In Cinemas this week (15 – 21 January)

The Book of Eli

In the not-too-distant future, some 30 years after the final war, a solitary man walks across the wasteland that was once America. Empty cities, broken highways, seared earth – all around him, the marks of catastrophic destruction. There is no civilization here, no law. The roads belong to gangs that would murder a man for his shoes, an ounce of water… or for nothing at all. But they’re no match for this traveler. A warrior not by choice but necessity, Eli seeks only peace but, if challenged, will cut his attackers down before they realize their fatal mistake. It’s not his life he guards so fiercely but his hope for the future; a hope he has carried and protected for 30 years and is determined to realize. Driven by this commitment and guided by his belief in something greater than himself, Eli does what he must to survive – and continue. Only one other man in this ruined world understands the power Eli holds, and is determined to make his own: Carnegie, the self-appointed despot of a makeshift town of thieves and gunmen.

Cast:
Denzel Washington (Eli)
Gary Oldman (Carnegie)
Mila Kunis (Solara)
Ray Stevenson (Redridge)

Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Writer: Gary Whitta
Runtime: 118 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Imagine That

Evan, a successful financial executive has more time for his blackberry than his seven-year-old daughter. When he has a crisis of confidence and his career starts going down the drain, however, he finds the solution to all his problems in his daughter’s imaginary world.

Cast:
Eddie Murphy (Evan Danielson)
Yara Shahidi (Olivia Danielson)
Thomas Haden Church (Johnny Whitefeather)
Ronny Cox (Tom Stevens)

Director: Karey Kirkpatrick
Writer: Ed Solomon, Chris Matheson
Runtime: 107 min
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

It’s Complicated

Jane is the mother of three grown kids, owns a thriving Santa Barbara bakery/restaurant and has — after a decade of divorce — an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, attorney Jake. But when Jane and Jake find themselves out of town for their sons college graduation, things start to get complicated. An innocent meal together turns into the unimaginable—an affair. With Jake remarried to the much younger Agness, Jane is now, of all things, the other woman. Caught in the middle of their renewed romance is Adam, an architect hired to remodel Janes kitchen. Healing from a divorce of his own, Adam starts to fall for Jane, but soon realizes he’s become part of a love triangle. Should Jane and Jake move on with their lives, or is love truly lovelier the second time around? It’s…complicated.

Cast:
Meryl Streep (Jane)
Steve Martin (Adam)
Alec Baldwin (Jake)
John Krasinski (Harley)

Director: Nancy Meyers
Writer: Nancy Meyers
Runtime: 120 min
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Η Κληρονόμος

A recently widowed woman inherits the chairmanship of a struggling soccer team as well as a vast fortune. She needs to manage the team if she ever expects to get her hands on the fortune, even though she doesn’t know a thing about the game.

Cast:
Smaragda Karydi (Vera Skariba)
Gerasimos Skiadaressis (Stelios Skaribas)
Petros Lagoutis
Titika Stasinopoulou

Director: Panagiotis Fafoutis
Writer: Dimitris Emmanouilidis, Laya Yourgou
Runtime: 94 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2009

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

In the present day, immortal thousand-year-old Doctor Parnassus leads a travelling theatre troupe—including a sleight of hand expert, Anton, and a dwarf, Percy — that offers audience members a chance to go beyond reality through a magical mirror in his possession. Parnassus had been able to guide the imagination of others through a deal with the Devil, who now comes to collect on the arrangement, targeting the doctor’s daughter, Valentina. The troupe, which is joined by a mysterious outsider named Tony, embark through parallel worlds to rescue the girl.

Cast:
Christopher Plummer (Doctor Parnassus)
Heath Ledger (Tony)
Johnny Depp (Imaginarium Tony #1)
Jude Law (Imaginarium Tony #2)
Colin Farrell (Imaginarium Tony #3)

Director: Terry Gilliam
Writer: Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown
Runtime: 122 min
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms (Greek)

A young earthworm is fed up with being at the bottom of the food chain. All the insects in the back yard consider earthworms to be major losers. His only future prospect is a boring career as middle manager in the composting business. One day, an old disco album turns his life upside-down, and suddenly there’s light ahead: Barry wants to start the world’s greatest disco band and win an upcoming song contest. Only one problem: worms are not allowed to enter!

Voices:
Demetris Demopoulos
Petros Spyropoulos
Antonis Zacharatos
Akindynos Gikas

Director: Thomas Borch Nielsen
Writer: Morten Dragsted
Runtime: 75 min
Genre: Animation
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2008

Paranormal Activity

After a young, middle class couple moves into a suburban ‘starter’ tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Especially when they sleep. Or try to.

