could prove to be humankind’s last true hope for survival in the war against their intelligent robot overlords.

Dance Flick
The Wayans Family is back in theaters in a hilarious send up of dance-themed movies that focuses on a privileged white girl from the suburbs who moves to the inner city and attempts to perfect her notoriously clumsy dance moves.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Ben Stiller returns as Larry Daley, the unfortunate night watchman who continues to encounter living and breathing museum exhibits in this sequel to the smash hit Night at the Museum. Amy Adams and Hank Azaria join the returning cast of Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais and Owen Wilson.

Easy Virtue
An American woman, with a failed marriage under her belt, and an Englishman get swept up in a whirlwind romance in the South of France in this touching tale starring Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Ben Barnes and Kristin Scott Thomas.

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In Theaters on May 29 :

UP!
The latest animated offering from Disney/PIXAR follows the adventures of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who fullfills a lifelong dream by tying thousands of helium balloons to his house and flying off to the wilds of South America, along with an ambitious 8 year-old stowaway named Russell.

What Goes Up
Steve Coogan and Hillar Duff star in this poignant slice-of-life film that revolves around a morally challenged and emotionally distraught New York City reporter sent to cover the New Hampshire hometown hoopla surrounding Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian astronaut.

Drag Me To Hell
Following up on the success of the Spider-Man trilogy, director Sam Raimi returns to the horror genre with this frightening and original tale of a young woman’s desperate quest to break an evil curse. Starring Alison Lohman and Justin Long.

Departures
Director Yojiro Takita and writer Kundo Koyama examine the rituals surrounding death in Japan with this tale of an out-of-work cellist who reluctantly accepts a job as a “Nokanashi” or “encoffineer” (the Japanese equivalent of an undertaker) in order to provide for himself and his young wife.

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In Theaters on June 5 :

The Hangover
Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Heather Graham star in this blackout comedy about four friends who head to Las Vegas for a blowout bachelor party and the next day can’t remember a thing and can’t find the groom-to-be.

Land of the Lost
Will Ferrell stars as has-been scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, who finds himself fighting for survival with no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic creatures from beyond our world in this super-scaled comedy adaptation of the 1970’s television series.

My Life In Ruins
From Nia Vardalos, writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, comes this uplifting comedy about a young woman who is discouraged with her direction in life. Vardalos stars as Georgia, a travel guide who begins to see things in a new way when she leads a rag-tag group of tourists through her native Greece.

Away We Go
Directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes, this funny and heartfelt film follows the journey of an expectant couple as they travel the United States in search of the perfect place to put down roots and raise their family. Starring John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney and Catherine O’Hara.

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Can’t Wait to See...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The sixth installment in J.K. Rowling’s wildly popular Harry Potter series finally makes it to the big screen! Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again as Harry and Professor Dumbledore work together to find the key to unlock Lord Voldemort’s defenses. Opening on July 15.

Donald McDermott is an assistant editor.