The Visitor
Director: Tom McCarthy.
Starring: Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira.
Rating: (G) Movie reviews
4 stars (out of 5)
Review by Mark Orton
Richard Jenkins might look familiar because of roles in Six Feet Under and North Country, but he is still far from a household name.
Though that possibly has more to do with his powerful persona on screen as the everyman; an actor who seamlessly assumes roles that bring a sense of depth to the script.
Jenkins is profound as Walter, a dour college professor bored beyond tears.
Sent reluctantly to New York to attend a conference, he has a chance meeting with two immigrants that changes his life, and their own, in ways none of them are prepared for.
Walter acts as conduit for conservative middle-class white Americans to the outside world - someone who seizes a chance opportunity to interact with a foreign culture.
Writer-director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent) obviously has a real skill for identifying talent and then scripting according to their individual characteristics.
For The Visitor, he has assembled a small cast of virtual unknowns to faithfully portray the trauma of dislocation and fear of deportation.
The Visitor is an insight into, and a powerful indictment of, the harsh reality of pursuing the American dream post 9/11.
Best thing: Watching an uptight white guy grooving on an African drum.
Worst thing: The realisation that there can be no happy ending.
See it with: Empathy.
Quantum of Solace
Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright
Rating: M
4 stars (out of 5)
Review by Christine Powley
When I was growing up, James Bond was played by Sean Connery and the films were marketed as sophisticated fun for grown-ups.
By the time I was old enough to go to one, Roger Moore had the role and the tone had changed to tongue-in-cheek. The only Bond I had seen (before this) was Moonraker, the main point of which seemed to be to get Jaws a girlfriend.
I was appalled and dodged all subsequent Bonds.
With Daniel Craig back for his second crack in Quantum of Solace (Rialto and Hoyts), I thought it might be instructive to find out if this Bond reboot was powerful enough to win me back. It took a while to suck me in.
The opening sequence is an exciting car chase - or should have been, if only the camera angles had not juddered so much that I had no idea which black car was which.
But once Quantum of Solace settles down to give us the story of Bond hunting down a secret organisation - so secret that no-one has ever heard of it - I started to enjoy myself.
By the time evil mastermind villain Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) lifted his hand to reveal that he was wearing a red Kabbalah string, I was totally on board. Quantum of Solace is easily the best action movie I have seen all year, and that is because I came to believe in all of the relationships.
Best thing: Daniel Craig, his Bond is rougher and more human.
Worst thing: I was shaken but not stirred. It needed more sex scenes to counterbalance the violence.
See it with: Not just a teenage boy; women are going to like this blue-eyed Bond, a lot.
