In Cinemas this week (31 January – 6 February)

12 Years a Slave

Based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner), as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.

Cast:
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Solomon Northup)
Michael Fassbender (Edwin Epps)
Benedict Cumberbatch (Ford)
Brad Pitt (Bass)

Director: Steve McQueen
Writer: John Ridley, Solomon Northup
Runtime: 134 min
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

The Legend of Hercules 3D/2D

In Ancient Greece 1200 B.C., a queen succumbs to the lust of Zeus to bear a son promised to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the king and restore peace to a land in hardship. But this prince, Hercules, knows nothing of his real identity or his destiny. He desires only one thing: the love of Hebe, Princess of Crete, who has been promised to his own brother. When Hercules learns of his greater purpose, he must choose: to flee with his true love or to fulfill his destiny and become the true hero of his time. The story behind one of the greatest myths is revealed in this action-packed epic – a tale of love, sacrifice and the strength of the human spirit.

Cast:
Kellan Lutz (Hercules)
Gaia Weiss (Hebe)
Scott Adkins (King Amphitryon)
Roxanne McKee (Queen Alcmene)

Director: Renny Harlin
Writer: Sean Hood, Daniel Giat
Runtime: 99 min
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2014

Top Cat (Greek)

Top Cat and the gang face a new police chief, who is not at all happy with officer Dibble’s performance in trying to prevent Top Cat’s scams. Strickland, the new police chief, will test Top Cat and his gang while proving to be the greatest foe Top Cat has ever encountered.

Director: Alberto Mar
Writer: Kevin Seccia, Timothy McKeon
Runtime: 90 min
Genre: Animation, Action, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2011

I, Frankenstein 3D/2D

Set in a dystopic present where vigilant gargoyles and ferocious demons rage in a battle for ultimate power, Victor Frankenstein’s creation Adam finds himself caught in the middle as both sides race to discover the secret to his immortality. From the creators of the hit supernatural saga, “Underworld”, comes the action thriller “I, Frankenstein”, written for the screen and directed by Stuart Beattie based on the graphic novel “I, Frankenstein” by Kevin Grevioux.

Cast:
Aaron Eckhart (Adam)
Bill Nighy (Naberius)
Miranda Otto (Leonore)
Yvonne Strahovski (Terra)

Director: Stuart Beattie
Writer: Stuart Beattie, Kevin Grevioux
Runtime: 93 min
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2014

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Based on the character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy, “Jack Ryan” is a global action thriller set in the present day. This original story follow a young Jack as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot. The story follows him from 9/11, through his tour of duty in Afghanistan, which scarred him forever, and into his early days in the Financial Intelligence Unit of the modern CIA where he becomes an analyst, under the guardianship of his handler, Harper. When Ryan believes he’s uncovered a Russian plot to collapse the United States economy, he goes from being an analyst to becoming a spy and must fight to save his own life andthose of countless others, while also trying to protect the thing that’s more important to him than anything, his relationship with his fiancée Cathy.

Cast:
Chris Pine (Jack Ryan)
Keira Knightley (Cathy Muller)
Kevin Costner (Thomas Harper)
Kenneth Branagh (Viktor Cherevin)

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writer: Adam Cozad, David Koepp
Runtime: 105 min
Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2014

The Book Thief

Based on the beloved international bestselling book, The Book Thief tells the story of an extraordinary, spirited young girl sent to live with a foster family in WWII Germany. Intrigued by the only book she brought with her, she begins collecting books as she finds them. With the help of her new parents and a secret guest under the stairs, she learns to read and creates a magical world that inspires them all.

Cast:
Geoffrey Rush (Hans)
Sophie Nélisse (Liesel)
Emily Watson (Rosa)
Nico Liersch (Rudy)

Director: Brian Percival
Writer: Markus Zusak, Michael Petroni
Runtime: 131 min
Genre: Drama
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Blue Jasmine

After everything in her life falls to pieces, including her marriage to wealthy businessman Hal, elegant New York socialite Jasmine moves into her sister Ginger’s modest apartment in San Francisco to try to pull herself back together again.

Cast:
Cate Blanchett (Jasmine)
Alec Baldwin (Hal)
Louis C.K. (Al)
Peter Sarsgaard (Dwight)

Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Runtime: 98 min
Genre: Drama
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Grudge Match

Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone star as old boxing rivals who come out of retirement for one final match. On their first encounter in decades, their long-festering feud erupts into an unintentionally hilarious melee that instantly goes viral. The sudden social media frenzy transforms their local grudge match into a must-see HBO event. Now, if they can just survive the training, they may actually live to fight again.

Cast:
Sylvester Stallone (Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp)
Robert De Niro (Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen)
Kim Basinger (Sally)
Kevin Hart (Dante Slate, Jr.)

Director: Peter Segal
Writer: Tim Kelleher, Rodney Rothman
Runtime: 113 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Saving Mr. Banks

When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins (1964), he made them a promise – one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney’s plans for the adaptation. For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn’t budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp. It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history.

