Synopsis

As her graduation approaches, Bella (Kristen Stewart) struggles with Edward’s (Robert Pattinson) compromise of marrying him before he agrees to change her into a vampire - and her friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Meanwhile, the Newborn Army (comprising newly turned vampires with an uncontrollable lust for blood) is coming to Forks, led by the pawn Riley (Xavier Samuel). Are they a tool of Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) in her pursuit of vengeance or of the Volturi, making sure Bella follows through on her intention to become immortal? The Cullens and Wolf Pack have to put aside their instinctive conflict and form an alliance to protect Bella and the community.

Review by Louise Keller:
The fire in Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) heart is the driver of this third Twilight chapter in which the scales of love tip back and forth between vampire and wolf. Much better than the second film, Eclipse offers a smorgasbord of experiences: old fashioned romance being top of the list, followed by action and bloodlust. Without doubt it is the humour in the scenes about the rivalry between Edward and Jacob that are the film’s highlight .

Mild-mannered but ambitious 24 year old Aaron Greenberg (Jonah Hill) has just landed his dream assignment. Aaron's record-mogul boss Sergio Roma (Sean Comb) is staging a comeback concert for fallen British rock-star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) at the Los Angeles Greek Theatre, as the first stop in a multi-million dollar tour and wants Aaron to escort the star from London. Aldous, who lives in his self-obsessed world with pleasures of the flesh and all things illegal, is also searching for the meaning of life - between joints, booze and sex, that is. He has never really recovered from the breakup of his relationship with raunchy singer and model Jackie Q (Rose Byrne). As the countdown begins, Aaron is up to his ears in problems getting his unco-operative, certifiable rock-star charge to the concert.

Review by Louise Keller:
Fans of Judd Apatow's brand of humour will get off on this fast-paced, rowdy and uncouth comedy about sex, drugs, rock 'n roll and vomit that heavily relies on shocking its target audience. It's Russell Brand (charismatic & crazy) and Jonah Hill (gauche & willing) teamed up again (remember Forgetting Sarah Marshall?) and they're in top form - if you like that kinda thing. A chaotic and turbo-charged ride with laughs and groans and despite its crass downmarket humour, the film has an inventive script that keeps us guessing as we scream together down the corridors of excess.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the absolute best in the dangerous art of extracting valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in the treacherous world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible - inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse; their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime.

Review by Louise Keller:
A scintillating exploration of dreams, reality and the fine line that divides them, Inception toys with our minds on a massive scale, sending us on a dizzying trip which makes all our preconceptions spin relentlessly, like a twirling top - an object with great relevance, if you see the film. It's a bit like a heist movie in which the golden jackpot comprises planting the seed of an idea into the mind and navigating it through a labyrinthine of the subconscious. Inception takes an even bolder stance as we become immersed in a world of schemes, dreams and dreams within dreams, where the power of suggestion can define or destroy. Action packed, visually astonishing with a masterful, intense performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, this high concept thriller is an unforgettable adrenalin rush that despite chaos and confusion, works on multiple levels.

When defecting high ranking Russian agent Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) reveals that CIA officer Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is really one of several sleeper Russian spies within the US security network, Salt is forced to go on the run as she tries desperately to get her entomologist husband Mike (August Diehl) to safety. Her closest CIA colleague Ted Winter (Liev Schrieber) can't help her and internal security agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) wants Salt interrogated - or shut down. But Salt's training comes in handy as she evades the teams of agents after her, and makes contact with Orlov at his hideout, where his team is preparing to start world war three - with her help.

Review by Louise Keller:
Adrenalin-charged action, assured direction and a star turn by Angelina Jolie makes Salt the best condiment on the action thriller movie menu. Surrounding himself with top talent, director Phillip Noyce is in full control as he treats us to a gritty edge-of-seat experience in which the unlikely confluence of danger and glamour sit side by side. Kurt Wimmer's screenplay springboards the action and it never stops - with Jolie full throttle in a demanding physical role that has us reeling from the outset. With never a moment to take a breath, we are thrown headlong into an assassination plot with political ramifications in which loyalty, deception and revenge weave an intriguing tapestry.

Hero or patsy? Who is Salt is the question we are asked when an interrogation with a Russian spy puts Jolie's CIA agent under scrutiny. Is she a sleeper Russian agent instructed to assassinate the Russian President? Is it a case of mistaken identity? Or is there another even more complex answer waiting to be found? Jolie has never been better (or more beautiful) as the risk-taking Evelyn Salt who is vulnerable, feminine and likeable at the same time as being convincingly lethal.

Utilitarian is the new sexy, a phrase used by Salt's CIA boss Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber, excellent), demonstrated as Salt confounds her colleagues by using her nous and anything she has on hand (like her black panties which she casually tosses over the security camera as she makes her escape from the building). The thrills keep coming as the bare-footed Salt negotiates window ledges in high places, throws herself off bridges onto moving trucks, puts her foot down in nifty car chases as well as participating in heavy physical action with bullets flying. It's not just mindless action, there is a rationale to everything that happens including defining character. She's smart. Besides, we know she must also be a good person - after all, she even finds time (while on the run) to ensure her dog is safe.

