This Week's Cinema | 4th January

This section of Great Expectations features the hottest theatrically released films of the week.
If i've missed any, please leave a comment below.

The Impossible - Released New Year's Day, J. A. Bayona's disaster epic depicts that of the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami which had thousands fighting for their live amidst a landscape of absolute chaos. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor headline a family, based on the true circumstances of another, as they, separately, battle to survive and to find one another again. A demanding yet emotionally crippling drama, expertly executed. Read the full review here.

Playing for Keeps - Released New Year's Day, Gerard Butler stars as an ex-footballer whose fame has decreased him to a life of coaching his son's soccer team, leaving him to battle off the bored soccer mothers who pursue him at every turn. Jessica Biel, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid and Uma Thurman co-star in a breezy romantic-comedy.

Quartet - Released New Year's Day, Maggie Smith stars in Dustin Hoffman's quirky drama about a retirement home whose annual concert is disrupted by the arrival of Jean (Smith). Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins co-star in a drama based on Ronald Harwood's same-titled play.

Texas Chainsaw 3D - Advance screenings this coming Friday (4th) and Saturday (5th), John Lussenhop's latest addition to the reeling sequels of Leatherface's past is actually a direct sequel to Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic. Alexandra Daddario (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) is Heather, a young woman who, with a handful of friends, heads to Texas to collect her inheritance. It is, however, to her surprise that a certain chainsaw-wielding maniac resides in said inheritance. Certified fresh by Hooper himself, anticipation for this 3D sequel is rife. Didn't think that would be possible. The film has a full general release on January 9th.

This Week's UK Cinema Releases, 27th August

A round up of this week's theatrical releases that you should and shouldn't feast your eyes upon.

-This week's biggest, and most exciting, Hollywood flick spawns from the wondrous mind of Brit genius Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. If you've paid attention to any of the reviews, you'll know how fantastic and downright original the film is. Michael Cera stars as Scott, a twenty-something bassist in a band called the Sex Bob-ombs, but falls head over heels with magenta haired Ramona Flowers. However, to be with Ramona, Scott must defeat her seven evil exes. Read my full review here!

-Adam Sandler's latest sees him team up with Paul Blart's Kevin James, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock and David Spade in Grown Ups. The film focuses on a group of college friends reunite after their school coach passes away. Whether or not the film is genuinely funny, you can't deny that they didn't try!

-Paul Rudd also teams with Steve Carrell this weekend in advance screenings of Dinner for Schmucks, a screwball comedy that may be the zaniest of the week. After Tim (Rudd) discovers his colleagues host dinner parties to celebrate the most idiotic, he coincidentally meets Barry (Carrell), a man whose easy friendship enables Tim to showcase something he guarantees nobody has ever seen before. The film co-stars The Hangover's Zach Galifianakis.

-The largest grossing film in the world, Avatar, returns back to the big-screen in 3D and IMAX 3D this week with James Cameron's special extended edition, Avatar 3D: Special Edition. With a few minutes of unseen footage, revel in Pandora's unexplored forests and Jake's wild, ferociously entertaining adventure once more.

-One for this kids now as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the big-screen adaptation of Jeff Kinney's novel, hits screens nationwide. Greg Heffley is starting middle school, therefore, accompanied with his best friend, must survive the cliques, the bullies and the almighty myths.

This Week's UK Cinema Releases, 13th August

A round-up of everything you should and shouldn't be seeing this weekend at your local cinema.

-Firstly, we have Disney's special effects laden The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a partial homage to the classic sorcerer's tale of Fantasia. Nicholas Cage stars as Balthazar, the once apprentice to Merlin himself. After Merlin is murdered by the evil Morgana, Balthazar captures her, and her henchman Alfred Molina, in an urn, and sets out to find the true descendant of Merlin to vanquish her for good. Hundreds of years later and he meets Dave (Jay Baruchel, She's Out of My League), a down on his luck New York student whose geeky ways are thrown aside as he learns from the very best.

-M. Night Shyamalan may want to duck and cover as his intensely hated epic adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender hits UK cinemas this week. The Last Airbender follows the story of Aang, the last remaining bender of air whose child-like ways must be thrown aside to stop the evil Fire Nation from empowering the Water, Earth and Air nations. To find out if Shyamalan has dug his own grave, head over to your local cinema where The Last Airbender will be showing in either 3D or 2D.

-Michael Jai White stars in Black Dynamite, the story of a 1970's African-American action legend. Killing his brother, pumping heroin into local orphanages and flooding the ghetto with his adulterated malt liquor are just a few on his agenda as he remains as the one hero willing to fight The Man.

-One of this year's After Dark Horrorfest titles, The Final, hits limited UK cinemas this week. A group of bullies hatch a plan of kidnapping all those 'popular' folk we all hated in high school, throwing them in a secluded log cabin and torturing them until, essentially, they realise their mistakes. What's on offer is a cheap knock-off that attempts to shock, but merely embarrasses with it's lack development.

