As May begins, the start of the summer movie season is finally under way, the time of year where the kids are out of school and we are treated with a fair share of blockbusters and other big movies (and also some small ones) for us to flock to get away from the summer heat. Last month’s Avengers: Endgame will be a tough movie to dethrone from the top of the box office but this month offers plenty of worthy contenders that could make a fair share of money in their own right (UglyDolls, Detective Pikachu, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Disney’s Aladdin, Godzilla: King of the Monsters). Welcome to our May 2019 movie preview, where we let you know about the noteworthy releases of the month and follow them up with 5 top picks. Hope to see you at the movies!

Noteworthy Releases

Knock Down the House – May 1st (Netflix)

A look at the people involved with various political campaigns during the 2018 U.S. congressional election. (IMDb)

Directed by Rachel Lears.

Featuring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearingen and Amy Vilela.

Hail Satan? – May 3rd (Theatrical)

A look at the quick rise and influence of the controversial religious group known as The Satanic Temple. (IMDb)

Directed by Penny Lane.

JT LeRoy – May 3rd (Theatrical)

A young woman named Savannah Knoop spends six years pretending to be the celebrated author J.T. LeRoy, the made-up literary persona of her sister-in-law. (IMDb)

Written and directed by Justin Kelly.

Starring Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern and Diane Kruger.

Long Shot – May 3rd (Theatrical)

When Fred Flarsky reunites with his first crush, one of the most influential women in the world, Charlotte Field, he charms her. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter and sparks fly. (IMDb)

Directed by Jonathan Levine. Written by Liz Hannah and Dan Sterling.

Starring Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ravi Patel, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Serkis, Randall Park and Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd.

Ask Dr. Ruth – May 10th (Theatrical)

A documentary portrait chronicling the incredible life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who became America’s most famous sex therapist. As her 90th birthday approaches, Dr. Ruth revisits her painful past and her career at the forefront of the sexual revolution. (IMDb)

Directed by Ryan White.

Featuring Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

The Hustle – May 10th (Theatrical)

Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star as female scam artists, one low rent and the other high class, who team up to take down the dirty rotten men who have wronged them. (IMDb)

A gender swapped remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Directed by Chris Addison. Written by Stanley Shapiro, Paul Henning, Dale Launer and Jac Schaeffer.

Starring Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson and Tim Blake Nelson.

Non-Fiction – May 10th (Theatrical)

Set in the Parisian publishing world, an editor and an author find themselves in over their heads, as they cope with a middle-age crisis, the changing industry and their wives. (IMDb)

Written and directed by Olivier Assayas.

Starring Juliette Binoche and Guillame Canet.

Tolkien – May 10th (Theatrical)

Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. (IMDb)

Directed by Dome Karukoski. Written by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford.

Starring Lily Collins and Nicholas Hoult.

The Biggest Little Farm – May 17th (Theatrical)

Documentarian John Chester and his wife Molly work to develop a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles. (IMDb)

Directed by John Chester. Written by John Chester and Mark Monroe.

Featuring John and Molly Chester.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – May 17th (Theatrical)

Super-Assassin John Wick is on the run after killing a member of the international assassin’s guild, and with a $14 million price tag on his head – he is the target of hit men and women everywhere. (IMDb)

Directed by Chad Stahelski. Written by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams.

Starring Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Halle Berry, Jason Mantzoukas, Anjelica Huston And Laurence Fishburne.

Meeting Gorbachev – May 17th (Theatrical)

The life of Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth and final President of the Soviet Union in chronological order. (IMDb)

Directed by Werner Herzog and Andre Singer.

Featuring Mikhail Gorbachev, Werner Herzog and Ronald Reagan.

Peterloo – May 17th (Theatrical)

The story of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre where British forces attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester. (IMDb)

Written and directed by Mike Leigh.

Starring Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake and Neil Bell

All is True – May 24th (Theatrical)

A look at the final days in the life of renowned playwright William Shakespeare. (IMDb)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Written by Ben Elton.

