Philomena

(M) ★★★★

Director: Stephen Frears.

Cast: Judy Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Anna Maxwell Martin.

"Would you like to hear my Michael Caine impersonation?"

The title character of this beautiful little drama is a great representation of the film itself.

Outwardly, Philomena (played by Dame Judy Dench) seems quiet and reserved, but inside she has pockets of sadness and intensity and courage. And occasionally she can surprise you and even be a little bit cheeky.

That's exactly what this film is like - it's gently paced and never bombastic or over-the-top, yet it features some incredibly moving moments, thought-provoking ideas, and even some hilarity.

Inspired by the true story of Philomena Lee, it's told from the point of view of Martin Sixsmith (Coogan, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film), a recently retrenched government spin doctor who seeks to rebuild his writing career and pull himself out of a depression.

His ticket out of his existential hole is the "human interest story" of Philomena, an Irish woman who had her son taken from her 50 years earlier by the strict nuns that ran the "troubled girls" home where she lived. The cynical Sixsmith and the devoutly Catholic Philomena hit the road in search of the long-lost son, sparking a journey that examines faith, tolerance, forgiveness, redemption and many other themes in between.

There is so much that is impressive about this wonderful film from Frears (The Queen, High Fidelity). The pairing of Coogan and Dench is a stroke of genius - this odd couple provides not only the comedic spark but creates the platform for the story's religious, philosophical and moral explorations.

Coogan is disturbingly good at playing these kind of snide snobs and is very much at home in his role, while Dench, an occasionally wayward accent aside, is brilliant, bestowing Philomena with exactly the right mix of resilience and naivety, sadness and humour, and dressing it all up like your favourite grandma.

It's that delicate balance that make this such a good performance, and it's the performances that are the driving force behind Philomena.

With a story that unfolds so gently in a step-by-step manner, it's the passion in the characters - the sarcastic patronising and then righteous indignation of Sixsmith and the quiet fortitude of Philomena - that help this be such a compelling film. 

Frears wisely lets the dramatic moments unfold quietly. There is no swelling score or camera tricks - just subtle moments full of heart where the score steps aside and lets the actors and the story do the heavy lifting. And like the balance in Dench's performance, Frears gets the juggling of the light and dark right, given the heartbreaking subject matter.

It's a film with depth, tackling big issues while managing to be an immensely personal story at the same time.  How accurate this portrayal of that personal story is ... well, that's up for debate - the ending feels slightly contrived and there's a sense that in the opening announcement of "inspired by a true story", "inspired by" are the key words.

But amid all this, Philomena is laugh out loud funny amid the tearjerking moments.

And, if nothing else, it's worth seeing for the perverse glee of hearing Dame Judy say the word "clitoris".

The Wolf Of Wall Street

(R) ★★★★★

Director: Martin Scorsese.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Jon Bernthal, Rob Reiner, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumley.

"I can't feel my face. But my hair hurts."

EVEN if Martin Scorsese never made another film, his legacy is assured.

From Mean Streets in 1973 - a regular on "best movies ever" lists - through to his under-appreciated 2011 charmer Hugo, the Scorsese name has been a stamp of quality (with only a few mis-steps along the way) for 40 years.

With that in mind, every time legendary director steps behind the camera there are questions: is it up to his usual standard? Is it typically Scorsese? Is he trying something new again? Is it great?

The answer to all these questions is a resounding "yes".

His fifth collaboration with DiCaprio sits within the Scorsese back-catalogue like it was always meant to be there. It's up to his standard, it has moments that are typical of his films (such as the soundtrack and his roaming camera), it's his first laugh-out-loud comedy, and yes, it's great.

DiCaprio plays real-life Wall Street crook Jordan Belfort, who snorted and screwed his way through the '90s as he made millions upon millions of dollars as a stockbroker with a flagrant disregard for the law.

Based on Belfort's own warts-and-all autobiography, it pulls no punches in portraying Belfort as an amoral brat with an unquenchable thirst for sex, drugs and money.

Criticism that the film glorifies his behaviour and shows nothing of the impact his actions had on thousands of hard-working (and gullible) Americans is not unfounded. But that's not the film Scorsese and co-producer/star DiCaprio appear to be making.