Cast:
Emma Thompson (P.L. Travers)
Tom Hanks (Walt Disney)
Colin Farrell (Travers Goff)
Paul Giamatti (Ralph)

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Runtime: 125 min
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

The Fifth Estate

The story begins as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg team up to become underground watchdogs of the privileged and powerful. On a shoestring, they create a platform that allows whistle-blowers to anonymously leak covert data, shining a light on the dark recesses of government secrets and corporate crimes. Soon, they are breaking more hard news than the world’s most legendary media organizations combined. But when Assange and Berg gain access to the biggest trove of confidential intelligence documents in U.S. history, they battle each other and a defining question of our time: what are the costs of keeping secrets in a free society-and what are the costs of exposing them?

Cast:
Benedict Cumberbatch (Julian Assange)
Daniel Brühl (Daniel Berg)
Carice van Houten (Birgitta Jónsdóttir)
Anthony Mackie (Sam Coulson)

Director: Bill Condon
Writer: Daniel Domscheit-Berg, David Leigh
Runtime: 128 min
Genre: Biography, Drama
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Walking with Dinosaurs (Greek)

For the first time in movie history, audiences will truly see and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. WALKING WITH DINOSAURS is the ultimate immersive, big screen adventure for families. Meet dinosaurs more real than you’ve ever seen as you take off on a thrilling prehistoric adventure, where Patchi, an underdog dinosaur, triumphs against all odds to become a hero for the ages.

Cast:
Justin Long (Patchi)
Karl Urban (Uncle Zack)
Tiya Sircar (Juniper)
John Leguizamo (Alex)

Director: Barry Cook, Neil Nightingale
Writer: John Collee
Runtime: 87 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2013

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller directs and stars in THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, James Thurber’s classic story of a day-dreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. When his job along with that of his co-worker are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.

Cast:
Ben Stiller (Walter Mitty)
Kristen Wiig (Cheryl Melhoff)
Jon Daly (Tim Naughton)
Shirley MacLaine (Edna Mitty)

Director: Ben Stiller
Writer: Steve Conrad, James Thurber
Runtime: 114 min
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Last Vegas

Billy, Paddy, Archie and Sam have been best friends since childhood. So when Billy, the group’s sworn bachelor, finally proposes to his thirty-something (of course) girlfriend, the four head to Las Vegas with a plan to stop acting their age and relive their glory days. However, upon arriving, the four quickly realize that the decades have transformed Sin City and tested their friendship in ways they never imagined. The Rat Pack may have once played the Sands and Cirque du Soleil may now rule the Strip, but it’s these four who are taking over Vegas.

Cast:
Michael Douglas (Billy)
Robert De Niro (Paddy)
Morgan Freeman (Archie)
Kevin Kline (Sam)

Director: Jon Turteltaub
Writer: Dan Fogelman
Runtime: 105 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Frozen

Anna, a fearless optimist, sets off on an epic journey – teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven – to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. From the outside Anna’s sister, Elsa looks poised, regal and reserved, but in reality, she lives in fear as she wrestles with a mighty secret – she was born with the power to create ice and snow. It’s a beautiful ability, but also extremely dangerous. Haunted by the moment her magic nearly killed her younger sister Anna, Elsa has isolated herself, spending every waking minute trying to suppress her growing powers. Her mounting emotions trigger the magic, accidentally setting off an eternal winter that she can’t stop. She fears she’s becoming a monster and that no one, not even her sister, can help her. In Greek dubbed by Costas Darlasis, Ilias Zervos, Phivos Rimenas, Christos Syriotis.

Cast:
Kristen Bell (Anna)
Idina Menzel (Elsa)
Jonathan Groff (Kristoff)
Josh Gad (Olaf)

Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Writer: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Runtime: 102 min
Genre: Animation, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: English/Greek
Production Year: 2013

Carrie

A reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White, a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King.

Cast:
Julianne Moore (Margaret White)
Chloë Grace Moretz (Carrie White)
Gabriella Wilde (Gabriella Wilde)
Portia Doubleday (Chris Hargensen)

Director: Kimberly Peirce
Writer: Lawrence D. Cohen, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Runtime: 100 min
Genre: Drama, Horror
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

The Counselor

A rich and successful lawyer named Counselor is about to get married to his fiancée but soon meets up with the middle-man known as Westray who tells him his drug trafficking plan has taken a horrible twist and now he must protect himself and his soon bride-to-be lover as the truth of the drug business uncovers and targets become chosen.

Cast:
Michael Fassbender (Counselor)
Penélope Cruz (Laura)
Cameron Diaz (Malkina)
Javier Bardem (Reiner)

Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Cormac McCarthy
Runtime: 117 min
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Turbo (Greek)

Theo, a.k.a Turbo, is a garden snail who dreams of being the greatest racer in the world, just like his hero, 5-time Indianapolis 500 champ, Guy Gagne. His obsession with speed and all things fast has made him an oddity and an outsider in the slow and cautious snail community, and a constant embarrassment to his cautious older brother, Chet. Turbo desperately wishes he could escape the slow-paced life he’s living, but his one chance to live proves a near fatal disaster. Demoralized Theo wanders onto a freeway to admire the traffic and gets into a freak accident when he gets sucked into the supercharger of a drag racer, fusing his DNA with nitrous oxide on a street race.

Cast:
Yiorgos Skoufis
Antinoos Albanis
Yiannis Stefopoulos
Fotis Petridis

Director: David Soren
Writer: Darren Lemke, Robert D. Siegel
Runtime: 96 min
Genre: Animation
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2013