Summer Movie Picks: May

With May about a week away, we are fast approaching the summer movie season, so here's a look at my top picks for the month.

Must See: Star Trek (May 8th)

The Deal: Director J.J. Abrams (Cloverfield, LOST, Alias) brings a new vision to the Star Trek universe with his chronicle of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine, Smokin' Aces) and his early years in Starfleet and ascension to U.S.S. Enterprise captain. Also starring Zachary Quinto (Heroes, 24) as Spock, Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) as Scotty, Karl Urban (The Lord of the Rings) as Dr. Leonard McCoy, and Eric Bana (Troy, Munich) as Nero. Leonard Nemoy will be playing "Old Spock."

Why: Abrams is a hot director coming off of his recent success with the film Cloverfield and the wildly popular TV show LOST. From what I've seen from the movie trailers, he's done his best to make a Star Trek film that will appeal to both Trekkies and the casual movie viewer. The visuals I've seen so far are great and very promising for the film. From what I've previously seen of the Star Trek world, the show was corny and the films all sucked (I am aware I just pissed off a very very large community). That aside, this looks like the first big-budget summer blockbuster that will prove both entertaining and satisfying to movie goers and Trekkies alike looking for some overblown CGI, a familiar cast, and a movie that even if disappointing should provide enough entertainment to justify the ridiculous theater prices.

Sleepers

Angels & Demons (May 15): Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon in the sequel to The Da Vinci Code, and joining him this round is Ewan McGregor. Though many found The Da Vinci Code somewhat disappointing, the books are very popular and this installment should prove enjoyable enough. Personally, I felt Angels & Demons was the better of the two books, so here's to hoping Ron Howard's new film follows suit.

Terminator Salvation (May 22): Christian Bale takes a crack at John Connor in a film I believe many are overlooking. Though likely to sadly meet the chopping block, FOX's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles proved that the Terminator universe had not run its coarse and that there were plenty of interesting things that could still be done. We all heard Bale's outburst from the set of this film, so here's to hoping that the writers and McG took things just as seriously.

Up (May 29): Hopefully the next great Pixar film, Up is the first to be filmed in Disney Digital 3-D. Pixar really isn't in the department of making bad movies, and from the little bits I've seen, this could be another decent one. It looks to have some humor, but I'm guessing this will be an adventurous movie. With or without raving reviews, this is Pixar, and it's also the first family-friendly summer "blockbuster."