Philomena (12A) ****

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has gone to war with US censors  -  after they gave an adults-only rating to an Irish movie for two uses of the f-word. Top film producer Weinstein is taking on the R rating given to Irish-made drama Philomena.

The film tells the true story of how Philomena Lee was forced into a Magdalene laundry after getting pregnant and made give up her son for adoption.

It got a 12A rating in Ireland but the US censor came down on the film for two uses of the word ‘f***’ giving it an ‘R’ rating  -  the equivalent of an 18s cert here.

The decision has incurred the wrath of notoriously outspoken movie boss Weinstein, who snapped up the rights to the film for release in The States.

We have suffered many dodgy Irish accents on the big screen over the years. But Judi Dench nails it in Philomena  -  and it’s not the only impressive thing about her performance.

As a retired mum who’s had to live with being forced to give up her son for adoption, Dench’s portrayal of a deeply wronged yet forgiving woman will break your heart.

But this awards-fancied drama is not all downbeat  -  there are a surprising amount of laughs in this extraordinary story.

If you’re unaware of Lee’s real life story or have not read the book on which it is based, steer clear of the details before seeing this, as two of the most powerful moments in the movie are big reveals.

British actor Steve Coogan co-wrote, produced and stars in the film as journalist Martin Sixsmith, a feisty BBC correspondent who’s more comfortable with meaty stories than so-called human interest ones.

But he changes his mind when approached by Lee’s adult daughter, who has discovered the secret her mother has been keeping for years  -  that she was placed in a Magdalene laundry after becoming pregnant, and forced to give up her child to a US family for adoption.

One of the most interesting elements (and as a viewer, one of the hardest to take) is Philomena’s determination to forgive those who have gravely wronged her, and her refusal to allow circumstances dent her faith.

It helps make the film stronger and more complicated as it builds to what is a very powerful climax. For the most part, director Stephen Frears does a decent job of balancing the light and the powerful. Ultimately, though, this is Judi Dench’s film.

Thor: The Dark World (12A) ***

Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are in fine form as rival brothers in this fun addition to the Marvel series. It’s a shame the humour is bogged down by a convoluted storyline.

Still, there’s lots of enjoyment to be had as Hemsworth and Hiddleston square off against each other in the newest adventure from the Marvel universe.

Set after the events of The Avengers, the story sees cinema’s favourite hammerman take on a dark new enemy.

He sets out to save planet Earth, as well as all of the nine realms, from an ancient race of adversaries lead by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), who’s set on wreaking havoc.

Meanwhile, Thor’s sinister half brother, Loki, is languishing in a dungeon in their home of Asgard, as Thor fights to save, and reunite, the Nine Realms. He’s safely under lock and key and couldn’t possibly pose a threat, right?

Thor’s having women problems too  -  the stunning and brainy scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), peeved by his lengthy departure, has started dating a reliable mortal (Chris O’Dowd).

The first Thor movie worked so well because it didn’t take itself too seriously. There was lots of slapstick humour to be had at the ‘fish-out-of-water’ scenario of sending a demi-God to contemporary New York.

Here, a similar approach is taken and much of what made its predecessor so damned likeable is built on. There are half a dozen great laugh out loud moments, one of them courtesy of O’Dowd, which we won’t ruin by revealing here.

Hiddleston will cheer his growing army of fans with an enjoyably menacing performance as Loki, while Hemsworth has settled into playing Thor nicely, though a little more screen time could have been considered given that he’s the central character.

But there are some real problems, too. Asgard is still a CGI-heavy and dull looking universe, and more of this film is set there than its predecessor.

The story lacks focus and  -  unless you’re a die-hard devotee of the comic-book tales on which it’s based  -  it’s hard to know, or care, what is at stake much of the time.