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Here Are All the Movies Opening Today, May 1; What Will You See?

Here Are All the Movies Opening Today, May 1; What Will You See?
Here Are All the Movies Opening Today, May 1; What Will You See?

Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, May 1. [Synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.]

Wide

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Paul Bettany
Synopsis: “When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes 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.”
Criticwire Grade Average: B- (12 reviews)


Far From the Madding Crowd
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Juno Temple, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge, Matthias Schoenaerts, Hilton McRae, John Neville, Richard Dixon, Jamie Lee-Hill, David Golt, Eloise Oliver, Ashley Whiteman
Synopsis: “The story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), 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.”
Criticwire Grade Average: B+ (12 reviews)


Limited

Any Day
Director: Rustman Branaman
Cast: Sean Bean, Kate Walsh, Eva Longoria, Tom Arnold, Shane Black, Paul Ben-Victor, Willa Ford, Leonard Roberts
Synopsis: “Vian McLean (Sean Bean) is an ex-fighter who is filled with resentment. He killed a man with his bare hands and has just spent the last 12 years in prison for the crime. Upon his release from prison, he comes to stay with his Sister Bethley (Kate Walsh) and her son Jimmy, who gets to know Vian and looks up to his uncle as the greatest man he has ever known. Vian struggles to find a job and does, and then meets a girl, Jolene (Eva Longoria), and falls in love. Everything seems to be working out, but when a tragic event happens Vian is thrown into a dark place and faces the greatest challenge of his life, only to be shown the right path in a sudden experience that will alter his life forever.”
Theatrical Release: Select Markets


Cas & Dylan
Director: Jason Priestley
Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Richard Dreyfuss
Synopsis: “When 61-year-old self-proclaimed loner and terminally ill, Dr. Cas Pepper, reluctantly agrees to give 22-year-old social misfit, Dylan Morgan, a very short lift home, the last thing he anticipates is that he will strike her angry boyfriend with his car, find himself on the lam, and ultimately drive across the country with an aspiring young writer determined to help him overcome his own bizarre case of suicide note writer’s block. But as fate would have it, that is exactly what happens. Suddenly Cas’s solo one-way trip out West isn’t so solo. With Dylan at his side, the two take off on an adventure that will open their eyes to some of life’s lessons – both big and small.”
Theatrical Release: New York and Los Angeles


The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?
Director: Jon Schnepp
Synopsis: “A documentary about the proposed Tim Burton/Nicolas Cage 1998 ‘Superman Lives’ feature film that would have been the most original and strangest Superman movie ever.”
Theatrical Release: Los Angeles


Far From Men

Director: David Oelhoffen
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Reda Kateb
Synopsis: “The year is 1954, the war is beginning and village schoolteacher Daru, an ex-French Army soldier, is caught in the crossfire. Born in Algeria but Spanish by lineage, he’s a man out of time and place, perceived as alien by both locals and colonizers alike. So when he reluctantly agrees to escort a dissident to a regional police station to face trial for murder, a series of incidents and revelations force the question of where Daru’s loyalties truly lie.”
Criticwire Grade Average: B (11 reviews)
Theatrical Release: Los Angeles


Fishing Naked

Director: Pete Coggan
Cast: Bronson Pelletier, Elyse Levesque, Tinsel Korey, Evan Williams, Elaine Miles, Steve Reevis
Synopsis: “When a series of Bigfoot hoaxes get out of hand, hormones and hilarity ensue. Two fly fisherman buddies, David and Rodney, simply want to drive tourists away from their idyllic fly fishing river paradise. But they stumble upon two gorgeous trust-fund chicks, and the foursome takes the gags to the next level. From Sasquatch suits and YouTube pranks to a giant fake spaceship, their hoaxes start to backfire: attracting attention rather than scaring off tourists. As TV crews, the FBI and even an extraterrestrial visitor descend upon their pristine mountain community, these four pranksters are quick to respond … they get baked and go fishing. Flirtatious sparks ignite even as the mayhem explodes around them.”
Theatrical Release: Colorado (expands throughout May)


Gerontophilia
Director: Bruce LaBruce
Cast: Pier-Gabriel Lajoie, Walter Borden, Katie Boland, Marie-Hélène Thibault, Nastassia Markiewicz
Synopsis: “Despite the fact that Lake (Pier-Gabriel Lajoie) and his girlfriend Désirée (Katie Boland) have been together for a long time, lately Lake has been wondering whether his obsession with old men may have a sexual component. When Lake’s mother lands him a summer job at a local retirement community, any lingering doubts are laid to rest as the conflicted teen starts to fall for Mr. Peabody (Walter Borden), a patient who regales the smitten young man with romanticized tales of his youth. Disturbed by the discovery that the patients are being administered psychotropic drugs to keep them complacent, and determined to fulfill Mr. Peabody’s wish to see the Pacific Ocean one last time, Lake carefully begins to cut the dosage before helping the old man stage a daring escape. Later, posing as a boy and his grandfather as they make their way to the sea, Lake and Mr. Peabody learn that true love doesn’t discriminate by age.” [Toronto International Film Festival]
Criticwire Grade Average: B (11 reviews)
Theatrical Release: New York


