PREVIEW OF UPCOMING FILMS IN SOUTH AFRICA
PLEASE NOTE: Information correct at time of going online. Release dates received from Nu Metro, Ster-Kinekor and UIP for films due for release in South Africa. Dates are subject to change. For information on cinemas where films are released, visit  www.numetro.co.za   www.sterkinekor.co.za   www.labia.co.za

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ON THIS PAGE: SEPTEMBER 2010      OCTOBER 2010 RELEASES      NOVEMBER > DEC 31



Showing from September 17
WINTER IN WARTIME A Dutch film is about a young boy named Michiel van Beusekom who tries to help the resistance during World War II by helping an English pilot stay out of German hands. Michiel feels resentment towards his father, a mayor, seemingly only interested in maintaining the status quo between the town and the German Army. He worships his uncle Ben, an adventurer in contact with the local resistance. During the winter, Michiel's loyalties are tested. a 2008 Dutch war film directed by Martin Koolhoven. The screenplay was written by Mieke de Jong, Paul Jan Nelissen and Martin Koolhoven and was based on the novel of the same name by Jan Terlouw.The film was hugely successful in the Netherlands out-grossing competing films like Twilight and The Dark Knight. It was the highest grossing film in The Netherlands during Christmas 2008 and the first weeks of 2009.It was also chosen by the Dutch Critics as the best Dutch film of 2008, it won the PZC Audience Award (best movie based on a novel), three Rembrandt Awards and three Golden Calf awards. It was chosen Best Film by the Young Jury (14-18 years) at the Rome Film Festival and was shortlisted (with 8 other movies) at the Academy Awards, in the section Best Foreign Language Film.
GOING THE DISTANCE Erin's (Drew Barrymore) wry wit and unfiltered frankness charm newly single Garrett (Justin Long) over beer, bar trivia and breakfast the next morning.  Their chemistry sparks a full-fledged summer fling, but neither expects it to last once Erin heads home to San Francisco and Garrett stays behind for his job in New York City.  But when six weeks of romping through the city inadvertently become meaningful, neither is sure they want it to end.  And while Garrett's friends, Box (Jason Sudeikis) and Dan (Charlie Day), joke about his pre-flight calorie-cutting and his full-time relationship with his cell phone, they don't like losing their best drinking buddy to yet another rocky romance.  At the same time, Erin's high-strung, overprotective married sister, Corrine (Christina Applegate), wants to keep Erin from heading down an all-too-familiar road.  But despite the opposite coasts, the nay-saying friends and family, and a few unexpected temptations, the couple just might have found something like love, and with the help of a lot of texting, sexting and late-night phone calls, they might actually go the distance.
THE KARATE KID 12-year old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could have been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mothers (Taraji P. Henson) latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate, Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land Kung Fu, Dre knows only a little Karate, and Cheng puts 'the karate kid' on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man, Mr Han (Jackie Chan), who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realises that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.  Cast: Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson and Jackie Chan
THE EXPENDABLES A hard-hitting action/thriller about a group of mercenaries hired to infiltrate a South American country and overthrow its ruthless dictator. Once the mission begins, the men realize things aren't quite as they appear, finding themselves caught in a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal. With their mission thwarted and an innocent life in danger, the men struggle with an even tougher challenge - one that threatens to destroy this band of brothers. Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) is a man with nothing to lose. Fearless and void of emotion, he is the leader, the sage and the strategist of this tight-knit band of men who live on the fringe. His only attachment is to his pickup truck, his seaplane and his team of loyal modern-day warriors. His is a true cynic who describes what he does as "removing those hard to get at stains." The team behind him is made up of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), former SAS and a savant with anything that has a blade; Yin Yang (Jet Li), a master at close-quarter combat; Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), who has known Barney for ten years and is a long-barrel weapons specialist; Toll Road (Randy Couture), a skilled demolitions expert and considered the intellect of the group; and Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), a combat veteran and an expert in precision sniping who struggles with his own demons. When the mysterious Church offers Barney a job no one else would take, Barney and his team embark on what appears to be a routine mission: overthrow General Gaza (David Zayas), the murderous dictator of the small island country of Vilena and end the years of death and destruction inflicted on its people.
GREENBERG screenwriter/director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) brings us the funny, touching and poignant story of two souls adrift in Los Angeles, trying to forge a connection. Florence Marr (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring singer, is struggling to find her place in the world. She works as a personal assistant to the Greenberg family, beginning and ending each day tending to other people's needs. In sharp contrast to the Greenbergs' bustling life in their elegant Hollywood Hills home, Florence lives alone in a tiny studio apartment and sings at open-mike nights. When Phillip Greenberg (Chris Messina) takes his wife and children on an extended trip abroad, Florence is suddenly left more to her own devices. She makes the occasional visit to their home to check up on the family's dog Mahler, and look in on Phillip's brother Roger (Ben Stiller), who has come to L.A. to housesit. Single and fortyish, Greenberg is intelligent, witty, sharp-tongued – and, like Florence, something of a lost soul; he is at a crossroads in his life. He has been working as a carpenter in New York after an early career as a musician in L.A. petered out. Greenberg claims to be "doing nothing" and his most tangible projects include drafting letters of complaint and building a doghouse for Mahler. Roger tries to reconnect with friend and former bandmate Ivan (Rhys Ifans) and old flame Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh), but they've moved on with their lives while Greenberg has been stuck treading water. In trying to restart his life, Greenberg finds that times have changed and old friends aren't necessarily still best friends. After years of living in New York City, Greenberg doesn't drive and finds himself stranded at his brother's house. His vulnerability immediately endears him to Florence, who helps him navigate Los Angeles and take care of Mahler. What begins as a courtesy to her employer develops into a charmingly eccentric and unexpectedly significant connection. As Greenberg discovers there is only so much "nothing" you can do, the awkward beauty of what he builds with Florence starts to look more and more like a reason to be happy.

