In Cinemas this week (1 – 7 July)

The Ward

Kristen, a beautiful but troubled young woman, finds herself bruised, cut, drugged, and held against her will in a remote ward of a psychiatric hospital. She is completely disoriented, with no idea why she was brought to this place and no memory of her life before being admitted. All she knows is that she isn’t safe. The other patients in the ward — four equally disturbed young women — offer no answers, and Kristen quickly realizes things are not as they seem. The air is heavy with secrets, and at night, when the hospital is dark and foreboding, she hears strange and frightening sounds. It appears they are not alone. As Kristen struggles to escape, she will uncover a truth far more dangerous and horrifying than anyone could have imagined.

Cast:
Amber Heard (Kristen)
Mamie Gummer (Emily)
Danielle Panabaker (Sarah)
Laura-Leigh (Zoey)

Director: John Carpenter
Writer: Michael Rasmussen, Shawn Rasmussen
Runtime: 88 min
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Beastly

Kyle is a rich spoiled teen who thinks the world is at his finger tips. When a student, Kendra calls him a jerk, he decides to play a prank on her. She then retaliates by placing a curse on him that turns him into something hideous. She tells him that if at the end of a year, he can’t find someone to say “I LOVE YOU” to him he will remain like that forever. When Kyle witnesses a drug addict in a desperate struggle with a menacing dealer, he intervenes, promising to protect the addict under the condition that his beautiful daughter, Lindy, comes to live with the unsightly recluse in his sprawling Brooklyn home.

Cast:
Alex Pettyfer (Kyle)
Mary-Kate Olsen (Kendra)
Vanessa Hudgens (Lindy)
Lisa Gay Hamilton (Zola)

Director: Daniel Barnz
Writer: Daniel Barnz, Alex Flinn
Runtime: 86 min
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The Autobots Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide and Sideswipe led by Optimus Prime, are back in action, taking on the evil Decepticons, who are determined to avenge their defeat in 2009s Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets, and once again human Sam Witwicky has to come to the aid of his robot friends. There’s new characters too, including a new villain in the form of Shockwave, a longtime “Transformers” character who rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out on Earth.

Cast:
Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky)
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Carly)
Josh Duhamel (Lennox)
John Turturro (Simmons)

Director: Michael Bay
Writer: Ehren Kruger
Runtime: 157 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Cars 2

Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

Voices:
Owen Wilson/Sakis Rouvas (Lightning McQueen)
Larry the Cable Guy/Pavlos Kontogiannidis (Mater)
Bonnie Hunt/Vicky Kaya (Sally Carrera)

Director: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis
Writer: Ben Queen, John Lasseter
Runtime: 113 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: English/Greek
Production Year: 2011

And Soon the Darkness

Stephanie and Ellie’s vacation to an exotic village in Argentina is a perfect ‘girl’s getaway’ to bask in the sun, shop and flirt with the handsome locals. After a long night of bar-hopping, the girls get into an argument, and Stephanie heads out alone in the morning to cool off. But when she returns, Ellie has disappeared. Finding signs of a struggle, Stephanie fears the worst, and turns to the police for help. But the local authorities have their hands full already – with a string of unsolved kidnappings targeting young female tourists. Skeptical of the sheriff’s competency, she enlists help from Michael, an American ex-pat staying at their hotel. With danger mounting, and time running out, Stephanie must find her friend before darkness falls.

Cast:
Amber Heard (Stephanie)
Odette Annable (Ellie)
Karl Urban (Michael)
Adriana Barraza (Rosamaria)

Director: Marcos Efron
Writer: Jennifer Derwingson, Marcos Efron
Runtime: 91 min
Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Super 8

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

Cast:
Kyle Chandler (Jackson Lamb)
Elle Fanning (Alice Dainard)
Amanda Michalka (Jen Kaznyk)
Ron Eldard (Louis Dainard)

Director: J.J. Abrams
Writer: J.J. Abrams
Runtime: 112 min
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

X-Men: First Class

Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-MEN.

Cast:
James McAvoy (Charles Xavier)
Michael Fassbender (Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto)
Jennifer Lawrence (Raven / Mystique)
Jason Flemyng (Azazel)

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Writer: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz
Runtime: 132 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son

FBI agent Malcolm Turner and his 17-year-old son, Trent, go undercover at an all-girls performing arts school after Trent witnesses a murder. Posing as Big Momma and Charmaine, they must find the murderer before he finds them.

Cast:
Martin Lawrence (Malcolm / Big Momma)
Brandon T. Jackson (Trent / Charmaine)
Jessica Lucas (Haley)
Michelle Ang (Mia)

Director: John Whitesell
Writer: Matthew Fogel, Don Rhymer
Runtime: 107 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2

Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five – Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. But Po’s awesome new life is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. It is up to Po and The Furious Five to journey across China to face this threat and vanquish it. But how can Po stop a weapon that can stop kung fu? He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed.

Voices:
Jack Black/Christos Thanos (Po)
Angelina Jolie/Iro Loupi (Tigress)
Dustin Hoffman/Manolis Giourgos (Shifu)
Jackie Chan/Giorgos Papadopoulos (Monkey)

Director: Jennifer Yuh
Writer: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Runtime: 90 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Action
Rating: K
Language: English/Greek
Production Year: 2011

The Hangover Part II

Right after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can’t even be imagined.

Cast:
Bradley Cooper (Phil)
Ed Helms (Stu)
Zach Galifianakis (Alan)
Justin Bartha (Doug)

Director: Todd Phillips
Writer: Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong
Runtime: 102 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Winnie the Pooh (Greek)

During an ordinary day in Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh sets out to find some honey. When he is out searching for it, he discovers Eeyore who has lost his tail. Pooh and Eeyore ask for Owl’s help in finding the tail and Christopher Robin holds a competition to find a new tail for Eeyore. Pooh later finds a note from Christopher Robin that reads: “Gone out. Busy. Back soon.” But then Owl misinterprets the note, proclaiming that the boy has been captured by a creature called a “Backson.” Soon, the whole gang is on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from the imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply hoped to find some honey.

Voices:
Jim Cummings (Pooh / Tigger)
John Cleese (Narrator)
Craig Ferguson (Owl)
Tom Kenny (Rabbit)

Director: Stephen J. Anderson, Don Hall
Writer: A.A. Milne
Runtime: 69 min
Genre: Animation, Family
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2011

Rio (Greek)

Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu discovers there’s another — and that she’s a she — he leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio. But it’s far from love at first sight between the domesticated and flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they learn about friendship, love, courage, and being open to life’s many wonders. RIO brings together a menagerie of vivid characters, a heart-warming story, colorful backdrops, energizing Latin and contemporary music, and family-friendly song and dance.

Voices:
Jesse Eisenberg (Blu)
Anne Hathaway (Jewel)
Leslie Mann (Linda)
Jamie Foxx (Nico)

Director: Carlos Saldanha
Writer: Don Rhymer
Runtime: 96 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2011