In Cinemas this week (30 April – 2 May)

The Host

When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about, proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world.

Cast:
Saoirse Ronan (Melanie / Wanda)
Diane Kruger (The Seeker)
Max Irons (Jared Howe)
Jake Abel (Ian O’Shea)

Director: Andrew Niccol
Writer: Stephenie Meyer, Andrew Niccol
Runtime: 125 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Iron Man 3 3D/2D

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Cast:
Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark / Iron Man)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts)
Don Cheadle (James Rhodes / War Machine)
Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian)

Director: Shane Black
Writer: Drew Pearce, Shane Black
Runtime: 130 min
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Olympus Has Fallen

When the White House (Secret Service Code: “Olympus”) is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning’s inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger disaster.

Cast:
Gerard Butler (Mike Banning)
Aaron Eckhart (President Benjamin Asher)
Morgan Freeman (Speaker Trumbull)
Angela Bassett (Secret Service Director Lynn Jacobs)

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt
Runtime: 120 min
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: 18
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Broken City

In a broken city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure, the mayor. Billy’s relentless pursuit of justice, matched only by his streetwise toughness, makes him an unstoppable force and the mayor’s worst nightmare.

Cast:
Mark Wahlberg (Billy Taggart)
Russell Crowe (Mayor Hostetler)
Catherine Zeta-Jones (Cathleen Hostetler)
Jeffrey Wright (Carl Fairbanks)

Director: Allen Hughes
Writer: Brian Tucker
Runtime: 109 min
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

The Croods 3D/2D

The Croods is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world’s first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures – and their outlook is changed forever.

Cast:
Nicolas Cage/Costas Koklas (Grug)
Emma Stone/Evita Fitsantonaki (Eep)
Ryan Reynolds/Nikos Kouris (Guy)
Catherine Keener/Dorina Theocharidou (Ugga)

Director: Kirk De Micco, Chris Sanders
Writer: Chris Sanders, Kirk De Micco
Runtime: 98 min
Genre: Animation, Adventure
Rating: K
Language: English/Greek
Production Year: 2013

Oblivion

Jack Harper is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. Living in and patrolling the skies from thousands of feet above, his existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

Cast:
Tom Cruise (Jack)
Morgan Freeman (Beech)
Olga Kurylenko (Julia)
Andrea Riseborough (Victoria)

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Writer: Joseph Kosinski, Karl Gajdusek
Runtime: 126 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Silver Linings Playbook

Life doesn’t always go according to plan. Pat Solatano has lost everything – his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother and father after spending eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat’s parents want is for him to get back on his feet – and to share their family’s obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he’ll do something very important for her in return.

Cast:
Bradley Cooper (Pat)
Jennifer Lawrence (Tiffany)
Robert De Niro (Pat Sr.)
Chris Tucker (Danny)

Director: David O. Russell
Writer: David O. Russell, Matthew Quick
Runtime: 122 min
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

Zero Dark Thirty

Maya is a CIA operative whose first experience is in the interrogation of prisoners following the Al Qaeda attacks against the U.S. on the 11th September 2001. She is a reluctant participant in extreme duress applied to the detainees, but believes that the truth may only be obtained through such tactics. For several years, she is single-minded in her pursuit of leads to uncover the whereabouts of Al Qaeda’s leader, Osama Bin Laden. Finally, in 2011, it appears that her work will pay off, and a U.S. Navy SEAL team is sent to kill or capture Bin Laden. But only Maya is confident Bin Laden is where she says he is.

Cast:
Jessica Chastain (Maya)
Jason Clarke (Dan)
Joel Edgerton (Patrick)
Mark Strong (George)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: Mark Boal
Runtime: 157 min
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Rating: 15
Language: English
Production Year: 2012

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Framed for crimes against the country, the G.I. Joe team is terminated by the President’s order, and the surviving team members face off against Zartan, his accomplices, and the world leaders he has under his influence.

Cast:
Dwayne Johnson (Roadblock)
Channing Tatum (Duke)
Bruce Willis (General Joe Colton)
Byung-hun Lee (Storm Shadow)

Director: Jon M. Chu
Writer: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Runtime: 110 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: 12
Language: English
Production Year: 2013

Zarafa (Greek)

Under a baobab tree, an old man tells a story to the children around him: The story of the everlasting friendship between Maki, a little boy aged 10, and Zarafa, an orphaned giraffe, a gift from the Pasha of Egypt to the King of France, Charles X. Hassan, Prince of the Desert, is instructed by the Pasha to deliver Zarafa to France. But Maki has made up his mind to do everything in his power to stop Hassan from fulfilling his mission and to bring the giraffe back to its native land – even if it means risking his own life – because he must fulfill his promise to Zarafa’s late mother. During an epic journey that takes them from Sudan to Paris, passing on the way through Alexandria, Marseille and the snow-capped Alps, they have many adventures, crossing paths with the aviator Malaterre, a pair of unusual twin cows called Mounh and Sounh, and the pirate queen Bouboulina.

Director: Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie
Writer: Alexander Abela, Rémi Bezançon
Runtime: 78 min
Genre: Animation, Family
Rating: K
Language: Greek
Production Year: 2012