Alan Dee’s guide to the new cinema releases

THE next Spider-Man movie is just around the corner so it’s a quiet week on the new release front after a spell when you couldn’t move for movies jostling for attention.

The biggest stars, and they’re not exactly A list names, are on show in Friends With Kids, with fans are plugging as a sort of follow-up to Bridesmaids.

You can see where they’re coming from – Kristen Wigg is there, so is Chris O’Dowd – but this is a much more mature comedy, and none the worse for that.

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Jennifer Westfeldt may not be a name you recognise, but you’ll probably know the face – she’s had a varied career in front of the camera as well as developing a name as a writer in recent years, and here she goes the whole hog as writer, director, producer, and leading lady.

Also in the ensemble cast is her other half, Mad Men hunk Jon Hamm, which must have helped the project get a green light.

So what’s it all about? It’s more When Harry Met Sally than Bridesmaids, with two best friends trying to avoid all the mistakes their friends have made when it comes to controlling rugrats from birth to booting them out of the door to fend for themselves.

They decide to have a baby together as perfect platonic parents while still dating other people – what can go wrong, hey?

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Westfeldt and Adam Scott, another ‘who?’ name with a varied career behind him, are the buddies and the couples who provide the bad examples include Maya Rudolph, O’Dowd, Wiig and Hamm.

It’s enjoyable enough but it’s one of those films where everyone looks good, doesn’t have to worry about the bills or the everyday irritations of life and can just obsess about the parenthood and relationships thing – very American, very forgettable.

> Attack The Block proved that you don’t need a megabudget or an American setting to create a convincing thriller with an outer space angle, so here comes Storage 24.

The ubiquitous Noel Clarke and his former other half take a trip to the storage unit where their possessions are waiting to be shared out, with a couple of pals to keep the peace.

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Hang on, a military cargo plane has crash-landed, dispersing its highly classified contents across London. What’s more, there’s an extra-terrestrial nasty in the storage unit, and they can’t get out.

It’s pretty sharp, and worth catching if you always make a date with Dr Who – more homegrown sci-fi but for an older audience.

> Keep an eye out for Your Sister’s Sister, in which rising star Emily Blunt grabs the eye in a tangled tale of siblings and friendship.

A grieving son still trying to cope with his brother’s death is offered a remote island holiday by pal Blunt, only to find that his friend’s sister has had the same idea after walking out on a long-term relationship.

It’s a low-budget comedy drama which is being tipped as a sleeper hit, and is another feather in the talented Miss Blunt’s cap.

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