DEATH AT A FUNERAL (15)
WHEN their father dies, Aaron (Chris Rock) and his novelist brother, Ryan (Martin Lawrence), rush to the side of their mother, Cynthia (Loretta Devine). Cousin Elaine (Zoe Saldana) and her boyfriend arrive for the service, while Aaron’s wife Michelle (Regina Hall), who is desperate to fall pregnant, endures barbed quips from Cynthia. Curmudgeonly wheelchair user Uncle Russell (Danny Glover) kicks up a stink – literally – before a mislabelled bottle of hallucinogenic drugs wreaks havoc. The sombre mood is shattered when a stranger arrives with a shocking secret about the deceased.
STAR RATING: ***
4.3.2.1 (15)
EMOTIONALLY unstable Shannon (Ophelia Lovibond), ditzy socialite Cassandra (Tamsin Egerton), fiercely independent Kerrys (Shanika Warren-Markland) and supermarket checkout worker Jo (Emma Roberts) are best friends who unwittingly become embroiled in a diamond heist that has gripped London. Unaware of their pivotal roles in the robbery, the young women go about their daily lives. Over three eventful days, the pals discover the truth about the robbery and they employ all of their feminine wiles to stay alive and outwit the thieves.
STAR RATING: ***
THE LOSERS (12A)
ELITE Special Forces commander Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his team oversee the bombing of a drugs factory in the jungles of Bolivia. Having given the order to attack, Clay spots a bus full of children arriving at the compound. Unable to call off the airstrike, Clay rallies the troops, including communications and tech wizard Jensen (Chris Evans). They rescue the tykes in the nick of time only to see their escape transport blasted to smithereens by criminal mastermind Max (Jason Patric). A mysterious US operative called Aisha (Zoe Saldana) promises to smuggle the entire squad back on to American soil if they hunt down and kill Max. So the highly trained men return from the dead to capture their nemesis.
STAR RATING: ***
MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN (12A)
LUCY Bailey and Andrew Thompson co-direct this BAFTA-nominated covertly filmed documentary exploring the plight of white farmers in Zimbabwe, specifically following the progress of Michael Campbell and Ben Freeth’s attempts to take President Mugabe to court for racism and human rights violations. Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold on Thursday.
STAR RATING: ***
THE PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (12A)
INSPIRED by the best-selling video games series, the film sees Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) and brothers Tus (Richard Coyle) and Garsiv (Toby Kebbell) head for a fortress controlled by Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), rumoured to be the source of weapons for enemies of their father King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup). During the assault on the fortress, Dastan acquires a mythical dagger which allows the holder to reverse the flow of time. Dastan is framed for his father’s murder and is forced to flee for his life with Princess Tamina in tow as his brothers vow to kill him in return for their father’s murder, spurred on by their nefarious uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley).
STAR RATING: ***
SEX AND THE CITY 2 (15)
NEUROTIC writer Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is starting to realise that life after saying “I do” to Mr Big (Chris Noth) isn’t everything she thought it would be. Samantha (Kim Cattrall) has moved back to New York, and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) has forgiven her adulterous husband. Meanwhile, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is struggling to be the perfect wife. By chance, Samantha is invited to the United Arab Emirates to sample the delights of a newly opened luxury hotel, and she takes her chums along for the ride.
STAR RATING: **
SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE (15)
KIRK Kettner (Jay Baruchel) is cruelly dumped by his girlfriend Marnie (Lindsay Sloane). To rub salt into the wounds, his parents have adopted Marnie like a surrogate daughter so she is always around the house with her new boyfriend in tow. Kirk desperately wants to win her back but his best friend strongly counsels against it. Somehow, Kirk ends up on a date with Molly (Alice Eve), a beautiful passenger who passes through his security gate at Pittsburgh airport. She seems keen, much to the bemusement of Kirk’s jealous buddies, who rate their man as a five maybe six on the eligibility scale and Molly a perfect 10.
STAR RATING: ***
A SINGLE MAN (12A)
FASHION designer Tom Ford’s much-lauded directing debut stars Colin Firth in an Oscar-nominated performance as George, an ex-pat college professor left desperate by the sudden death of his partner. Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold from Friday-Monday.
STAR RATING: ***
STREETDANCE 3D (PG)
TALENTED street dancer Carly (Nichola Burley) is forced to work with five ballet students in exchange for rehearsal space for her and her team just weeks before the finals of the UK Street Dance Championships. Carly meets ballet schoolmistress Helena (Charlotte Rampling), who offers the street dancer a rehearsal space for free if she agrees to include five ballet students in the performance.
STAR RATING: ***
THE UNLOVED (15)
ACTRESS-turned-director Samantha Morton’s debut addresses deeply disturbing issues from her own childhood. Shot from the point of view of 11-year-old Lucy (Lauren Socha), we follow her story as she’s rescued from her abusive home life only to be put into a dismal care home. Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold on Tuesday and Wednesday.
STAR RATING: ***
