This Week's Cinema

Clerks IIOur own resident movie expert, Tim Evans, takes a look at what's new at the movies this week.

The cult characters of Clerks are back for a sequel, Clive Owen is out to save the human race in Children Of Men, and romcom fans are catered for with Trust The Man.

CLERKS II
Certificate: 15
Running time: 101m

What's it about? Career slackers Dante and Randal have moved on from the (burned down) convenience store and are now flipping burgers - but Dante has plans for a new - married - life in Florida.

What's good? Director Kevin Smith has taken the terrific characters from Clerks and moved them ten years down the line while keeping their filthy dialogue and poignant humanity firmly in place.

Children Of MenWhat's bad? For fans of the cult, not much. Even newcomers can't fail to be bewitched by the stream-of-conscious pop culture nonsense rattled out by the meter.

Worth a look? Yes. It's a sequel that works both as a return to loved characters and as a starting point for those unfamiliar with Dante, Randal, Jay and Silent Bob.

Click for full skymovies.com Clerks II review.

CHILDREN OF MEN
Certificate: 15
Running time: 108m

What's it about? The human race - inhabiting a planet in meltdown - is dying... until a woman bearing the first child in 18 years is discovered.

Trust The ManWhat's good? Harry Potter director Alfonso Cuaron has dreamt up a nightmare Britain in the year 2027 and his moral warning - you can't win an ideological war - is well made.

What's bad? Not a lot. After an impressively apocalyptic opening, it settles down into a routine thriller with Clive Owen as the unshaven anti-hero charged with protecting the unborn.

Worth a look? Yes. It looks absolutely stunning even if the plot could have done with a bit of tightening up.

Click for full skymovies.com Children Of Men review.

TRUST THE MAN
Certificate: 15
Running time: 100m

What's it about? Two New York couples confront commitment-phobia and emotional stagnation while dining in every desirable Downtown Manhattan eaterie you'd care to mention.

What's good? Even a stellar cast - Julianne Moore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Billy Crudup, David Duchovny - cannot salvage a stinker of a romantic comedy.

What's bad? A tall order. There's a creeping air of desperation as physical clowning and bodily functions are poured into the failing mix of weak gags and deeply unlikeable characters.

Worth a look? No. Stabbing the back of your hand repeatedly with a blunt pen-knife is preferable.

Click for full skymovies.com Trust The Man review.