As reliance on movie franchises still remains the big picture, it has become a pattern that sequels are a guaranteed source of making cash from recognizable names and box-office draws.

Those who are into Hollywood pieces will be delighted to see this year’s collection that includes major films such as Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows and Mission Impossible 4: The Ghost Protocol.

American actor Robert Downey Jr. once again dons the cloak of London-based detective Sherlock Holmes and teams up with his loyal counterpart Dr. Watson (portrayed by Englishman Jude Law) to fight against the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty.

 Holmes gets himself into a dangerous investigation which takes him and his partner out of London and across Europe, from France and Germany to Switzerland.

Meantime in the modern world, secret operative Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) is involved in a thrilling mission to clear his agency’s name in the latest series of Mission Impossible, The Ghost Protocol.

Hunt’s adventure takes him to Dubai, Mumbai and Moscow in a bid to stop vicious terrorists from launching nuclear weapons and possible nuclear war.

The action-packed movie, directed by Brad Bird, features some big names in the cast such as Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Anil Kapoor and Tom Wilkinson.

 Family movies are also available at cinemas with the release of Arthur Christmas, Happy Feet 2, and Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World.

Want to see dancing penguins? Mumble of Happy Feet, the tap dance guru, returns with a headache as his son, Erik, is reluctant to dance.

The choreo-phobic tiny penguin runs away and bumps into The Mighty Sven, a penguin who can fly. On the other hand, Mumble has to deal with powerful forces that shake the penguin nation.

Indonesian movie goers also get to see the latest series of Spy Kids 4, which screened a few months ago in the US.

Here, Jessica Alba, stars as attractive spy Marissa Cortez Wilson who decides to devote her time to her hubby, newborn baby and her step-kids.

She, however, has to put her retirement plans on hold as her long-time nemesis is back with the main purpose of stealing the world of “time”. The whole family, including Marissa’s niece and nephew, Carmen and Juni Cortez (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) reprise their Spy Kids roles to save the world.

Arthur Christmas comes out as the only film which provides fresh characters for a Christmas story.

It tells of the night before Christmas when the children are tucked up in their beds and dreaming of their Christmas gifts from Santa before the plot leads us on to how Santa and his team get the job done with his ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole.

But the true protagonist is Arthur, Santa’s younger son, a passionate, good but clumsy man who works in the mail department. When Santa’s team misses a child, Arthur is the one who is persistent in accomplishing the urgent mission which must be completed before Christmas morning dawns.

James McAvoy lends his voice as Arthur, while Hugh Laurie plays Steve, Arthur’s older brother and the man tipped to take over from Santa, who leads Santa’s mission with military-style efficiency.

In terms of the Indonesian film scene, the local industry does not seem to offer moviegoers much of note as some producers are still relying on horror flicks.

Garuda di Dadaku 2, however emerges on the horizon, targeting movie goers of all ages. It is the much anticipated sequel to sports-themed Garuda di Dadaku (Garuda on My Chest).

 Prominent filmmaker Rudi Soedjarwo, of Batas (the Border) and Lima Elang (Five Eagles) fame, takes over the director seat from young director Ifa Isfansyah, with a script written by Salman Aristo.

The movie certainly has some points which make it likeable and enjoyable to watch. Emir Mahira, who recently took home a best performance award at the International Film Festival of Children and Young Adults in Tehran and was nominated as best actor in the 2011 Indonesian Film Festival, again plays Bayu, a gifted soccer player.

In this second installment, Bayu faces more challenges both on the pitch and in his personal life as he gains the captaincy of the national junior team and grows into a teenager.

While the first part was more of an introduction to the characters, the sequel portrays how Bayu immerses himself into more complicated problems related to friendship, sportsmanship, family and love.

On the pitch, Bayu and his teammates are trained by a new coach named Wisnu (played by Rio Dewanto), who emphasizes discipline and physical training.

Quite apart from the stress of a highly competitive match, Bayu feels that nobody understands him as his best buddy Heri (Aldo Tansani) befriends talented rising star Yusuf (Muhammad Ali) and his mother Wahyuni (Maudy Koesnadi) gets cozy with her new guy.

Rudi depicts further sporting scenes as Bayu’s team competes in the ASEAN league, while at the same time adding a little romance (between Bayu and his school mate Anya) which should bring a smile to your face.

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