Top Ten Movies to Look Out For: May 2014

10 – Stage Fright (May 9)

Director: Jerome Sable

Writer: Jerome Sable

Actors: Allie MacDonald, Douglas Smith, Brandon Uranowitz, Minnie Driver, Meat Loaf

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Musical

Rated: R

Let me be blunt here. There are a huge amount of amazing movies coming out in May. In fact, I had trouble limiting myself to only ten. I could have reached twenty easily. Everything that made the cut did so for a reason.

Stage Fright didn't make the list because I think it's going to be the most amazing movie of the year, summer or even month. In fact, I'm not exactly sure it's going to be worth the paper it's written on. So why do I care?

Look at the genre. Comedy. Horror. Musical. That just spells gold for a corny b-horror fan.

It looks like Glee if Kurt Hummel were to lose his mind and start stabbing people during the chorus. That's good enough for me, but then you throw in Meat Loaf and I get all giddy. The last horror musical I saw HIM in was The Rocky Horror Picture Show and that became a cult legend.

My point is, don't sell this movie short. If it's done as well as it could be, there might be a cult following just waiting for it to exist.

9 – Godzilla (May 16)

Director: Gareth Edwards

Writer: Max Borenstein

Actors: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated: PG-13

Alright. Here's the story. I've got no interest in Godzilla. If you've read far enough back in my blog, you'll know that's a little weird. I love creature features. Hell, my favorite guilty-pleasure movie is Jurassic Park. I used to watch it on repeat when I was on a deadline in college. It helped me concentrate.

Godzilla made the list solely because of the trailer. What I'm trying to do is ignore that this is a remake/reboot. Since the original, Godzilla has been given the same kind of respect that we tend to give cockroaches. However, this trailer doesn't look to bad.

Maybe this time, we'll get something decent out of the Godzilla franchise. Maybe it's just another crushed roach waiting to happen. I'm willing to give it a chance.

8 – Chef (May 9)

Director: Jon Favreau

Writer: Jon Favreau

Actors: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, Emjay Anthony, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Rated: R

I hadn't heard of this movie before I did the research for this list. When I saw the trailer, however, I was instantly hooked. You’d think it was because of Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr. or Sofia Vergara, but you’d be wrong.

I found the story to be intriguing; a chef looking for a way to do what he loves on his own terms. It's got all the charm and appeal of a sports underdog story, while adding a fresh new twist.

Personally, I'm looking forward to it.

7 – Bad Johnson (May 2)

Director: Huck Botko

Writer: Jeff Tetreault

Actors: Cam Gigandet, Nick Thune, Jamie Chung, Kevin Miller, Katherine Cunningham

Genre: Comedy

Rated: R

When I saw the cover and the name of this movie I thought it was going to be nothing more than a ridiculous amount of dick and fart jokes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not positive that's not exactly what it's going to be. What made me care was that the storyline seemed to take those dick jokes to a deep place. Pun intended.

Simply put, I believe this movie is going to be hilarious.

6 – Walk of Shame (May 2)

Director: Steven Brill

Writer: Steven Brill

Actors: Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Gillian Jacobs, Bill Burr, Liz Carey, Ken Davitian, Willie Garson, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Oliver Hudson, Alphonso McAuley, Kevin Nealon, Tig Notaro, Ethan Suplee, Sarah Wright

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Rated: R

Elizabeth Banks has my loyalty. I think she's a fantastic actress and she could pull off any role thrown at her. She's one of the underrated actresses that I think people are nuts to discount.

Not only would I watch this movie simply because Banks is in it, but it seems hilarious and, although it's reminiscent of The Hangover, it add various twists that make it feel less recipe and more inventive.

5 – Neighbors (May 9)

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Writer: Andrew Cohen, Brendan O’Brien

Actors: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco

Genre: Comedy

Rated: R

Two actors that I love are in this movie, Seth Rogen and Dave Franco. After This is the End, I'm fairly certain I would follow Seth Rogen into the unnecessary sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire if I had to. Dave Franco is twenty times more underrated than Elizabeth Banks, and yet I think he's better than his brother by far. It's unfortunate that he gets type-cast.

Neighbors is going to be chaotic and hilarious and gross. I can't wait.

4 – Belle (May 2)

Director: Amma Asante

Writer: Misan Sagay

Actors: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Penelope Wilton, Miranda Richardson, Tom Felton, Matthew Goode

Genre: Drama, Romance

Rated: PG

Shocked to see a true-blue drama up here? So am I. I don't usually get into the period-piece, drama, romance thing. I like action. I like explosions. I like dick jokes. I'd rather watch Clerks than any drama that won any award in the history of time.

The truth is, I'm not sure what drew me in to this movie. Something about the trailer just took my breath away. I want to see it. Hell, I want to pay money to see it. Maybe it's because of the way it touches on equality, a cause that's very dear to my heart. I wish I could tell you.

Whatever the reason, Belle looks absolutely amazing.

3 – X-men: Days of Future Past (May 23)

Director: Bryan Singer

Writer: Simon Kinberg

Actors: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Elliot Page, Shawn Ashmore, Peter Dinklage, Omar Sy, Daniel Cudmore, Fan Bingbing, Boo Boo Stewart, Adan Canto, Evan Peters, Josh Helman, Lucas Till, Evan Jonigkeit

Genre: Action, Adventure

Rated: PG-13

It's MARVEL. What other reason do I need?

Do yourself a favor, don't be an idiot. Stay until after the credits. Marvel ALWAYS has scenes after the credits and they're ALWAYS important to the big picture. Whenever I go to see a Marvel movie in the theaters, I count the idiots that walk out and miss the rest of the ending. If you're going to shell out twelve bucks to see a movie, maybe you should watch the whole thing.

2 – Maleficent (May 30)

Director: Robert Stromberg

Writer: Linda Woolverton

Actors: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville

Genre: Action, Adventure

Rated: PG

This movie came on my radar during casting. The moment I heard Angelina Jolie was going to play Maleficent, I knew I had to see it. I'm a fairy-tale, Disney junkie. I LOVE this kind of movie. I love Maleficent even more because it's from the eyes of the villain. How cool is that?

After seeing the trailer, I became even more gung-ho about getting to see this in theaters. Jolie looks insanely good for her part. The take on the fairies is fascinating and even the curse with the spindle needle took on a new and fascinating tone.

I'm looking forward to seeing if Disney will have us sympathizing with Maleficent or if we'll still view her as a cold-hearted villain in the end.

1 – A Million Ways to Die in the West (May 30)

Director: Seth MacFarlane

Writer: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Sulkin, Wellesley Wild

Actors: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Sara Silverman, Neil Patrick Harris

Genre: Comedy, Western

Rated: R

Forget the movie. I could watch the trailer about a hundred times without getting bored.

Seth MacFarlane is incredible, if you like his brand of comedy. I do. A lot. When you add in the star-studded cast set to be in A Million Ways to Die in the West and I can't imagine how this movie could go bad.

If the only great parts in this movie are what we see in the trailer, it's still going to be worth watching, just to put it into context.