Philadelphia Phillies 2008 World Series Champions!

The first world championship I've experienced in my life! Thank you Phillies!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Lethal Weapon 5

now being discussed on the boards...

Recent Watches: October 2008

Last month I opened a message board for "The Film Script" which I hope will enable everyone to chip in and throw up their own topics of their own volition. I've enjoyed the different and less formal format for posting and have posted a number of topics thus far, which I will obviously continue to add on to.

I will continue to use the "The Film Script" blog as a means for posting reviews and corresponding topics to show what's going on on the boards (as I did with the De Niro post).

So, make your way over to the message board and chip in now with your Recent Watches, as I will. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has been watching.

now being discussed on the boards...

De Niro Comeback?

now being discussed on the boards...

RIP Paul Newman

1925-2008

The Grand Opening

Since I can only assume the "anonymous" person that wants Film Script world domination and a message board to coincide with the blog has to be none other than my Film Script co-creater Ty, I'm here to announce The Film Script's very own message board... has opened.

I found a free host that I'm happy with, threw up a banner and a post and got the ball rolling. I really hope everyone uses the opportunity to talk about whatever's on their mind and bring up a wide variety of topics. The best part of this site has always been the back-and-forth debate and I'm looking for ways to increase that.

For now, at least head over there, register and see what's up.

http://thefilmscript.yuku.com/

Blog vs. Message Board

I just wanted to post this and see if you guys would prefer a change of format. If I were to change the site over to a message board, do you think that would spring more conversation and make it less formal? That way at any time someone could post a topic of conversation or anything really that they wanted to discuss. We could keep the replies as short or as long as we'd like and get more threads going than I am capable of doing on my own with the blog.

All this is probably just because I'm too lazy to continually update the site, but I am also looking at ways to keep up the conversation and keep the topics more up-to-date.

Let me know whichever you prefer, or if you even have a preference.

What I'm Watching Now

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"

Season 4 Premiere, Eps. 1 & 2

Quite Possibly the Worst DVD Cover of All-Time

Even for what I presume must be a no budget, direct-to-DVD dump this cover is horrendous. They cut the bird straight out of the shot, it's completely off-center, the font is dull and lifeless and not even Matthew Perry can muster more than an, "I can't believe my career has fallen this far since Friends" smirk.

Honest to God, I thought it was a nature channel production on first glance.

The Forums: Topic IV

Topic of the Week:

What's the Most Messed Up Movie You've Ever Seen?

Must See Movie of the Month: September 2008

This is the first time where many titles competed for the "Must See" distinction for the month. I could make a case for any one of my notables, especially Miracle at St. Anna (which I prophesized a Best Picture nom) and Choke, the first Chuck Palahniuk adaptation since Fincher's brilliant Fight Club. It's a good month for movies. A good lead in to the fall movie season... but I couldn't pass on last year's Best Director and Best Picture tandem, the Coen Brothers, back to their varied, usually hilarious, and slapsticky style with Burn After Reading. And with a cast as good as Clooney, Pitt, Malkovich, Jenkins, Simmons, McDormand and Swinton, who can blame me?

Who else wants to see it and what are your "must see's" of the month?

Other Notables:

The Duchess, Miracle at St. Anna, Blindness, Choke, The Lucky Ones

Traitor (Jeffrey Nachmanoff, 2008)

Struggling against itself and its own genre limitations, Traitor ends up ensnared in its own contradictions. It’s a confounding film, at once seeming to want to appeal to the viewer as both fresh and familiar. Traitor adheres to the formulas and sequences of well-established genres including the prisoner sequence, spy and action movie clichés, even the revenge storyline… but implanted in a politically current plot about a potential suicide bomber and attack on U.S. soil. That should have been relevant and hot topic enough to forego the usual by-the-numbers trappings, but there’s so much retread in the script, so much that’s been done before, that it leaves little hope for star Don Cheadle (himself a refreshing choice as an action star) to save it. Cheadle does his best Bourne imitation, quite convincingly coming across as the smartest man in the room, and even wills some of these set pieces into working far and away better than they should. But the film is submarined by its own unwillingness to take untraveled paths. Every action sequence has been done before, and better. Every relationship seems like repeats. In the end, it’s just all so uniquely… conventional.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Guillermo Del Toro, 2008)

