Two films I've seen in recent weeks I feel are worth a mention are The Golden Compass and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
The former is based on the first book in Philip Pullman's Dark Material's Trilogy, the Northern Lights, which I read at a friends suggestion as the antidote male hero Harry Potter.
Now I really enjoyed the books and was lucky enough to see the stage version at the National Theatre which could have been a disaster but was actually superbly done.
So I was looking forward to the film, if with a little trepidation at what Hollywood might do with it. I'd read all the stories of directors dropping out and the decision to down play the religious theme but was encouraged by the casting.
And I wasn't disappointed. I can't imagine how it is to follow if you haven't read the books and I won't attempt to explain here but the job of imagining Pullman's fantasy world and ideas on film is skillfully done.
The lead characters live up to expectation with the exception of Iorek Byrnison, the polar bear which is voiced by Ian McKellan (more of him, quite literally in another post).
The CGI bear is as good as anything else I've seen on film recently but McKellan's voice just doesn't fit. It's like Gandalf has become a bear. Perhaps his voice is just a bit too old for the character.
My only other criticism is the decision to erase the religious element, a decision I'm sure is born out of having US financing rather than British or European.
In the books I always felt that the role of religion within society was fairly central but it begs a question that should the remaining two films go ahead, how on earth are they going to explain Lyra, the heroine's, significance without any religious reference?
If you've read the books you will no doubt know exactly what I mean but I won't explain as it will spoil it for those who haven't.
A complete cinematic contrast, The Assassination of Jesse James, is a detailed character piece bereft of any silver screen whistles and bells that had me completely gripped. If you are expecting an action movie of Western persuasion you'll be sorely disappointed.
Framed by a relatively short period of history it is a character piece about the build up to, murder and its consequences of the infamous Jesse James, played by Brad Pitt.
It is a long film and the first half an hour seems a little slow but the pace picks up as the tension between the two central characters builds - Ford the murderer is played by Casey Affleck.
It is refreshing to watch a film which places the actors firmly in the spotlight to tell the story. For all the gossip and glamour that surrounds Pitt, he is at the core a skilled actor and together with Affleck what the two of them manage to pull off is breathtaking. Quite simply they say more without words than most actors could pull off with heavy dose of verbal diarrhea.
If Affleck doesn't have an illustrious career after this then there is no justice.