Movie Release Awareness for May '09

Gim

:whistle: We had joy, we had fun, we had

Movies for May 2009

May 1:


Battle for Terra
Director: Aristomenis Tsirbas
Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Luke Wilson, Justin Long (Full Cast)
Studio: Lionsgate
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: A space explorer (Wilson) crash-lands on the planet Terra and finds himself at the forefront of a battle to prevent his people, who are entrenched in a civil war at home, from invading the beautiful, peaceful planet where he has two new friends, rebellious alien teens Mala (Wood) and Senn (Long).
Snark: It's a good thing that they're rebellious. Wouldn't want to befriend any button-down conformist teens.


Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Director: Mark Waters
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Emma Stone (Full Cast)
Studio: New Line Cinema
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: At his younger brother's wedding, a committed bachelor/womanizer (McConaughey) is haunted by his romantic past.
Snark: So he cries, a lot.


X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Director: Gavin Hood
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: An origins story that follows the early life of James Howlett (Jackman), also known as Logan, and best known as Wolverine. The chronicle of his younger years as a mutant connects to his relationship and eventual falling out with Victor Creed/Sabretooth (Schreiber), and his fateful entry into the Weapons X project, the governmental program that turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons.
Snark: An amazing exercise in franchise prolongation. Dominic Monaghan is in it for all of three minutes.


The Limits of Control [limited]
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Stars: Isaach De Bankolé, Tilda Swinton, Gael García Bernal, Bill Murray (Full Cast)
Studio: Focus Features
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: The story of a mysterious loner (De Bankolé) who exists outside the law and is in the process of completing his current job.
Snark: Hot diggity, new Jarmusch!

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May 8:


Star Trek
Director: J.J. Abrams
Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg (Full Cast)
Studio: Paramount Pictures
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: The origin story of Captain James T. Kirk, Spock and the crew of the USS Enterprise before they had boldly gone where no man had gone before.
Snark: Just a smidge more action than the original movies.


Next Day Air
Director: Benny Boom
Stars: Mos Def, Mike Epps, Donald Faison (Full Cast)
Studio: Summit Entertainment
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: When a delivery man (Faison) leaves a package containing bricks of cocaine at the wrong address, it sets into motion a battle of wills and wits between the dealer, the intended recipients, and the people who have the drugs and plan to sell them off.
Snark: Pineapple Express but with cocaine.


Rudo y Cursi [limited]
Director: Carlos Cuarón
Stars: Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: A chance encounter with a talent scout affords half-brothers Tato (Bernal) and Beto (Luna) the opportunity to play professional soccer in Mexico City. The catch: the scout can only bring one of the boys, which kickstarts an intense sibling rivalry, though fate will not keep the brothers apart for long.
Snark: Brother of Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men) and the two leads from one of his movies (Y tu mamá también). Thar be potential there. Yar.

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May 14:


O' Horten [LA/NY]
Director: Bent Hamer
Stars: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0654070/, Espen Skjønberg, Ghita Nørby (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: A drama focused on a life-changing moment in 67-year-old train engineer Odd Horten's existence: the evening of his retirement.
Snark: Woo! Norway!

____________________________________________________________________________

May 15:


Angels & Demons
Director: Ron Howard
Stars: Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Releasing
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, [url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1189217-angels_and_demons/
]rotten tomatoes[/url])
Plot: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) finds himself in Rome, where he has to race against time to prevent the Illuminati, a secret society, from putting in motion a terrorist act that could destroy the Vatican. He's aided in his quest by the beautiful Italian scientist Vittoria Vetri (Zurer).
Snark: Do you love Dan Brown? Because Ron Howard sure does.


The Brothers Bloom [limited]
Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo (Full Cast)
Studio: Summit Entertainment
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: A pair of brothers and veteran conmen (Brody and Ruffalo) target an enigmatic wealthy woman (Weisz) as their potential last job, fully unaware of the twists in the road ahead of them.


Management
Director: Stephen Belber
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn, Woody Harrelson (Full Cast)
Studio: Image Entertainment
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: A traveling saleswoman (Aniston) tries to shake off a motel manager (Zahn) who chases her across the country after she has an ill-advised fling with him.

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May 21:


Terminator Salvation
Director: McG
Stars: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: John Connor (Bale) is joined in his attempt to defeat Skynet and its army of Terminators by Marcus Wright (Worthington), a man who apparently has been rescued from the past, though Connor wonders if instead he's been sent from the future as a foil to his plan. As Connor and Wright push deep into the heart of Skynet, they get closer and closer to learning the secret behind the organization's mission to wipe humankind off the planet.
Snark: I'm be really curious to see the lighting.

