Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, 2.5 Stars

I basically enjoyed this. It was only at the end of the movie that I realized how tense I'd been.

The action is pretty well non-stop, though it does drag at the start. Chris Pine (Star Trek re-boot) is good as Jack Ryan - perhaps a little 'Bourne-like', but nerdier. Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice) has an expressive and very watchable face and Kenneth Branagh (HP & Chamber of Secrets) is good as a villain. But it is Kevin Costner (The Company Men) who was a pleasant surprise and appears to be more comfortable in 'laid-back' roles (e.g. his critically acclaimed role in Man of Steel).

I don't like a lot of violence in films and this one has its share, but that is to be expected in this genre (James Bond, not withstanding, from which I can somehow detach myself). Not sure I'd go out of my way to see this again.

American Hustle, 2 stars

Well, I don't get it. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it got a 93% rating of critics who liked it and was 'riotously funny'. I must have been at a different movie.

The casting and acting are great and increased my rating by 1/2 a star. But for the most part (with the exception of Jerome Renner [The Bourne Legacy] and Robert de Niro [Stardust]), I felt I was watching people act - i.e. they just didn't involve me. Amy Adams (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) showed more range (and body parts) than I've seen. Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) was very good. Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) continues to impress and Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games series) may be the most talented of the group.

But the movie is too long and the story drags. The 70's stuff is fun(ny) to see. As I overheard people next to me say as we were leaving "There goes two hours I'll never get back." Too bad.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, 2.5 Stars

I liked this movie - it is the kooky, over-the-top performances by the characters that makes it memorable.

Ben Stiller (Dan in Real Life) is likeable and convincing as a daydreamer. And Kristen Wiig (Whip It) is fun to watch on the screen - the camera really 'likes' her and she has a lovely scene in which she performs 'Ground Control to Major Tom'. Her character is quirky (well, the whole film is...). There are a lot of other very good, short performances and many 'laugh out loud' moments.

But there is a flaw in the flow - the first one-third you can buy in to the daydreams and they are intriguing and fun. And then the story switches gears from irregular daydreams to an attempt at a continuous story. The result is that I was left wondering if I was still watching a daydream or not. Unsettling.

In spite of this, I liked it and would like to see it again, in part to separate out the daydreams from real life (there's some sort of metaphor in there, I think...).

Philomena, 3.5 Stars

This is an excellent film. The story flows well - it flags in the middle a little, but perhaps that is only because it appears that the 'plot' has stalled.

There is a wide ranging cast, many of whom I wasn't familiar with. Dame Judi Dench (007 series, Chocolat, etc) delivers a superb performance - is there a movie in which she does not? Steve Coogan (whom I had not remembered was in the Night(s) at the Museum) plays a good, straight and sometimes passionate foil to Dench's character. They are 80-90% of the story and their chemistry is a natural one.

There are twists and turns and the film is not without emotion - I'd see it again to re-trace the 'thread' of the story.