Opening the week of May 27th

The Hangover Part II

Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Plot: Right after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms), Alan (Galifianakis), and Doug (Bartha) jet to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu's plan for a subdued pre-wedding brunch, however, goes seriously awry.

My Take: As I didn't see the first Hangover and that I have no interest in sophomoric and toilet humor I will not be seeing this one. If those sorts of things interest you then by all means do so.

Kung Fu Panda 2

Director: Jennifer Yuh
Stars: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan (Full Cast)
Studio: Paramount Pictures

The Plot: Po (voice of Black) and the Furious Five venture to China to battle a villain and uncover the secrets of Po's mysterious origins.

My Take: An interesting choice of sequels as the first seemed to have fulfilled all the  potential that it was ever going to have. This looks like it has a decent chance of being entertaining. I will probably go and see this one if it lasts long enough in theater otherwise I will probably pick it up on DVD.

Of Gods and Men

Thor

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman (Full Cast)
Studio: Paramount Pictures

The Plot: The warrior Thor (Hemsworth) is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard by his father Odin (Hopkins) for his arrogance and sent to Earth to live among humans. Falling in love with scientist Jane Foster (Portman) teaches Thor much-needed lessons, and his new-found strength comes into play as a villain from his homeland sends dark forces toward Earth.

My Take: I really can't fault this movie as it was probably the best and most comic book movie to come out of marvel studios. The action was top notch and the pace was spot on. If you see only one movie this spring see this one. I will admit that Thor is not my favorite Marvel hero (that title goes to Iron Man) and I will admit that he is fairly low on the list but this movie made me a believer.

Entertainment: 5
Family-Friendly: 4
Special Effects: 5
Plot: 4

Released this week of May 13th, 2011

Bridesmaids

Director: Paul Feig
Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures

The Plot: Picked as her best friend's maid of honor, lovelorn and broke Annie (Wiig) looks to bluff her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals with an oddball group of bridesmaids.

My Take: Anotehr romantic comedy about weddings. While I am probably not going to see this one in the theater it might be worth a look on DVD with any woman in my life that likes to watch these sorts of movies. It looks to be somewhat funny and entertaining but I think I will pass this time. 

Priest

Director: Scott Charles Stewart
Stars: Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q (Full Cast)
Studio: Screen Gems

The Plot: A priest (Bettany) disobeys church law to track down the vampires who kidnapped his niece.

My Take: Could be entertaining. As a movie about a vampire hunter that also happens to be a priest My only problem with it is that it is 3D. Regular readers know that I think most movies could do without the 3D treatment because the studio would save money if the script was decent. I will probably see this one but as of this writing, I am not sure how or when. I highly recommend this one as your first choice this weekend.