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Robin Hood (12A)
Dir: Ridley Scott

Russell Crowe is the soldier returned from the Crusades – an expert archer by the way –to find a corrupt sheriff and assemble a band of outlaws to stand against the oppression of a tyrant. Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius… Oops! Sorry, wrong film, but you get the idea; it’s not fresh ground Crowe is treading here in more than one way. His Hood, like Hoods before him, is after the love of the Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett), and obviously one way to impress a woman of her calibre is to wage a guerrilla war on the powers that squash the little people. Which he does. With the baddies duly played by such Brit greats as Matthew Macfadyen and Mark Strong, and a lovely Mark Addy taking up the mantle of Friar Tuck, you can bet the ensemble will shine on through as well as the stars. (See also Russell Crowe interview)
Showing at Odeon, Cineworld, Connaught

Furry Vengeance (PG)
Dir: Roger Kumble

Oh, it’s a lark! A lark with an ecologically sound message starring Brendan Fraser in another one of his madcap advetures with animated co-stars. Rocky Springs is an idyllic community in the heart of the Oregon forest. Along comes a ruthless developer (Ken Jeong), planning to rip up all the trees and usurp them with a shopping centre that – get this – has a forest theme. Our friend Brendan is brought in to work on the project and manages to convince himself this defoliating of the greenland is a good thing. But he hadn’t reckoned on the woodland critters with their barmy and ingenious plans to stop the destruction of their homes. Led by a plucky raccoon, the bears, birds, squirrels and skunks are chucking massive rocks and sabotaging his plans all over the shop. Also starring Brooke Shields and Angela Kinsey.
Showing at Odeon and Cineworld

Iron Man 2 (12A)
Dir: Jon Favreau

These days, if you’re a self-styled superhero (and not in Kick-Ass) it helps to be a billionaire. Fortunately that’s just what returning metal-clad Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr) is, and now that everybody knows his secret identity the pressure’s piling on to share his technology with the world. He just doesn’t trust the world with it. Naughty world. Fortunately he’s still got Peppa Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and new man James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes (Don Cheadle) by his side to help him out against the worst elements, like the armoured titan Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) and seductive adventurer The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Talk about having your hands full! This is the second in Jon Favreau’s much anticipated trilogy, with a bigger budget and more star names than ever churning the franchise on.
Showing at Odeon and Cineworld

Whip It! (12A)

Dir: Drew Barrymore
Bringing punk roller derby together with 21st century feminism – go Drew Barrymore! Actually, the star of this is Juno’s Ellen Page, Drew’s only the director and acting support. Ellen plays Bliss, a young girl from a backwater town. Her mother wishes success for her, it’s just that her idea of success is winning the local beauty pageant. Not quite Bliss’s. So when she sneaks off
to the big city with her best mate and stumbles across a world of celebrated individuality at the roller derby, it’s not long before she’s trying out for a spot herself in raggle taggle underdog team the Hurl Scouts. Renaming herself
Babe Ruthless Bliss soon finds herself up against rivals like Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) and falling for a boy in a band (Landon Pigg – real name!), making life all the more complicated still. Adventures in the big city. Coo.
Showing at Odeon