Here we are in May, and spring has finally sprung. The evidence is everywhere around us --- the grass has begun to grow green and thick again , and those tulips you planted last season are finally proving that they are indeed perennial and, despite your best efforts, you didn’t kill them with neglect last summer. This spring, we’ve heard, will be rough on allergy sufferers, but fear not! If the pollen keeps you house-bound, there’s plenty of books on screen to keep you occupied.

Fans of “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm and America’s Pastime --- now back, as they say, in full swing --- should enjoy Million Dollar Arm, adapted from J. B. Bernstein’s book of the same name, which has absolutely nothing to do with Million Dollar Baby. Hamm stars as the sports agent Bernstein, who discovers two future major league pitchers, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, both former cricket players from the appropriately named town Lucknow, India. The ubiquitous James Franco also returns to the theater this month in Palo Alto, adapted from his own book of short stories about rebellious teens in an affluent California community. The film is the directorial debut for Gia Coppola, granddaughter of Francis Ford and niece of Sofia. Quite a family, huh?

For those looking for lighter fare --- explosions, masked men living out childhood fantasies and the like --- Marvel Entertainment has you covered. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hit theaters early in the month, crammed to the brim with nefarious baddies, eye-popping acrobatic sequences and a healthy dose of upside-down smooching, courtesy of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. Marvel’s perpetual underdog franchise also hits the big screen this month on May 23rd in X-Men: Days of Future Past, an adaptation of Chris Claremont’s classic time-traveling story arc from the 1980s starring two Professor Xaviers (Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy), two Magnetos (Ian McKellan and Michael Fassbender) and an absurdly long list of actors you probably love, including Peter Dinklage.

Speaking of Dinklage, expect things to get tougher for him this month on HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” as his trial for something very big that we refuse to spoil here commences. This season adapts the end of A STORM OF SWORDS, the third book in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, as well as bits of the fourth book, A FEAST FOR CROWS, and is sure to get bloodier, sexier and even more surprising as the tale goes ever on and on. For the at-home crowd looking for a good televised scare, Zoe Saldana will lead the two-part, four-hour NBC miniseries “Rosemary’s Baby,” a new adaptation of Ira Levin’s classic psychological horror novel of the same name. And for those who remain couch bound and just want a good flick, this month’s best DVD may be THE MONUMENTS MEN, the George Clooney-directed World War II tale about a military unit dedicated to saving priceless works of Western art held by the Third Reich.

There’s plenty to love this month for all breeds of readers and watchers. Just don’t let that stop you from picking up a book or two.
 

--- Written and compiled by John Maher

In Theaters:

Belle
Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson
Director: Amma Asante
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG
Release Date: May 2nd
Based On: BELLE: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice by Paula Byrne

This film is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate mixed race daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield and his wife, Belle's lineage affords her certain privileges, yet her status prevents her from the traditions of noble social standing. While her cousin Elizabeth chases suitors for marriage, Belle is left on the sidelines wondering if she will ever find love. After meeting an idealistic young vicar's son bent on changing society, he and Belle help shape Lord Mansfield's role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan
Director: Marc Webb
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 2nd
Based On: Comic characters by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

We've always known that Spider-Man's most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead.

It's great to be Spider-Man. For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero and spending time with Gwen. But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro, Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.

Devil’s Knot
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Alessandro Nivola
Director: Atom Egoyan
Distributor: Icon Film Distribution 
MPAA Rating: N/A
Release Date: May 9th (in theaters and VOD)  
Based On: DEVIL’S KNOT: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt

This gripping film is based on the true story of the murder of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas and the murder trial that shocked the nation. Three young boys playing in the nearby woods never come home for dinner. In the rush to find and convict the killers, police focus on a trio of teenagers suspected of devil worship. As the mother of one of the murdered boys tries to come to grips with this unspeakable tragedy, she is desperate to believe that the killers have been found and will be brought to justice. It is only when an investigator reveals that the evidence doesn't all add up, that the community is forced to face the reality that the true killer might still be out there.

The Double
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Chris O’Dowd
Director: Richard Ayoade
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: May 9th
Based On: THE DOUBLE by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Simon is a timid man, scratching out an isolated existence in an indifferent world. He is overlooked at work, scorned by his mother and ignored by the woman of his dreams. He feels powerless to change any of these things. The arrival of a new co-worker, James, serves to upset the balance. James is both Simon's exact physical double and his opposite --- confident, charismatic and good with women. To Simon's horror, James slowly starts taking over his life.

