Summer movie season

Tis' the season for cinematic bliss, as the studios pump a swag of blockbusters, comedies and Oscar favourites into our local movie theatres. So I’ve put together a run down of all the films opening here in Australia until the end of the January period. Start ticking them off now folks!

Tron: Legacy (PG)
Out: December 16 Director: Joseph Kosinski Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde
Nearly 30 years after Tron, the film that redefined CGI use in cinema, comes the sequel complete with jaw-dropping visuals and a score by Daft Punk. This is the realised vision of the eighties original and nerds everywhere will have a geek-gasm over the new weapons, vehicles and scale of this blockbuster.

Love and Other Drugs (MA15+)
Out: December 16 Director: Edward Zwick Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal
Known for his action-packed dramas, director and producer Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond, Legends Of The Fall) tries his hand at a romantic comedy-drama. Gyllenhaal plays a ladies man who is attracted to free-spirited Maggie (Hathaway), but their relationship is tested by her ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease.

Copancabana (M)
Out: December 16 Director: Marc Fitoussi Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Lolita Chammah
French film which sees a boldly unconventional woman shocked to learn her daughter is ashamed of her and refuses to invite her to her wedding. She tries to regain her daughter's respect by starting anew.

The Tourist (MA15+)
Out: December 23 Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Starring: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie
A remake of a 2005 French film, Depp plays an American tourist visiting Italy who is used by the mysterious Elise (Jolie) to flush out a criminal with whom she once had an affair. Throw-back to classic drama-thrillers from the fifties which rely on the chemistry between the two leads.

Somewhere (M)
Out: December 23 Director: Sofia Coppola Starring: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning
Said to be writer/director Sofia Coppola's return to form, Somewhere sees a hard-living Hollywood actor (Dorff) re-examine his life after his 11-year-old (Fanning) comes to stay in his penthouse. Won the Golden Lion for Best Picture at the Venice International Film Festival by unanimous vote.

Sarah's Key (M)
Out: December 23 Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas
Set in Nazi-occupied France, a little girl tries to spare her brother by locking him in a cupboard during the Vel' d'Hiv where Jews were rounded up by the police and transported to death camps. The film follows her mission to free him.

The King's Speech (M)
Out: December 26 Director: Tom Hooper Starring: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush
The story of King George VI (Firth) of Britain and his wife (Bonham Carter) who hired an unconventional speech therapist (Rush) to help him overcome a severe stammer and be worthy of the throne. Rush and Firth are both tipped to receive Oscar nominations for their performances.

Gulliver's Travels (PG)
Out: December 26 Director: Rob Letterman Starring: Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jason Segel
Black is the new big according to this fresh take on the beloved children's classic. A travel writer (Black) takes an assignment in Bermuda, but ends up on the island of Liliput, where he towers over its tiny citizens. One for the family, complete with 3D visuals.

Heartbreaker (M)
Out: December 26 Director: Pascal Chaumeil Starring: Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis
Alex (Duris) and his sister run a business designed to break up relationships. They are hired by a rich man to break up the wedding of his daughter (Paradis) in one week. A sweet, French romantic comedy.

Meet The Parents: Little Fockers (M)
Out: December 26 Director: Paul Weitz Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro
This third film in the successful comedy franchise sees Greg (Stiller) struggling to bring up five-year-old twins and cope with his interfering father-in-law (De Niro). All the usual cast members such as Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman and Owen Wilson are back, along with the additions of Jessica Alba and Laura Dern.

Tangled (PG)
Out: January 6 Director: Nathan Greno and Byron Howard Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi
Disney's animated retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale sees a passing bandit take refuge in an isolated tower, only to discover the long-haired Princess Rapunzel who has spent her entire life there.

Morning Glory (M)
Out: January 6 Director: Roger Michell Starring: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton Notting Hill director Michell is behind this comedy which sees an upstart television producer (McAdams) accepting the challenge of reviving a struggling morning show program. She hits a few unexpected hurdles thanks to her warring co-hosts (Ford and Keaton). Jeff Goldblum also stars.

Unstoppable (M)
Out: January 6 Director: Tony Scott Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine
Ridley Scott's younger brother Tony (Top Gun, Domino) is back in the director's chair for this fast-paced action thriller. With an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train barreling toward a city, a veteran engineer (Washington) and a young conductor (Pine) race against the clock to prevent a catastrophe.

Blue Valentine (MA15+)
Out: January 13 Director: Derek Cianfrance Starring: Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling
Indie darlings Williams and Gosling play a young, married couple in this low-budget film that charts their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods. Blue Valentine was popular on the international film festival circuit and is scored by Grizzly Bear.

Black Swan (MA15+)
Out: January 13 Director: Darren Aronofsky Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis
This psychological thriller from The Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky follows two ballerinas (Portman and Kunis) competing for the lead role in Swan Lake. After opening the Venice International Film Festival earlier this year, Portman is the Oscar hot shot for her performance and skill at mastering the dance.

Yogi Bear (PG)
Out: January 13 Director: Eric Brevig Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake
With a combination of live-action and animation, kids character Yogi Bear (Aykroyd) is brought back to life along with his sidekick Boo-Boo (Timberlake) and Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh).

Burlesque (M)
Out: January 13 Director: Steve Antin Starring: Christina Agulira, Cher, Kristen Bell
The campe, flashy musical to end them all sees a small-town girl (Aguilra) venture to Los Angeles and start working in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer (Cher). Expect big dance numbers, incredible vocals and a stellar supporting cast in Stanley Tucci, Peter Gallagher, Dianna Agron, Eric Dane and Cam Gigandet.

The Dilemma (M)
Out: January 13 Director: Ron Howard Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James
This comedy about relationships and restraints sees Ronny (Vaughn) discover his best friend Nick's (James) wife is having an affair. Also stars Wiona Ryder as the adulterous wife, Channing Tatum as her lover and Jennifer Connelly as Ronny's partner.

The Warriors Way
Out: January 20 Director: Sngmoo Lee Starring: Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush
This fantasy-action flick sees a warrior-assassin forced to hide in a small town in the American Badlands after refusing a mission. Produced by Barrie Osbourne (Lord of The Rings trilogy, The Matrix), it also stars Danny Huston.

True Grit
Out: January 20 Director: Ethan and Joel Cohen Starring: Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin The Cohen Brothers provide a fresh take on the film which won John Wayne the Best Actor Oscar in 1969. A 14-year-old girl enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal (Bridges) and bounty hunter (Damon) to help track down her father's murderer (Brolin).

The Green Hornet
Out: January 20 Director: Michael Gondry Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz
The 60s TV show starring Bruce Lee gets the big screen treatment with Rogen playing a debonair newspaper publisher who fights crime as a masked superhero known as The Green Hornet with his partner Kato, a martial arts expert. This is a a bold move from indie filmmaker Gondry (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind) and it pays off with silly, stylish fun.

Another Year (M)
Out: January 27 Director: Mike Leigh Starring: Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen
A married couple who have managed to remain blissfully happy into their autumn years are surrounded by friends, colleagues, and family who all seem to suffer some degree of unhappiness. Competed at Cannes for the prestigious Palme d'or.

The Fighter (M)
Out: January 27 Director: David O. Russell Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Chrsitian Bale, Amy Adams
Based on a true story, this is a look at the early years of boxer `Irish' Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his brother (Bale) who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s. O.Russell's third collaboration with Wahlberg (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees) seems likely to score Oscar nominations across the board, particularly for Bale.