Summer movie preview: May movies

We've got the inside scoop on May's must-see movies, the first of a four-month assault on the nation's movie theaters.

May 1

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey finally come together onscreen. An re-imagining of the Christmas Carol legend, McConaughey's character finds himself revisiting his life of bachelordom that his included breaking up with his girlfriends via video conference.

Garner is the bride that was one of those McConaughey exes. Don't miss our interview with Matthew and Jennifer here!

Wolverine
Hugh Jackman takes us back to the beginning of the Wolverine journey to X-Men. Spanning years and an almost-operatic story, Wolverine does more than take X-Men fans back to Wolverine's genesis -- the film showcases Jackman as the action hero who could exist without an entire franchise.

Jackman does his thing better than anyone. Can you imagine other actors portraying Wolverine? I did not think so — this is the movie star Hugh Jackman that powered Australia and an otherwise placid 2009 Academy Awards to become must-see award show history.

Every hero needs its rival and in Wolverine, there could be none better than the Shakespearean-trained Liev Schreiber.Battle for Terra
Aliens invade. Earthlings resist. It's all animated featuring the voices of Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood and Luke Wilson. Sean (Long) and Mala (Wood) are two rebellious teen aliens who join in the Battle for Terra. The battle of the title is when humans land on the planet escaping their world destroyed by war and pollution.

May 8

Star Trek
SheKnows has seen Star Trek and our entire review is coming in days, but we will say this: the buzz is warranted. We have interviews with the entire cast as well as its wunderkind creator.

A movie and television mastermind, JJ Abrams, settles on revisiting an iconic story from Gene Roddenberry and expectations go through the roof. Casting begins and the first word of brilliance is the hiring of the Heroes villain, Zachary Quinto, to portray Spock. Besides mirroring the look, Quinto's performance is beyond stellar.Tales of extraordinary heroes have been rebooted of late with great success including Batman and Superman. Abrams, a self-admitted non-Trekkie, turns out to be the perfect visionary to bring the Star Trek vision into the 21st century.Don't miss our inside coverage of the entire Star Trek release including interviews with Quinto, Leonard Nimoy and Zoe Saldana who admits being the only girl in a boys club was "fabulous!"

May 4 through May 8 is Star Trek week here at SheKnows!

Little Ashes
Robert Pattinson does Dali.

After achieving global phenomenon status, Twilight's Pattinson dons a funny mustache to portray the eccentric and brilliant painter Salvador Dali.

The film could be Pattinson's effort to have audiences take him seriously outside of his vampire persona.

Edward and Bella are about as far from this tale as is possible. Little Ashes finds Dali struggling with the incoming fascist movement that is rattling Spain.

In the previews alone, we must be honest, Pattinson owns Dali.

May 15

Angels and Demons
Tom Hanks revisits his role in The Da Vinci Code that serves as a prequel in the hands of Dan Brown's book.

Although many are saying Angels and Demons, as a film, is more of a sequel. Are you confused yet?

Here's the scoop: The church is busy repressing information to the world again, but this time, a few more stars have come along for the thrilling journey including Ewan McGregor. McGregor is simply one of the European union of acting talent that aids Hanks in his latest cinematic adventure.

Angels and Demons trailer:

Management
Jennifer Aniston goes back to her Indie cred in Management. Steve Zahn, after an unforgettable performance in Rescue Dawn, is the titular hotel-running character. Falling in love with Aniston is easy, but in the hands of an actor with comedic-dramatic power as Zahn, this cute story has the potential to be the date-movie of the summer.

The Brothers Bloom
Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody wield some serious acting muscle. To watch those three in The Brothers Bloom should prove a treat. The Brothers Bloom are con men who effortlessly swindle millions from unsuspecting people.
The Brothers decide on one last job and we all know from movie history how well that tends to finish -- not well.Summer Hours
Juliette Binoche of English Patient Oscar-winning fame deals with mom's death. In the hands of an actress of Binoche's caliber, put Summer Hours on the must-see list.

May 21

Terminator Salvation
Where to start? Christian Bale is a natural to portray the reluctant hero John Connor. Then, there's the little on-set problem. But, given the scope and power of the trailers that have inundated airwaves lately, Bale has nothing to worry about come release date.

Terminator Salvation takes a film franchise to another level.

The future of Terminator was always eluded to and shown in glimpses throughout the mythology.

But with Terminator Salvation, the entire action takes place after the world has essentially ended and before John Connor is John Connor.

May 22

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Last we left Ben Stiller's museum guard -- he had more than appreciated the power of history. Where better to take him in a sequel than to the heart of America's great museum collective — The Smithsonian.

This time out, Washington DC may be a locale change, but the spirit of the original film is purely intact. When it arrived a few Christmas' ago, Night at the Museum spent weeks atop the box office report and with the sequel pumping up the effects and the broadening historical storyline, the results should be the same: box office blockbuster.Dance Flick
The Wayans' family has passed the torch to a new generation. If there was ever a genre of film ripe for their familial parody is it is the dance film. Where else is life's problems solved with a dance-off? Look out Save the Last Dance and your ilk.

After tackling the horror genre, epic movies and a slew of other mini-genres, the Wayans family zero in on the stereotypes that run rampant in the army of dance movies that has been permeating theaters.

Did we mention dance movies need to look out?Easy Virtue
Jessica Biel has played period piece before and actually faired pretty well in The Illusionist. In Easy Virtue, it is Biel who is the center of attention as an American transplant in late ‘20s England who has stolen the heart of the son of a very suspecting and wealthy family.

Biel's character is triumphant in pulling a little air out of the family's stuffed British shirts that includes Colin Firth and Kristen Scott Thomas.

The view of early 20th century England during the summer blockbuster season is a fantastic alternative.

May 29

Up
Pixar and Disney do their dance again and bring on the octogenarian crowd to the big screen as Ed Asner serves as the voice of a man who decides to leave it all and hot air balloon his house into the atmosphere.

When a young boy stowaways on Asner's trip, classic Disney hilarity with message ensues.

Drag Me to Hell
Alison Lohman is the latest actress to be subject to director Sam Raimi's innate sense of film frenzy. She plays a financial executive faced with a foreclosure problem that results in pure terror. In these times, the film could either be dangerous or delightful.

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