In Cinemas this week (20 – 26 August)

The Expendables

Barney Ross leads the “Expendables”, a band of highly skilled mercenaries including knife enthusiast Lee Christmas, martial arts expert Yin Yang, heavy weapons specialist Hale Caesar, demolitionist Toll Road and loose-cannon sniper Gunner Jensen. When the group is commissioned by the mysterious Mr. Church to assassinate the merciless dictator of a small South American island, Barney and Lee head to the remote locale to scout out their opposition. Once there, they meet with local rebel Sandra and discover the true nature of the conflict engulfing the city. When they escape the island and Sandra stays behind, Ross must choose to either walk away and save his own life – or attempt a suicidal rescue mission that might just save his soul.

Cast:
Sylvester Stallone (Barney Ross)
Jason Statham (Lee Christmas)
Jet Li (Ying Yang)
Dolph Lundgren (Gunner Jensen)

Director: Sylvester Stallone
Writer: Dave Callaham, Sylvester Stallone
Runtime: 103 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

I Love You Phillip Morris

Steven Russell is happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force when a car accident provokes a dramatic reassessment of his life. Steven realizes he’s gay and decides to live life to the fullest – even if it means breaking the law. Steven’s new, extravagant lifestyle involves cons and fraud and, eventually, a stay in the State Penitentiary where he meets sensitive, soft-spoken Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts Steven to attempt and often succeed at one impossible con after another.

Cast:
Jim Carrey (Steven Russell)
Ewan McGregor (Phillip Morris)
Leslie Mann (Debbie)
Rodrigo Santoro (Jimmy Kemple)

Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Writer: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, Steve McVicker
Runtime: 102 min
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Letters to Juliet

When Sophie, a young American, travels to Verona, Italy — the romantic city where Romeo first met Juliet — she meets a group of volunteers who respond to letters written to Juliet seeking romantic advice. Sophie finds and answers a letter that has been lost for 50 years, and is stunned when its author Claire arrives in Italy with her handsome but overprotective grandson to find the fiance she left decades before. Fascinated by Claire’s quest, Sophie joins them on an adventure through the beautiful hills of Tuscany searching for Claire’s long lost Lorenzo. The journey will change their lives forever, as they discover it’s never too late to find true love.

Cast:
Amanda Seyfried (Sophie)
Vanessa Redgrave (Claire)
Christopher Egan (Charlie)
Gael García Bernal (Victor)

Director: Gary Winick
Writer: Jose Rivera, Tim Sullivan
Runtime: 105 min
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

The Last Airbender 3D

The world is divided into four kingdoms, each represented by the element they harness, and peace has lasted throughout the realms of Water, Air, Earth, and Fire under the supervision of the Avatar, a link to the spirit world and the only being capable of mastering the use of all four elements. When young Avatar Aang disappears, the Fire Nation launches an attack to eradicate all members of the Air Nomads to prevent interference in their future plans for world domination. 100 years pass and current Fire Lord Ozai continues to conquer and imprison anyone with elemental “bending” abilities in the Earth and Water Kingdoms, while siblings Katara and Sokka from a Southern Water Tribe find a mysterious boy trapped beneath the ice outside their village. Upon rescuing him, he reveals himself to be Aang, Avatar and last of the Air Nomads. Swearing to protect the Avatar, Katara and Sokka journey with him to the Northern Water Kingdom in his quest to master “Waterbending” and eventually fulfill his destiny of once again restoring peace to the world. But as they inch nearer to their goal, the group must evade Prince Zuko, the exiled son of Lord Ozai, Commander Zhao, the Fire Nation’s military leader, and the tyrannical onslaught of the evil Fire Lord himself.

Cast:
Noah Ringer (Aang)
Dev Patel (Prince Zuko)
Nicola Peltz (Katara)
Jackson Rathbone (Sokka)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Runtime: 103 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Dear John

While John is on leave in his hometown, he finds Savannah, a college student visiting the town. Although love was unexpected, it doesn’t mean they didn’t find it. With the knowledge of John having to leave for the army, their love still lives, until his re-signs on due to the 9/11 attack. Troubles invade and their love put on hold. One cannot bear it anymore; can the other?

Cast:
Channing Tatum (John Tyree)
Amanda Seyfried (Savannah Curtis)
Richard Jenkins (Mr. Tyree)
Henry Thomas (Tim Wheddon)

Director: Lasse Hallström
Writer: Jamie Linden, Nicholas Sparks
Runtime: 108 min
Genre: Drama, Romance, War
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

The Rebound

Sandy, upon discovering her husband’s infidelity while watching her son’s birthday video, leaves the suburbs and moves into the city. She gets an apartment that’s above a coffee house where she befriends one of the workers, Aram, a guy whose wife only married him so she could get a green card. Aram’s family thinks he’s wasting his life and education by working in the coffee house. Soon after moving into the apartment, Sandy hires Aram to be her nanny while she takes on work for the first time since her children were born. It isn’t long when Aram and Sandy find they get along wonderfully and start to date. But the question is: is their relationship real or is it, in fact, just a rebound for both of them?