Noyce knows how to shoot action and the editing is sharp too, while James Newton Howard's relentlessly effectively percussive score keeps up the tension. I like Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peabody from Counter Intelligence, whose inflexibility remains a constant right until the final act. This is a superior action thriller that gives us more than our money's worth and peppers our tastebuds for a possible sequel.

Recovering from a sudden break-up, Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) reluctantly joins her parents on a trip to the French Riviera where she meets the dashing Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher). Three years later, her seemingly impossible wish has come true: she and Spencer are living the ideal suburban life - until the morning after Spencer's 30th birthday when bullets start flying. Spencer has never told Jen he was once a spy. And now his past is catching up with him - and her. Top rate comedy with action - entertainment in an easy going style

A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator. The strategist Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) leads his team comprising Lee Christmas (Jason Statham); Yin Yang (Jet Li), Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), Toll Road (Randy Couture) each a weapons ands combat specialist. Then there's rogue Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren) who isn't invited on trust issues. Ross has accepted a mission from the mysterious Mr Church (Bruce Willis) to overthrow General Gaza (David Zayas) the murderous dictator of a small South American island country. During the reccie mission, Barney and Lee meet local freedom fighter Sandra (Giselle Itia) who is more than she seems. But it's rogue CIA agent James Monroe (Eric Roberts) and his henchman Paine (Steve Austin) who turn out to be their deadliest enemies when things go badly wrong.

Review by Louise Keller:
It's raining bullets and knives in this macho action thriller in which brute force rules supreme. The sky ablaze with explosions, entire buildings disintegrate as Sylvester Stallone and his team of tough guys do it their way. Stallone knows the genre back to front and directs the film with the required frenetic pace, using extreme tight close ups of his characters, as if to remind us, these guys are larger than life. Aged 64, he cuts an impressively fit figure, leaping onto planes, running for his life and even the curl of his lip seems to have become more pronounced. It's basically big budget, B-film bonanza time, where excess is revered and the bangs don't get much bigger. Nor do we get a chance to take a breath in this relentless, often exhilarating film in which actions do the talking and humour is used effectively in the cracks.

STEP UP 3

Luke (Rick Malambri) heads a tight-knit group of New York City street dancers called The Pirates, who live and rehearse in the warehouse his parents left him. Seriously behind in his mortgage payments, Luke is keen to win the $100,000 prize in the upcoming hip hop dancer World Jam, but his former partner Julian (Joe Slaughter) has formed a rival dance group called The Samurai. Luke recruits two new dancers: Natalie (Sharni Vinson) and freshman Moose (Adam G. Sevani), but both have secrets and problems. Who will win the World Jam? And will Luke ever be able to follow his real dream of becoming a filmmaker?

Back

Twelve-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) was happy in Detroit, but his widowed mother's (Taraji P. Henosn) latest career move has taken them to China. Dre immediately falls for his violin-playing classmate Mei Ying (Wenwen Han), but her family doesn't approve. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, the kung fu prodigy, Cheng (Zhenwei Wang). The bullies make his life hell; Dre has nowhere to turn until the apartment block's maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), comes to his rescue. Secretly a kung fu master, Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and skill, but maturity and calm. Dre realises that he must face down the bullies to stop being scared of them.

Eight teenagers in the remote coastal town of Wirrawee set off for a weekend camping in the verdant parkland not far from home, as a simple adventure. But their lives are suddenly and violently upended by a war that no one saw coming, as a foreign army invades Australia and captures civilians in its path. Cut off from their families and their friends, they must learn to escape, survive and fight back against the hostile military force.

Review by Louise Keller:
A classic Australian novel gets thumbs up on the big screen as eight teens from a small country town are unexpectedly thrown headlong into an adventure of massive proportions. While the events may have broader implications, the point of view retained by writer turned director Stuart Beattie in his adaptation of John Marsden's novel remains that of the protagonists, enabling us to inhabit their world and thoughts as the world around them changes. Establishment of character and place is key and from the outset we become engaged with the individuals who opt for a few days of fun and adventure in a remote destination. Ordinary teenagers doing extraordinary things is the result of this action-filled adventure in which the previously important issues like school, parent criticisms and crushes make way for sheer survival. While its credibility occasionally jars, it's a likeable film with a good premise and a nice vibe, offering humour, romance, surprises and explosive action.

Perseus (Sam Worthington), rescued as a baby from the sea by fisherman Spyros (Pete Postlethwaite), learns when he grows up that he is the mortal son of the god Zeus (Liam Neeson). The gods have been behaving badly and the people of Argos are fed up; someone has to say 'enough'. Perseus realizes he is the one to do the job, and with - at first reluctant - help from Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), he embarks on a perilous journey to stop Hades (Ralph Fiennes) of the Underworld and his angry monsters - including the deadly Medusa (Natalia Vodianova) from spreading their evil to Earth as well as the heavens. He is helped by the mysterious Io (Gemma Arterton) who has watched and protected him all his life.