In Cinemas this week (13 – 19 May)

Hanna

Hanna is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier; these come from being raised by her father, an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

Cast:
Saoirse Ronan (Hanna)
Eric Bana (Erik)
Cate Blanchett (Marissa)
Tom Hollander (Isaacs)

Director: Joe Wright
Writer: Seth Lochhead, David Farr
Runtime: 111 min
Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Paul

For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. When he discovers he’s been taken prisoner, the space-traveling smart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town – a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings. Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes…

Cast:
Simon Pegg (Graeme Willy)
Nick Frost (Clive Gollings)
Seth Rogen (Paul)
Jason Bateman (Agent Zoil)

Director: Greg Mottola
Writer: Nick Frost, Simon Pegg
Runtime: 104 min
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Fast Five

Former cop Brian O’Conner partners with ex-con Dom Toretto on the opposite side of the law. Since Brian and Mia Toretto broke Dom out of custody, they’ve blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he’s not the only one on their tail. Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs never misses his target. When he is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault to capture them. But as his men tear through Brazil, Hobbs learns he can’t separate the good guys from the bad. Now, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey… before someone else runs them down first.

Cast:
Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto)
Paul Walker (Brian O’Conner)
Jordana Brewster (Mia)
Dwayne Johnson (Hobbs)

Director: Justin Lin
Writer: Chris Morgan, Gary Scott Thompson
Runtime: 130 min
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer

L.A. criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller who works out of his Lincoln signs on to defend slick, suave playboy real estate agent Louis Roulet. Roulet has been charged with assault, and his overbearing mother will do anything to clear the son’s name. Cost is no issue – Mickey has his first high-paying client in years. Digging into the case, Mickey and P.I. Raul Levin reveal a blacker picture of Roulet’s personality and evidence of a sinister past. Another sudden death and new links to a notorious double-homicide, make Mickey question if he’s finally in over his head. His pursuit becomes a question of morality and a even a question of his own mortality.

Cast:
Matthew McConaughey (Mick Haller)
Marisa Tomei (Maggie McPherson)
Ryan Phillippe (Louis Roulet)
William H. Macy (Frank Levin)

Director: Brad Furman
Writer: John Romano, Michael Connelly
Runtime: 118 min
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Κόκκινος Ουρανός (Red Sky)

Two close friends, Aris and Stelios, have their minds on a mutual goal; they “immigrate” to the south of Greece and together they begin a banana greenhouse business in Crete. There they live secluded in a house by the countryside, with a magnificent view of the Libyan Sea having as their sole amusement a nearby tavern. This is a place where mostly foreign tourists arrive; drown like magnets by the magic of the unknown, red African horizon. Determined to keep women out of their lives, they, and mostly Aris, are unfriendly towards the newly arrived Cordoba, a tourist from Germany. Stelios, after going on a casual stroll with her in the island’s market, will end up going to bed with her. In a mood of recklessness that “suits” summer affairs. But this “one night stand” will develop into a relationship and lead to Cordoba moving in the house the two friends share. Feeling antagonistic, mostly towards Stelios, Aris finds himself flirting with Cordoba. In his own way, being quite the opposite of Stelios’s, he fascinates her and finally wins her erotic interest as Cordoba finds in each one of them elements she is looking for in a man’s personality. This split in her desire and the hesitation to decide will trigger the crash between Aris and Stelios. What follows will put their friendship to the test and will overturn balances between them.

Cast:
Apostolis Totsikas (Stelios)
Orfeas Avgoustidis (Aris)
Pihla Viitala (Cordoba)
Efstathia Tsapareli

Director: Laya Yourgou
Writer: Laya Yourgou
Runtime: 105 min
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: 15
Language: Greek, English
Production Year: 2011

Once Upon a… Baby (Μια Φορά και ένα Μωρό)

Nodas, a man in his 50s, active in show-biz, stops his car somewhere to relieve himself, when he hears a familiar voice shout “man below!”. It turns out to be his friendly landlord Alkiviadis who has debts everywhere, cheats on his wife and never got any children. For all those reasons he now appears to have tied himself to the railway tracks to end his desperate life. Nodas, on his way to find the mother of Persephone, the baby he got stuck with. He releases Alkiviadis and takes him along, against his will. And so, mixed up somewhere between sexy lingerie, a former mistress, an unfaithful husband and a guilty best man, they get twisted in developments that turn them upside down.

Cast:
Petros Filippidis (Alkiviadis)
Sakis Mpoulas (Nondas)
Angeliki Pavlopoulou (The Baby)
Markela Giannatou (Dimitra)

Director: Nikos Zapatinas
Writer: Nikos Zapatinas
Runtime: 86 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2011

Thor

The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Cast:
Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
Natalie Portman (Jane Foster)
Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
Anthony Hopkins (Odin)

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writer: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz
Runtime: 114 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Hop (English)

Blending state-of-the-art animation with live action, Hop tells the comic tale of Fred, an out-of-work slacker who accidentally injures the Easter Bunny and must take him in as he recovers. As Fred struggles with the world’s worst house guest, both will learn what it takes to finally grow up.

Cast:
James Marsden (Fred O’Hare)
Russell Brand (E.B.)
Kaley Cuoco (Sam O’Hare)
Hugh Laurie (E.B.’s Dad)

Director: Tim Hill
Writer: Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio
Runtime: 95 min
Genre: Animation, Family, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Rio

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: English/Greek
Production Year: 2011

Open Season 3 (Greek)

Boog, Elliot and their forest friends return with an all-new adventure, this time in a Big Top Circus! The comedy begins when Boog’s pals choose their family obligations over the annual guys’ trip, and a disappointed Boog decides to take a trip of his own, which leads him right into the middle.

Voices:
Matthew J. Munn (Boog/Doug)
Dana Snyder (Alistair)
Matthew W. Taylor (Elliot)
Crispin Glover (Fifi)

Director: Cody Cameron
Writer: David I. Stern
Runtime: 85 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2011