Cast:
Katie Featherston (Katie)
Micah Sloat (Micah)
Mark Fredrichs (The Psychic)
Ashley Palmer (Diane)

Director: Oren Peli
Writer: Oren Peli
Runtime: 99 min
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

A Christmas Carol

An animated retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions. Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.

Cast:
Jim Carrey (Scrooge / Ghost of Christmas Past / Ghost of Christmas Present / Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come)
Gary Oldman (Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim)
Colin Firth (Fred)
Robin Wright Penn (Fan / Belle)

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: Charles Dickens, Robert Zemeckis
Runtime: 98 min
Genre: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

(500) Days of Summer

After it looks as if she’s left his life for good this time, Tom Hansen reflects back on the just over one year that he knew Summer Finn. Despite being physically average in almost every respect, Summer had always attracted the attention of men, Tom included. For Tom, it was love at first sight when she walked into the greeting card company where he worked, she the new administrative assistant. Soon, Tom knew that Summer was the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. Although Summer did not believe in relationships or boyfriends – in her assertion, real life will always ultimately get in the way – Tom and Summer became more than just friends. Through the trials and tribulations of Tom and Summer’s so-called relationship, Tom could always count on the advice of his two best friends, McKenzie and Paul. However, it is Tom’s adolescent sister, Rachel, who is his voice of reason. After all is said and done, Tom is the one who ultimately has to make the choice to listen or not.

Cast:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Tom Hansen)
Zooey Deschanel (Summer Finn)
Geoffrey Arend (McKenzie)
Chloe Moretz (Rachel Hansen)

Director: Marc Webb
Writer: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Runtime: 95 min
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Avatar 3D

When his brother is killed in battle, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na’vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.

Cast:
Sam Worthington (Jake Sully)
Zoe Saldana (Neytiri)
Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine)
Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch)

Director: James Cameron
Writer: James Cameron
Runtime: 162 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Duress

Haunted with nightmares of his wife’s recent suicide and struggling to mend the relationship with his only daughter, Richard is caught as a witness to the violence of Abner Solvie. He finds himself at the mercy of a charismatic killer and plagued by his involvement in the city’s recent murders. As Abner’s new found protégé, Richard is forced to adopt the mind of his sociopathic mentor in order to protect the one he loves. Richard must decide if he’s willing to kill in order to keep his daughter alive.

Cast:
Martin Donovan (Richard Barnett)
Sakis Rouvas (Abner Solvie)
Ariel Winter (Sarah Barnett)
Catherine Dent (Jenny)

Director: Jordan Barker
Writer: Jim Kehoe, Dipo Oseni
Runtime: 78 min
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (Greek)

Arthur is overwhelmed with excitement for it is now the end of the tenth cycle of the moon, and he will finally be able to return to the world of the Minimoys and be reunited with Selenia. In the village, everything is ready for his arrival. A great banquet will be held in his honor, and the little princess put on her rose petal dress… But they didn’t count on Arthur’s father, who choses precisely this long awaited day to leave his grandmother’s house earlier than expected. Just before departure, a spider deposits a grain of rice carved with a distress message in the hands of the young boy. There’s no doubt, about it, Selenia is in danger, and Arthur can think of only one thing: fly to the rescue! Using a makeshift entrance, falling headfirst into Max’s bar, bumping into Kröb’s troops (the new tyrant of The Seven Lands), rescuing Betameche, fighting rats, frogs, hairy spiders… and discovering, once he arrives at the village of the Mimimoys, that no help message has been sent to him! But who has thus trapped our young hero?

Cast:
Freddie Highmore (Arthur)
Mia Farrow (Granny)
Snoop Dogg (Max – voice)
Lou Reed (Emperor Maltazard – voice)

Director: Luc Besson
Writer: Luc Besson, Céline Garcia
Runtime: 94 min
Genre: Animation
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2009

Planet 51 (Greek)

Lem is just an average teenager working on getting the girl and furthering his career at the local planetarium – except that he’s an alien. At least to U.S. astronaut Captain Charles T. “Chuck” Baker who lands on Lem’s planet hoping for a quick flag plant and a hasty return to earth and his millions of screaming fans. But on this alien planet the media has tagged spacemen as brain-eating, zombie-creating monsters, causing Chuck to run for his life and into Lem’s house. Now it’s up to the green native to get the clumsy astronaut back to his spaceship before military dictator General Grawl and mad scientist Professor Kipple manage to exterminate the Earthly visitor.

Voices:
Sakis Rouvas (Chuck)

Director: Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad
Writer: Joe Stillman
Runtime: 91 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2009