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30 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 JANUARY 2014 THIS WEEK IN CINEMAS TODAY ST JAMES CAVALIER Justin and the Knights of Valour (U) 15:00 Diana (12) 18:30 EMBASSY CINEMAS The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (3D) (12) 10:15, 14:00, 17:20, 20:45 47 Ronin (12) 13:30, 16:05, 18:40, 21:15 Saving Mr Banks (U) 20:50 Walking with Dinosaurs (U) 10:15, 13:00, 16:15, 18:20 Frozen (U) 10:15, 13:45, 16:15, 18:40, 21:10 Hunger Games: Catching Fire (12) 10:00, 15:00, 18:00, 20:50 Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom 10:25, 14:00, 17:45, 20:45 EDEN CINEMAS The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (12) 11:05, 14:15, 17:45, 20:45, 23:40 The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (PG) 11:20, 14:00, 16:25, 18:45, 21:15, 23:40 Escape Plan (15) 11:25, 14:05, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40 Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom (12) 11:25, 14:30, 18:00, 20:55, 23:50 Homefront (15) 11:40, 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 21:10, 23:30 The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug (3D) (12) 11:00, 14:30, 18:00, 21:15 Thor: The Dark World (12) 11:25, 14:00, 16:20, 18:40, 21:00, 23:25 The Counsellor (18) 11:25, 14:00, 16:25, 18:45, 21:10, 23:35 Silhouette (PG) 11:00, 13:30, 16:00, 18:25, 21:00, 23:35 Frozen (U) 11:40, 16:20, 23:10 Frozen (3D) (U) 14:00, 18:40, 20:55 Captain Phillips (12) 11:35, 14:20, 18:05, 20:50, 23:35 Saving Mr Banks (U) 11:35, 14:25, 18:10, 20:45, 23:25 Walking With Dinosaurs (U) 12:15, 14:15, 16:20, 18:30, 20:50, 22:45 Free Birds (U) 11:30, 14:20, 16:30 The Butler (12) 18:30, 21:05, 23:45 47 Ronin (3D) (12) 11:15, 14:30, 18:20, 21:05, 23:40 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (12) 12:30, 16:00, 20:00, 23:20 EMPIRE CINEMAS Frozen (U) 10:30, 13:30, 16:00, 18:20, 20:40 47 Ronin (3D) (12) 10:40, 13:20, 15:50, 18:20, 20:50 Homefront (15) 10:55, 13:45, 16:05, 18:15, 21:10 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (3D) (12) 10:45, 14:30, 18:00, 21:15 Mandela – Long Walk To Freedom (12) 10:50, 13:45, 17:45, 20:40 The Secret life of Walter Mitty (PG) 10:30, 13:40, 16:05, 18:30, 20:55 Walking with Dinosaurs (U) 10:35, 13:35, 15:45, 17:50, 20:50 What to expect at the cinema In our first edition for the new year, resident film critic TEODOR RELJIC takes a look at some of the most highly anticipated films of the coming three months… provided they make it to our shores, that is Before we begin: a disclaimer. In this round up of upcoming films for the new year, I will a) ask you to accept the possibility that, owing to erratic and unpredictable distribution schedules, they may not in fact be screened on local screens in the given three-month bracket; and b) that in line with now-established Hollywood tradition, the films will at least promise to reach us around more or less the same time as they appear in the US. And with that, let's begin. As per usual, the initial offerings may not be the most eye-catching; January in particular tends to be the slow post-holiday comedown month and tends to bring over films that just about match the lazy and slightly downbeat mood of the calendar. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit But the first film out of the stable is hardly a quiet affair. Based on a recurring character from Tom Clancy's bestselling techno-thriller novels, 'Shadow Recruit' pits Chris Pine (Star Trek Into Darkness, above) as an young version of the titular hero – at this point just a CIA analyst who stumbles upon a terrorist plot. Also starring Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley, this is set to be a meat-and-potatoes action/espionage romp perfect for the 'dads' in the audience. Pompeii Good drama often comes out of urgency – the ticking time bomb that fuels plenty of thrillers – and what better deadline than the imminent eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which as we all know rendered the Ancient Roman city of Pompeii into a creepily well-preserved tourist trap? Starring Game of Thrones's own Kit Harington (that's Jon Snow, above) and nubile English Rose Emily Browning, this period romance-cum-action epic is, for all its potential, sadly directed by Paul WS Anderson – the shameless Hollywood hack responsible for the likes of Aliens vs. Predator and the Resident Evil franchise. Veronica Mars Labor Day Now that's more like it. From director Jason Reitman – the man who brought you Up in the Air, Juno and Thank You for Smoking, which arguably makes him the most consistently successful peddler of middle-brow Hollywood drama – comes the story of a sensitive fugitive (Josh Brolin) who stumbles into the lives of a widowed single mother (Kate Winslet) and her son (Gattlin Griffith; subsequently Dylan Minnette and Tobey Maguire as the character ages). A soft-focus intergenerational drama, this could be either emotionally engaging or painfully mawkish. Whatever your opinion of the TV series that spawned this full-length film, it'll remain one of the key releases of 2014 for being something of a pioneering project: it's the first mainstream Hollywood film to be entirely crowd-funded. After Warner Bros. refused to fork out money to the Rob Thomas-directed, Kirsten Bell-starring amateur sleuthing thriller, the production team took to Kickstarter, where they raised a record $2 million in under ten hours. The film will follow on from where the show ended, and if it turns out to be profitable, it might change the filmmaking – and distributing – landscape as we know it. 300: Rise of an Empire The LEGO Movie Yeah… I don't know either. Somehow, this got made, and is coming soon, and is voiced by the likes of Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks and Morgan Freeman. There's a story too – about an 'ordinary' Lego figurine who finds himself charged with saving the world from an imminent threat. Yeah, you read that right. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. The Monuments Men Starring and directed by George Clooney – who marshals and impressive cast of his Hollywood friends – this promises to be a uniquely heart-warming war film. Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and John Goodman and of course Clooney step into the shoes of a World War II platoon charged with rescuing great works of art from thieving Nazis. Trailers promise a resolutely old-school Hollywood experience: let's hope Clooney ensures that's a positive. Proof that you can never milk a franchise too much, this prequel-andsequel (don't worry, I'm confused too) to Zack Snyder's 300 – a gaudy and infantile adaptation of Frank Miller's equally suspect retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae in comic book form – aims to cram not one, not two, but three historical battles into a glossy and video-gamey package. With Snyder (Man of Steel) being replaced by the more affordable Noam Murro and a cast of B-list actors crowned only Eva Green (above), absolutely nothing about this cash-in bodes well. The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson, the King of Quirky, returns with this between-the-wars story about a titular hotel and its endearingly eccentric inhabitants, all embodied by an impressive cast (Ralph Fiennes, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson and others). Anderson is renowned for his twee (let's just say 'hipster') stylistic affectations, but here's hoping the historical setting will provide a sobering background to balance out the quirks. Then again, the plot is pivoted on the recovery of a precious Renaissance painting, so maybe not. For a more comprehensive round-up of the coming year in films, be sure to pick up the January 2014 edition of Vida Magazine, out with MaltaToday next Sunday