University drama with a difference

Admission (12A)

Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) is one of the most dedicated members of staff in the admissions office at Princeton University, one of America’s most prestigious universities. When Clarence (Wallace Shawn) announces his retirement as Dean of Admissions, Clarence confirms that Portia and ambitious rival Corinne (Gloria Reuben) are the frontrunners to replace him, and he will make a final decision once the current admissions process has been completed. Portia throws herself into her work while dealing with the emotional fallout from losing her stuffy professor boyfriend, Mark (Michael Sheen), to a blonde member of faculty. She embarks on her annual tour of high schools in her district and visits a bohemian place of learning run by former college classmate John Pressman (Paul Rudd). He believes that his most gifted and quixotic student, Jeremiah Balakian (Nat Wolff), deserves a place at Princeton. More troubling, John also reveals a personal connection between Portia and the boy that compromises her objectivity. Rating: ***

After Earth (12A)

In the distant future, Earth is a devastated wasteland, uninhabited by humans who have relocated to Nova Prime. This new planet is also home to an alien race called the Skrel, which views the interlopers as vermin. So the Skrel unleash the Ursa: hideously deformed creatures which track humans by the scent of fear pheromones. One man, General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) from the Ranger Corps, learns to overcome his fear through a phenomenon called “ghosting”, which allows him to walk among the Ursa undetected, slaughtering the killing machines without mercy. Cypher’s son Kitai (Jaden Smith) trains to become a member of the Ranger Corps but his application is rejected. So Cypher’s wife Faia (Sophie Okonedo) implores her husband to bond with Kitai during a final mission before retirement. A freak asteroid storm badly damages their spaceship, which crash-lands on Earth. Cypher and his boy are the only survivors. With his father critically ill, Kitai must retrieve a rescue beacon and alert HQ to their dire predicament. Rating: ***

Tina fey and paul Rudd star in Admission