In Cinemas this week (19 – 25 October)

Killer Joe

Finding himself in considerable debt, Chris, a Texan drug dealer, decides the only solution is to murder his mother to collect the insurance money. Getting together with his father, the ex-husband of Chris’ mother, they decide to hire Joe Cooper, a contract killer, who also happens to be a police detective. The plan is that the money will go to Chris’ sister Dottie. However due to the size of the contract fee, Chris agrees that Joe can take Dottie as a retainer until the insurance comes through.

Cast:
Matthew McConaughey (Killer Joe Cooper)
Emile Hirsch (Chris Smith)
Juno Temple (Dottie Smith)
Thomas Haden Church (Ansel Smith)

Director: William Friedkin
Writer: Tracy Letts
Runtime: 102 min
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Astérix and Obélix: God Save Britannia

Julius Caesar lands in Britain, where a small village still holds out bravely against the Roman legions. But the situation becomes critical and the villagers have not got long to live; that’s when Jolitorax, one of the villagers seeks volunteers to go seek help from his second-cousin Asterix the Gaul and bring back a barrel of “magic potion” from the Breton village of the indomitable heroes.

Cast:
Gérard Depardieu (Obélix)
Edouard Baer (Astérix)
Fabrice Luchini (Jules César)
Catherine Deneuve (Reine Cordelia)

Director: Laurent Tirard
Writer: René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo
Runtime: 109 min
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Rating: K
Production Year: 2012

God Loves Caviar (Ο Θεός αγαπάει το χαβιάρι)

God Loves Caviar is the compelling story of Ioannis Varvakis, and his journey from humble Greek pirate to international caviar millionaire, with the ear of Catherine the Great of Russia. His wealth and power, however, do not give him contentment, and his boundless ambition only brings suffering, until he gives everything away, including himself, in the name of love. This epic tale, based on Varvakis’ real life, moves from the Greek island of Psara to the court of Catherine the Great in Russia and the shores of the Caspian Sea, and then back to Greece, a country torn by civil war and the fight for independence, during the Revolution of 1821 against the Ottoman Empire.

Cast:
Sebastian Koch (Varvakis)
Catherine Deneuve (Empress Catherine II of Russia)
John Cleese (McCormick)
Juan Diego Botto (Lefentarios)

Director: Yannis Smaragdis
Writer: Yannis Smaragdis, Panagiotis Pashidis
Runtime: 99 min
Genre: Adventure, Biography, History
Rating: K
Language: Greek, Russian, English
Production Year: 2012

Savages

Entrepreneurs Ben, a peaceful and charitable marijuana producer, and friend Chon, a former Navy SEAL, run a lucrative, homegrown industry – raising some of the best weed ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with Ophelia. Life is idyllic in their Southern California town… until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena and her enforcer, Lado, underestimate the unbreakable bond of the three friends, Ben and Chon – with the reluctant assistance of a dirty DEA agent – wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.

Cast:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Ben)
Taylor Kitsch (Chon)
Blake Lively (Ophelia)
Benicio Del Toro (Lado)

Director: Oliver Stone
Writer: Shane Salerno, Don Winslow
Runtime: 131 min
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

The Watch

Four everyday suburban guys come together as an excuse to escape their humdrum lives one night a week. But when they accidentally discover that their town has become overrun with aliens posing as ordinary suburbanites, they have no choice but to save their neighborhood – and the world – from total extermination.

Cast:
Ben Stiller (Evan)
Vince Vaughn (Bob)
Jonah Hill (Franklin)
Richard Ayoade (Jamarcus)

Director: Akiva Schaffer
Writer: Jared Stern, Seth Rogen
Runtime: 102 min
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

The Cold Light of Day

After his family is kidnapped during their sailing trip in Spain, a young Wall Street trader is confronted by the people responsible: intelligence agents looking to recover a mysterious briefcase.

Cast:
Henry Cavill (Will)
Bruce Willis (Martin)
Sigourney Weaver (Carrack)
Verónica Echegui (Lucia)

Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Writer: Scott Wiper, John Petro
Runtime: 93 min
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

ParaNorman

In the town of Blithe Hollow, Norman Babcock is a boy who can speak to the dead, but no one besides his new friend, Neil, believes his ability is real. One day, Norman’s estranged eccentric uncle tells him of an important annual ritual he must take up to protect the town from a curse cast by a witch it condemned centuries ago. Eventually, Norman decides to cooperate, but things don’t go according to plan. Now, a magic storm of the witch threatens Blithe Hollow as the accursed dead rise. Together with unexpected new companions, Norman struggles to save his town, only to discover the horrific truth of the curse. With that insight, Norman must resolve the crisis for good as only he can.

Voices:
Kodi Smit-McPhee (Norman Babcock)
Anna Kendrick (Courtney Babcock)
Casey Affleck (Mitch)
Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Alvin)

Director: Chris Butler, Sam Fell
Writer: Chris Butler
Runtime: 92 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar (Greek)

In this sparkling musical adventure, Barbie stars as Tory, the kind-hearted princess of Meribella who would rather sing and dance than perform her royal duties. When her favorite pop star Keira visits the Kingdom, the girls discover they have much in common, including a magical secret that lets them look like one another. At first, swapping places seems like a great idea, until each girl realizes that the other’s life isn’t as easy as it seems! But Meribella also has a magical secret, and when it’s stolen, the whole kingdom is put in danger. Will true friendship save the day?

