There aren’t a lot of interesting movies hitting theaters this May. Heck, there aren’t a lot of movies, period, hitting theaters this May. Sure, one title that will soon be crowned one of the biggest of all-time — you know the one of which I speak — after it bowed late last night to the tune of $27.6 million. Who knows, it could very well be the case that several of you read this article while you’re standing in line to see the-movie-that-shall-not-be-named-until-page-two. And if that’s the case, I urge you to share this with your cohorts, all those people standing around you looking for something to do until the movie finally (FINALLY!) starts. Do it now, don’t worry, I’ll wait.
But back to what I was saying… Outside of a handful of blockbusters, there just isn’t a lot on the release slate for the coming month. It’s slim pickings, y’all! In fact, it took a surprising amount of effort to come up with even five movies I felt I could legitimately call “must-sees”, frankly I think I might be stretching the definition a bit. That said, there are at least a few movies of note hitting theaters in May, and they don’t all feature a bevy of characters we’ve seen on-screen before, which is kind of nice.
Sometimes they say less is more, but for the purpose of this article I am subscribing to the idea that more is more, in part because I love you guys and in part because I’m less than a week away from the end of my grad school career and my motivation is lower than Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2‘s Rotten Tomatoes score. Zing! For those reasons, I’m giving you five other titles that aren’t quite must-sees — call them “should-sees”, if that makes you feel better about their inclusion — before we dive into the real meat of the list. Join me, will you?
A Few Before We Really Get Started
Far from the Madding Crowd (5/1): I saw this already and am preparing my review right now, but in short, I’m torn on this one. An adaptation of a classic British novel from director Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt), Far from the Madding Crowd features some great performances — Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts bring their A-games — but doesn’t have enough heart to stick the landing. However, if you’re into period pieces or British costume dramas you could do worse than checking this one out.
Good Kill (5/15): Let it be known, I am an Ethan Hawke fan through and through. I admire the fact he takes on every project he signs up for with the same dedication and seriousness, whether it is an Oscar-caliber drama or a ridiculous car-chase thriller. Good Kill looks like a solid entry into Hawke’s oeuvre, and it’s about drones, which are a hot topic these days. Cultural relevance for the win!
Pitch Perfect 2 (5/15): Every so often I ask myself if I’m aca-serious about wanting to see Pitch Perfect 2. And yeah, I aca-am, or at least I aca-think I am. I aca-enjoyed Pitch Perfect for the trifle it is — and for Anna Kendrick, who could make any bad movie worth watching. And Elizabeth Banks is directing the sequel, so that’s aca-awesome. What’s that? Alright, I’ll cut it with the aca-crap.
Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman (5/22): Adam Carolla co-directs a documentary chronicling the 35-year racing career of renowned actor and salad dressing icon Paul Newman. That’s pretty much all I need to know to be interested in this one. Plus, I’m always in search of documentaries like this in case I ever need a few clutch points in trivia. The more I know about obscure topics, the better off I’ll be.
Results (5/29): Starring Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, and Kevin Corrigan, Results premiered at Sundance to solid reviews and quickly hopped on my radar. Good indie comedies are my jam, and I think both Pearce and Smulders are quite underrated as actors, so I’m curious to see what exactly results from this one. You’re welcome, that pun was free.
Now onto the list we go! Up next are five movies you absolutely must see during the month of May — thus the title of this article — starting with the obvious…