This is about the moral and social vacuum Belfort and his cohorts lived in. The real world (ie. where most of us regular people dwell) doesn't exist and there are plenty of cheap voyeuristic thrills to be had in watching how the filthy rich live (with filthy being the key word). Like Belfort himself, the film could be called morally corrupt but at least its entertaining.

As such, there are no big themes here beyond the "greed is bad" credo we've seen in everything from Erich von Stroheim's 1924 silent film Greed to recent Wall Street swipes such as Boiler Room (also based on Belfort's life) to Margin Call.

Where the value lies is in the humour and the performances. Saying this is Scorsese's funniest film is damning it with faint praise - his only other comedy was the black-as-midnight King Of Comedy, which is an under-rated and uncomfortably satirical and prescient gem. The Wolf Of Wall Street is a flat-out funny film (although still very dark) by any director's standards.

DiCaprio's turn is another highlight in this thoroughly entertaining film. His transition from doe-eyed naif to drug-fuelled loose cannon and through to the inevitable fall is riveting, and with superb support from Hill and Aussie discovery Margot Robbie as Belfort's second wife, as well as Chandler, Lumley, Reiner, Dujardin and a seeming cast of thousands.

Does DiCaprio deserve an Oscar? It's as good as any of his other performances that he could have rightfully won Oscars for, so sure, why not?

The only real gripe is the film's length. Scorsese and his long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker seem to be having too much fun and forget to cut out some of the fluff. It's not the fact that it clocks in at one minute short of three hours that makes it too long - it's that in places the film drags, which is the only real indication that a film is too long.

But whenever the pace lags, the film bounces back with another riotous set piece, and for most of its running time, The Wolf Of Wall Street is a hilariously debauched and enjoyable ride that would seem totally ridiculous if not for the fact that most of it is probably true.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

(M) ★★★

Director: Kenneth Branagh.

Cast: Chris Pine, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley.

"Why, yes, I'd love to see your ship."

IS there still room in the spy landscape for Jack Ryan?

With Bond, Bourne and Ethan Hunt hogging the limelight with adrenalised stunts and a surfeit of style, is anyone really clamouring for a second reboot of Tom Clancy's canny agent?

On the strength of this so-so re-invention, it would seem Ryan doesn't really have the goods to match it with the big boys of the espionage genre. Aside from some sporadic moments, this feels drab and formulaic when compared to the likes of 007 or Tom Cruise's impossible missions.

It's certainly not a bad film - although the cliche-ridden first act makes for a worrying start (at least that's over and dealt with very quickly). It's just that the whole thing is mildly entertaining without being anything special or impressive.

It's not really the fault of director and villain Branagh, nor Pine (who is following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck) as Ryan. Nor is it even the fault of scriptwriters Adam Cozad and David Koepp.

It's just that Ryan has always seemed like an every-spy, and this film doesn't change that. He does what any secret agent does, does it well, but never stands out, nor does he have particularly defining personality traits or skill sets (aside from being good at everything). He's just a spy. He could be any spy. In fact, Shadow Recruit could quite easily be not a Jack Ryan film - change a couple of character names and it's an origin story for a brand new franchise focusing on a new nondescript CIA agent.

The only real link to Clancy's novels, character names aside, is Ryan's background (the film is not based on any of Clancy's books - just the character). As per the books, Ryan is injured in a tour of duty as a marine and takes a job on Wall Street while secretly working for the CIA searching for potential terror threats via financial signposts.

From there, we're whisked away to generic spy territory - in this case, Moscow - where Ryan goes head-to-head with Viktor Cherevin (played by a well accented Branagh), who is suspected of having millions secreted in hidden accounts.

This sets up a couple of pro forma but mildly enjoyable set pieces - the office break-in, the white-knuckle car chase - before the film heads for home with a terrorist threat and a ticking bomb countdown.

With a few tweaks, this could have been Die Hard 6, or Bond 26, or Bourne 5 or M:I 5. And any of those tweaks would have given this film a style or a vibe beyond the formulaic because those characters are well defined, whether it be via their charisma, attitude or abilities.