-Oscar winning The Secret in their Eyes also hits, focusing on a retired legal counselor whose intentions of writing a novel to find closure for one of his past undisclosed homicide cases falls into place.

-Disney sequel Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue turns big-screen this time around, with the previous two available purely on DVD and Blu-ray. Tink must team up with a rival fairy to hide their existence from humankind.

-The most macho-orientated film of the year has it's pre-screening showings at cinemas this weekend. The Expendables, starring Stallone, Statham, Li, Rourke, Austen, Willis and Schwarzenegger, depicts the tales of a group of mercenaries as they head to South America to overthrow a dictator.

This Week's UK Cinema Releases, 23rd July

-The first of this week sees the release, finally, of Vincenzo Natali's sci-fi horror Splice. Adrien Brody and Sarah Polly star as two ambitious but rebellious scientists as they defy all laws of science by combining the DNA of several animals, including that of a human, and create a creature they later call 'Dren'. Forming at a rapid rate, she grows into a winged human-hybrid, but her bond with both of her creators turns deadly. An undoubtedly unique, hopefully twisted, horror.

-Andy Garcia teams with Julianna Margulies, Emily Mortimer and Alan Arkin in family drama City Island. A young ex-con (Steven Strait) forces individual members in a family to uncover their hidden aspirations and careers, with Dad of the family (Garcia) working as a corrections officer despite his life-long dream to become the next Marlon Brando.

-Catherine Zeta Jones stars in romcom The Rebound, centering around Sandy (Jones) as she moves to New York with her two children. Hiring a coffee shop worker to babysit, an attraction instantly forms, but will their relationship work despite an extensive age gap?

-Karate Kid, the re-imagining of the 1984 film, hits cinemas this weekend. Will Smith's offspring Jaden Smith joins with Pat Morita's substitute Jackie Chan as a series of run-ins with a group of bullies forces him to join alliances with handyman/kung-fu expert Mr. Han (Chan).

This Week's UK Cinema Releases, 2nd July

-Those with a tendency to duck at the sight of a teeny-bopper may wish to cower in safety in their homes this weekend as the previews for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse are hitting cinemas all over Britain. The third outing sees Bella (Kristen Stewart) dealing with graduation, her feisty vampire enemy Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) and the love she has for charming, incorrigibly broody, vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and hot-tempered werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner)

-Rory and Kieren Culkin team up with Alec Baldwin, Cynthia Nixon and rising star Emma Roberts in the poignant tale about family in Lymelife, dealing with a family's down-spiraling condition after a failing marriage.

-French romcom Heartbreaker has also caused a positive stir with audiences and critics alike. Romain Duris is Alex, a man whose business partnership with his sister leads him to end relationships on strictly work ethics. Problems, however, come in the form of a rich man hiring Alex to break up the wedding belonging to his daughter.

-White Material is a hard-hitting drama, following director Claire Denis as she returns to Africa but focuses more on civil and racial conflicts. Maria (Isabelle Huppert) must decide between safety and protecting her livelihood as the ever-increasing Civil War causes problems on her coffee plantation. Help thankfully arises as a local black man decides to risk his life for the family - something which Maria, her husband and her son appreciate dearly.

-The Jason Isaacs comedy Skeletons is also released. Two real exorcists make a living out of ridding actual skeletons found in people's closets, but find trouble in their latest case when the skeletons decide to hide themselves.

This Week's UK Cinema Releases, 25th June

-We begin the week with the wonderful Kristen Bell taking a crack at a romcom in When In Rome. Beth (Bell), an uptight New Yorker, travels to Rome for her sister's wedding and inadvertently begins an adventure of odd proportions when she thieves coins from the fountain of love, attracting the attention of those who threw the coins. This, unfortunately, tempers with her new-found relationship with Nick (Josh Duhamel), a charming ex-football player.

-Jigsaw receives competition by a nondescript foe in the form of The Collector. A man struggling under the weight of unpaid debts resorts to breaking into his rich employer's home, unaware that somebody has already set up camp in the deserted country house. With an array of gruesome traps set up around the house, be prepared for a less-than-settling 100 minutes.

-Francis Ford Coppola returns to the screens with Tetro, centering around a man in search of his distant brother and uncovering his almost-finished play which gives an intriguing insight into the brothers' past.

-Woody Allen also returns with Whatever Works, with Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David. David stars as Boris, a self-proclaimed idealist who tends to project his personal views of religion and relationships on others, particularly Mississippi runaway Melody (Evan Rachel Wood). Producing an unlikely marriage, Melody's parents and family friends are less than impressed with the relationship between the duo.

