“Alien: Covenant”
Synopsis: The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.
What You Need To Know: “Prometheus” had plenty of issues, but apparently there’s still enough in the tank creatively and financially for director Ridley Scott to have jumped back into these familiar waters. Or, so we hope at least. We want this to be awesome, but expectations are being tempered since the last film was a rather large letdown for a lot of us and the trailers seem to be pushing a more straightforward horror story. But, maybe that’ll be a good thing. Fingers crossed! Beyond returning members Michael Fassbender and Guy Pierce, a whole new starry cast is along for more nasty business in space, including Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England and Benjamin Rigby. Hopefully, it’ll be a blast watching them all get picked off one by one.
Release Date: May 19th
“Baywatch”
Synopsis: Devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchanan butts heads with a brash new recruit. Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.
What You Need To Know: The career of filmmaker Seth Gordon is a really curious and odd one. The director started out of the gate with one of the most beloved documentaries of the aughts with “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.” He quickly attached himself to many promising projects and looked to be on his way to possibly mirroring a career like Jason Reitman’s or Paul Feig’s. Instead, Gordon has mostly taken a bunch of mainstream comedies (“Four Christmases,” “Horrible Bosses” “Identity Thief”), many of which have been, charitably, not very good. Perhaps we pegged him totally wrong. But he’s back for this adaptation of the ‘90s action TV show, “Baywatch.” Of course, since the “Baywatch” concept is just totally ridiculous in 2017, much like the model of “21 Jump Street” and “CHiPs,” they’ve converted the adaptations into a comedy starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, with appearances by (of course) David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson.
Release Date: May 24th
“War Machine”
Synopsis: A successful, charismatic four-star general, Glenn McMahon, leaps in like a rock star to command NATO forces in Afghanistan, only to be taken down by a journalist’s no-holds-barred exposé.
What You Need To Know: Aussie auteur David Michod (“Animal Kingdom” and the totally underrated/underseen “The Rover“) is one of the most exciting new voices in cinema working today, so any new film by him garners pretty much instant anticipation and high inclusion on this list. Add to that a leading role for Brad Pitt as a four-star general who gets way in over his head in Afghanistan and a bizarre looking comedy tone (I for one love when Pitt does comedy, so this is exciting) and it’s a done deal, we’re ready for this one to come out like yesterday. Yeah, so, it’s pretty much going straight to Netflix with nary a theatrical release (though I’d gladly pony up the dough to see any Michod film on the big screen) but this is one of the most exciting summer releases coming this year. Here’s hoping it’s half as good as the trailers and premise and filmmakers involved promise.
Release Date: May 26th (Limited + Netflix)
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”
Synopsis: Captain Jack Sparrow searches for the trident of Poseidon.
What You Need To Know: Who would’ve thought that we’d be five (five!) movies deep into this franchise? But apparently Johnny Depp needs even more money and (even more likely) needs a hit, like bad. So why not return to the swashbuckling and goofy humor? After CinemaCon last month, where Disney decided to show the entire film to critics, the word has been pretty solid for this one, some even calling it a return to form. I grew tired of these movies long ago, but I’d love to be wrong in my cynicism for this one.
Release Date: May 26th
“Berlin Syndrome”
Synopsis: A passionate holiday romance leads to an obsessive relationship when an Australian photojournalist wakes one morning in a Berlin apartment and is unable to leave.
What You Need To Know: This new film from Cate Shortland (“Somersault,” “Lore“) unwinds like a slow-burn thriller, about a romantic obsession that runs deadly. Teresa Palmer leads the film as an Australian journalist in Germany who strikes up a relationship with a charming young man. Everything appears to be bliss with their brief fling — until she discovers that she’s been locked in, unable to leave. Our review from Sundance this year was kind, stating “this isn’t the kind of genre piece that everyone will warm to. Some might find the subject matter too bleak; others might wish it were pulpier. But on the whole, “Berlin Syndrome” is incredibly effective, while offering a perspective that these kinds of films usually lack. It gets to know the innocent, while rendering the evil banal.”
Release Date: May 26th (Limited)
Honorable Mentions:
Several other notable auteur efforts are coming out this month, starting with occasionally great Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg and his latest, the 70s set “The Commune.” Continuing with the foreign directors, there’s the final film from Andrzej Wajda (“Ashes and Diamonds“), the Polish legend who sadly passed away last year, called “Afterimage,” a biopic about Polish avant-garde artist Wladyslaw Strzeminski.
There’s also “The Wall,” the latest from Doug Liman (“Edge of Tomorrow“). Aaron Taylor-Johnson and John Cena lead the movie, which sees two America soldiers pinned down by enemy fire and trying to survive. That’s pretty much the entire plot. “Paris Can Wait” is from Eleanor Coppola, (“Hearts of Darkness“) and that makes pretty much every Coppola on the planet as filmmakers working today.
Last year, two boxing movies duked it out on the festival circuit: “Bleed Like This” starring Miles Teller, which also opened in the fall, and “The Bleeder,” led by Liev Schreiber. Now, perhaps as a bid to extinguish any confusion, the latter has been blandly retitled “Chuck,” as it gears up to hit theaters.
In the nonfiction world, there’s “Burden,” about artist Chris Burden and his strange place in art history. We called “Mr. Chibbs” a minor-key look at a midlife crisis for basketball player Kenny Anderson. In “Sacred,” the focus of Academy Award-winning director Thomas Lennon‘s (“The Blood of Yingzhou District“) new film is on religion.