In Cinemas this week (3 – 9 December)

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Follows a pair of married couples, Alfie and Helena, and their daughter Sally and husband Roy, as their passions, ambitions, and anxieties lead them into trouble and out of their minds. After Alfie leaves Helena to pursue his lost youth and a free-spirited call girl named Charmaine, Helena abandons rationality and surrenders her life to the loopy advice of a charlatan fortune teller. Unhappy in her marriage, Sally develops a crush on her handsome art gallery owner boss, Greg, while Roy, a novelist nervously awaiting the response to his latest manuscript, becomes moonstruck over Dia, a mystery woman who catches his gaze through a nearby window.

Cast:
Anthony Hopkins (Alfie)
Naomi Watts (Sally)
Antonio Banderas (Greg)
Josh Brolin (Roy)

Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Runtime: 98 min
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Jackass 3D

Johnny Knoxville and company return for the third installment of their TV show spin-off, where dangerous stunts and explicit public displays rule.

Cast:
Johnny Knoxville
Bam Margera
Ryan Dunn
Steve-O

Director: Jeff Tremaine
Writer: Preston Lacy
Runtime: 94 min
Genre: Documentary, Action, Comedy
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

The American

Alone among assassins, Jack is a master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows to his contact Pavel that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde, is in the offing as a weapon is constructed. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto and pursues romance with local woman Clara. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.

Cast:
George Clooney (Jack)
Violante Placido (Clara)
Thekla Reuten (Mathilde)
Paolo Bonacelli (Father Benedetto)

Director: Anton Corbijn
Writer: Rowan Joffe, Martin Booth
Runtime: 105 min
Genre: Crime, Drama
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Voldemort’s power is growing stronger. He now has control over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore’s work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. But little hope remains for the Trio, and the rest of the Wizarding World, so everything they do must go as planned.

Cast:
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)
Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)
Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)
Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort)

Director: David Yates
Writer: Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling
Runtime: 146 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

The Last Exorcism

When he arrives on the rural Louisiana farm of Louis Sweetzer, the Reverend Cotton Marcus expects to perform just another routine “exorcism” on a disturbed religious fanatic. An earnest fundamentalist, Sweetzer has contacted the charismatic preacher as a last resort, certain his teenage daughter Nell is possessed by a demon who must be exorcized before their terrifying ordeal ends in unimaginable tragedy. Buckling under the weight of his conscience after years of parting desperate believers with their money, Cotton and his crew plan to film a confessionary documentary of this, his last exorcism. But upon arriving at the already blood drenched family farm, it is soon clear that nothing could have prepared him for the true evil he encounters there. Now, too late to turn back, Reverend Marcus’ own beliefs are shaken to the core when he and his crew must find a way to save Nell – and themselves – before it is too late.

Cast:
Patrick Fabian (Cotton Marcus)
Ashley Bell (Nell Sweetzer)
Louis Herthum (Louis Sweetzer)
Iris Bahr (Iris Reisen)

Director: Daniel Stamm
Writer: Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland
Runtime: 87 min
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Alpha and Omega 3D (Greek)

In Jasper National Park, the wolves, Kate and Humphrey, have known each other since puppyhood, but they are on the opposite ends of the Western Pack’s social structure with Kate as the energetic Alpha daughter of the pack leader and Humphrey being the good humoured Omega. That social structure forces Kate to accept an arranged marriage with Garth of the Eastern Pack to unite the packs for peace, regardless of Humphrey’s hopeless attraction for her. Before that union can occur, Kate and Humphrey are captured by the park’s rangers and sent to an Idaho park as part of a wolf repopulation project. Mindful of her duties, Kate is determined to return to Jasper and Humphrey offers to help with the assistance of two odd geese. However, as this disparate pair struggle through the dangers to get home, a growing mutual appreciation of their talents and then a deeper love threatens to disastrously complicate everything if they make it back.

Voices:
Justin Long (Humphrey)
Hayden Panettiere (Kate)
Dennis Hopper (Tony)
Danny Glover (Winston)

Director: Anthony Bell, Ben Gluck
Writer: Chris Denk, Steve Moore
Runtime: 88 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2010

Stone

Parole officer Jack Mabry has only a few weeks left before retirement and wishes to finish out the cases he’s been assigned. One such case is that of Gerald “Stone” Creeson, a convicted arsonist who is up for parole. Jack is initially reluctant to indulge Stone in the coarse banter he wishes to pursue and feels little sympathy for the prisoner’s pleads for an early release. Seeing little hope in convincing Jack himself, Stone arranges for his wife Lucetta to seduce the officer, but motives and intentions steadily blur amidst the passions and buried secrets of the corrupted players in this deadly game of deception.

Cast:
Robert De Niro (Jack)
Edward Norton (Stone)
Milla Jovovich (Lucetta)
Frances Conroy (Madylyn)

Director: John Curran
Writer: Angus MacLachlan
Runtime: 105 min
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Buried

Waking groggy in pitch darkness, Paul Conroy, an American truck driver working as a contractor in Iraq in 2006, slowly realizes he is trapped inside a wooden coffin, buried alive. With his cigarette lighter, he can see the trap he is in, and he quickly realizes that there’s not enough air for him to live long. He finds within the coffin a working cellphone, which allows him contact with the outside world. But the outside world proves not to be very helpful at finding a man buried in a box in the middle of the Iraqi desert. Paul must rely on his best resource – himself.

