In Cinemas this week (20 – 26 November)

Couples Retreat

Four Midwestern couples embark on a journey to a tropical island resort, called Eden. While one of the couples, Jason and Cynthia, is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to jet ski, spa and enjoy some fun in the sun. They soon discover that participation in the resort’s couples therapy is not optional. After their first therapy session all four couples learn they have problems with their relationships and even Ronnie and Dave, who thought they were fine, need the therapy. They endure the resort owner Marcel’s odd methods, including swimming with sharks and yoga sessions with an amorous instructor Salvadore. Suddenly, their group-rate vacation comes at a price.

Cast:
Vince Vaughn (Dave)
Jean Reno (Marcel)
Kristen Bell (Cynthia)
Kristin Davis (Lucy)

Director: Peter Billingsley
Writer: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn
Runtime: 113 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Bella Swan is still very much in love with vampire, Edward Cullen. The rest of the vampire coven who call themselves the Cullens, especially Alice, decide to throw Bella a private party for her eighteenth birthday. Things go wrong when Bella slices her finger and thirst overcomes the vampires. As a result of the danger Bella was put through, the Cullen family decide to leave Forks, Washington. At first Bella exempts herself from all social activities, until she realizes she can coexist with childhood friend, Jacob Black. As usual for Bella, things aren’t what they seem. Something is happening to Jacob that he can’t explain to Bella, and their friendship starts to deteriorate. But when someone from Bella’s past comes back to haunt her, everything will change again.

Cast:
Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan)
Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen)
Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen)
Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black)

Director: Chris Weitz
Writer: Melissa Rosenberg
Runtime: 130 min
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

To Kako II (Evil in the Time of Heroes)

Three days ago everything changed. An ancient force turned humans to bloodthirsty zombies. It wasn’t the first time, though. 2800 years ago the situation was the same. Then they prevailed and The Evil was beaten. Will our heroes manage to do the same today? Will they manage to re-live The Time of Heroes?

Cast:
Billy Zane (Prophitis – Messenger)
Argiris Thanasoulas (Argyris)
Andreas Kontopoulos (Vakirtzis)
Dinos Avgoustidis (Nikias)

Director: Yiorgos Noussias
Writer: Claudio Bolivar, Yiorgos Noussias
Runtime: 88 min
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Rating: 18
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2009

2012

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. A global cataclysm brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. With the Mayan calendar ending in 2012, a large group of people must deal with natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, typhoons and glaciers.

Cast:
John Cusack (Jackson Curtis)
Amanda Peet (Kate Curtis)
Danny Glover (President Thomas Wilson)
Thandie Newton (Laura Wilson)

Director: Roland Emmerich
Writer: Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser
Runtime: 158 min
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Taking Woodstock

Elliot Tiber, a down-on-his-luck interior designer in Greenwich Village, New York, has to move back upstate to help his parents run their dilapidated Catskills motel, The El Monaco. The banks about to foreclose; his father wants to burn the place down, but hasn’t paid the insurance; and Elliot is still figuring how to come out to his parents, when inadvertently he sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969.

Cast:
Demetri Martin (Elliot Tiber)
Liev Schreiber (Vilma)
Emile Hirsch (Billy)
Eugene Levy (Max Yasgur)

Director: Ang Lee
Writer: James Schamus
Runtime: 110 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Spread

Nikki is a sexual grifter, a fun-loving, freeloading hipster who understands his greatest assets are his looks and sexual prowess, which he uses to charm his way into the hearts of the city’s richest women and enjoy their lifestyle. Nikki gets a free place to live, fantastic gifts, A-list access, and plenty of sex. The women get to feel young, beautiful… and utterly fulfilled in the bedroom. It’s a mutually beneficial set-up. Nikki’s latest conquest is Samantha, a stunning middle-aged lawyer who gives him more than he’s ever had before. Everything is going well for Nikki until he meets a gorgeous waitress named Heather, who, unbeknownst to him, is playing the same game that he is. Nikki and Heather find themselves sexually charged by a game of one-upsmanship that has them dining at fine restaurants and crashing posh parties, until the truth of their lives forces them to choose between love and money.

