Movie fans: do you have your adamantium claws sharpened? Your Spock ears ready for adhesion? Your wacky Tom Hanks wig styled and brushed? It's time for the blockbuster movie season. The films that have been building up hype since last year are finally ready for the big screen. If mindless popcorn movies aren't your thing, consider stopping by the new Salem Cinema digs at 1127 Broadway NE.

May 1

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Hugh Jackman dances off Broadway and goes back to stabbing bad guys. The movie appears to be head and shoulders above the disaster that was X-Men 3: The Last Stand. But it does appear to suffer from one problem: squishing too many characters into the movie. It's OK, comic book nerds, Gambit is in this one. Oh, what? The heavily Cajun character is being played by a Canadian actor from "Friday Night Lights"? Nevermind, go back to being angry.

May 8

Star Trek

Now a for a different type of nerd: the elusive, highly educated, bi-lingual (if you count Klingon) kind. "Lost" mastermind J.J. Abrams is at the helm, which gives the reboot of the franchise a good chance of not sucking. On the other hand, this is an odd-numbered (11th) Star Trek movie and is subsequently afflicted by the Star Trek movie curse.

May 15th

Angels & Demons

The burning question is whether Tom Hanks will be donning the big wig that he was mocked for in "The Da Vinci Code." The answer is that it has been calmed down quite a bit and the flick is looking snazzy as well. In the followup to "The Da Vinci Code," Robert Langdon (Hanks) gets a call from the Vatican to investigate murders relating to the Illuminati. Ewan McGregor joins the cast.

The Brothers Bloom

This movie by Rian Johnson is another victim of 2008's schedule. It got bumped from December's schedule into this competitive weekend. Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo star as the Bloom brothers, con-men by trade who ensnare Rachel Weisz into their final con.

May 21

Terminator Salvation

Christian Bale is out to take over every franchise. It's been a whirlwind career from the kid in "Newsies" to Patrick Bateman to Batman and now to John Connor. It's rumored that Bale told McG that he didn't want to do the movie unless it could be played out on a stage. Does that mean that the story will be better than previous incarnations of the Terminator series? We'll see.

May 22

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson team back up in this sequel. Static exhibits by day, magically moving, security-guard chasing exhibits by night make their way to the Smithsonian. I wonder if they explain why the lowly security guard also goes on the trip? Inquiring minds want to know.