Movie Recommendations for June 5: 'The Hangover,' 'Land of the Lost' & 'Away We Go'

The Best Movies in Theaters

'Up'

Release Date: May 29

OK, this is starting to get a little ridiculous ... The masters of animation Pixar hit yet another one out of the park, maintaining their 1.000 batting average (they're now 10/10 for those keeping score at home) with this latest romp -- a hilarious, beautiful and heartbreaking adventure that ranks among their very best. You just can't go wrong with intelligent storytelling and lovable characters, and the Ed Asner-voiced 78-year-old Carl ranks right up there with Maude, Alfred Pennyworth and those crazy 'Cocoon' kids as our favorite old-timers ever to hit the big screen. (The young-in Russell, female snipe Kevin and talking dog Dug aren't so bad, either.) -- Kevin Polowy



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  'Drag Me to Hell'
  
  Release Date: May 29
  
  Didn't like 'Spider-Man 3'? Prepare to rejoin the Sam Raimi fan club. The 'Evil Dead' auteur returns to his B-movie horror roots with a hellfire-singed bang in this flick that stars a very game Alison Lohman as a loan officer who refuses to grant an old Gypsy woman an extension on her home lone and, as a result, has three days to break a deadly curse before she's dragged to you-know-where. Leaps and bounds better than the torture porn and tired remakes that pass for horror these days, 'Hell' shines because it's genuinely scary and because it never forgets that this genre is also supposed to be fun. Damned if this isn't the best horror movie in a hell of a long time. -- Tom DiChiara
  
  

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  'Terminator Salvation'
  
  Release Date: May 22
  
  Christian Bale as a grown John Connor -- how can you go wrong with that? McG's brave undertaking, adding a new chapter to the 'Terminator' story, pays off big for fans. This is the first of the 'T' flicks set completely in the man vs. robots war, with Sam Worthington as Marcus, an entirely new kind of cyborg, and Anton Yelchin as a young Kyle Reese, ready to grow up, kick mechanical ass ... and (in his not-so-distant future) father John Connor. That's what we'd call a circle of life. -- Angie Argabrite
  
  

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  'The Girlfriend Experience'
  
  Release Date: May 22
  
  There are two Steven Soderberghs: the director who makes star-studded movies like 'Ocean's Eleven,' and the one who makes improvisational indies starring "regular people" -- i.e., nobody you've ever heard of. Well, unless you watch a lot of porn, in which case you have heard of Sasha Grey, adult film star and the heroine of Soderbergh's newest indie. As an escort who provides not just sex but also companionship, Grey is intriguingly enigmatic; and whether or not that's a conscious acting choice, it's perfect for a film that's less about titillation than the blurry perils of inhabiting two lives: businesswoman and lover, tramp and sweetheart, the voyeur and the viewed. -- Patricia Chui
  
  

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  'The Brothers Bloom'
  
  Release Date: May 15
  
  Writer-director Rian Johnson's follow-up to the undeniably unique high-school noir 'Brick' is just as original and twice as accessible. The film, which follows lifelong scam artists Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrien Brody) as they attempt to relieve a quirky heiress (the beautifully zany Rachel Weisz) of her fortune, plays like 'The Royal Tenenbaums' meets 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.' It works as a twisty caper, a sweet romance and a sibling dramedy. And, most importantly, it never cons the audience into caring about the characters because, well, it doesn't have to. -- Tom DiChiara
  
  

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  'Management'
  
  Release Date: May 15
  
  Steve Zahn and Jennifer Aniston make the year's oddest pairing in this sweet but still run-of-the-mill romantic comedy disguised as a quirky indie. Zahn is an Arizonan man-child who still lives with his parents (albeit in their motel); Aniston is the visiting businesswoman he falls madly in love with. It all starts with a "touch of the butt" -- and that alone should tell you something about the movie's broad comedy leanings. Drink every time "butt touching" is mentioned thereafter. -- Kevin Polowy
  
  

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  'Star Trek'
  
  Release Date: May 8
  
  J.J. Abrams' franchise relaunch boldly goes where no 'Trek' movie has gone before: back to the beginning, for a character-driven, spectacle-laden origin story that's compelling for all moviegoers (and not just those who know the names and star dates of every episode of every TV incarnation). Freed of the cheesiness and half-assed plots of a decade of 'Trek' flicks before it, Abrams' take sees the U.S.S. Enterprise soaring into the nether regions of space for its first universe-saving mission, complete with zippy dialogue, enough nods to the original TV series to make diehard Trekkers wet their pants with glee; and charismatic turns by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as not-quite-friends Kirk and Spock, whose love-hate relationship provides the centerpiece of the film. All we can say is: Beam us up. -- Tom DiChiara
  
  

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  'Outrage'
  
  Release Date: May 8
  
  Kirby Dick, the documentary world's foremost investigative reporter (see the MPAA expose 'This Film Is Not Yet Rated'), returns for another round of muckraking, this time alleging several prominent conservative politicians are closeted gays. Dick's targets include Florida governor Charlie Crist and -- well, of course -- former Idaho senator Larry Craig; their crime here is not simply staying in the closet, but vehemently voting against gay rights throughout their careers, which the film charges is merely a way to deflect accusations and speculation surrounding their sexuality. Provocative and convincing, 'Outrage' may not make its way to the masses, but Dick creates a public record that's hard to dispute. -- Kevin Polowy
  
  

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  'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'
  
  Release Date: May 1
  
  Reviews are mixed, and word on the leaked, unfinished copy was largely negative. But 'X' fans can relax: Director Gavin Hood's got what you want. Hugh Jackman fans can whoop it up: Hugh's totally ripped and rarin' to go. Taylor Kitsch fans can let out that long-held breath: Gambit suits him. The action is huge (and so is that one mutant), the one-liners fly and 'X-Men' aficionados will be left wanting more ('Origins: Gambit,' perhaps?). -- Angie Argabrite
  
  

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  'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past'
  
  Release Date: May 1
  
  Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner are cute and cuter in this sort of rom-com meets 'Christmas Carol.' The 'Scrooged' aspect gives it a tad more edge than your typical sap-fest, and McConaughey and Garner have nice chemistry -- always a plus in a romance. We'll just say this, 'Girlfriends' will not show up when the Ghost of Wasting Your Time in the Theater Past comes to haunt you. -- Angie Argabrite
  
  

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