In Cinemas this week (20 – 26 May)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with a woman from his past, and he’s not sure if it’s love – or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard, Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

Cast:
Johnny Depp (Jack Sparrow)
Penélope Cruz (Angelica)
Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa)
Ian McShane (Blackbeard)

Director: Rob Marshall
Writer: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Runtime: 137 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2011

Limitless

Out-of-work writer Eddie Morra’s rejection by girlfriend Lindy confirms his belief that he has zero future. That all vanishes the day an old friend introduces Eddie to NZT, a designer pharmaceutical that makes him laser focused and more confident than any man alive. Now on an NZT-fueled odyssey, everything Eddie’s read, heard or seen is instantly organized and available to him. As the former nobody rises to the top of the financial world, he draws the attention of business mogul Carl Van Loon, who sees this enhanced version of Eddie as the tool to make billions. But brutal side effects jeopardize his meteoric ascent. With a dwindling stash and hit men who will eliminate him to get the NZT…

Cast:
Bradley Cooper (Eddie Morra)
Robert De Niro (Carl Van Loon)
Abbie Cornish (Lindy)
Andrew Howard (Gennady)

Director: Neil Burger
Writer: Leslie Dixon, Alan Glynn
Runtime: 105 min
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rating: 15
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

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

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

Tangled (Greek)

After receiving the healing powers from a magical flower, the baby Princess Rapunzel is kidnapped from the palace in the middle of the night by Mother Gothel. Mother Gothel knows that the flower’s magical powers are now growing within the golden hair of Rapunzel, and to stay young, she must lock Rapunzel in her hidden tower. Rapunzel is now a teenager and her hair has grown to a length of 70-feet. The beautiful Rapunzel has been in the tower her entire life, and she is curious of the outside world. One day, the bandit Flynn Ryder scales the tower and is taken captive by Rapunzel. Rapunzel strikes a deal with the charming thief to act as her guide to travel to the place where the floating lights come from that she has seen every year on her birthday. Rapunzel is about to have the most exciting and magnificent journey of her life.

Voices:
Mandy Moore (Rapunzel)
Zachary Levi (Flynn Rider)
Donna Murphy (Mother Gothel)
Ron Perlman (Stabbington Brother)

Director: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
Writer: Dan Fogelman
Runtime: 100 min
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2010