-The final chapter of the adventures of the lovable ogre, Shrek Forever After, also hits this weekend with special advance screenings. The now-married, now-fathered, Shrek isn't happy with his life. His days are drawn out with satisfying his demanding family and the residents of Far Far Away, therefore missing his solo days when everybody and everything were terrified of him. Signing one of Rumplestiltskin's infamous contracts, his unwillingly signs away the day he was born to relive his glory days, awaking to no children, no friends and Fiona; an unloved warrior princess leading the resistance against Rumple and his band of sour-faced witches. Read my review for the final chapter here.

This Week's UK Cinema Releases - 18th June

-This week kicks off with the first of two comedy capers, Killers, starring ex-Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl and the handsome Ashton Kutcher. Single gal Jen (Heigl) jets off to France with her parents and bumps into her ideal man Spencer (Kutcher). Hitting it off instantly, the pair hastily marry. Life, however, is thrown into utter turmoil when Jen finds out that her beloved is in fact an ex-hitman whose the next target of the friends (who have been hired, who are also hitmen) which have weeded their way into the couples' lives.

-Next, the recurring Saturday Night Live skit spoofing the classic MacGyver, MacGruber, get the feature-length treatment. Will Forte stars as MacGruber, a dumb-witted secret agent who is thrown back into action with the intention of thwarting his archenemy's plans of blowing up Washington, D.C. with the nuclear warhead he has somehow maintained. The film also stars the brilliant Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe

-The always-gorgeous Emily Blunt teams with Brit veteran Bill Nighy, Harry Potter's Rupert Grint, Martin Freeman and Rupert Everett in the second caper of the week, Wild Target. A serene hitman (Nighy) plans to relinquish his risky career. All plans, however, are foiled when he finds himself drawn to the intended victim (Blunt).

-Last week's indie gem was Greenberg, this week we have Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt joining in Nicole Holofcener's Please Give; the story of two undoubtedly ballsy New York citizens earning a living by selling vintage furniture belonging to the recently deceased. The guilt gets the better of Kate (Keener), however, as the pair wait patiently for their neighbour to pass so they can inexplicably claim the products to expand their apartment.

-Spanish horror/thriller Hierro - taking a note out of The Orphanage, clearly - rattles up the more limited screens this week as the mother of a missing three-year-old gets an unsettling shock when a body of a boy surfaces in the place where her son disappeared. The mother, Maria (Elena Anaya), returns to the island of El Hierro to uncover the mystery and, potentially, find her son.

-America Ferrera's days as Betty are over, therefore it's only natural for her to star in other features. Cue the unarguably predictable Our Family Wedding, which sees Lucia (Ferrera) and her beau planning their wedding and, in a no-holds-barred effort, attempt to calm the feud between both fathers. Light-hearted Friday night viewing.

This Week's UK Cinema Releases - 11th June

A rather slow week, but there's bound to be at least one gem out there to satisfy your appetites.

-Firstly, Gary Winick teams with the beautiful Amanda Seyfried for her second romance of the year, Letters to Juliet. Heading to Verona, Sophie (Seyfried) finds herself embroiled in a romance spanning fifty years, all-the-while sparking her own relationship despite being engaged to a pompous, overbearing New York chef (Gael Garcia Bernal). The film co-stars veteran Vanessa Redgrave and Aussie actor Christopher Egan. Read my review for the charming film here.

-Richard Gere hits up the streets of New York with Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and Wesley Snipes in Antoine Fuqua's latest cop thriller, Brooklyn's Finest. Three unconnected cops collide after a series of unfortunate events. Fuqua's other hits include Training Day and Mark Wahlberg's Shooter.

-Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne star in Christopher Smith's (the director of Creep, Severence and mind-bending thriller Triangle) violent thriller, Black Death. As the bubonic plague spreads rapidly throughout towns, a young monk is sent on a mission to uncover the secret behind a town which hasn't been affected by the plague and is curiously 'bringing people back to life'.

-Ben Stiller also goes serious in Noah Baumbach's latest Indie drama, Greenberg. After a nervous breakdown, Roger moves to Los Angeles to housesit for his brother and finds himself in a rather awkward relationship with the families' P.A. An unconventional, but enjoyable, comedy.

-Cineworld cinemas are also holding special digital screenings of the 1946 black and white adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel, Great Expectations. Uniquely restored in picture and sound, the timeless story of a humble orphan suddenly becoming a gentleman with the help of a unknown benefactor hits the big-screen once again.

This Week's UK Cinema Releases - 28th May

A week full of varied releases, including one of my own most anticipated films of the year.

-Michael Patrick King returns behind the director's chair to bring us the four classy ingénues once again in the most fashionable sequel of the year, Sex and the City 2. Die-hard fans of the show will be rushing to cinemas worldwide come this Friday to see their favourite on-screen characters tackling lifes constant challenges. Carrie deals with Big's incompetence after marriage; Charlotte realises motherhood isn't as easy-going as she had expected; Miranda has a new, obnoxious boss to deal with; and Samantha is merely enjoying being free and single. The girls, however, are swept away on an five-star trip to Abu Dhabi.

