A real mixed bag of new film releases this week. As the blockbusters get bigger through the years, and even through each summer, youll notice slow film weeks popping up. One studio will hold back its good movies to allow their big hit to cash in. The other studios will hold back their decent films for fear of losing some movie-millions in the shadow of something else. Then sometimes youll see such cautionary sales tactics fly out the window, as movies are put out head to head. Perhaps they risk that the over subscribed theatres of one show will be forced to spill into whats showing elsewhere.

But small can be beautiful. Has Pleasantville made as much money since it was released a few years ago as Spider-Man made in its first 48 hours of release? No. But if it came out this week Id heartily recommend it. Where as last week, with Spider-Mans much-hyped release, there just may not have been room. Of course very often these weeks hide the release of films that the studio already knows are hardly worth the oil in the projector.

So what have we here?

First up is Kissing Jessica Stein, which started life as a fringe play and having garnered sufficient interest and money, here it is as a movie. Its a chick flick in every way. Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen are the actresses who brought the play and now the film to life, which is why you probably wont have heard of them. One is straight, but tired of dating the guys on offer in New York, so she answers a personal ad that has been placed by a woman. Together she and her new friend, not gay either as it happens, explore the idea of how and why two straight women can have a same sex relationship.

Its not a bit racy and feels like a play. What saves it from being the dire film you may well be imagining, is that it delivers really high quality dialogue with some really high quality stage actor performances. I actually managed to enjoy it, but not as much as I enjoyed Argentinas exit from the World Cup.

If youre in the mood for something a little lighter and more run of the mill, then Crush is still showing. Another chick flick. Andie Mcdowell stars as the head of a trio of middle aged friends living in a beautiful Cotswolds village. Her companions are Anna Chancellor (reuniting with MacDowell as ex-Four Weddings players - Chancellor having played Duck Face) and Imelda Staunton. They get together every week to mutually wallow in their various reasons for depression, largely the laments of the lonely hearted. Then McDowell has a very raunchy fling with a much younger man. This affords plenty of dirty jokes among the three women that would grace a Carry On film.

The performances are all great. Is this a housewifes fantasy favourite? I dont know, ask a housewife.

In this vein you still have Unfaithful showing, with Richard Gere being cheated on by Diane Lane and a younger man. The World Cup is on in the mornings so I wonder if they really expect the cinemas to fill with soccer widows before midday.

For the teenagers, men, horror fans, and Playstation game players theres Resident Evil. Computer game to movie (Tomb Raider excepted) has not been a particularly fruitful orchard. This is no exception to that rule. A virus turns the employees of a huge office building into zombies and only a small gang of commandos led by an amnesiac (ex-model Milla Jovovich) can beat them.

I havent seen it but it sounds bad and doesnt have the funds to pull off the zombie special effects.

Plus, you can still see Spider-Man, Panic Room and About A Boy in cinemas somewhere in the UK if youre desperate.

VAUGHAN SIVELL