In Cinemas (28 – 29 October)

This Is It

Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London’s 02 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage.

Cast:
Michael Jackson
Mekia Cox
Darryl Phinnessee
Timor Steffens

Director: Kenny Ortega
Runtime: 112 min
Genre: Documentary, Music
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Fame

This movie is based upon the 1980 film which follows NYC talent attending the New York City High School for the Performing Arts, where students get specialized training that often leads to success as actors, singers, etc. In 1936, New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia founded the High School of Music & Art in order to provide a facility where the most gifted and talented public school students of New York City could pursue their talents in art or music, while also completing a full academic program of instruction. In 1948, the School of Performing Arts was created to provide training in performance skills to students who wished to prepare for professional careers in dance, music or drama.

Cast:
Kay Panabaker (Jenny Garrison)
Naturi Naughton (Denise Dupree)
Kherington Payne (Alice Ellerton)
Megan Mullally (Ms. Fran Rowan)

Director: Kevin Tancharoen
Writer: Allison Burnett, Christopher Gore
Runtime: 107 min
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Musical
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Julie & Julia

Julie Powell is 30-years-old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that’s going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother’s dog-eared copy of Julia Child’s 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she will cook all 524 recipes. In the span of one year. At first she thinks it will be easy. But soon she realizes there’s more to Mastering the Art of French Cooking than meets the eye. Woven into the story of Julie is the story of Julia Child’s time in Paris, in the 1950s, in which she discovers the art of cooking.

Cast:
Meryl Streep (Julia Child)
Amy Adams (Julie Powell)
Stanley Tucci (Paul Child)
Chris Messina (Eric Powell)

Director: Nora Ephron
Writer: Nora Ephron, Julie Powell
Runtime: 123 min
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: K
Language: English, French
Production Year: 2009

Last Chance Harvey

New Yorker Harvey Shine is on the verge of losing his dead-end job as a jingle writer. Warned by his boss that he has just one more chance to deliver, Harvey goes to London for a weekend to attend his daughter’s wedding only to learn that she has chosen to have her stepfather walk her down the aisle. At the airport Harvey’s path crosses that of Kate Walker, a sensitive, unmarried, 40-something employee of the Office of National Statistics. Kate, whose life is limited to work, the occasional blind dates and endless phone calls from her mother, is touched by Harvey, who finds himself energized by her intelligence and compassion. The growing connection between the pair inspires both as they unexpectedly transform one another’s lives.

Cast:
Dustin Hoffman (Harvey Shine)
Emma Thompson (Kate Walker)
Eileen Atkins (Maggie Walker)
Liane Balaban (Susan)

Director: Joel Hopkins
Writer: Joel Hopkins
Runtime: 93 min
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2008

The Final Destination 3D

Whilst watching a race at McKinley Speedway, college student Nick O’Bannon has a premonition of a car crash which sends debris into the audience, crushing some spectators and resulting in the stadium partially collapsing, which would have killed almost everyone present in the 180 section. In a panic Nick manages to convince his girlfriend Lori Milligan, and friends Hunt Wynorski and Janet Cunningham to leave. The quartet are followed out by a handful of others who have become angry with Nick after he pushes past them to escape. A security guard named George Lanter intervenes when everyone begins to argue outside, just as the catastrophe Nick had foreseen occurs. Thinking they’ve cheated the death, the group has a new lease on life, but unfortunately for Nick and Lori it is only the beginning. As his premonitions continue and the crash survivors begin to die one-by-one, Nick must figure out how to cheat death once and for all before he, too, reaches his final destination.

Cast:
Bobby Campo (Nick O’Bannon)
Shantel VanSanten (Lori Milligan)
Nick Zano (Hunt Wynorski)
Haley Webb (Janet Cunningham)

Director: David R. Ellis
Writer: Eric Bress
Runtime: 82 min
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Halloween II

It is that time of year again, and Michael Myers has returned home to sleepy Haddonfield, Illinois to take care of some unfinished family business. Unleashing a trail of terror that. Myers will stop at nothing to bring closure to the secrets of his twisted past. But the town’s got an unlikely new hero, if they can only stay alive long enough to stop the unstoppable.