God’s Pocket
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro        
Director: John Slattery
Distributor: IFC Films
MPAA Rating: N/A
Release Date: May 9th  
Based On: GOD’S POCKET by Pete Dexter

When Mickey's crazy stepson Leon is killed in a construction “accident,” nobody in the working class neighborhood of God's Pocket is sorry he's gone. Mickey tries to bury the bad news with the body, but when the boy's mother demands the truth, Mickey finds himself stuck in a life and death struggle between a body he can't bury, a wife he can't please and a debt he can't pay.

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return
Cast: (voices of) Kelsey Grammer, Lea Michele, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Dancy, Dan Aykroyd
Director: Will Finn, Dan St. Pierre
Distributor: Clarius Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG
Release Date: May 9th  
Based On: THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ by Roger S. Baum

Dorothy’s only just returned home from her first incredible journey to Oz, but she’s already being called back for another adventure! After waking to post-tornado Kansas, Dorothy and Toto are whisked to Oz on a magical rainbow mover sent by their old friends the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Man. Time in Oz has passed much faster than back in Kansas, and Dorothy discovers that the Jester --- the devious brother of the Wicked Witch of the West --- is taking Oz over one region at a time, holding their leaders captive and casting a pall of darkness over the beloved land. Even Glinda is unable to combat the Jester’s evil powers, making Dorothy their only hope.

Palo Alto
Cast: James Franco, Emma Roberts, Val Kilmer
Director: Gia Coppola
Distributor: Tribeca Films
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: May 9th 
Based On: PALO ALTO: Stories by James Franco

A lack of parental guidance encourages teens in an affluent California town to rebel with substance abuse and casual sex.

Million Dollar Arm
Cast: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Lake Bell, Alan Arkin
Director: Craig Gillespie
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG
Release Date: May 16th 
Based On: MILLION DOLLAR ARM: Sometimes to Win, You Have to Change the Game by J. B. Bernstein

JB Bernstein is a once-successful sports agent who now finds himself edged out by bigger, slicker competitors. He and his partner, Aash, will have to close their business down for good if JB doesn't come up with something fast. Late one night, while watching cricket being played in India on TV, JB comes up with an idea so radical it just might work. Why not go to there and find the next baseball pitching sensation? Setting off for Mumbai with nothing but a gifted but cantankerous scout in tow, JB stages a televised, nationwide competition called "Million Dollar Arm" where 40,000 hopefuls compete before two 18-year-old finalists, Rinku and Dinesh, emerge as winners. JB brings them back to the United States to train with legendary pitching coach Tom House. The goal: get the boys signed to a major league team. Not only is the game itself difficult to master, but life in the U.S. with a committed bachelor makes things even more complicated-for all of them. While Rinku and Dinesh learn the finer points of baseball and American culture, they in turn teach JB the true meaning of teamwork and commitment. Ultimately, what began as a purely commercial venture becomes something more and leads JB to find the one thing he was never looking for at all --- a family.

Cold in July
Cast: Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, Sam Shepard
Director: Jim Mickle
Distributor: IFC Films
MPAA Rating: N/A
Release Date: May 23rd 
Based On: COLD IN JULY by Joe R. Lansdale

After accidentally killing an unarmed intruder, Richard Dane must contend with the man's angry father, Ben Russell. However, Dane begins to suspect that cop Ray Price may be hiding information from him that would indicate that he was involved in something much more complicated.

Tracks
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver
Director: John Curran
Distributor: Transmission Films
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 23rd
Based On: TRACKS: A Woman’s Solo Trek Across 1,700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson

This film tells the incredible true story of Robyn Davidson, a young woman who in 1977 undertook a perilous solo trek across 1,700 miles of stunning Australian outback. Abandoning city life, Robyn arrives in Alice Springs and declares her ambition to cross the desert to the Indian Ocean to the amusement of the locals. However after months of camping out and working on a camel farm people begin to take her seriously. A chance meeting with National Geographic photographer Rick Smoland provides her with the necessary financing for her expedition under the condition that he be allowed to photograph parts of her journey for the magazine. With only her dog and four unpredictable camels for company, she embarks on an inspiring and life-changing journey of self-discovery.

