Spring movie and music preview

Spring is here, and with the new season comes new music and movies. There are plenty of releases coming out in the next few months, but the A&E editors have chosen some albums and films to be especially excited about heading into April, May and June.

MOVIES

April 27
The Five Year Engagement
Directed by Nick Stoller
Universal Pictures
For all the romantic comedies that take issue with both spontaneous elopings and prolonged singlehood, few explore the tensions of the in-between stage. Judd Apatow’s new film “The Five Year Engagement” stars Emily Blunt and Jason Segal as the lucky couple whose prospects feel less and less lucky (but grow funnier) the longer the “big date” is postponed.

May 4
The Avengers
Directed by Joss Whedon
Walt Disney Pictures
Marvel fiends and comic book junkies may find themselves dressing up in their favorite superhero costumes for the debut of Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers” this May. The film will star Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), among others. For avid subscribers to the “Iron Man,” “Captain America” and “Thor” movies, however, “The Avengers” will be exciting by uniting all the characters onto a single screen.

May 11
The Dictator
Directed by Larry Charles
Paramount Pictures
Where there’s an envelope to be pushed, Sacha Baron Cohen will probably be there, in some ridiculous outfit and some ridiculous body hair (and with some silly accent). His new mockumentary, “The Dictator,” features him as Admiral General Aladeen, the loving oppressor of fictional Middle Eastern country Wadiya. Unlike his previous films “Borat” and “Bruno,” which focused primarily on Baron Cohen, “The Dictator” will present a broader set of characters and actors, including Bobby Lee, John Lennon, Megan Fox and clips featuring President Barack Obama as himself.

June 1
Snow White and the Huntsman
Directed by Rupert Sanders
Universal Pictures
This summer, “Snow White and the Huntsman” presents a retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm tale. And it’s a much darker, more action-oriented retelling. There’s still an evil queen (Charlize Theron) and Snow White (Kristen Stewart), and the queen recruits the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to kill the rising beauty. But this time, the Huntsman allies with Snow White, and she proceeds to lead a rebellion against Queen Ravenna.

June 8
Prometheus
Directed by Ridley Scott
20th Century Fox
It’s the year 2085, and a star map has been discovered in images from Aztec, Mesopotamian and Magdalenian cultures. Enter the crew of the spaceship known as Prometheus, tasked with finding the origins of mankind. Needless to say, significant danger and action will follow. Starring Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron among others, this film influenced by the “Alien” film franchise is sure to be a roller coaster ride.

MUSIC

April 2
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
Nicki Minaj
Universal Republic Records
Nicki Minaj works with her Young Money team to produce her sophomore album, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.” The album will feature Chris Brown, Lil’ Wayne, Nas, Drake and Cam’ron among others. The album opens with her alter ego, Roman Zolanski. One song already released is her current single “Starships.”

April 17
Love Is a Four Letter Word
Jason Mraz
Atlantic Records
Jason Mraz has been working on his fourth album for the last three years. Ever since 2009, Mraz has talked about the release of a new album, but only released his “Life Is Good” EP in October of 2010, which included live recordings from his shows. A few tours, a website relaunch and many singles later, Mraz is ready to share “Love Is a Four Letter Word.” with the world. The album includes his current singles “The World as I See It” and “I Won’t Give Up.”

May 1
Strange Clouds
B.o.B
Atlantic Records
American hip-hop recording artist B.o.B will release his second album “Strange Clouds.” One of the tracks, “Play the Guitar,” features Outkast’s André 3000. Other artists that will be featured on “Strange Clouds” include T.I., Big K.R.I.T., Bun B and Taylor Swift. He will also have the song “So Hard to Breathe,” a track B.o.B said is a sequel to his previous track, “Don’t Let Me Fall.”

May 22
Born and Raised
John Mayer
Columbia Records
John Mayer is set to release his fifth solo album “Born and Raised,” an album that was forced to delay while Mayer recovered from a severe vocal cord issue late last year. This will be Mayer’s first album since “Battle Studies” in 2009 and features the tracks “Who Says” and “Heartbreak Warfare.” Mayer told Rolling Stone that the album will be more organic and include more natural lyrics. An already released track that listeners can check out is “Shadow Days.”

May 29
Valtari
Sigur Rós
XL Recordings
Two years ago, Icelandic group Sigur Rós announced it was going on an indefinite hiatus. Now it is returning with “Valtari.” The name of the album translates to “steamroller,” and while no lyrics are sung in English on the album, listeners can expect the alternately ambient and electronic music and epic string and choir-assisted music that the group has become so well-known for.