THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN 3D (PG)
TINTIN (Jamie Bell) buys a model ship and is plunged into a centuries-old mystery involving Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Daniel Craig). Ivan asks Tintin to name his price for the boat but the reporter refuses to sell, sensing the wooden vessel is far more valuable than it first appears. Sure enough, a cryptic conundrum lies within, revealing that "only a true Haddock will discover the secret of The Unicorn." Assisted by trusty pooch Snowy, Tintin searches for more clues, meeting booze-sodden Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), whose family history holds the key to the mystery of a cursed shipwreck.
STAR RATING: ***
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: ****
THE AWAKENING (15)
RENOWNED author Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) leads the crusade against bogus psychics and mediums who are swindling innocent people out of their savings using trip wires and simple illusions. She is approached by history teacher Robert Mallory (Dominic West), who fears the corridors of his school are haunted. Florence travels to the countryside just as term is ending, where she meets the school's matron Maud Hill (Imelda Staunton) and handyman Edward Judd (Joseph Mawle). The adults are joined by pupil Tom (Isaac Hempstead Wright), who is forced to spend the holidays in the dorms. In the course of her investigation, Florence experiences disturbing visions and she begins to wonder if all the supernatural stories might actually continue a germ of truth.
STAR RATING: ***
IMMORTALS 3D (15)
MANY centuries ago, the Gods waged war against the Titans and imprisoned these creatures within Mount Tartaros, within a cage that can only be broken by a bolt from the mythical Epirus Bow. Megalomaniac King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his hordes declare war on the Gods by ravaging the land in search of the bow. Ancient law prevents Zeus (Luke Evans), his daughter Athena (Isabel Lucas) and the other Gods from intervening in mankind's conflict, so they watch with mounting dread from their vantage point on Mount Olympus as Hyperion slaughters everyone who gets in his way.
STAR RATING: **
IN TIME (12A)
DIRECTOR Andrew Niccol imagines an emotionally starved globe in which money has become obsolete and the currency is time. People are engineered to age until they reach 25 years old, then a timer, embedded in their arm, begins to tick down second by second to their demise. During a night out, Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) has a chance encounter with handsome yet suicidal rich man Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer), who donates 100 years of his time to Will's body clock. Granted access to the most exclusive parts of the city, Will learns the truth about how Philippe Weis (Vincent Kartheiser) and the men in power manipulate the populace for their own gain. Will vows to bring down the corrupt system forging an unlikely alliance with Philippe's rebellious daughter Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried).
STAR RATING: ***
THE RUM DIARY (15)
THE booze flows freely as journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) heads to Puerto Rico to take up a position on The San Juan Star. Photographer Sala (Michael Rispoli) becomes Paul's right-hand man as the newcomer enjoys rum-soaked island life and forges an alliance with local businessman Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), who is plotting to transform the island into a capitalist paradise. Having hired Paul to write the promotional material, Sanderson and his American investors insist that the journalist signs a non-disclosure agreement. Sala introduces Paul to drug and alcohol-fuelled journalist Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi), who doses them both up with a powerful hallucinogen. The terrifying vision spurs Paul to write a piece exposing Sanderson's plans, but the corrupt businessman has powerful allies.
STAR RATING: ***
TOWER HEIST (12A)
JOSH Kovacs (Ben Stiller) manages one of the most luxurious and tightly secured residences in New York City. However, one wrong decision threatens to ruin everything. Josh entrusts the workers' pensions to venerated Wall Street titan Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), who lives in the penthouse suite. It transpires that Arthur is a crook and he is placed under house arrest after he is caught stealing two billion dollars from his investors. Convinced that the pension money must be hidden somewhere within Arthur's condo, Josh approaches petty criminal Slide (Eddie Murphy) to plot the perfect heist.
STAR RATING: ***
TRESPASS (15)
DIAMOND dealer Kyle Miller (Nicolas Cage) arrives home in his Porsche, desperately trying to close a deal, while his wife Sarah (Nicole Kidman) grounds their teenage daughter Avery (Liana Liberato). Avery defies her parents' punishment and slips out of the multimillion-dollar house to attend a party with wild child friend Kendra (Emily Meade) just before Elias (Ben Mendelsohn), his girlfriend Petal (Jordana Spiro), brother Jonah (Cam Gigandet) and hard man Ty (Dash Mihok) bluff their way through the front door. Elias and his accomplices have been watching Kyle and they want the gems that the father has stashed in a safe in his office.
STAR RATING: **