Director: Ezekiel Norton
Writer: Steve Granat, Cydne Clark
Runtime: 75 min
Genre: Animation
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2012

Magic Mike

Mike, an experienced stripper, takes a younger performer called The Kid under his wing and schools him in the arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money.

Cast:
Matthew McConaughey (Dallas)
Channing Tatum (Magic Mike)
Olivia Munn (Joanna)
Alex Pettyfer (Adam)

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Reid Carolin
Runtime: 110 min
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

A Few Best Men

David and Mia meet and fall in love during a holiday romance. After a week, David proposes and they plan to marry in a few days. David goes home to England and gets his three best friends to return with him to Australia for the wedding. The chaos-filled wedding day tests their new marriage, challenges David’s relationships with his three best men, and risks turning what should be the best day of their lives into the worst.

Cast:
Laura Brent (Mia)
Xavier Samuel (David)
Kris Marshall (Tom)
Kevin Bishop (Graham)

Director: Stephan Elliott
Writer: Dean Craig
Runtime: 97 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

The Bourne Legacy

A new CIA operative struggles to put the pieces together while trying to outsmart the people who want to take him down.

Cast:
Jeremy Renner (Aaron Cross)
Edward Norton (Retired Col. Eric Byer, USAF)
Rachel Weisz (Dr. Marta Shearing)
Scott Glenn (Ezra Kramer)

Director: Tony Gilroy
Writer: Tony Gilroy, Dan Gilroy
Runtime: 135 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

Resident Evil: Retribution

The Umbrella Corporation’s deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race’s last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella’s most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex.

Cast:
Milla Jovovich (Alice)
Sienna Guillory (Jill Valentine)
Michelle Rodriguez (Rain)
Aryana Engineer (Becky)

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Writer: Paul W.S. Anderson
Runtime: 95 min
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

Brave (Greek)

Merida, a Scottish princess whose interests include archery and horse riding, is told by her mother that her interests are not what a princess should be doing and that she has to marry. But Merida chooses to defy her mother. And when she and her mother have an argument Merida rides off and meets a witch. She asks for a spell to change her mother. Merida makes a reckless choice that unleashes unintended peril and forces her to spring into action to set things right.

Voices:
Ioanna Pilihou (Merida)
Sakis Boulas (Fergus)
Eleni Tsaligopoulou (Elinor)
Christina Varzopoulou (The Witch)

Director: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Writer: Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews
Runtime: 100 min
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2012

Step Up Revolution 3D

Emily arrives in Miami with aspirations of becoming a professional dancer and soon falls in love with Sean, a young man who leads a dance crew in elaborate, cutting-edge flash mobs, called “The Mob”. The Mob sets the dancing against the vibrant backdrop of Miami. When a wealthy business man threatens to develop The Mob’s historic neighborhood and displace thousands of people, Emily must work together with Sean and The Mob to turn their performance art into protest art, and risk losing their dreams to fight for a greater cause.

Cast:
Kathryn McCormick (Emily)
Ryan Guzman (Sean)
Cleopatra Coleman (Penelope)
Stephen Boss (Jason)

Director: Scott Speer
Writer: Duane Adler, Amanda Brody
Runtime: 99 min
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still trying to get back to the Big Apple and their beloved Central Park zoo, but first they need to find the penguins. When they travel to Monte Carlo, they attract the attention of Animal Control after gate crashing a party and are joined by the penguins, King Julian and Co., and the monkeys. How do a lion, zebra, hippo, giraffe, four penguins, two monkeys, three lemurs travel through Europe without attracting attention and get back to New York? They join a traveling circus. Their attempts to get back to New York are consistently hampered by the Captain of Animal Control who wants to make Alex part of her collection. Once they make it back to New York Marty, Alex, Gloria and Melman realize that they want to be part of the traveling circus.

Voices:
Ben Stiller/Spyros Zoupanos (Alex)
Chris Rock/Gerasimos Gennatas (Marty)
David Schwimmer/Petros Damoulis (Melman)
Jada Pinkett Smith/Katerina Gkirgkis (Gloria)

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Writer: Eric Darnell, Noah Baumbach
Runtime: 93 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Scrat’s nutty pursuit of the cursed acorn, which he’s been after since the dawn of time, has world-changing consequences – a continental cataclysm that triggers the greatest adventure of all for Manny, Diego and Sid. In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home.

Voices:
John Leguizamo/Petros Philippides (Sid)
Jennifer Lopez/Marina Tsigonaki (Shira)
Denis Leary/Leonidas Kakouris (Diego)
Ray Romano/Giannis Bezos (Manny)

Director: Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier
Writer: Michael Berg, Jason Fuchs
Runtime: 94 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: English/Greek
Production Year: 2012