What saves the day here is the fact Shadow Recruit is an origin story. The clumsy clichés of the first act aside, seeing Ryan on his first mission and completely out of his depth - particularly in a desperate bathroom brawl - is intriguing and makes up for the fact he is a stereotype. Pine does his best to balance the Ryan's greenness with his obvious capabilities.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit gets a tentative recommendation. It does what it does reasonably well, is smart in places, and aside from a shaky start, it's certainly never terrible. It's just that it feels like dozens of other spy films and as a result is unlikely to linger long in the memory.

Saving Mr Banks

(PG) ★★★★

Director: John Lee Hancock.

Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Annie Rose Buckley.

Quite frankly, Walt was embarrassing himself.

PEOPLE in the filmmaking business love to make films about making films.

On the one hand, it's like the old writer's adage "write what you know", but on the other hand it's a way to let audiences peek behind the curtain and see how hard it is to a shoot a movie. In the case of Saving Mr Banks - the story behind the beloved 1964 musical Mary Poppins - it's not even about the difficulties of filming, but rather the problems that can arise before that stage, such as trying to acquire the rights to a book.

Emma Thompson plays PL Travers, the cranky old cow who created Poppins and spent 20 years resisting the advances of Walt Disney (Hanks), who was desperate to bring the flying nanny to the big screen (supposedly to fulfill a promise to his daughters). 

Disney lures Travers from her London home to California to have input on the screenwriting process and to try and gain her approval for his cinematic vision.

Meanwhile, we learn about Travers' tough upbringing in Australia, her relationship with her father (Farrell), and how that ties in with the Mary Poppins stories.

As a result, Saving Mr Banks is two films in one, wonderfully edited together, to create an enjoyable and intriguing biopic. The '60s-set segment in California is like a rom-com but without the rom - Disney's wooing of Travers has all the charms, story beats and personality clashes you would expect in a Taming Of The Shrew-style romance.

The Australian section, set in rural Queensland circa 1906, gently unfolds its sadness and dark clouds and is deftly handled. A particular highlight is Farrell's performance, who delivers the duality of Travers' father beautifully.

His is one of many performances that make Saving Mr Banks an attention-holder in the face of a running time that threatens to be too long (125 minutes). Hanks and Thompson make a great pair - Thompson totally nails the need for Travers to be a sympathetic character despite being a grumpy nay-sayer, while Hanks is old-school smoothness personified as Disney.

On the side, there are wonderful bit parts from Giamatti as Travers' driver in LA, Jason Schwartzman and BJ Novak as Disney songwriting duo The Sherman Brothers, and Bradley Whitford as Mary Poppins screenwriter Don DaGradi.

There are some frustrating questions left unanswered by the film - minor things really - and you can't help but feel the whole thing is a little bit corny and probably hugely exaggerated.

But that's Disney after all. For many decades, the House of Mouse has been associated with good-natured sweetness, all-American charm, and happy endings, and Saving Mr Banks unsurprisingly ticks all of those boxes. Of course, people forget the mild moments of darkness, but that's just good storytelling - Old Walt knew Snow White had to have a witch, Pinocchio needed a scary whale, and that bad things had to happen to Bambi's mum.

As such, Saving Mr Banks is perfectly gauged to suit its subject matter - the light touch of Disney and the toughness of Travers, the slickness of Hollywood and the roughness of the Aussie outback, all rolled together into one story with broad appeal.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)

(PG) ★★★

Director: Ben Stiller.

Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Sean Penn, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn, Patton Oswalt.

Let's play a game called "Who's Dressed Inappropriately?"

FROM Reality Bites to Tropic Thunder, Ben Stiller makes intriguing and varied films whenever he sits down in the director's chair.

But no one probably expected something quite so adventurous as this take on James Thurber's renowned short story, which was famously filmed in the '40s as a Danny Kaye vehicle directed by Norman Z McLeod.

Stiller's version bears as little resemblance to Thurber's story as the McLeod version did - all that remains is the name and the fact that Mitty (played here by Stiller) is a man who "zones out" of his dull life, daydreaming amazing and heroic achievements to make up for the ordinariness of his everyday existence.

In this iteration, Mitty works at Life magazine as a clerk in the photography department and is charged with handing over the image for the final cover - a "quintessence"-capturing shot from acclaimed snapper Sean O'Connell (Penn). But when the negative can't be found, Mitty must finally break out of his work-a-day drudgery and do something noteworthy.