____________________________________________________________________________

May 22:


Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Director: Shawn Levy
Stars: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Amy Adams (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: Security guard Larry Daley (Stiller) infiltrates the Smithsonian Institute in order to rescue Jedediah (Wilson) and Octavius (Coogan), who have been shipped to the museum by mistake.
Snark: Mistake, huh?


Dance Flick
Director: Damien Wayans
Stars: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans (Full Cast)
Studio: Paramount Pictures
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: Street dancer Thomas Uncles (Damon Wayans, Jr.) is from the wrong side of the tracks, but his bond with the beautiful Megan White (Shoshana Bush) might help the duo realize their dreams as the enter in the mother of all dance battles.
Snark: On one hand this is a genre that is ripe and probably deserves parody. On the other hand, ew, no.


Easy Virtue [limited]
Director: Stephan Elliott
Stars: Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas (Full Cast)
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: A young Englishman (Barnes) brings his glamorous American bride (Biel) home to meet his family, and she arrives like a blast from the future, blowing their entrenched British stuffiness out the window.
Snark: "Great Scot, Marty!"


The Girlfriend Experience [LA/NY]
Director: [URL="(http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001752/)"]Steven Soderbergh[/URL]
Stars: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos (Full Cast)
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
(imdb, wiki, yahoo trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: A drama set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, and centered on a high-end Manhattan call girl (Grey) meeting the challenges of her boyfriend (Santos), her clients, and her work.
Snark: I really have no idea what to expect. Soderbergh is characterized by making movies about just about everything, and Grey is characterized by being in an endless number of blowbang scenes.

____________________________________________________________________________

May 29:


Up
Directors: Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Stars: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger (Full Cast)
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.
Snark: I don't know which surprises me more; that it has only been a year since WALL-E came out, or that Ed Asner is still alive.


Drag Me to Hell
Director: Sam Raimi
Stars: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Ruth Livier (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: A loan officer (Lohman) ordered to evict an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse which turns her life into a living nightmare. Desperate, she turns to a seer for help, and learns she only has a short period of time before she is literally ushered into Hell.
Snark: Literally!


Departures [limited]
Director: Yôjirô Takita
Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki (Full Cast)
Studio: Regent Releasing
(imdb, wiki, apple trailer, rotten tomatoes)
Plot: A musician (Motoki) who is jobless after his orchestra is dissolved moves back to hometown with his wife for a fresh start, a move which introduces him to an unusual profession: an "encoffineer," one who prepares the deceased for burial and entry into the next life.
Snark: Winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for 2008.

____________________________________________________________________________

I can probably drag one or two people out to see The Limits of Control. (On a side note, I saw Slingblade a few weeks ago. Goodness, did that man always have freaky white hair?) My nerdiness/geekiness/whatever should probably compel me to go see Star Trek, but I lack the friends to go and see it. We'll see. I'm going to wait until I hear more reviews for Terminator. Same goes for The Girlfriend Experience. I've liked Soderbergh before, but I haven't really been blown away by him. And let's make it a hat trick with Up. Pixar is good, but this does not sound like it will grab me like WALL-E did.

And you, if I held a gun to your head and asked what movies you would see, how would you disarm me?

Astaereth

Have you not seen Brick? I'm guessing not. Because if you had, The Brothers Bloom would be a great way to the get the gun out of your hand.

Sterica

Seeing as how the last movie to do "A Christmas Carol without the Christmas" was An American Carol, Ghosts would have to try pretty damn hard to do it worse.

Gim

I have seen Brick, actually. Something about a spinning mirror, right?

OremLK

Star Trek is a day one movie for me (actually, probably day three as I'll be in the process of moving. Sigh.)

I will also probably see Wolverine and Terminator.

MetroidZoid

I'm glad Up and Terminator Salvation are coming out ...

Keeps the Transformers 2 fever at bay ... pun only slightly-intended and only noticed as an afterthought ...

Unknown

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thanimations

Quite a few movies this month that I actually want to see, and enough that I could be convince to see, it's a nice change of pace to the graveyard that has been the past few months.

Obviously I want to see the ones that most people have been waiting for (Terminator Salvation, Star Trek), but the Girlfriend Experience looks fantastic, and of course I'll have to check out Up. A movie about a crotchey old man? I'm so there.

Robos A Go Go

Star Trek, Terminator, Brothers Bloom, Up!, and Departures all look good to me, but I'll probably skip the one with the poorest reviews because that's a lot of movies to watch in a single month.

MagicPrime

We have a friend that is the night manager at the local theater. I haven't paid for a movie in 2 years.

Septus

Two movies with Gael Garcia Bernal? Man that dudes makes me hella uncomfortable. I can't not see him in his role in the King and Blindness.