X-Men: Days of Future Past
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Evan Peters, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult
Director: Bryan Singer
Distributor: 20^th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 23rd 
Based On: UNCANNY X-MEN, “Days of Future Past” by Chris Claremont and John Byrne

The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The beloved characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from X-Men: First Class, in an epic battle that must change the past --- to save our future.

Filth
Cast: James McAvoy
Director: John S. Baird
Distributor: Lionsgate
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: May 30th 
Based On: FILTH by Irvine Welsh

A bipolar, bigoted junkie cop manipulates and hallucinates his way through the festive season in a bid to secure promotion and win back his wife and daughter.

On TV:

“Rosemary’s Baby”
Cast: Zoe Saldana, Patrick J. Adams, Jason Isaacs
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Two-part, four-hour series airing on May 11th and May 15th at 9pm ET
Based On: ROSEMARY’S BABY by Ira Levin

Based on the 1967 best-selling suspense novel by Ira Levin, this new adaptation of ROSEMARY’S BABY centers on a young married couple who escapes New York and moves to Paris with hopes of leaving their sad past behind. After a series of unfortunate events, Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are presented with an offer they can't refuse --- an apartment at the most prestigious address in the city. Problem is, it comes with a haunted past and an immeasurable price.

“Game of Thrones”
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke
Network: HBO
Air Dates: Sundays at 9pm ET
Based On: A STORM OF SWORDS by George R. R. Martin

Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne rages on. It stretches from the south, where the heat breeds plots, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men…all play the ‘Game of Thrones.’

"Turn" 
Cast: Jamie Bell, Seth Numrich, Heather Lind, Kevin McNally
Network: AMC
Air Dates: Sundays at 9pm ET
Based On: WASHINGTON'S SPIES: The Story of America's First Spy Ring by Alexander Rose

Based on Alexander Rose’s book WASHINGTON’S SPIES, AMC’s “Turn” tells the untold story of America’s first spy ring. A historical thriller set during the Revolutionary War, “Turn” centers on Abe Woodhull, a farmer living in British-occupied Long Island who bands together with his childhood friends to form the Culper Ring --- an unlikely team of secret agents who not only went on to help George Washington turn the tide of the war but also gave birth to modern spycraft.

“Resurrection”
Cast: Omar Epps, Frances Fisher, Matt Craven, Devin Kelley
Network: ABC
Air Dates: Sundays at 9pm ET
Based On: THE RETURNED by Jason Mott

The people of Arcadia, Missouri are forever changed when their deceased loved ones suddenly start to return. An eight-year-old American boy wakes up alone in a rice paddy in a rural Chinese province with no idea how he got there. Details start to emerge when the boy, who calls himself Jacob, recalls that his hometown is Arcadia, and an Immigration agent, J. Martin Bellamy, takes him there. The home he claims as his own is occupied by an elderly couple, Henry and Lucille Langston, who lost their son, Jacob, more than 30 years ago. While they look different, young Jacob recognizes them as his parents. Those closest to the family try to unravel this impossible mystery --- but this boy who claims to be the deceased Jacob knows secrets about his own death that no one else knows.

“About a Boy”
Cast: David Walton, Minnie Driver, Benjamin Stockham
Network: NBC
Season 1 Finale: Tuesday, May 13th at 9:00pm ET
Based On: ABOUT A BOY by Nick Hornby

Successful songwriter and bachelor Will Freeman lives a carefree life as the "ultimate man-child." His perfect world is turned upside down when single mom Fiona and her 11-year-old son Marcus move in next door.

“Hannibal”
Cast: Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Hettienne Park, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Lara Jean Chorostecki
Network: NBC
Season 2 Finale: Friday, May 23rd at 10pm ET
Based On: RED DRAGON by Thomas Harris

The dark and haunting series "Hannibal" returns for a second season with more shocking revelations and psychological cat and mouse games. Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) is locked in a mental asylum accused of Hannibal Lecter's crimes (Mads Mikkelsen). Now that Will sees Hannibal for what he truly is, he faces a fight to prove his own sanity and convince those closest to him he is innocent of murder. Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) is dealing with his own feelings about Will and whether his protégé is in fact a cold-blooded killer. Looking for answers, Jack turns to Hannibal, a man he has come to trust. With Will locked up, Hannibal becomes Jack's new consultant on cases. Hannibal is torn between self-preservation and his desire to keep Will close to him, despite advice from his psychiatrist, Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson), to stay away. 

