Film choice

(2010) FILM4, 6.55PM ★★★★

 Based on the 2007 memoir of Valerie Plame Wilson, this film explores White House dirty tricks in the post-9/11 era. Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) finds her secret life as a CIA agent is leaked to the press. With her cover blown and other people endangered, Valerie’s career and personal life begin to unravel. Director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) has a knack for dynamism, and Watts’s performance is cracking. (2011) W, 9.00PM ★★★★

 Following a trip to Hong Kong, Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to the Minnesota infected with a mystery virus that soon kills her and her son. For some reason, husband Mitch (Matt Damon) is unaffected, but panic spreads as death stalks the rest of the nation. If we never care about any of the victims, it’s because the virus and the attempts to contain it are director Steven Soderbergh’s real focus. Jude Law and Kate Winslet also star. (2009) BBC ONE, 11.25PM; WALES, 11.45PM ★★

 For every worthy role the talented Sandra Bullock takes on, she gets through at least three fluffy romantic comedies. In this one, she plays pushy executive Margaret Tate, who tries to force her charming assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to avoid deportation. The chemistry between the pair elevates the usual romcom tropes. Betty White and Mary Steenburgen are among the supporting cast.