Cantido

What? Why don't they drag the filthy socialist liberal scumbag president into hell? The loan officer is just an enforcer of the free market!

I'm quite exited for Star Trek, because I don't know shit about the series.

THEPAIN73

I want to see star trek... badly.

Forar

May is going to be an awesome month for movies. I plan on seeing Wolverine, Star Trek, Angels & Demons (well, maybe. If I read the book first, perhaps), Terminator and Up.

I don't care what anyone says about any of them, it's going to be awseome!

Entriech

Drag me to hell has to have one of the worst reasonings behind someone being cursed in a movie ever. They also conveniently mention in the trailer that the curse can be given away. Really, I know Sam Raimi is capable of making a quality film, so I don't know why he wastes his time on shit like this.

I am excited about Star Trek and Terminator, and Up. Though I'll probably skip Terminator for the sake of saving a couple dollars.

Cantido

Entriech wrote: »

Drag me to hell has to have one of the worst reasonings behind someone being cursed in a movie ever. They also conveniently mention in the trailer that the curse can be given away. Really, I know Sam Raimi is capable of making a quality film, so I don't know why he wastes his time on shit like this.

I am excited about Star Trek and Terminator, and Up. Though I'll probably skip Terminator for the sake of saving a couple dollars.

There's a *cough* abandoned haunted house in Staten Island, NY that will one day be mine. I will own it some day, I don't care if the whole family committed suicide!

Dman

Wolverine, star treck, terminator.
May is looking good!

Angels and demons is a maybe....

Arch Guru XX

One of the actors in Next Day Air is Wood Harris, aka Avon Barksdale of The Wire. This adds enough credibility to the movie that I will at least Netflix it, as opposed to ignoring it entirely.

Also, I'm reading through the OP, and I get to The Girlfriend Experience. 'Sasha Grey... I feel like I know that name from somewhere...'

--clicks the IMDB link--

'Oooohhhhhhhhhhh. Right. That Sasha Grey.'

Tomanta

Wolverine, Star Trek, Terminator. Not sure when I'll get to see Wolverine, I may have to do a double feature with Trek - helping parents move this weekend.

In a less crowded month I'd consider Angels & Demons and Up.

wunderbar

I look at that list, and all I see is Star Trek.

Nothing else matters this month.

akajaybay

I saw some scenes and a mocked up trailer for Drag Me to Hell at the San Diego ComicCon and it looked rather good. What's interesting is the clips and mock trailer all showed the film off to be borderline Evil Dead comical. Some really funny slapstick fighting between the main character and the old woman. Humor mixed with its horror. But the new trailer and what little promo material I've seen for it are playing it pretty straight and not really giving any indication that its got a different angle, which actually makes it look rather bland.

DouglasDanger

the movie with con-men has potential.

Warder45

Arch Guru XX wrote: »

One of the actors in Next Day Air is Wood Harris, aka Avon Barksdale of The Wire. This adds enough credibility to the movie that I will at least Netflix it, as opposed to ignoring it entirely.

Also, I'm reading through the OP, and I get to The Girlfriend Experience. 'Sasha Grey... I feel like I know that name from somewhere...'

--clicks the IMDB link--

'Oooohhhhhhhhhhh. Right. That Sasha Grey.'

haha, I did the same thing. I wonder how many lines she has in the movie?

Quid

Definitely want to see Up, will probably see Wolverine and Star Trek, the wife wants to see Museum 2, and I'll wait for Terminator's reviews before deciding.

Jamino

Wolverine is out today here in grim old England.

I'm going to see it in an hour or so, I expect it to be moderate to pretty OK.

urahonky

Wolverine and Star Trek for me this month. Star Trek mainly because of Simon Pegg.

LavaKnight

The new Jarmusch looks pretty interesting. Has there been any pre-release opinion about it? Seems like doing another movie about an assassin could be good or bad, but the theme of control could be pretty interesting.

DarkWarrior

Can you ask about any recent movies in here? Has anyone seen My Bloody Valentine 3d? Is he

possessed at the end or what? I tried looking through the IMDB idiocy and they all seem to be under the impression that he just had a split personality but the:

"You in there harry?"
"Im right here"

line makes it sound like its supernatural possession.

Also I don't get how he managed to lock himself in that cage and apparently change out of costume before help arrived which he had to do to not have blood on him.

I liked the overall package though.

decibe11e

I almost never see movies in theaters (seriously, last year the only one I saw was Dark Knight), but I fully anticipate seeing Star Trek multiple times. Why is it not next week yet??

Jacobkosh

Wolverine was absolutely horrible and I would have had more fun setting my money on fire.

