The catch-up continues! Here are the May movies.

Thunderbolts* – Theaters, May 2nd, Disney+, August 27th

I’m not sure if Marvel or DC did it first (Suicide Squad being the DC version), but it matters little since the antihero redemption arc is as old as literature itself. I went into the film with decent expectations based on the general buzz from the internet, and I was happily impressed. Yes David Harbor is over the top, and yes, he and Florence’s accents are a travesty, but this is still the type of summer film I love to see. Wait, May is summer, right?

Nonnas – Netflix, May 9th

Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon, Loraine Bracco, and Linda Cardellini – pretty disparate cast, but makes a fair amount of sense based on the material. With a log line like –

After losing his beloved mother, a man risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with actual nonnas — grandmothers, as the chefs.

the Italian heritage starts making sense. That this went straight to Netflix, and I haven’t heard a peep about it through the usual channels, certainly appears concerning. And yet, it can boast a ‘Certified Fresh’ 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. I haven’t gotten around to watching this yet, but it looks sweet and I’m a sucker for Italian food.

Fight or Flight – Theaters, May 9th, available to rent

Another surprisingly well received film for how little it entered the zeitgeist. The Audience summary on Rotten Tomatoes says it all –

Suspend belief, stow away intellectual baggage, and remain seated through Josh Hartnett’s demented and shamelessly entertaining Fight or Flight.

Considering how much I enjoyed 2022’s Bullet Train, I imagine this will be a great way to spend a weekend afternoon. Unfortunately, Fight or Flight lacks the fantastic supporting cast that Bullet Train had (no offense to Katee Sackhoff), so Josh Hartnett will need to carry the load. He’s seems game enough.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – Theaters, May 23rd

Tom Cruise, savior of movie theaters ®, returns to finish out the Mission: Impossible series in a style only he can. A product of Cruise’s long partnership with Christopher McQuarrie, this series has had its ups and downs, but has never been far from the public consciousness. Maybe it’s because this is the (reported) end of the Mission Impossible series, but Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning felt like event movies. The tongue in cheek moniker of ‘savior of the theater’ pokes fun at Cruise’s earnestness about getting movies on the big screen, but it also has a ring of truth. Top Gun: Maverick was an important movie for getting bodies back into the theater as Covid concerns tapered off. Final Reckoning is similarly important with movie theaters continuing to struggle with the streaming era. It’s telling that 3 months later, Final Reckoning is still in theaters, a dedication to this fantastic medium that I love so much.