Cast:
Ashton Kutcher (Nikki)
Anne Heche (Samantha)
Margarita Levieva (Heather)
Sebastian Stan (Harry)

Director: David Mackenzie
Writer: Jason Dean Hall
Runtime: 97 min
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Land of the Lost

On his latest expedition, Dr. Rick Marshall is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his research assistant and a redneck survivalist. In this alternate universe, the trio make friends with a primate named Chaka, their only ally in a world full of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures.

Cast:
Will Ferrell (Dr. Rick Marshall)
Anna Friel (Holly Cantrell)
Danny McBride (Will Stanton)
Jorma Taccone (Chaka)

Director: Brad Silberling
Writer: Chris Henchy, Dennis McNicholas
Runtime: 102 min
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Clare has been in love with Henry her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler–cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry’s travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.

Cast:
Eric Bana (Henry DeTamble)
Rachel McAdams (Clare Abshire)
Ron Livingston (Gomez)
Alex Ferris (Henry at Six)

Director: Robert Schwentke
Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin, Audrey Niffenegger
Runtime: 107 min
Genre: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Surrogates

People are living their lives remotely from the safety of their own homes via robotic surrogates — sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves. It’s an ideal world where crime, pain, fear and consequences don’t exist. When the first murder in years jolts this utopia, FBI agent Greer discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery.

Cast:
Bruce Willis (Tom Greer)
Radha Mitchell (Peters)
Rosamund Pike (Maggie)
Boris Kodjoe (Stone)

Director: Jonathan Mostow
Writer: Michael Ferris, John D. Brancato
Runtime: 88 min
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

This Is It

Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London’s 02 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage.

Cast:
Michael Jackson
Mekia Cox
Darryl Phinnessee
Timor Steffens

Director: Kenny Ortega
Runtime: 112 min
Genre: Documentary, Music
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Fame

This movie is based upon the 1980 film which follows NYC talent attending the New York City High School for the Performing Arts, where students get specialized training that often leads to success as actors, singers, etc. In 1936, New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia founded the High School of Music & Art in order to provide a facility where the most gifted and talented public school students of New York City could pursue their talents in art or music, while also completing a full academic program of instruction. In 1948, the School of Performing Arts was created to provide training in performance skills to students who wished to prepare for professional careers in dance, music or drama.

Cast:
Kay Panabaker (Jenny Garrison)
Naturi Naughton (Denise Dupree)
Kherington Payne (Alice Ellerton)
Megan Mullally (Ms. Fran Rowan)

Director: Kevin Tancharoen
Writer: Allison Burnett, Christopher Gore
Runtime: 107 min
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Musical
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

G-Force (Greek)

A group of guinea pigs trained by the government to work in espionage, armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, soon discovers that the fate of the world is in their paws. The team takes on a mission for the US government to stop evil billionaire Leonard Saber, who plans to destroy the world with household appliances. Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster, an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles, the computer and information specialist. Along the way, the G-Force encounters myriad other members of the animal kingdom, including pet shop layabout Hurley and the rabidly territorial hamster Bucky.

Voices:
Zeta Makripoulia
Giorgos Karamichos

Director: Hoyt Yeatman
Writer: Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley
Runtime: 88 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2009

Aliens in the Attic

After the Pearson family arrive at their dream vacation house in Michigan, the children discover a friendly alien living in their attic. However, he lives with three other aliens that are attempting to rule the universe. The children in the Pearson family have to defend their vacation house. At the same time, the youngsters work hard to keep their parents in the dark about the battle upstairs.

Cast:
Carter Jenkins (Tom Pearson)
Ashley Tisdale (Bethany Pearson)
Robert Hoffman (Ricky Dillman)
Austin Robert Butler (Jake Pearson)

Director: John Schultz
Writer: Mark Burton, Adam F. Goldberg
Runtime: 86 min
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: Κ
Language: English
Production Year: 2009

Up (Greek)

By tying thousands of balloons to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn’t alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

Voices:
Costas Voutsas
Giorgos Constantinou
Giorgos Kapoutzides
Thanasis Tsaltampasis

Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Writer: Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
Runtime: 96 min
Genre: Animation, Action, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2009