Saving Mr Banks, All Is Lost and American Hustle

I have to agree with one critic who said that as Mary saved the Bank's family, so Emma Thomson saved this movie. In other hands we may have ended up with a sentimental, run of the mill, feel-good movie. But Thomson elevates Saving Mr Banks to something quite special. She lights up the screen whenever she appears and inspires Tom Hanks to at least do something with his poorly written role as Walt Disney. I wasn't too unhappy (as lots of critics were) with the performance of Colin Farrell as Robert Travers, and there is a first rate cameo from Paul Giamatti. I thought the flashbacks to when P.L. Travers was a girl worked really well, the photography was suitably sharp and colourful and I came away with a warm and happy feeling. And that was just what the film set out to do.

I thought long and hard before going to see All Is Lost. A movie with one character, who hardly speaks a word, fighting the elements on his single handed boat, I would normally avoid. But the reviews were good and more importantly this was the second feature film by the director J.C. Chandor. His first movie Margin Call was just fantastic, particularly his screenplay. This time he concentrates on the action as Robert Redford faces up to everything that is going wrong. There is no back story, so we have to work it out for ourselves what he is doing here, at his age. There are enough hints for us to engage our brains instead of having it all spelt out. I have never experienced a movie when you are encouraging the main character about what to do next. Redford is fantastic in this demanding role, and there are comparisons to be made with Sandra Bullock's role in Gravity.

I didn't think that American Hustle was as good as the reviews. It was OK, but I wondered if it was meant to be a comedy or just an off beat caper movie. There were the odd laugh out loud moments, and the script was very witty on occasions. But it seemed to drag half way through and it took an exhilarating last half hour to see it through. David O Russell has cooked up an entertaining story with stand out performances from the whole cast. I thought Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence were brilliant. The atmosphere of the late seventies works really well complete with a great selection of songs and fantastic costumes. Not in the same league as Russell's Silver Linings Playbook, but a good try.