ARTHUR CHRISTMAS 3D (U)
SANTA (voiced by Jim Broadbent) has been the figurehead of the Yuletide season for decades and he proudly oversees this year's delivery of presents in his hi-tech spacecraft, masterminded with military precision by eldest son Steve (Hugh Laurie). Down in the bowels of the craft, youngest son Arthur (James McAvoy) excitedly answers correspondence from the children of the world, including a young British girl called Gwen (Ramona Marquez). A malfunction in the loading bay goes unnoticed by the elves in mission control and Gwen doesn't receive her pink bicycle. With time running out, Arthur joins forces with Grandsanta (Bill Nighy) and wrapping elf Bryony (Ashley Jensen) to deliver Gwen's gift.
STAR RATING: ****
50/50 (15)
ADAM (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works behind the scenes at Seattle Public Radio with best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), who makes public his issues with Adam's artist girlfriend, Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard). A doctor's appointment to determine the reasons for Adam's acute back pain reveals the quietly spoken 27-year-old has a tumour that must be treated immediately. His chances of survival are 50%.
STAR RATING: ****
HAPPY FEET TWO (U)
MUMBLE the penguin (Elijah Wood), who learned to dance in the first film, has raised a son called Erik (Ava Acres) with his wife Gloria (Pink). Like his father, Erik is struggling to find his rhythm in Emperor-Land and he searches for answers with best friends Boadicia and Atticus in the company of wise-cracking Ramon (Robin Williams). Mumble chases after the little ones and returns home to discover a giant iceberg has slammed into their home, trapping all of the Emperor penguins to certain doom.
STAR RATING: **
NEW YEAR'S EVE (12A)
A STARRY cast of familiar faces hope to be struck by Cupid's arrow before the clock strikes midnight in Times Square in New York. Randy (Ashton Kutcher) is stuck in an elevator with a beautiful stranger (Lea Michele), while Paul (Zac Efron) agrees to help record company secretary Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) achieve all of her resolutions in exchange for tickets to the biggest party of the year. Elsewhere in the city, Tess (Jessica Biel) prepares to give birth, businessman Sam (Josh Duhamel) searches for his soul mate, and terminally ill Stan (Robert De Niro) clings onto life under the care of nurse Aimee (Halle Berry).
STAR RATING: **
HUGO (U)
TWELVE-year-old Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is raised by his father (Jude Law), who works at a museum and has a passion for cinema and mechanical devices. The old man dies, leaving behind an intricate automaton, and Hugo is forced to live secretly in the station with his hard-drinking Uncle Claude (Ray Winstone), who maintains the clocks. When the bottle claims Claude's life, Hugo continues to tend the clocks while stealing food from the shopkeepers without attracting the attention of the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). An encounter with bookish Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), goddaughter of toy shop owner Papa Georges (Sir Ben Kingsley), catalyses a journey of self-discovery that Hugo hopes will lead to a message from beyond the grave from his father.
STAR RATING: ****
PUSS IN BOOTS 3D (U)
THE story begins with the young Puss (voiced by Antonio Banderas) being abandoned at an orphanage where kind Imelda (Constance Marie) raises the kitten as her own. Initially picked on by the boys, Puss learns to fight to survive and he helps protect fellow outcast Humpty Alexander Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Many years later, the surrogate brothers join forces with sexy pickpocket Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) to steal magic beans currently in the possession of murderous outlaws Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris). These beans are rumoured to grow a beanstalk that leads to the giant's castle and the Golden Goose.
STAR RATING: ***
