May 2015
Books on Screen
May 2015
It's May, which means it's time to grab a big bucket of popcorn and get ready to see all your favorite superheroes kick some butt in Avengers: Age of Ultron! Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow and the team are all back in this sequel to The Avengers. This time, Earth's Mightiest Heroes must battle the villaninous Ultron to save the planet.
Or if you're feeling musical, check out Pitch Perfect 2! The Bellas are back, and this time they're taking their a capella skills on the road. Beca and the girls enter an international acapella competition that no U.S. team has ever won before. You're definitely going to want to sing along to their newest musical mashups.
So get out there this May and check out these great books on screen!
In Theaters:
Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Joss Whedon
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 1st
Based on: Marvel comics by Stan Lee
Marvel Studios presents Avengers: Age of Ultron, the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 1st
Based On: FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD by Thomas Hardy
Based on the literary classic by Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd is the story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene, who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy, a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba’s choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love --- as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance.
Cast: Diane Keaton, Morgan Freeman, Cynthia Nixon
Director: Richard Loncraine
Distributor: Focus Features
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 8th (limited)
Based On: HEROIC MEASURES by Jill Climent
Forty years ago, artist Alex Carver bought a run-down apartment in a sketchy part of Brooklyn with his wife, schoolteacher Ruth. Today, their neighborhood is now very hip and their apartment worth a small fortune. The now-retired Ruth and Alex haven’t changed --- they are still as much in love as ever. But they have let Ruth’s niece Lily, a real estate agent, list their property to see what the market might bear.
On the eve of their open house, the Brooklyn Bridge is rumored to be under a terrorist attack, sending the media into a frenzy and people’s attitudes about living in New York. Closer to home, Dorothy, the Carver’s beloved dog, is suddenly having trouble walking.
While Dorothy is having expensive treatment at the vet, Ruth convinces Alex to go apartment hunting in Manhattan, where they miraculously come across an ideal place they might actually be able to afford. As the world around them seems to mirror their own chaos and confusion, Ruth and Alex realize the same bond of love that has kept them together all these years will allow them to see their way through this crazy weekend as well.
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Elizabeth Banks, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Distributor: Universal Studios
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 15th
Based On: PITCH PERFECT: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory
After a humiliating command performance at Lincoln Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform.
On TV:
“Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”
Cast: Eddie Marsan, Bertie Carvel, Alice Englert, Marc Warren, Samuel West and Charlotte Riley
Network: BBC
Air Dates: May 2015 (limited)
Based On: JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL by Susanna Clarke
Set at the beginning of the 19th-century, England no longer believes in practical magic. The reclusive Mr. Norrell of Hurtfew Abbey stuns the city of York when he causes the statues of York Cathedral to speak and move. With a little persuasion and help from his man of business Childermass, he goes to London to help the government in the war against Napoleon. It is there Norrell summons a fairy to bring Lady Pole back from the dead, opening a whole can of worms…
Cast: Sutton Foster, Miriam Shor, Debi Mazar, Hilary Duff, Nico Tortorella
Network: TV Land
Air Dates: Tuesdays at 10pm ET
Based On: YOUNGER by Pamela Redmond Satran
“Younger” follows 40-year-old Liza, a suddenly single mother who tries to get back into the working world, only to find it’s nearly impossible to start at the bottom at her age. When a chance encounter with the sexy Josh, a young tattoo artist, convinces her she looks younger than she is, Liza tries to pass herself off as 26 --- with the help of a makeover, courtesy of her best friend Maggie. Armed with new confidence, she lands a job as an assistant to the temperamental Diana and teams up with her new co-worker and 20something Kelsey to make it in the career of her dreams. Now she just has to make sure no one discovers her secret.
Cast: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Rick Cosnett, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Jessie L. Martin
Network: The CW
Air Dates:Tuesdays at 8pm ET
Based On: The Flash: DC Comics character created by Robert Kanigher, John Broome and Carmine Infantino
“The Flash” follows the adventures of scientist Barry Allen, who is a superhero with incredible speed.
Cast: Stephen Amell, Colin Donnell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Susanna Thompson, Paul Blackthorne
Network: The CW
Air Dates:Wednesdays at 8pm ET
Based On: DC Comics character Green Arrow created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp
After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he's become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow --- a vigilante --- to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society and restore Starling City to its former glory.
Cast: Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Steven R. McQueen, Kat Graham, Candice Accola
Network: The CW
Air Dates: Thursdays at 8pm ET
Based On: The Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith
Months after this devastating tragedy, everyone is dealing with the loss of their loved ones in different ways, some more destructively than others. What happened to Bonnie and Damon, and if they can even be saved, remains a mystery. Meanwhile, their beloved hometown of Mystic Falls continues to be a magic-free zone, protected by a mysterious new community watch program. If there’s any hope of salvaging their former lives, our heroes must find a way to push through their grief and band together. This season will explore themes of loss, denial and what it means to move on in the face of immortality, ultimately begging the age-old question --- can you ever really go home again?
On DVD:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Sam Claflin, Liam Hemsworth, Julianne Moore, Donald Sutherland
Director: Francis Lawrence
Distributor: Lionsgate Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: March 6th
Based On: MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins
The worldwide phenomenon of The Hunger Games continues to set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, which finds Katniss Everdeen in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.
Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne
Director: Will Gluck
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG
DVD Release Date: March 17th
Based On: The Little Orphan Annie comic series by Harold Gray
In modern-day New York City, Annie is an orphan/foster child living under the cruelty of Miss Hannigan. Originally left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they'd be back for her someday, it's been a hard knock life ever since. But everything's about to change when hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks --- advised by his VP, Grace, and his shrewd and scheming campaign advisor, Guy --- makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Stacks believes he's her guardian angel, but Annie's self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it's the other way around.
Cast: Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garret Hedlund
Director: Angelina Jolie
Distributor: Universal Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: March 24th
Based On: UNBROKEN: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
World War II hero Louis "Louie" Zamperini, a former Olympic track star, survives a plane crash in the Pacific, spends 47 days drifting on a raft, and then more than two and a half years living in several Japanese prisoner of warcamps.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom
Director: Peter Jackson
Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: March 24th
Based on: THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien
Having reclaimed Erebor and a vast treasure from the dragon Smaug, Thorin Oakenshield sacrifices friendship and honor in his search for the Arkenstone, despite Smaug's fiery wrath and Bilbo's desperate attempts to make him see reason. Meanwhile, Sauron sends forth legions of Orcs in a sneak attack upon the Lonely Mountain. As the ultimate fate of Middle Earth hangs in the balance, the races of Men, Elves and Dwarves must decide whether to unite or die.
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode
Director: Morten Tyldum
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
MPAA Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: March 31st
Based on: ALAN TURING: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges
In The Imitation Game, Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, the genius British mathematician, logician, cryptologist and computer scientist who led the charge to crack the German Enigma Code that helped the Allies win WWII. Turing went on to assist with the development of computers at the University of Manchester after the war, but was prosecuted by the UK government in 1952 for homosexual acts, which the country deemed illegal.
