Movie Preview: 10 Films to See in May

Metacritic
Updated

This month's notable theatrical releases

Below, our editors have selected 10 interesting films debuting this month, listed in alphabetical order.

. Aloha Watch trailer(s)
PG-13 Adventure/Comedy/Drama | May 29 | Directed by Cameron Crowe

Also by this director:

58 We Bought a Zoo (2011)
59 Pearl Jam Twenty (2011)
45 Elizabethtown (2005)
45 Vanilla Sky (2001)
90 Almost Famous (2000)
77 Jerry Maguire (1996)
86 Say Anything... (1989)

Last fall's Sony email hack revealed that some executives don’t think much of Cameron Crowe’s latest, and the studio hasn't released any promotional stills for the film—never a good sign. Still, let’s keep an open mind, even if the writer-director's recent output includes Vanilla Sky, Elizabethtown and We Bought a Zoo. Crowe’s first movie in four years, and a project he’s been developing for longer than that, stars Bradley Cooper as a military contractor who returns to Hawaii, where he reconnects with an ex (Rachel McAdams) and takes a liking to an Air Force liaison (Emma Stone) assigned to watch his every move. The stellar supporting cast includes Bill Murray, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, and Alec Baldwin.

. Avengers: Age of Ultron Watch trailer(s)
PG-13 Action-adventure/Sci-fi | May 1 | Directed by Joss Whedon

Also by this director:

78 Much Ado About Nothing (2013)
69 The Avengers (2012)
74 Serenity (2005)

With over $200 million in the bank already from its international release, the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is on its way to being the highest-grossest film in the franchise. But will it be as critically acclaimed as 2012‘s The Avengers (possibly) or the the Marvel film with the highest Metascore, Iron Man (probably not)? The story follows Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as they try to clean up after one of their own, Tony Stark. His peacekeeping program, Ultron (voiced by James Spader) has gone rogue, so Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye re-assemble to save the world. Joining the battle on various sides are Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, and Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaw.

. Far From the Madding Crowd Watch trailer(s)
PG-13 Drama | May 1 | Directed by Thomas Vinterberg

Also by this director (selected titles):

76 The Hunt (2013)
33 Dear Wendy (2005)
32 It's All About Love (2004)
82 The Celebration (1998)

Fourteen years after he won the Jury Prize at Cannes for The Celebration, director Thomas Vinterberg made a bit of a comeback with 2012’s The Hunt. His latest is an adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic 19th century novel about the independent Bathsheba Everdeen’s complicated relationships with three very different men. (Yes, the character inspired author Suzanne Collins enough to use her last name in The Hunger Games.) Carey Mulligan plays Bathsheba, and her suitors are played by Michael Sheen, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Tom Sturridge. David Nicholls, author and screenwriter of One Day, previously adapted another Hardy work, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, into a BBC mini-series, a format more accepting to the length of Hardy’s novels. Though clocking in at a relatively short 119 minutes, the new film has received favorable early reviews, even in comparison to director John Schlesinger's 168-minute adaptation from 1967 starring Julie Christie, Terrence Stamp, Alan Bates, and Peter Finch.

. Mad Max: Fury Road Watch trailer(s)
R Action/Sci-fi | May 15 | Directed by George Miller

Also by this director (selected titles):

50 Happy Feet Two (2011)
77 Happy Feet (2006)
68 The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Director George Miller (who works on the kid-friendly Happy Feet and Babe franchises when he isn't wreaking havoc in a post-apocalyptic hellscape) returns to create a new chapter in the Mad Max chronicles that he started 30 years ago with the Mel Gibson-starring trilogy Mad Max, The Road Warrior and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Will this latest incarnation turn into a trilogy as well? Well, the action-packed trailers for Fury Road have been stunning, and Tom Hardy’s is attached to do three more films, so there is a chance. Amidst the tricked-out cars, giant drums, gigantic explosions, and a guitar that doubles as a flamethrower is a story that follows Max and Charlize Theron’s Furiosa, as they try to escape the clutches of the masked villain Immortan Joe played by Hugh Keays-Byrne (Toecutter in the original Mad Max).