Cast:
Sheri Moon Zombie (Deborah Myers)
Chase Wright Vanek (Young Michael)
Scout Taylor-Compton (Laurie Strode)
Brad Dourif (Sheriff Lee Brackett)

Director: Rob Zombie
Writer: Rob Zombie
Runtime: 105 min
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Orphan

The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there’s something wrong with Esther–this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late-for everyone.

Cast:
Vera Farmiga (Kate Coleman)
Peter Sarsgaard (John Coleman)
Isabelle Fuhrman (Esther)
Jimmy Bennett (Daniel Coleman)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writer: David Johnson, Alex Mace
Runtime: 123 min
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

The Ugly Truth

A romantically challenged morning show producer is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to an unexpected result.

Cast:
Katherine Heigl (Abby Richter)
Gerard Butler (Mike Chadway)
Bree Turner (Joy)
Eric Winter (Colin)

Director: Robert Luketic
Writer: Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz
Runtime: 96 min
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Inglourious Basterds

In Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the “Basterds”, a group of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl’s plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.

Cast:
Brad Pitt (Lt. Aldo Raine)
Mélanie Laurent (Shosanna Dreyfus)
Christoph Waltz (Col. Hans Landa)
Diane Kruger (Bridget von Hammersmark)

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Runtime: 153 min
Genre: Drama, War
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

G-Force (Greek)

A group of guinea pigs trained by the government to work in espionage, armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, soon discovers that the fate of the world is in their paws. The team takes on a mission for the US government to stop evil billionaire Leonard Saber, who plans to destroy the world with household appliances. Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster, an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles, the computer and information specialist. Along the way, the G-Force encounters myriad other members of the animal kingdom, including pet shop layabout Hurley and the rabidly territorial hamster Bucky.

Voices:
Zeta Makripoulia
Giorgos Karamichos

Director: Hoyt Yeatman
Writer: Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley
Runtime: 88 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2009

Aliens in the Attic

After the Pearson family arrive at their dream vacation house in Michigan, the children discover a friendly alien living in their attic. However, he lives with three other aliens that are attempting to rule the universe. The children in the Pearson family have to defend their vacation house. At the same time, the youngsters work hard to keep their parents in the dark about the battle upstairs.

Cast:
Carter Jenkins (Tom Pearson)
Ashley Tisdale (Bethany Pearson)
Robert Hoffman (Ricky Dillman)
Austin Robert Butler (Jake Pearson)

Director: John Schultz
Writer: Mark Burton, Adam F. Goldberg
Runtime: 86 min
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: Κ
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Love Happens

Dr. Burke Ryan is on the precipice of a major multimedia deal, but the therapist who asks his patients to openly confront their pain is secretly unable to take his own advice. Eloise Chandler has sworn off men and decided to focus on her floral business. However, when she meets Burke at the hotel where he’s speaking, there is an instant attraction. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance? As each struggles with the hurt of love and loss, they realize that in order to move forward, they need to let go of the past.

Cast:
Aaron Eckhart (Burke)
Jennifer Aniston (Eloise)
Martin Sheen (Burke’s Father-in-Law)
Judy Greer (Marty)

Director: Brandon Camp
Writer: Brandon Camp, Mike Thompson
Runtime: 109 min
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Up (English)

By tying thousands of balloons to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn’t alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

Voices:
Edward Asner (Carl Fredricksen)
Christopher Plummer (Charles Muntz)
Jordan Nagai (Russell)
Bob Peterson (Dug / Alpha)

Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Writer: Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
Runtime: 96 min
Genre: Animation, Action, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Up (Greek)

By tying thousands of balloons to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn’t alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

Voices:
Costas Voutsas
Giorgos Constantinou
Giorgos Kapoutzides
Thanasis Tsaltampasis

Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Writer: Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
Runtime: 96 min
Genre: Animation, Action, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2009