A fluid continuation of the original, Hellboy II: The Golden Army sees director Guillermo Del Toro back reteaming with his hand-picked star Ron Perlman and the duo picking up where they left off in ‘04. Once again Hellboy is dealing with his lot in life and his ongoing role as savior of the human race, all the while being relegated to lurking amongst the shadows and avoiding human interaction. On top of which, Hellboy now has newfound relationship issues with his girlfriend, the fire-starter Liz. The tone, atmosphere and expert craftsmanship of Del Toro are plainly visible – even if some of these creatures tend to resemble Pan’s Labyrinth rejects – but the storyline is a bit of a letdown, leaving Hellboy toiling away at issues he already dealt with in the first. The story leaves little room for the character to grow and while the action is extremely well orchestrated, the heart of Hellboy II lies in scenes such as the one where Hellboy’s laying around with Abe, ruminating on his love life and public image with a beer in hand and a bud to open up to. For some reason there’s something memorable about a Buick-sized Devil and an amphibian man singing “Can’t Smile Without You” into a couple empty cold ones. These are the scenes that make it good to have him back, but next time let’s give him some more room to grow.

Recent Watches: September 2008

This is the month I get back to rejuvenating "The Film Script." No more 7 post months, guaranteed. And I'll start it how I always start it, with a forum for discussion on everyone's recent watches.

The forum's open.

The Oscar Picks

We’re down to the last third of the year and recently the question was posed to me for the first time this year,

“Do you have any early Oscar ideas?”

Welcome to the Fall Movie Season, where the studios try to pretend as if the previous eight months of the season weren’t just about making money and throw out their prestige pictures with aspirations of golden statuettes.

With the exception of the outliers like Seabiscuit and Gladiator from years past, this is the season where Oscar nominations are born.

So, I’ve gone through the recent Entertainment Weekly’s Fall Movie Preview and picked out the biggest films of the season and I’m asking everyone to make a few picks. A couple acting nominations, a couple directing nominations, maybe a documentary or two…

But everyone has to pick their 5 Best Picture Candidates. Then we can see who came the closest when the nominations are announced this coming January.

So here are the Fall movie titles. If you think a movie from earlier in the year will garner a nomination, feel free to include it –

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Road
Burn After Reading
The Soloist
Body of Lies
Miracle at St. Anna
Changeling
Ashes of Time Redux
Milk
Gran Torino
Pride and Glory
The Brothers Bloom
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Quantam of Solace
Revolutionary Road
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Australia
W.
The Lucky Ones
Synecdoche, New York
Seven Pounds
Appaloosa
Religulous
Blindness
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Marley & Me
The Spirit
Four Christmases
Defiance
What Just Happened
The Duchess
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Lakeview Terrace
Elite Squad
Rachel Getting Married
The Women
Yes Man
Happy-Go-Lucky
Righteous Kill
RocknRolla
Eagle Eye
Role Models
The Secret Life of Bees
Bedtime Stories
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Ghost Town
Sex Drive
My Best Friend's Girl
An American Carol
City of Ember
The Express
Soul Men
Nights in Rodanthe
Choke
The Burning Plain*
Che*
The Wrestler*

*no set 2008 release date

Resurrecting the Champ (Rod Lurie, 2007)

A pleasant, modest story that just spends too much time awkwardly stumbling around like its protagonist, Resurrecting the Champ is about a sportswriter (Josh Hartnett) who uncovers a former heavyweight fighting contender now living on the streets. Nicknamed “The Champ” and long believed dead, the writer sells Champ on the story idea as a potential return to glory for the browbeaten pugilist and a chance to again be a celebrity in the community, but is clearly more interested in parlaying the story into his own high-end magazine job and chance to climb out of his famous father’s shadow.