The deadly dance between these characters continues to turn in startling and unexpected ways, in a season that will show that nothing can ever be the same again.

"The Vampire Diaries"
Cast: Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Steven R. McQueen, Kat Graham, Candice Accola
Network: The CW
Season 5 Finale: Thursday, May 16th at 8pm ET
Based On: The Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith

In the tumultuous fourth season of "The Vampire Diaries," the world of Mystic Falls was turned upside down when the beautiful and compassionate Elena Gilbert came face-to-face with her worst nightmare --- life as a vampire. While Elena struggled to control her new powers and the overwhelming thirst for blood, the astonishing news that a cure for vampirism may actually exist reached Damon and Stefan Salvatore, the two vampire brothers who love her. Their search for the cure leads the brothers, along with Elena’s brother Jeremy and her best friends Bonnie and Carol, to a horrifying confrontation with the ancient and all-powerful immortal, Silas, who has been entombed with the cure for more than 2,000 years. But Elena isn’t the only vampire who longs to return to life as a human, and the question of who will take the cure is resolved in the heart-stopping season finale, along with moments of unexpected joy, unspeakable sorrow, and a confession of true love.

The series heads into its fifth season with some characters headed off to college, a newly cured vampire trying to survive as a human, and a shocking Salvatore secret.

On DVD:

I, Frankenstein
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Socratis Otto, Jai Courtney, Kevin Grevioux
Director: Stuart Beattie
Distributor: Lionsgate
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: May 13th
Based On: I, FRANKENSTEIN by Kevin Grevioux

Set in a dystopic present where vigilant gargoyles and ferocious demons rage in a battle for ultimate power, Victor Frankenstein's creation Adam finds himself caught in the middle as both sides race to discover the secret to his immortality. From the co-writer of the hit supernatural saga, UNDERWORLD, comes the action thriller I, FRANKENSTEIN, written for the screen and directed by Stuart Beattie, screen story by Kevin Grevioux and Stuart Beattie, based on the Darkstorm Studios graphic novel I, FRANKENSTEIN created by Kevin Grevioux, and brought to life by a cast that includes Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Socratis Otto, Jai Courtney, Kevin Grevioux, Mahesh Jadu, Caitlin Stasey and Aden Young as Victor Frankenstein.

The Monuments Men
Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, John Goodman
Director: George Clooney
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: May 20th
Based On: THE MONUMENTS MEN: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history,The Monuments Men is an action-thriller focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys --- seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 --- possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1,000 years of culture, they wouldrisk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements.

Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters
Cast: Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Dominic Sherwood, Sarah Hyland, Danila Kozlovsky, Cameron Monaghan
Director: Mark Waters
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: May 20th
Based On: VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead

Based on author Richelle Mead’s worldwide bestselling series,Vampire Academy tells the legend of Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir, two 17-year-old girls who attend a hidden boarding school for Moroi (mortal, peaceful vampires) and Dhampirs (half-vampire/half-human guardians). Rose, a rebellious guardian-in-training and her best friend, Lissa --- a royal vampire princess --- have been on the run when they are captured and returned to St. Vladamir's Academy, the very place where they believe their lives may be in most jeopardy. Thrust back into the perils of Moroi society and high school, Lissa struggles to reclaim her status while Rose trains with her mentor and love-interest, Dimitri, to guarantee her place as Lissa’s guardian. Rose will sacrifice everything to protect Lissa from those who intend to exploit her from within the Academy walls and the Strigoi (immortal, evil vampires) who hunt her kind from outside its sanctuary. 

In Secret
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac, Tom Felton, Jessica Lange
Director: Charlie Stratton
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
MPAA Rating: R
DVD Release Date: May 20th
Based On: IN SECRET by Émile Zola (originally published as THERESE RAQUIN)

Set in the lower echelons of 1860s Paris, Thérèse Raquin, a sexually repressed beautiful young woman, is trapped into a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille, by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin. Therese spends her days confined behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame play dominoes with an eclectic group. After she meets her husband's alluring friend, Laurent, she embarks on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences.

Endless Love
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Gabriella Wilde, Bruce Greenwood, Joely Richardson, Robert Patrick, Rhys Wakefield
Director: Shana Feste
Distributor: Universal Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: May 27th
Based On: ENDLESS LOVE by Scott Spencer

Endless Love stars Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike) and Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers) in the story of a privileged girl and a charismatic boy whose instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart.