Monthly Movie Preview – May 2012 Just like its slightly more competent sibling "Award Season," the fatter movie season known as "Summer Movie Season" returns to roost every year to perpetuate the love for all of the wacky stories it can spin. Some of the stories are good, and some are laughably not so much. Usually, these stories are based off other stories, and sometimes these stories are based of other stories which started with one story. Most unsurprisingly, movies like Men in Black 3 pop up, even though no one asked for it in the first place.
Summer 2K12 is upon us, people of the internet, and there is much to be excited for. With a month that kicks off with The Avengers, and then features titles like Battleship, The Dictator, and yes, Men in Black 3, May is certainly going to be summer movie-tastic, and then some. And then, some more.
[polldaddy poll=6198677]
May 4
Movie of the Week
The Avengers
The Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner The Plot: Earth's mightiest heroes (Thor, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Hawkeye, Captain America, and Black Widow) are assembled to stop an evil space villain (Hiddleston) from ruling the world. The Buzz: Co-written and directed by every fanboy's superhero Joss Whedon, The Avengers is the culmination of at least five previous movies, two of them being Iron Man sequels. This will also be the ultimate test to see if Marvel Comics succeeded in teaching general moviegoers what a "Loki" looks like, among many other names.
Read Nick Allen's Scorecard Review of The Avengers (8/10) Read Morrow McLaughlin's Scorecard Review of The Avengers (10/10)
The Others:
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy A Little Bit of Heaven - Katie Hudson, Gael Garcia Bernal, Peter Dinklage, Kathy Bates
May 11
Movie of the Week
Dark Shadows
The Stars: Jonny Lee Miller, Chloe Grace Moretz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley The Plot: A film adaptation of the classic TV series of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The Buzz: Marking the umpteenth time in which Johnny Depp has starred in a Tim Burton film, Dark Shadows has a strong cast and a unique place in the summer line-up. While there will be plenty of other movies to watch (especially superhero films), this will be the only movie that features the highly bankable Depp. Plus, it's the only "gothic" movie moviegoers will have to choose from for a long while.
The Others:
The Sound of My Voice - Brit Marling Hick (VOD) - Chloe Grace Moretz, Blake Lively Headhunters - Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau God Bless America - Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr
May 18
Movie of the Week
Battleship
The Stars: Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson, Rihanna, Alexander Skarsgard The Plot: A group of American ships battle alien life forms in the water, based on the famous Hasbro toy. The Buzz: Now that the Transformers movies are finito (AKA waiting for a reboot), Hasbro steps back into the blockbuster game with a different toy, this time getting inspiration from the decades-old art of sinking plastic ships with properly guesstimated coordinates. Directing this one is Peter Berg, who did a serious version of "The A-Team" with the Jamie Foxx-led actioner The Kingdom. Though the reviews have not been strong overseas (where this film is now playing), this one has strong brand recognition and a push from promising special effects and lots of explosions.
The Others:
Bernie - Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey The Dictator (May 16) - Sacha Baron Cohen, John C. Reilly, Ben Kingsley What to Expect When You're Expecting - Jennifer Lopez, Thomas Lennon, Anna Kendrick, Brooklyn Decker, Chris Rock, Dennis Quaid
May 25
Movie of the Week
Men in Black 3
The Stars: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Bill Hader, Josh Brolin, Justin Bieber The Plot: The third installment in the franchise about sharp-dressed males who police aliens on Earth. The Buzz: It's no secret that this movie was a production nightmare - director Barry Sonnenfeld and company shot this sequel without having a solid second or third act in a final draft. This news doesn't create much hope for the film, especially with the abysmal trailer that has Will Smith doing Will Smith things. This one has a strong chance of being the worst kind of summer movie - the large and expensive one that no one, not even its creators, cares about. It's also been ten years since Men in Black II ... who really wants a third chapter?
The Others:
Hysteria - Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce Polisse - Maiwenn, Karin Viard, Joey Starr Moonrise Kingdom (limited) - Bill Murray, Edward Norton