. Pitch Perfect 2 Watch trailer(s)
PG-13 Comedy | May 15 | Directed by Elizabeth Banks

This sequel to the surprise 2012 hit Pitch Perfect finds the Bellas taking on the world (especially the German team Das Sound Machine) at an international a cappella competition. Original stars Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, and Adam DeVine return, as do judges John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks (in what looks like slightly more prominent roles). Banks also makes her feature directing debut from a script by Kay Cannon, who adapted the original film from Mickey Rapkin’s book. New additions to the cast include Hailee Steinfeld, Katey Sagal, and David Cross.

. Results Watch trailer(s)
NR Comedy | May 29 | Directed by Andrew Bujalski

Also by this director:

74 Computer Chess (2013)
69 Beeswax (2009)
84 Mutual Appreciation (2006)
78 Funny Ha Ha (2005)

Andrew Bujalski’s follow-up to his 2013 Sundance hit Computer Chess is an Austin-set comedy about a pair of personal trainers, played by Guy Pearce and Cobie Smulders. Their private and professional lives are disrupted by a rich, lonely New York transplant played by Kevin Corrigan. The film didn’t quite receive the glowing praise of Bujalski’s previous effort, but it still looks like the rom-com worth checking out this month.

. Slow West Watch trailer(s)
R Action/Western | May 15 | Directed by John Maclean

When it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year, writer-director John Maclean’s debut feature won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. Set at the end of the 19th century, the film stars Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jay Cavendish, a 16-year-old boy on a journey across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves (Caren Pistorius). He is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveler, and pursued by an outlaw played by the always interesting Ben Mendelsohn.

. Tomorrowland Watch trailer(s)
PG Sci-fi/Adventure | May 22 | Directed by Brad Bird

Also by this director:

73 Mission: Impossible–Ghost Prot. (2011)
96 Ratatouille (2007)
90 The Incredibles (2004)
85 The Iron Giant (1999)

Brad Bird’s first feature since 2011’s Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol tells the story of a former boy genius played by George Clooney, a curious teenager played by Britt Robertson, and a mythical place called Tomorrowland (which bears a not-coincidental resemblance to the one in Disney's theme parks). Written by Bird and Damon Lindelof (Lost), the film is as shrouded in mystery as any release this year, but Bird’s track record at the box office and with critics (see sidebar) bodes well for his latest, as does the strong supporting cast of Hugh Laurie, Judy Greer, Kathryn Hahn, and Keegan-Michael Key.

. Welcome to Me Watch trailer(s)
R Drama/Comedy | May 1 | Directed by Shira Piven

In this unique film, Kristen Wiig stars as Alice Klieg, a woman with borderline personality disorder who wins the lottery, stops taking her meds, and pays $15 million to star in her own talk show. With a strong supporting cast that includes James Marsden, Tim Robbins, Wes Bentley, Joan Cusack, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Linda Cardellini, Loretta Devine, and Thomas Mann, Shira Piven’s film, from a script by Eliot Lawrence, earned very good reviews when it premiered in Toronto last fall, and it opens in limited release this weekend.

. When Marnie Was There Watch trailer(s)
PG Animation | May 22 | Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Also by this director:

80 The Secret World of Arrietty (2012)

Studio Ghibli’s 20th feature film might be its last. The studio is in a state of flux after its two most prominent directors (Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata) completed their final films—The Wind Rises and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, respectively. Based on Joan G. Robinson’s 1967 children’s novel, this second feature film by Hiromasa Yonebayashi tells the story of a lonely girl named Anna who meets an unexpected friend in Marnie. In this English-language release, Hailee Steinfeld voices Anna, and Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka is Marnie. Also lending their voices to this tender tale are Kathy Bates, John C. Reilly, Ellen Burstyn, Geena Davis, Catherine O’Hara, and Vanessa Williams.

What do you think?

Which films are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments section below. For a complete, updated listing of all upcoming film releases by date, including films arriving later in 2015, visit our Movie Calendar.