Starring Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen

Diamantino – May 24th (Theatrical)

Diamantino, the world’s premiere soccer star loses his special touch and ends his career in disgrace. Searching for a new purpose, the international icon sets on a delirious odyssey where he confronts neo-fascism, the refugee crisis, genetic modification, and the hunt for the source of genius. (IMDb)

Written and directed by Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt.

Starring Carloto Cotta, Cleo Tavares and Anabela Moreira

The Perfection – May 24th (Netflix)

When troubled musical prodigy Charlotte seeks out Elizabeth, the new star pupil of her former school, the encounter sends both musicians down a sinister path with shocking consequences.

Directed by Richard Shepard. Written by Eric C. Charmelo, Richard Shepard and Nicole Snyder.

Starring Allison Williams, Logan Browning and Steven Weber

Running with Beto – May 28th (HBO)

A behind-the-scenes documentary following Beto O’Rourke’s breakaway campaign to unseat Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate. (IMDb)

Directed by David Modigliani.

Featuring Beto and Amy O’Rourke.

Deadwood – May 31st (HBO)

Feature film based on the TV series, ‘Deadwood’. (IMDb)

Directed by Daniel Minahan. Written by David Milch.

Starring Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Kim Dickens, Molly Parker, Anna Gunn, Paula Malcomson, W. Earl Brown and Dayton Callie.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters – May 31st (Theatrical)

The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. (IMDb)

Directed by Michael Dougherty. Written by Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields.

Starring Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Kyle Chandler, Sally Hawkins, Ken Watanabe and Charles Dance.

Ma – May 31st (Theatrical)

A lonely woman befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn’t get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host. (IMDb)

Directed by Tate Taylor and written by Scotty Landes.

Starring Missi Pyle, Luke Evans, Juliette Lewis, Allison Janney and Octavia Spencer.

Dan’s Keith’s Top Five Picks of the Month

5) Brightburn – May 24th (Theatrical)

What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? (IMDb)

Directed by David Yarovesky. Written by Brian and Mark Gunn.

Starring Elizabeth Banks, David Denman and Jackson A. Dunn.

Why You Should See It: In a landscape full of superhero films, this anti-hero satire takes what we know about the genre and turns it on its head by giving it a horror twist thanks to the mind of executive producer James Gunn. What if Superman was evil?

4) Rocketman – May 31st (Theatrical)

A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. (IMDb)

Directed by Dexter Fletcher. Written by Lee Hall.

Starring Taron Egerton, Richard Madden and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Why You Should See It: After the baffling success of last year’s Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman looks to do the same for Elton John. The film looks to be larger than life, matching the look and style of the musical legends and Taron Egerton definitely looks the part. Whether or not it finds the same success remains to be seen.

3) Wine Country – May 10th (Netflix)

When a group of longtime girlfriends goes to Napa for the weekend to celebrate their friend’s 50th birthday, tensions from the past boil over. (IMDb)

Directed by Amy Poehler. Written by Liz Cackowski and Emily Spivey.

Starring Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, Jason Schwartzman and Rachel Dratch.

Why You Should See It: A bunch of funny ladies having fun together. Need I say more?

2) Detective Pikachu – May 10th (Theatrical)

In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective. (IMDb)

Directed by Rob Letterman. Written by Letterman, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit and Derek Connolly.

Starring Suki Waterhouse, Kathryn Newton, Justice Smith, Bill Nighy, Rob Delaney, Karan Soni, Ken Watanabe and the voice of Ryan Reynolds.

Why You Should See It: Pokémon is coming back! Seeing this world get the live-action treatment is impressive and brought back some feelings. Most films based on video games haven’t done particularly well but Detective Pikachu looks to buck the trend thanks to the perfectly-cast Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the titular character.

1) Booksmart – May 24th (Theatrical)

On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night. (IMDb)

Directed by Olivia Wilde. Written by Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins and Katie Silberman.

Starring Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, Skyler Gisondo, Molly Gordon, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte.

Why You Should See It: Booksmart is well on its way to become a potential teen classic in the vein of Superbad with a female twist. Many viewers will surely connect with the two main characters at the center of the story, played by rising stars Feldstein and Dever. Hilarious and heartfelt, Booksmart proves that Olivia Wilde is also a director to look out for.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.