V is for... [part 2]

A deeply moving drama built around longtime character actor Richard Jenkins, The Visitor is a simmering drama about a college professor and recent widower, Walter Vale (Jenkins), who discovers a pair of homeless, illegal aliens living in his New York apartment. After the mix-up is resolved, Vale invites the couple--a young, Syrian musician named Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his Senegalese girlfriend (Danai Gurira--to stay with him. An unlikely friendship develops between the retiring, quiet Vale and the vital Tarek, and the former begins to loosen up and respond to Tarek’s drumming lessons as if something in him waiting to be liberated has finally arrived. All goes well until Tarek is hauled in by immigration authorities and threatened with deportation. His mother, Mouna (Hiam Abbass), turns up and stays with Vale, sparking a renewed if subdued interest in courtship. But the wheels of injustice in immigration crush all manner of hopes in post-9/11 America. Vale soon realizes his unexpected capacity for anger over Tarek’s plight, and the positive changes to his personal life that emerged from a deep involvement with his friend and Mouna, might be the only legacy he takes from this experience. Writer-director Thomas McCarthy has created a wonderfully measured story about change and renewal, and put it all on the shoulders of Jenkins, a largely unheralded but masterful performer whose time for renown has surely come. (synopsis provided by Amazon.com)

released 2007

directed by Thomas McCarthy

Weekend Viewing - Feb 5-7 (part 1)

Black Snake Moan [2007, directed by Craig Brewer]

An old blues man is left by his no good cheating wife – a sex obsessed young girl is left behind as her fiancé reports to the military. When the man discovers the girl beaten and left outside his house – he takes it upon himself to “cure” the girl – thus redeeming himself of his wife leaving.

Black Snake Moan is pretty good – there were some performances that fell flat (namely Justin Timberlake) – but the concept and music was great. The whole film plays out like a blues song – and the rising tension between the characters - as a black man who has a white girl chained to his radiator was palpable and interesting. It’s amazing how much little Christina Ricci has grown up... (I’ll leave it at that since she bares all quite a bit). I give it about a 4 out of 5.

Lemon Tree [2008, directed by Eran Riklis]

A Palestian widow has a lemon orchard on the green line between Israel and the West Bank. When the Israeli Defense Minister moves in next door and it’s determined that the lemon orchard poses a security risk – she has to fight to keep it.

This is a very interesting movie that fails in the area of the relationships between the characters. If the film stayed with it’s sole focus on this lemon orchard and the characters directly involved – it would’ve been a great film. The fact that the film had some interweaving storylines that just didn’t work was disappointing. The acting was great – but the storylines didn’t work for me – and I was confused if I was actually supposed to care about some of them. I give it just above a 3 out of 5 – which I round up to a 4.