-Horror fans will be going shit-crazy come Friday, when the sequel - set a mere 15 minutes after the original ended - to Spanish horror [REC], [REC]2, is released. This time we follow a SWAT team as they enter the quarantined complex, outfitted with video cameras, unaware of the ravenous zombies unleashed throughout the building. Undoubtedly one of the scariest, most intense, films of the year. Don't miss this one!

-Action caper The Losers is also released. Jeffery Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Idris Elba, Chris Evans and Justin Long star in a fast-paced, action romp about a CIA black ops team left for dead, betrayed by the powerful Max (Jason Patric). The film spirals into a case of revenge, seeing the rag-tag group attempting their most dangerous mission yet.

-The last sequel this week comes in the form of 3D animation Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back. The film sees the lovable chimp Comet traveling to an alien planet to find out evil alien ruler Zartog has taken over Mission Control. Teaming up with his friends Ham, Luna and Titan, the chimps must thwart Zartog's destructive plans.

-Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is also appearing in cinemas, suited with a tutu and sparkly, Tinkerbell-like wings in Tooth Fairy. Rugged man's man Derek Thompson commits a bad deed, leading to a rather unusual sentence; taking the role of the mystical tooth fairy for a week. Cue the cheaply uneffective jokes and 90 minutes of evidence proving Johnson has committed career-suicide.

-Foreign drama The Time That Remains is also released nationwide, but on a more limited scale. Directed by Elia Suleiman, the film examines life in Israel from 1948 to the present day, all inspired by his parent's accounts.

This Week's UK Cinema Releases - 21st of May

Big, big week for myself in the Land of Film, all thanks to a special (insert wink) Summer blockbuster having it's release in the UK.

- Director Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) teams with producer Jerry Bruckheimer to bring us the film adaptation of adventure game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Being a massive fan of the game series, the film is one of my Summer highlights. With Jake Gyllenhaal in the title role, a man who looks almost identical to the game's Persian Prince, the film should be one of the most enjoyable, all-round-epic films of the year.

- Streetdance 3D gets its official nationwide release. See last week's post if you wish to know more -- if there's actually anything needing explained?

- The evidence of Nicholas Cage's acting-comeback is beginning to pile up with Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, a film which has been critically praised since it's day of release in the States (it's already out to purchase over there). The film also stars Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer and is directed by Werner Herzog.

- Kevin Smith's latest comedy-fest is cop-spoof Cop Out. The film generally spends 90 minutes taking the piss out of every cop movie released in the last ten years. Bruce Willis and 30 Rock-actor Tracy Morgan star, with, apparently, a rather hilarious cameo by American Pie-actor Seann William Scott.

- Finally, Jim Sturgess stars in Heartless, a man with a disfiguring birth mark on his face uncovers demons on the streets of London.

If you catch any of the films on nationwide, or limited, release this week, leave me a comment with your thoughts. I'd greatly appreciate it!

This Week's UK Cinema Releases - 14th May, 2010

A rather slow and disappointing week this week, considering the recent two have been full of releases - some good, some bad.

- Firstly, released earlier this week, the infamous archer Robin Hood has another re-telling, this time helmed by Ridley Scott with Russell Crowe trying his hand at the title character. While decently cast, the film itself looks rather plain. Still, i haven't seen it yet.

- Tweens aged 6-15 should have a field day with the latest dance flick, Streetdance 3D. Disregarding the fact that it looks like a complete knock off of every other dance film of the last ten years (Step Up mainly), Streetdance won't win any awards, but will no doubt cause an impact at the Box Office - especially with it's robbing ticket prices. The film will officially be released Friday the 21st, but with special screenings throughout this weekend.

- Re-released nationwide on Monday for one day only is the Judy Garland drama Meet Me In St. Louis. I, and i suspect many others, regard this as this week's best film. Catch it if you can!

If you catch any of this week's releases, or any of this month, leave me a comment with your thoughts.

This Week's UK Cinema Releases - 7th May, 2010

A plentiful supply of films for all you movie buffs out there this week.

- The latest in the string of horror remakes, Jackie Earle Haley takes over from Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'.

- Jennifer Lopez returns to acting in 'The Back-Up Plan', starring as a woman who meets the man of her dreams on the same day she's artificially inseminated.

- Controversial comedy 'Four Lions', focusing on a group of British jihadists and their surreal dreams of glory.

- One of the year's most original comedies, 'Hot Tub Time Machine' is released. The title says it all!

- Brendan Fraser stars in yet another straight-to-bargain bin film, 'Furry Vengeance'.

If you catch any of these releases, leave me a comment with your thoughts in the section below!