May 2013 Preview: The Summer Movie Season Begins!

May is the start of the summer movie season, where studios unveil their most anticipated (and most expensive) projects of the year and hope that audiences don't mind spending their hard earned cash at the theater week after week after week. This particular May is a bit of a battlefield when it comes to big blockbusters, with a highly anticipated comic book film, a long awaited sequel to one of the most well received sci-fi reboots in recent memory, the finale to one of the most profitable comedy trilogies of all time and an adaptation of the greatest novel of the 20th century. And that's not even half of it! Yes, get ready for a busy few weeks at the movies and feel free to use this guide to decide what you'll be seeing-

Worth making the trip:

The film I'm most anticipating this May is J.J. Abrams' long awaited follow up to my second favorite film of 2009. Star Trek Into Darkness (May 17) also happens to be the action film I want to see the most this whole summer. While I have not seen the film or TV series that spawned the popular reboot, 2009's Star Trek was my favorite action film of the past decade and remains extremely entertaining regardless of how many times I've seen it. Now, I am a bit worried that I'll be going in to see this movie with sky high expectations, and it's hard to imagine that lightening will strike twice for Abrams and this legendary franchise, but I do think this looks like a ton of fun and could be the best of this year's big budget flicks.

But I've also jumped, head first, onto the growing bandwagon of people waiting anxiously for Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby (May 10). I'm a big fan of Luhrmann's two most popular films, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!, so the fact that the film barely resembles Fitzgerald's prose doesn't bother me in the slightest. In fact, I expected it. Luhrmann's style is always interesting, and while it may not be a testament to the film as a whole, the trailers and clips are showing that this will be one of the most unique films of the year. The cinematography is breathtaking, the soundtrack is fantastic and Warner Bros. has utilized a brilliant marketing strategy to get people excited for a film that's based on a book hundreds of teenagers dreaded reading for school. The Great Gatsby may be the only event film of the summer to not be a sequel or based on a comic book, and I can't wait to be a part of the large crowds on opening night, waiting to see if Luhrmann has delivered another spectacle of a motion picture.

Finally, one can't talk about summer movies without mentioning Iron Man 3. The film, which has already begun breaking records overseas, might be the biggest film of the year and it's hitting theaters in a matter of days. Now, I'm excited for Iron Man 3 (May 3). Marvel has done a fine job in handling their growing Avengers franchise, and while some entries (Thor) have been a bit dull, none have been truly awful. But, whenever a comic book franchise reaches its third installment, I can't help but be nervous. So, you'll excuse me if I look forward to Iron Man 3 (hell, I'm seeing it opening night) but if I keep my expectations low. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised then disappointed.

I do feel a obligated to include Before Midnight (May 24) in this bunch. The film is, essentially, the indie movie equivalent to Iron Man 3. But, I have not seen any of the Before films at this time. I definitely plan on it by the end of the year, however.

Rentals and Matinees: 

There are a number of films that will be given a limited release this May that I would love to see, but most likely won't be able to due to the fact that they won't be playing in many theaters. Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha (May 17) looks terrific, but I highly doubt it will play anywhere near me so  I'll have to wait until it arrives on DVD. I also think that The Kings of Summer (May 31), which premiered at Sundance to positive reviews, looks like a fun little film but it also looks like one I won't be able to see until I can watch it at home.

But the independent film I'm most upset about (probably) missing is The East (May 31), Zal Batmanglij's follow up to the largely unseen Sound of My Voice. That film just barely missed my honorable mentions last year, mainly due to an ending that felt way too rushed, but I strongly recommend you all seek it out. It's a really great thriller that offers a lot of food for thought. The film also introduced me to Brit Marling, who stars in and co-wrote both Sound of My Voice and The East with Batmanglij. Marling has a screen presence like few actresses of her generation- there's an almost hypnotic quality to her acting. I'd love to see The East in theaters, especially since Marling has surrounded herself with some great co-stars (Ellen Page, Alexander Skarsgard, Patricia Clarkson). But, much to my chagrin, I'll have to wait until I can see it on DVD.

On the blockbuster side of things, Fast & Furious 6 (May 24) looks like a lot of fun but I'll probably be waiting until it hits DVD, if only because I have never actually sat through any other films from the franchise. Obviously, the Fast franchise isn't the sort of thing where a lack of knowledge regarding the previous films will seriously dictate your enjoyment of it, but I just can't muster up the excitement (or willingness to pay for a ticket) given my lack of attachment to the long running series. Maybe I'll catch up on the series and check out Fast & Furious 7 in theaters, but I won't have to think about that until next summer.

I'm also a bit on the fence about Now You See Me (May 31). I love the cast, hate the director, enjoyed the first trailer and rolled my eyes a bit too much during the second. Its release date doesn't inspire much confidence, as it gives the impression that the studio is trying to bury it. So, I'm gonna have to wait until DVD for this one. But, with a cast like this, I can't help but feel it will be worth checking out eventually.

I'm not interested:

I'm sorry, but I fail to understand how anybody can watch the trailer for The Hangover 3 (May 24) and think it looks good. Granted, I didn't enjoy the original and didn't bother to see the sequel. But its third installment just looks bad. I find no enjoyment in watching annoying, completely unlikable characters run around Las Vegas screaming and saying things that are outrageously inappropriate but allegedly 'funny.' Oh, and Zach Galifianakis' whole shtick has got to stop. His entire purpose in The Hangover series is to do and say things that are so ridiculously stupid that I can't help but wonder why the rest of the Wolfpack aren't legitimately worried for his well being. So don't expect a review of The Hangover 3 this May. I have no intention of ever seeing it.

Now that I'm done with that rant, I have a (much less malicious) one about Epic (May 24), an animated film that looks like a catastrophe to me. Now, I'm not all too knowledgeable about film marketing but I feel safe in assuming that animated films are intended (primarily) for children and that children like animated films with lovable characters that they'd want to take home in the form of a stuffed animal or action figure. Now, which characters in Epic are intended for children to take home with them? The strange looking human/fairy/warrior creatures? The stereotypically spunky snails, an archetype even the youngest of filmgoers have seen before? I don't know, I can't see anybody actually being interested in this. I had a similar vibe to Rise of the Guardians back in November. That film went on to break $100 million at the domestic box office, yet it still lost a lot of money over at DreamWorks and resulted in massive layoffs for the company. I can't help but think Epic will be an even worse disaster.

Then there is After Earth (May 31) which abandoned its well timed release date in June for a crappy one in late May just a few weeks ago. If that doesn't foreshadow a major flop, I don't know what will. This film fails to impress me in anyway. It just looks like a mess. And I'm not saying that because of M. Night Shylaman's involvement. The film just feels like a rehash of many different ideas that worked well in other blockbusters, with a plot that we've seen dozens of times before. Remember when Will Smith was a major movie star? Well, Smith may be likable but After Earth only serves as further evidence that he has lost the "golden touch" he once had when it came to selecting projects.

Finally, we come to Peeples (May 10), the film that wins the award for strangest title of the summer. Now, my knowledge on this film is fairly limited. I don't think I've ever actually watched the trailer, so I do feel bad for writing it off. But, this looks like what would happen if Meet the Parents was directed by Tyler Perry. Now, Kerry Washington is talented (and gorgeous), and the film doesn't look all that bad. But I've watched a lot of films in my time, and I feel like I've seen enough where the biggest laugh in the is a joke about a dog humping a human. I'll pass.

Love it or hate it, the summer movie season is upon us and after a rather dull start to the year, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the studios were simply saving their big guns for the hottest months of the year. You can expect my first review of the summer this weekend, and many more throughout the month.

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