Showing from September 23
LEGENDS OF THE GUARDIANS based on the beloved books by Kathryn Lasky, follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father's favour from his younger sibling. But Kludd's jealousy has terrible consequences--causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls.  Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree, home of the legendary Guardians of Ga'Hoole--Soren's only hope of defeating the Pure Ones and saving the owl kingdoms. Directed by Zach Snyder, with Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Jay Laga'aia, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham
WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS Michael Douglas is back in his Oscar-winning role as one of the screen's most notorious villains, Gordon Gekko.  Emerging from a lengthy prison stint, Gekko finds himself on the outside of a world he once dominated. Looking to repair his damaged relationship with his daughter Winnie, Gekko forms an alliance with her fiancé Jacob (Shia LaBeouf).  But can Jacob and Winnie really trust the ex-financial titan, whose relentless efforts to redefine himself in a different era have unexpected consequences.
THE OTHER GUYS Detectives Christopher Danson and P.K. Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are the baddest and most beloved cops around. They don't get tattoos – other men get tattoos of them. Two desks over and one back, sit Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg). You've seen them in the background of photos of Danson and Highsmith, out of focus and eyes closed. They're not heroes – they're "the Other Guys." But every cop has his or her day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into the city's biggest crime.  It's the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff?
OCEANS Océans is not a documentary, but a wildlife opera. Each underwater director of photography, each cameraman bringing fragments of the score : that of a hymn to the sea.Swirling along at 10 knots an hour in a school of hunting tuna fish, leaping with dolphins in their unruly contortions, swimming shoulder to fin with the great white shark, … Oceans is to be a fish among fishes.After Winged Migrants, Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud, with ground-breaking filming resources, lead us into the heart of the oceans to discover unknown or unrecognized marine creatures. Océans queries the impact of the human footprint on wildlife and replies to the question  "Ocean ?  What is the Ocean ?"  through images and emotions. "Ocean !  What is the Ocean ?" asks a child at the beginning of the film.  In order to give him an answer, let us start by forgetting figures, explanations and analyses.  In an attempt to tell the story of the oceans, the filmmakers sought to open doors other than those of statistics :  those of a fantastic and magical tale, the marvels of the little world of the coral reefs, the heroism of dolphins in full charge, the gracious dances of the hump-back-whale and giant squids, the horror of the attacks made on the oceans and to their creatures, the incredible spectacle of the sea unleashed in a titanic storm, the silence of a museum of extinct species… 
SUSANNA VAN BILJON Karen Zoid makes a remarkable film debut as the small town Rebecca Dreyer in Franz Marx's latest film Susanna van Biljon. Rebecca, a woman in her late thirties, lives somewhere in the barren Karoo with her mother, mrs. Dreyer (played by veteran actress Marié du Toit). Rebecca's life is in a rut - she works during the day in a depressing café while dreaming of a brighter future…a future far from here and far from her mother…But dreams don't necessarily come true, and even the less when you're not so young anymore…..Will Rebecca overcome all her obstacles - and will her dreams come true? And where does Dirk, the enigmatic widower and sheep-farmer (portrayed by David Rees) fit into Rebecca's life? Dirk is very interested in Rebecca…but Amanda (Anna Davel) the eccentric divorcee and owner of an antique shop in town, is adamant that Dirk is "Mr Right" for her…A few other colourful characters play an important role in Rebecca's life, like the cheeky Jo-Ann (Shaleen Surtie-Richards) who works at the cafe and who is like a 'second mother' to Rebecca. Dino (Adrian Alper) is a dope smoking, lazy bones who doesn't make life easier for Jo-Ann..Oudokter (Louis van Niekerk) is the pillar of society but his wife Nellie (Wilna Snyman ) is a busy body and meddles in everybody's affairs…..especially Rebecca's life….The contrast between the peaceful countryside and the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg is well reflected in Susanna van Biljon.The film is a romantic drama spiced with a variety of music which varies from boeremusiek, classical music to contemporary Afrikaans songs. Some of the music, like the theme song, was specially composed for the movie.


LONG STREET Acclaimed director Revel Fox's new film ia an intimate, honest film which draws on the real life experience of Fox's own daughter who battled with drug addiction while trying to make it as a musician. With its sparse dialogue, Long Street tells its story with feeling, compassion and elegance. Read more