The snow has melted, the grass is turning green, and birds have returned. These are the signs of spring returning and the beginning of the blockbuster movie season in Hollywood. If you are sick of school and want a break from studying, head over to the Menomonie CEC Theater and check out the movies. Bonus tip, Tuesdays are $5 any movie all day, so you can afford a ticket, popcorn, and a drink. (Still won’t feel guilty about sneaking candy in.)
In Theaters Now: Furious 7
           While this is a guns-blazing, buildings exploding, fast cars kind of movie, it is also a touching and fitting tribute to the late actor Paul Walker. Many remember the untimely death of Walker while the movie was filming, so his brother stepped in to film his remaining scenes. Moviegoers won’t be able to tell the difference and the movie’s end scene tribute to him will leave the entire movie theater with at least one tear in their eye.  The trailer for it gets your adrenaline rushing and the movie promises fast paced action and death defying thrills.
April 24: Age of Adaline
           There is so much hope that this movie will be Blake Lively’s ticket to serious acting roles. While she has already had success on the small screen in her role as Serena in Gossip Girl, most of her movies haven’t given her the status of a serious actress to contend with. For the past couple years Lively has taken a breather from the camera and got busy starting up a new entrepreneur website and settled down with Ryan Reynolds (a wedding and a baby? totally jealous :P). Watch the trailer for a sneak peak at Lively’s promising role as the title character who becomes immortal and has to choose between love and her immortality in the Age of Adaline.
May 1: Avengers: Age of Ultron
           As a group, this bunch of action heroes has saved the world at least a dozen times. Their tiredness to do so leads to a whole new bunch of problems in the latest Avenger movie, Age of Ultron. The new villain is one created by Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, to take over the Avenger’s job of saving the world. Instead, the robot Ultron decides that the only thing that the world needs saving from is the humans who call it home. Is he technically wrong, no, but that shouldn’t mean the human race has to die. This movie is setting up Marvel’s next wave of hero movies to include new ones like Ant Man, and possibly allow the exit of some old ones, (Captain America’s Chris Evans wants out? Please say the rumors are true!) Bonus initiative, there is a new Star Wars trailer in the opening previews, and to say some are a little excited to see Avengers purely on that fact is an understatement. The trailer looks fantastic and there is little doubt that this movie will be the opening blockbuster of the summer movie season.
May 15: Pitch Perfect 2
           The end of finals week and the school years deserves to be celebrated. Going to see Pitch Perfect 2 is an awesome excuse get your celebrations started. The Pitches are back in this whole new movie with more songs, more drama, and more hilarity from the leading ladies Anna Kendricks, Rebel Wilson, and Brittany Snow. Wisconsinites have an extra push to see it as the Green Bay Packers have a cameo in this film (Hello sexy and singing Clay Matthews). The first Pitch Perfect was a surprise to most movie goers and critics by being refreshingly funny and creative, so no doubt this new one will follow in its footsteps. If you haven’t seen the trailer, go watch that and then rewatch the first movie until this sequal comes out in theaters.