May-flowers: the Five Movies to See in the Month of May

So it has come to my attention that, out of all the topics we cover on this blog, we have a severe dearth of content about movies, perhaps the most influential and artistic piece of the pop culture. I think this is because theaters are just so damn expensive these days. The last movie I saw in theaters was How to Train your Dragon, and the entire experience, including the ticket price and food (because let's be honest, anyone who sees a movie without simultaneously stuffing their faces is doing it all wrong), was definitely upwards of $40. $40 for 2-3 hours of entertainment? Pretty steep if you ask me, especially considering that with most cable plans, for around $100 a month, you can get an unlimited amount of television to watch (well, 720 hours of it if you watch for 24 every day for 30 days). Sure, you can argue that you aren't really watching a movie unless you're in the theater with the huge screen and booming surround sound (and, nowadays, the 3D glasses). But I simply can't afford to go often enough to see all the flicks the pique my interest.

However, with the summer months coming, there are a lot of high profile flicks getting me excited to get back to the screening rooms. April has some heavy hitters, including Clash of the Titans, Date Night, and Kick-Ass, which are on my radar. But it's the month of May when things really get rolling. As such, I've decided to pick the five movies coming out in the month of May that have me really excited and are poised to impress critics and fans alike. So pop some popcorn, tear open some Milk Duds, splurge for the large soda (it's only 25 cents more, after all), and prepare yourself for a look into the near-future of cinema.

Iron Man 2 (May 7th): So let's get one thing straight. If you have yet to see the first Iron Man, you are stupid. Not mistaken, not misinformed; if you still haven't seen Iron Man, you are, with out a doubt, dumber than every single person who has. Ok, maybe not. But regardless of whether you are familiar with the comic book or not, Iron Man was a fantastic movie featuring one of Robert Downey Jr.'s most natural and lovable performances. And the sequel is set to be everything the first movie was and more. With Tony Stark out of the Iron  Man closet, he stands to face heat from all angles. The military will be pressuring him to turn over the Iron Man armor for mass production, while new villains Whiplash (played by the terrifying to look at Mickey Rourke) and industry competitor Justin Hammer will seek to crush the hot headed Stark into scrap metal. Luckily, he'll have some help, as recent trailers show Iron Man fighting alongside long-time buddy Jame Rhodes who will be donning some armor as War Machine. Major babe power will be present as well, with Gwyneth Paltrow reprising her role as Pepper Potts and always sexy Scarlett Johansson starring as S.H.I.E.L.D. super-spy Black Widow. Needless to say, this will be one wild ride not worth missing.

Robin Hood (May 14th): Take 1 part Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1996) and 2 parts Gladiator, multiply them and divide by Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and you have a pretty good idea of what this new take on an old medieval legend will be like when it hits the big screen. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russel Crowe, Robin Hood stands to be the newest entry in a long line of successes this pair has had working together, including the aforementioned Gladiator, as well as Body of Lies and American Gangster. The story is familiar: Robin, after returning home from the Crusades, finds that England is facing incredible amount of tyranny and oppression at the hands of King John and his Sheriff of Nottingham. However, Crowe's Robin stands to be a much gruffer, militant leader than usually depicted, who uses intelligence and strategy over charm and wit to thwart his enemies. I have a few concerns, though. The first is that Cate Blanchett will be paying Robin's love interest Lady Marian. While a great actress and beautiful in her own right, I fear I may find myself longing for the (then) younger and much bustier Amy Yasbeck from Men in Tights. Also, this film started development as a new take on the legend, depicting a heroic Nottingham played by Crowe. This premise was dropped after Crowe dissented, which may mean this film ends up a bit disjointed and quick-scripted. Regardless, this new Robin Hood should be a gritty, action-packed romp through medieval England that will hopefully please fans of both Gladiator and the Robin Hood mythos.

MacGruber (May 21st): MacGruber! Pepsi pepsi pepsi pepsi pepsi pepsi pepsi! MacGruber! Pepsi pepsi pepsi! MacGruber!! Yes, well, for those of you who don't know, MacGruber is a character from an oft-recurring skit on SNL as well as those hilarious Pepsi commercials that ran during the Super Bowl. And in May, Will Forte will be donning his mullet wig once more to reprise the character on the big screen. Now, we all know that SNL-to-movie translations are extremely hit-or-miss (compare Wayne's World and Austin Powers with Corky Romano and Coneheads to get a good idea of what I mean). But the early buzz surrounding MacGruber is that it is actually pretty darn funny (rocking a solid 100% on Rotten Tomatoes after 6 reviews). Not only will Kristen Wiig be reprising her role from the show, but they will be joined by Ryan Phillippe, who will play MacGruber's straight-laced new partner. But the icing on the cake comes in the form of Val Kilmer as the humorous villain Dieter Von Cunth (apparently, the H is silent). While I'm sure the film pulls more than its fair share of punches, as long as it delivers a brand of ludicrous action-comedy similar to the first Austing Powers, I will be a happy little theater-goer

Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time (May 28th): Video game movie adaptations are generally not the best films. Actually, they pretty much all suck. Big time. From Street Fighter to Mortal Kombat to Super Mario Bros. to Hitman to Max Payne and even the Resident Evil series (which has somehow seen two sequels with one more currently in production), no movie based on a video game has been able to capture the true magic and spirit of the strong source material. However, this all is (hopefully) about to change with the release of Prince of Persia. First of all, this is the first video game adaptation to proceed with direct influence from the game's original designer (here, Ubisoft's Jordan Mechner). Second, the film has some very legitimate actors behind the wheel, including Jake Gyllenhaal as the titular prince, Sir Ben Kingsley as the villainous Nizam, and Alfred Molina as the Prince's mentor Sheik Amar. Third, the storyline is pulled straight out of what is without a doubt the best game in the Prince of Persia series: the identically titled Sands of Time (92% on Metacritic). Finally, this ain't no low budge affair, but instead a huge Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney project in the same vane as the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Needless to say, as a movie enthusiast, I am excited, and as a video game nerd, I am nearly foaming at the mouth.

Get Him to the Greek (June 4th): If you are like me, you absolutely, positively, 100% fell in love with Forgetting Sarah Marshall the first time you saw it, and hold that movie in higher regard than any other Judd Apatow flick. And now, perhaps the funniest character in that movie--the completely absurd Aldous Snow (played by British comedian Russell Brand)--is back and crazier than ever in Get Him to the Greek. Jonah Hill plays a young intern at a record company who is tasked with transporting Snow safely and soundly to a performance at the Greek Theater in LA. Of course, with Snow's constant sexual debauchery and rock-and-roll lifestyle, this is no simple task, and many funny and vulgar road blocks stand in the way. But as funny as this premise is on its own, the early buzz surrounding the flick is about Sean "Diddy" Comb's character Sergio Roma, a high powered record executive who, apparently, is absolutely hilarious. Plus, with the same director as Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Nicholas Stoller), what can really go wrong? [Ok, so this isn't technically a "May-flower," but it's pretty darn close and I think it's definitely worth your time, so get over it. ;)]

Honorable Mentions:
-Shrek Forever After (May 21st)
-Babies (May 7th)