Cast:
Ryan Reynolds (Paul Conroy)
Robert Paterson (Dan Brenner)
José Luis García Pérez (Jabir)
Samantha Mathis (Linda Conroy)

Director: Rodrigo Cortés
Writer: Chris Sparling
Runtime: 95 min
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Marmaduke

In this family comedy, the super-sized dog who never fit in, finally finds a place where it’s okay to stand out. Now living large in Orange County, California, Marmaduke is helping his family make the big transition from the Midwest to The O.C. But he’s also discovering that fitting in with his new four-legged friends isn’t always easy for a 200-pound teenage dog. Lucky for Marmaduke, he doesn’t have to go it alone because he always has his “step-bro” and best pal, Carlos, a Russian Blue Cat, watching his back.

Voices:
Owen Wilson (Marmaduke)
George Lopez (Carlos)
Fergie (Jezebel)
Kiefer Sutherland (Bosco)

Director: Tom Dey
Writer: Tim Rasmussen, Vince Di Meglio
Runtime: 87 min
Genre: Comedy, Family
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Unstoppable

“Unstoppable”, a 20th Century Fox drama about a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. An engineer and his conductor are in a race against time. They’re chasing the runaway train in a separate locomotive and need to bring it under control before it derails on a curve and causes a toxic spill that will decimate a town and can endanger the lives of 100,000 inhabitants.

Cast:
Denzel Washington (Frank)
Chris Pine (Will)
Rosario Dawson (Connie)
Ethan Suplee (Dewey)

Director: Tony Scott
Writer: Mark Bomback
Runtime: 99 min
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Due Date

Peter Highman must get to LA in five days to be at the birth of his firstborn. He is about to fly home from Atlanta when his luggage and wallet are stolen, and he is put on the “no-fly” list. Desperate to get home Peter is forced to accept the offer of Ethan Tremblay to hitch a ride with him cross-country. Peter is about to go on a terrifying and agonizing journey of his life.

Cast:
Robert Downey Jr. (Peter Highman)
Zach Galifianakis (Ethan Tremblay)
Michelle Monaghan (Sarah Highman)
Jamie Foxx (Darryl)

Director: Todd Phillips
Writer: Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland
Runtime: 100 min
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

The Other Guys

Terry Hoitz’s past mistakes in the line of duty and Allen Gamble’s reluctance to take risks have landed them the roles of the “Other Guys”, disgraced New York City police detectives relegated to filling out paperwork for cocky hero cops Danson and Highsmith. The mismatched duo must look past their differences when they take on a high-profile investigation of shady capitalist David Ershon and attempt to fill the shoes of the notoriously reckless officers they idolize.

Cast:
Will Ferrell (Allen Gamble)
Mark Wahlberg (Terry Hoitz)
Samuel L. Jackson (P.K. Highsmith)
Dwayne Johnson (Christopher Danson)

Director: Adam McKay
Writer: Adam McKay, Chris Henchy
Runtime: 107 min
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Arthur 3: The War of Two Worlds (Greek)

Maltazard traps Arthur in the Land of the Minimoys and travels in the opposite direction into the humans’ world, where he forces a plastic surgeon to stitch him a human face and tricks his way into Arthur’s grandparents’ house. There he searches for a phial containing the elixir Arthur needs to get back to his normal size! When miniature Arthur, Selenia and Betameche finally reach the house, Maltazard has the phial in his grasp. Time is running out for them. Now over two meters tall, Maltazard assembles an army of giant mosquitoes in the nearby forest. Arthur enlists the help of the Queen Bee, whose magical honey is his only way to grow back to full size. But will that be enough for him to win the war of the two worlds?

Cast and voices:
Freddie Highmore (Arthur)
Mia Farrow (Granny)
Robert Stanton (Armand)
Mylène Farmer (Sélénia)

Director: Luc Besson
Writer: Luc Besson, Céline Garcia
Runtime: 100 min
Genre: Animation
Rating: 12
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2010

Despicable Me (English)

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru, planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon. (Yes, the moon!) Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad. The world’s greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.

Voices:
Steve Carell (Gru)
Julie Andrews (Gru’s Mom)
Jason Segel (Vector)
Russell Brand (Dr. Nefario)

Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Writer: Ken Daurio, Sergio Pablos
Runtime: 95 min
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2010

Shrek Forever After (English)

A bored and domesticated Shrek pacts with deal-maker Rumpelstiltskin to get back to feeling like a real ogre again, but when he’s duped and sent to a twisted version of Far Far Away – where Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and he and Fiona have never met – he sets out to restore his world and reclaim his true love.

Voices:
Mike Myers (Shrek)
Eddie Murphy (Donkey)
Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona)
Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots)

Director: Mike Mitchell
Writer: Josh Klausner, Darren Lemke
Runtime: 93 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Rating: K
Language: English
Production Year: 2010