2008. 12.19 NOW PLAYING

Journey to the Center of the Earth (All)

Action, Adventure, Fantasy / 92 min. / English

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Yes Man (15)

Comedy, Drama / 104 min. / English

Carl Allen is officially a “no” man. Saying yes to everything isn’t easy for anyone, and this is especially true for Carl.

But one day, Carl realizes that his life is too dull and decides to sign up for a self-help program based on one principle: to say yes to everything.

Change is difficult but Carl starts off well by saying agreeing to everything, from bungee jumping to finding a date online.

This can-do spirit even gets him a promotion. However, such an affirmative spirit isn’t so good in some cases.

Will Carl be able to stick to his “yes” pledge, no matter the circumstances?

Ponyo on the Cliff (All)

Adventure, Animation / 100 min. / Japanese

The goldfish princess Ponyo (Yuria Nara) thinks the sea has nothing to offer and dreams of living on land. A jellyfish ride to the surface lets Ponyo see a lot of unconventional scenery but it’s only a fleeting taste of another world.

Sosuke (Hiroki Doi), a 5-year-old boy, ends up rescuing Ponyo one day and takes her to land. There, she starts to make a living. However, Ponyo’s great adventure doesn’t last long as her father, Fujimoto, drags her back to where she belongs against her will.

But with a bit of luck - and the help of a big wave - she heads back to land.

This modern, creative take on “The Little Mermaid” features the touch of Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki. Watch the relationship between Ponyo and Sosuke unfold in this fantasy adventure.

Twilight (12)

Action, Romance, Fantasy / 121 min. / English

Before moving from her home in Phoenix, Arizona, to live with her dad in the Pacific Northwest, Bella thought she was an ordinary girl.

But in her new town, she finds that her blood smells particularly tantalizing to vampires - and some of her neighbors just happen to be blood-suckers.

Fortunately for Bella, her new vampire neighbors have sworn to only hunt animals. So her fragrant blood succeeds in attracting the affection of one of the vampires, Edward.

As they become swept up in their romance, Edward realizes that Bella is also irresistible to other vampires - ones that haven’t taken his family’s vow to abstain from humans. Can Edward protect Bella while navigating the shaky boundaries of vampire-human love?

Tropic Thunder (18)

Comedy, Action / 107 min. / English

“Tropic Thunder” is the name of the latest film project for prima donna actors Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) and Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black). But just five days into shooting the Vietnam War epic, the stars’ antics have stalled the film for a month.

Taking a hint from the war hero who penned the screenplay’s source material, Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan), the inexperienced director, decides to thrust the actors into the wild and shoot “guerilla-style” to lend the project an air of authenticity.

But when a series of mishaps befalls the crew, surviving Vietnam’s jungles becomes reality to Speedman, Lazarus and Portnoy - whether they realize it or not.

Australia (12)

Adventure, Romance / 166 min. / English

Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, Australia is the fourth film from Baz Luhrmann, of “Romeo and Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge” fame. An English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman), goes to Australia to sell off the sprawling outback property she’s inherited from her deceased husband.

But she soon finds that the 1,500 head of cattle on the land are worth more than the plot itself, and thus embarks on a journey that spans hundreds of miles.

For help, Lady Sarah hires a rugged drover, or cowboy (Jackman), to accompany the cattle. Along the way, she ends up finding love - of the romantic variety with the drover, and of the maternal kind in Nullah, a mixed-race boy whom she seeks to adopt - all against the backdrop of the eve of World War II.

Eastern Promises (18)

Thriller, Crime / 100 min. / English

Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife at a London hospital, witnesses the death of a Russian teenager in childbirth. Determined to find the baby’s family with nothing but the mother’s diary for clues, Anna descends into a Russian underworld, rife with crime and intrigue.

The diary takes Anna to a cold-blooded mafia boss called Semyon (Armin Mueller Stahl) and his driver, Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen).

As Anna continues to dig into the diary, she uncovers an ugly truth about the young mother. Enraged, the gangsters begin to target her - just as Nikolai gets close to her.

Saw V (18)

Thriller, Horror / 92 min. / English

Although Jigsaw, the killer in the “Saw” franchise, died in Saw III, the saga continues. Director David Hackl navigates through this sequel with less gruesome torture scenes but more creative twists and turns.

FBI Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) is investigating the Jigsaw killings, but soon finds that he’s one of a slew of new victims targeted by Jigsaw’s successor. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) returns to the screen in the form of flashbacks.

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