Included In Lists:
Strong Performances - Richard Jenkins

Review In A Nutshell:

Thomas McCarthy has once again delivered with his emotionally aching sophomore film, The Visitor. Having seen The Station Agent and Win Win before this film, has allowed me to expect the director to be a faithful craftsman of the dramatic comedy; his films have always been able to bring genuine laughs with characters doing very little, he finds characters in difficult and awkward situations that bring out the best of their personalities. Both films have placed its focus on the characters themselves rather than an overall message or satire, and it was because of this that I was able to find enjoyment in their stories, uncaring for the…

Subjects about immigration, racism and friendship have been touched on movies for decades now - back on the late years of the start of the century and early last decade, a wide array of movies about this made an unexpected comeback. What distinguish from them was these whole themes were written not in a way that focuses or made big emphasis on the topics, but they were more part of the discussion. Some did a poor job and ended up feeling as preachy or worse, a case of white savior.

Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) brings a who's who number of talented actors together made up names you most likely seen around, but they aren't major stars, lead by an Oscar-nominated performance…

Another wonderful slice-of-life drama from Tom McCarthy (director of the great THE STATION AGENT), this is another film about a lonely protagonist who feels out-of-step with the world, and the surprising connection he finds with people whom he might normally never even meet, but who change his life for the better.

In this case, that protagonist is Walter (the great character actor Richard Jenkins, making the absolute most out of a rare leading role), an introverted, buttoned-down teacher in a deep personal and professional rut, but who nurses a genuine desire to master a musical instrument.

When he meets a young immigrant couple, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira, now famous as Michonne on THE WALKING DEAD), it turns…

December 2016: Scavenger Hunt #21
TASK #13: A film whose only Oscar nomination is for Acting (either Best Actor or Actress or Best Supporting Actor or Actress)!

One of director Tom McCarthy’s earlier directing efforts and it’s very impressive. Many know Richard Jenkins as a character actor, but as the lead in The Visitor, wow. Jenkins delivers some of his best work in this film, playing someone who’s cut off from everyone and everything around him and struggles constantly to find passion and meaning in his life. This is mainly a film about the issues that followed after the tragedy that was 9/11, but it’s also a genuinely emotional and gripping tale about friendship, identity, and the human experience. What…

A very touching film with great performances from the entire cast. Richard Jenkins finally gets a starting role and he delivers a truely inspiring performance. He shows so much emotion without saying much or overacting and that is what makes this movie so succesfull, it says so much without having to say anything. For example you have Richard Jenkins playing Walter, a profesor who is depressed and leads a quiet and solitary life. The viewer can tell by his perfomance and by Thomas McCarthys direction that he is truely hurt by the loss of his wife although we dont see him crying about her or even speaking much about the loss, but his natural performance just conveys that feeling and…

Recently I've been compiling a list of things I've entitled 'Stuff Only A Bastard Would Dislike'. So far the list comprises:-

1) Summertime by The Sundays.

2) The Japanese Ezo Momonga.

3) Richard Jenkins.

The aim of this list is to weed out the real wrong 'uns in society with the compilation of items that it is seemingly impossible to dislike. Unless you're a bastard. We throw around insults a lot in society and call people rude names, but this is the definitive way of being able single them out.

The Visitor not only cajoled me into including Jenkins on the list, but it also pointed out to me the reason why he's such a good actor. He really is…

Original Title: The Visitor
Year of Release: 2007
Genres: Drama; Music; Crime
Director: Tom McCarthy
Writer: Tom McCarthy
Main Cast: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira, Hiam Abbass, Marian Seldes, Maggie Moore, Richard Kind

What I love about Tom McCarthy's films is that, in its first few minutes, you already expect the film to go in one specific direction, one you've seen before, cliched and tropey. Instead, he puts a different spin to it, grounds it in reality, and clearly has so much sympathy for the characters that it is hard not to care and relate to them. I felt that way with The Station Agent, Win Win, and (to a lesser extent) Spotlight, and I definitely felt it in…

This message movie disguised as a character study is more or less saved by its good intentions and strong performances. To the film’s credit, with the lack of stylization, the generally low key anti-melodramatic emoting and the deliberate pace, it doesn’t feel like a heavy handed film; but let’s face it; the story is rigged as they come. The denizens of the illegal immigrant community portrayed in the film come across as downright unimpeachable; but there is an unintended condescension towards them; they are, in their seeming perfection, mere plot devices used as catalysts in the thawing of the wounded and uptight wannabe musician widower Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) who has let his professional malaise drift into self-denial and minor…