It's an ambitious film from Stiller and its $90 million budget is evident on the screen in some stunning set-pieces straight out of Mitty's imagination, such as a flying leap into an exploding building and a rolling streetfight through New York traffic.

This ambition and excitement keep the enjoyment level rolling along through the dull patches. The movie comes crashing back to earth each time Mitty returns to reality, which is obviously the plan, but even when Mitty finally takes off on his big adventure, the film struggles to keep a consistent pace or tone.

While initially touted as awards bait, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty doesn't get to that level. It aims to be profound but its central message and theme - that Mitty needs to get a life - is hammered home with all the subtlety of a helicopter to the face. Mitty works at Life, the magazine's "meaning of life" motto is trotted out about a dozen times ... yeah, we get it.

But you still have to admire the film. It's fun and inventive, and Stiller tries to tap into his inner Michel Gondry, with inventive visuals that bring the imaginary world crashing into the real one, even if it lacks the high levels of quirk found in Gondry films.

It's also one of the better Stiller performances we've seen to date, while Scott is wonderfully obnoxious as the manager in charge of shutting down Life magazine, Oswalt is funny as an eHarmony technician, and Penn is nicely restrained as rogue photographer O'Connell.

The plot itself is both frustrating and rewarding. I'm terrible at predicting twists, but a major plot point about the missing negative almost had me screaming at the screen for an hour. Despite this, the film still managed to resolve in a satisfactory manner.

It's this kind of up-and-down nature that sums up The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. As adventurous as it is, it still feels very safe. As charming as it is, it's also very frustrating. And as much as it has a lot of warmth and heart to it, it comes off as obvious and a bit superficial.

Thankfully it's fun and predominantly enjoyable, making it definitely worth a look. Stiller has aimed high, and even if he hasn't made it to the top, the view is still pretty good from where he ended up.

Frozen

(PG) ★★★★

Director: Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee.

Cast: (voices of) Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana.

Everyone agreed the snowman was weird and freaking them out.

DISNEY and princesses go hand in hand like New Year's Day and hangovers.

In fact, it was princess-starring Tangled - the 2010 computer-animated reworking of Rapunzel - that finally gave the House of Mouse a much-needed hit worthy of "Walt Disney Animated Classics" title after a bit of a dry spell.

That was followed by the ingenious video game story Wreck-It Ralph, but Disney has returned to what it knows best with another princess tale in Frozen, giving the animation studio its third winner in a row.

According to the credits, Frozen is based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, although any resemblance between this film and that fairytale is vague at best.

Frozen follows two sisters - Elsa (Menzel), a princess born with the power to create and manipulate ice and snow, and Anna (Bell), her non-magical younger sibling - as they grow up in the Scandanavian-like kingdom of Arendelle.

After a childhood accident involving Elsa's powers, the family is warned that Elsa should be kept isolated in case her powers should cause more trouble, but this becomes impossible when she is forced to take over the throne.

What's intriguing about Frozen, making it unlike most fairy tales, is that there is no real villain. The story doesn't lack anything because of this though. In fact, it yields intriguing and well-rounded characters, who seem to be unwilling to harm Elsa and instead are trying to help her deal with her ice problem (which makes me wonder - is this whole film some strange kind of drug addiction parable? Probably not but I'm sure I won't be the only critic to raise that analogy).

Frozen is great fun for all ages, bouncing along at such a great pace that not even the songs can slow it down.

Yep, that's right - there are songs here. This is a return to the grand old days of Disney princesses who burst into song at the drop of a glass slipper, but thankfully the tunes are pretty good.

There are also plenty of laughs, thanks largely to the presence of Olaf The Snowman, voiced perfectly by Gad, whose presence is inexplicable but welcome thanks to the humour he injects into the film.

Aside from the set-up feeling slightly forced, Frozen is fun from start to finish. The set-pieces look amazing, the voice work is great (despite the selective use of Scandanavian accents), the comedy is strong and all-ages, and the story rolls along nicely.

This is definitely one for the whole family to chill out with on a hot Aussie summer's day.