Cast:
Catherine Zeta-Jones (Sandy)
Justin Bartha (Aram Finklestein)
Megan Byrne (Molly Foster)
Eliza Callahan (Sadie)

Director: Bart Freundlich
Writer: Bart Freundlich
Runtime: 95 min
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Grown Ups

Five friends and former teammates reunite years later to honor the passing of their childhood basketball coach. With their wives and kids in tow, they spend the Fourth of July holiday weekend together at the lake house where they celebrated their championship years earlier. Picking up where they left off, they discover why growing older doesn’t mean growing up.

Cast:
Adam Sandler (Lenny Feder)
Kevin James (Eric Lamonsoff)
Chris Rock (Kurt McKenzie)
Rob Schneider (Rob Hilliard)

Director: Dennis Dugan
Writer: Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf
Runtime: 102 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Leap Year

Anna Brady from Boston is a planner that stages apartments for Realtors. Anna has been dating cardiologist, Jeremy, for four years and they are buying a high standard apartment in Davenport together. Anna expects Jeremy to propose to her on a dinner date but he gives her a gift instead, after which he travels to Dublin for a congress. Anna decides to meet him in Dublin on the February 29th and propose to him in accordance with an old Irish folklore tradition from the 5th Century of leap-year proposals by women. However, due to bad weather the Dublin airport is closed. Anna hires the unfriendly innkeeper Declan to drive her to Dublin. Declan agrees to drive her as he needs the money to pay of his debts but their journey is fraught with many incidents.

Cast:
Amy Adams (Anna Brady)
Matthew Goode (Declan)
Adam Scott (Jeremy)
John Lithgow (Jack Brady)

Director: Anand Tucker
Writer: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont
Runtime: 100 min
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Inception

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

Cast:
Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Arthur)
Ellen Page (Ariadne)
Michael Caine (Miles)

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Runtime: 148 min
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Knight and Day

June Havens finds her everyday life tangled with that of a secret agent who has realized he isn’t supposed to survive his latest mission. As their campaign to stay alive stretches across the globe, they soon learn that all they can count on is each other.

Cast:
Tom Cruise (Roy Miller)
Cameron Diaz (June Havens)
Peter Sarsgaard (Fitzgerald)
Jordi Mollà (Antonio)

Director: James Mangold
Writer: Patrick O’Neill
Runtime: 109 min
Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Furry Vengeance

In the Oregon wilderness, a real estate developer’s new housing subdivision faces a unique group of protesters, local woodland creatures who don’t want their homes disturbed.

Cast:
Brendan Fraser (Dan Sanders)
Ricky Garcia (Frank)
Brooke Shields (Tammy Sanders)
Matt Prokop (Tyler Sanders)

Director: Roger Kumble
Writer: Michael Carnes, Josh Gilbert
Runtime: 92 min
Genre: Comedy, Family
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Toy Story 3 (Greek)

Andy is now 17 and ready to head off to college, leaving Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the toy-box gang to ponder their uncertain futures. When the toys are accidentally donated to the Sunnyside Daycare center they’re initially overjoyed to once again be played with, but their enthusiasm quickly gives way to horror as they discover the true nature of the establishment under the rule of the deceptively welcoming “Lotso” Bear. So, it’s all for one and one for all as the toys join Barbie’s counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear to plan their great escape.

Voices:
Alkis Kourkoulos
Eleonora Meleti
Mihalis Marinos
Demitris Piatas

Director: Lee Unkrich
Writer: Michael Arndt, John Lasseter
Runtime: 103 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2010

Killers

Spencer Aimes is just your average, undercover, government-hired super-assassin accustomed to a life of exotic European locales, flashy sports cars and even flashier women. But when he meets Jen Kornfeldt, a beautiful, fun-loving computer tech recovering from a bad break-up, he finds true love…and happily trades international intrigue for domestic bliss. Three years later, Spencer and Jen are still enjoying a picture-perfect marriage – that is, until the morning after Spencer’s 30th birthday. That’s when Spencer and Jen learn he’s the target of a multi-million dollar hit. Even worse, the hired killers have been stalking the happy couple for years, and could be anyone: friends, neighbors, the grocery store clerk, even that crabby old guy shuffling across the street. Now Spencer and Jen are on the run for their lives. As their suburban paradise turns into a paranoid game of dodge-the-bullet, they must find out who wants Spencer dead and why, all the while trying to save their marriage, manage his in-laws, keep up neighborly appearances … and just plain survive.

Cast:
Ashton Kutcher (Spencer Aimes)
Katherine Heigl (Jen Kornfeldt)
Tom Selleck (Mr. Kornfeldt)
Catherine O’Hara (Mrs. Kornfeldt)

Director: Robert Luketic
Writer: Bob DeRosa, Ted Griffin
Runtime: 93 min
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2010