That said, I fully anticipate Star Trek and Up will be exactly as good as advertised. I'm also looking forward to The Limits of Control - I am a huge Jarmusch geek - and The Girlfriend Experience.

Gim, if Soderbergh hasn't blown you away in the past, check out Kafka or Schizopolis to see what he's really capable of.

Tamin

Saw Battle for Terra on a whim. It's quite enjoyable. Sort of BSG meets Pocahontas mixed with a dash of Skies of Arcadia (for flavor). Also, the synopsis in the OP is dead wrong.
The civil war is long since over. There's only one teen. The invasion is not dissimiliar to a Cold Equation, though less stark.

Still playing catch-up, but I think I'll have to watch Terminator and Star Trek.

LavaKnight

Anyone see Limits of Control? I guess it's not playing here yet, but I'm still excited to see it.

Gim

jacobkosh wrote: »

Gim, if Soderbergh hasn't blown you away in the past, check out Kafka or Schizopolis to see what he's really capable of.

So far of his movies, I have seen: Brockovich, Traffic, Solaris, and Bubble. I really wanted to see Che last year, but that was an expensive theater ticket.

I really do need to check out his 90s output. And I suppose Sex, Lies, and Videotape is sort of a modern classic.

As for Limits of Control, it's playing at a couple of theaters within driving distance of me. I may be able to check it out in the next week, hopefully.

Jacobkosh

Gim wrote: »

I really do need to check out his 90s output. And I suppose Sex, Lies, and Videotape is sort of a modern classic.

It's a great movie, but Schizopolis is even modern-er classic-er. It really shows how literate and thoughtful a director he is, and that his mind and interests go a lot further afield than someone like Linklater, who much as I love him, seems mainly interested in reliving his philosophy 101 courses over and over and over again. The Limey and Out of Sight are also brilliant, and just absolutely beautiful to look at, to boot.

Gim

jacobkosh wrote: »

Gim wrote: »

I really do need to check out his 90s output. And I suppose Sex, Lies, and Videotape is sort of a modern classic.

It's a great movie, but Schizopolis is even modern-er classic-er. It really shows how literate and thoughtful a director he is, and that his mind and interests go a lot further afield than someone like Linklater, who much as I love him, seems mainly interested in reliving his philosophy 101 courses over and over and over again. The Limey and Out of Sight are also brilliant, and just absolutely beautiful to look at, to boot.

I hear he does good commentary tracks as well. Can you confirm or deny?

Rent

urahonky wrote: »

Wolverine and Star Trek for me this month. Star Trek mainly because of Simon Pegg.

Simon Pegg is in Star Trek?
Interest increased 10x

Jacobkosh

Gim wrote: »

jacobkosh wrote: »

Gim wrote: »

I really do need to check out his 90s output. And I suppose Sex, Lies, and Videotape is sort of a modern classic.

It's a great movie, but Schizopolis is even modern-er classic-er. It really shows how literate and thoughtful a director he is, and that his mind and interests go a lot further afield than someone like Linklater, who much as I love him, seems mainly interested in reliving his philosophy 101 courses over and over and over again. The Limey and Out of Sight are also brilliant, and just absolutely beautiful to look at, to boot.

I hear he does good commentary tracks as well. Can you confirm or deny?

I understand that the one for The Limey is considered to be among the best ever, as he and the film's writer slowly descend into a maelstrom of bickering and recrimination. It's one of the only ones I've ever listened to all the way through.

urahonky

Rent wrote: »

urahonky wrote: »

Wolverine and Star Trek for me this month. Star Trek mainly because of Simon Pegg.

Simon Pegg is in Star Trek?
Interest increased 10x

Even better: He's Scotty. Fucking Scotty.

Also, if anyone hasn't seen Taken yet. FUCKING DO SO! That was seriously one of the best movies I've seen in a very, very long time.

Vincent Grayson

Definitely Star Trek next week, Brothers Bloom if it plays here, Terminator, and Up.

I'm still kinda iffy on Wolverine, given how bad reviews have been.

VoodooV

I kinda want to see Angels and Demons because of the whole secret of life conspiracy thing, but I suspect I'm going to be bored with every other aspect of the film.

Add to that I haven't seen the first movie.

Tomanta

VoodooV wrote: »

I kinda want to see Angels and Demons because of the whole secret of life conspiracy thing, but I suspect I'm going to be bored with every other aspect of the film.

Add to that I haven't seen the first movie.

You probably won't be missing much having not seen the first film. The two stories are stand-alone and, in the book chronology, Angels & Demons comes first anyway.

Plus you would get more enjoyment out of reading The Da Vinci Code instead of watching Tom Hanks read it to you (the adaptation... wasn't very exciting).