Coming Soon: May 15th Releases

I don't have a relationship with this franchise at all: I was too young when they were initially released ("too young" = "not born") and they never really became part of my cinematic education. So when this sequel was announced, I initially shrugged.

Of course, that was before the first trailer - and subsequent trailers - blew my mind apart. The stunning apocalyptic visuals! The gravity-defying stunts! As others have remarked, the movie looks like two hours of non-stop money shots. It's also exciting that, in an age where everything seems to be getting watered down to a PG-13, this is going to be a big, bad, R-rated epic. I can't wait.

• Ray Subers

I'd be lying if I said I was in the key demographic for the first Pitch Perfect; I didn't bother seeing it until well after its theatrical release. As many others also discovered, though, the musical comedy turned out to be absolutely infectious. Unless you actually physically have somewhere else to be, it's quite difficult to turn this off when it's on TV (you might even call it "aca-addicting").

The sequel appears to be a strong continuation of the first. It returns most of the original's cast - including the absolutely delightful Anna Kendrick - and seems to retain that movie's self-aware sense of humor. It also appears to have some fun cameos (apparently the Green Bay Packers are a cappella fans?). After making tons of fans on home video, look for the sequel to make much, much more than the first movie's $65 million.

• Ray

I heard about this movie's warm reception at Sundance earlier this year and was happy to see it scored a distribution deal and summer-y release date. I didn't think much more about it until watching its trailer, which completely drew me in; the frank talk about aging, sex, smoking dope, and friendship gives me all sorts of munchies.

• Arno Kazarian

Loving Jean Dujardin's '70s look for this alternate view of the drug syndicate that was immortalized in The French Connection. Being a huge fan of that movie and its grim sequel, I'm setting fair expectations before heading to see the Eurocentric, Popeye-free version.

• Arno

Nice to think about Ethan Hawke re-teaming with his Gattaca director Andrew Niccol for a modern-warfare drama. It'll be hard to dodge American Sniper comparisons, though perhaps that's a luxury problem for an independent film trying to distinguish itself in an increasingly busy season at the movies.

John Malcolm Brinnin's book Dylan Thomas in America isn't credited as official source material here but it may enjoy a resurgence if Set Fire to the Stars succeeds in introducing the Welsh poet to a larger U.S. audience than he accrued in his curious lifetime. Reviews have been strong across the board, with heaps of praise ladled over the production design, bold black-and-white cinematography, and the score by musician Gruff Rhys (whose band Super Furry Animals is overdue to come off of its hiatus).

Roadside Attractions hasn't put out many Faith-based films, but the indie distributor did have a hit with Grace Unplugged a few years back; this might be an interesting new aspect of the edgy studio's overall business plan. As for the movie itself, it has gained serious momentum on the festival circuit and has a robust Facebook audience, so it could shape up as a box-office success.

Indie studio Music Box Films has been lower profile than normal since winning the Best Foreign Language Oscar with Ida. The Film Critic has a story that can translate into any language and it will hopefully serve as a good introduction for Rafael Spregelburd to U.S. audiences; his co-star, Dolores Fonzi, is slightly more recognizable thanks to her work in movies such as the (excellent) The Aura.