Hyena
Director: Gerard Johnson
Cast: Peter Ferdinando, Stephen Graham, Neil Maskell, Elisa Lasowski, MyAnna Buring, Richard Dormer, Tony Pitts
Synopsis: “Michael Logan is an anti-hero for our times: a natural predator and a complex mix of high-functioning addict and corrupt police officer. But his dark world is evolving. A recent influx of ruthless Albanian gangsters is threatening to change London’s criminal landscape. Michael’s razor sharp instincts have always kept him one step ahead, but now his increasingly self-destructive behavior and the sheer brutality of the new gang lords find Michael in a spiraling descent of fear and self-doubt.”
Criticwire Grade Average: C (8 reviews)
Theatrical Release: New York and Los Angeles


Iris

Director: Albert Maysles
Synopsis: “‘Iris‘ pairs legendary 87-year-old documentarian Albert Maysles with Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how, even in Iris’ dotage, a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. IRIS portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art and people are life’s sustenance and reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment. Despite the abundance of glamour in her current life, she continues to embrace the values and work ethic established during a middle-class Queens upbringing during the Great Depression.”
Criticwire Grade Average: A- (13 reviews)
Theatrical Release: New York and Los Angeles (expands to various cities nationwide throughout the rest of the month)


Marie’s Story
Director: Jean-Pierre Améris
Cast: Isabelle Carré, Ariana Rivoire, Brigitte Catillon, Laure Duthilleul, Martine Gautier, Sonia Laroze, Patricia Legrand, Christophe Tourrette, Gilles Treton
Synopsis: “At the turn of the 19th century, the daughter of a humble artisan and his wife is born deaf and blind and unable to communicate with the world around her. Desperate to find a connection to young Marie and avoid sending her to an asylum, the Heurtins send her to the Larnay Institute in central France, where an order of Catholic nuns manage a school for deaf girls. There, the idealistic Sister Marguerite sees in Marie a unique potential, and despite her Mother Superior’s skepticism, vows to bring the wild young thing out of the darkness into which she was born.”
Theatrical Release: New York (expands to a dozen other markets until end of June)


Maya the Bee Movie
Director: Alexs Stadermann
Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Richard Roxburgh, Noah Taylor, Jacki Weaver, Miriam Margolyes
Synopsis: “Freshly hatched bee Maya is a little whirlwind and won’t follow the rules of the hive. One of these rules is not to trust the hornets that live beyond the meadow. When the Royal Jelly is stolen, the hornets are suspected and Maya is thought to be their accomplice. No one believes that she is the innocent victim and no one will stand by her except for her good-natured and best friend Willy. After a long and eventful journey to the hornets hive Maya and Willy soon discover the true culprit and the two friends finally bond with the other residents of the opulent meadow.”
Theatrical Release: Select Markets


Private Number
Director: LazRael Lison
Cast: Judd Nelson, Tom Sizemore, Hal Ozsan, Nicholle Tom
Synopsis: “A series of cryptic phone messages and visions haunt a writer while he struggles to finish a novel. As they increase in intensity, he loses his grip on reality, eventually obsessing over an old mystery that will lead to horrific revelations about both him and his loyal wife.”
Theatrical Release: Select Markets


Reality
Director: Quentin Dupieux
Cast: Alain Chabat, Elodie Bouchez, Jon Heder, Jonathan Lambert, Kyla Kenedy, Eric Wareheim, John Glover, Lola Delon, Matt Battaglia, Susan Diol, Erik Passoja, Jonathan Spencer, Bambadjan Bamba, Brad Greenquist, Patrick Bristow, Sandra Nelson
Synopsis: “Jason, a quiet cameraman, dreams of directing his first horror movie. Bob Marshal, a wealthy producer, accepts to finance his movie on one condition: Jason has 48 hours to find the perfect scream in the history of film. During his search, Jason gradually gets lost in a nightmare.”
Criticwire Grade Average: B+ (6 reviews)
Theatrical Release: New York (opens in Los Angeles on May 15th)


Ride
Director: Helen Hunt
Cast: Helen Hunt, Brenton Thwaites, Luke Wilson, Robert Knepper, Leonor Varela, David Zayas, Callum Keith Rennie
Synopsis: “A mother travels cross-country to California to be with her son after he decides to drop out of school and become a surfer.”
Theatrical Release: New York and Los Angeles (expands to 15 additional markets next week)


Soul Boys of the Western World
Director: George Hencken
Cast: Tony Hadley, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman, Gary Kemp, John Keeble
Synopsis: “A voyage through the 80s in the company of Spandau Ballet, one of the decade’s most iconic bands. This archive-only documentary film tells the story of a group of working-class London lads who created a global music Empire, but at a price none of them imagined. Including the band’s own home movies and showcasing newly discovered material, this film takes us into the heart of the era, and the cultural, political and personal landscape that formed the backdrop to the band’s story.” [SXSW Film Festival]
Theatrical Release: New York


Welcome to Me
Director: Shira Piven
Cast: Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Wes Bentley, Tim Robbins, John Cusack, Linda Cardellini
Synopsis: “A woman with Borderline Personality Disorder wins the Megamillions lottery, quits her meds and buys herself a talk show on an infomercial channel where she talks and creates segments exclusively about herself. This movie is a dark comedic look at our obsession with celebrity and narcissism.” [Toronto International Film Festival]
Criticwire Grade Average: B- (9 reviews)
Theatrical Release: New York and Los Angeles


Missed last week? Here are all the releases from the weekend of April 24.

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