Samuel L. Jackson throws his Caveman’s Valentine dreads back on to play Champ and adopts an exasperated, gasping-for-air voice that echoes the hardships of his character. He’s out of touch, maybe a little bit crazy and walks around as if he’s shimmying into the ring, always up on his toes. But he’s also genuinely endearing, disarmingly funny and easily the best reason to watch Resurrecting the Champ.

Unfortunately the film is a bit sloppy, and supporting star Alan Alda nails it when he throws some of Harnett’s news copy back at him and tells him, “It lacks personality.” It could be considered an extended commentary on Hartnett’s character in the film as well. Plus, there’s pacing problems. The film revolves around moral ambiguities, mostly about father’s trying to impress their sons, and doesn’t quite know if it wants to be an uplifting feel-good story or not, and ends up choppy and lurching towards the end.

Jackson makes it worth checking out, but it’s no return to glory for “The Champ”.

Must See Movie of the Month: August 2008

Again, I couldn't choose just one. Two potentially great comedies in the course of two weeks? No idea why these two comedies that basically target the same demographics would open only a week apart, but I'm not complaining...

Who else wants to see it and what are your "must see's" of the month?

Other Notables:
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Hamlet 2, Traitor, Babylon A.D., Swing Vote

In the Screening Room - Joseph L. Mankiewicz's All About Eve

Session 022 - All About Eve

Who saw it and what are your thoughts on it?

RIP Bernie Mac

1957-2008

Reactions to The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)

Post reactions, highlights, drawbacks, best/worst moments, or whatever else you feel needs saying.

Recent Watches: August 2008

I suppose there's no reason we have to rely on Brian for EVERYTHING here...! :)

On My Honeymoon

Sorry I was unable to post something about this before I left, but with the last minute wedding details and preparation, I just didn't have time. Anyways, just wanted to let everyone know that I'm currently on my honeymoon and I'll be back sometime late next week. So my Dark Knight thoughts and other posts will have to be held off until then.

In the meantime, keep the forums going. I look forward to reading everything when I return.

Bad Idea of the Day (#2)

How do we feel about THIS lovely lady:


Being cast in the same film opposite THIS lovely man:



The film is Nine directed by Rob Marshall and co-written by Frederico Fellini. Thoughts, impressions, predictions? Oh and while we're at it how 'bout we take a gander at some of the other cast members, shall we?

Bad Idea of the Day (#1)

As reported by Dark Horizons & The Sun, "Tom Cruise has been asked to reprise his role as cocky fighter-pilot Maverick in a Top Gun sequel. It's been twenty-two years since the first film in which Cruise played a Navy pilot trainee and now a sequel script has apparently been penned. 'The idea is Maverick is at the Top Gun school as an instructor - and this time it is he who has to deal with a cocky new female pilot' a source tells the paper."

Seriously, is Tom Cruise getting this desperate for a hit?

The Film Script's Half-Year Oscars

We're halfway through the year of 2008 and while nearly all of the serious Oscar contenders have yet to come out, I wanted to shine a light on the films, actors and directors that have entertained me thus far this year, the misses I hope to rectify and some of the worst examples of filmmaking of the year thus far.

Best Supporting Actress
(winners in bold)
Isla Fisher – Definitely, Maybe
Mila Kunis - Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Natalie Portman - My Blueberry Nights
Hiam Abbass - The Visitor
Gwyneth Paltrow - Iron Man

Best Supporting Actor
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Stop-Loss
Haaz Sleiman – The Visitor
Jude Law - My Blueberry Nights
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
Colin Farrell - Cassandra’s Dream

Best Actress
Audrey Tautou - Priceless
Norah Jones - My Blueberry Nights
Renee Zellweger - Leatherheads

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Ryan Phillippe - Stop-Loss
George Clooney - Leatherheads
Colin Farrell - In Bruges
Robert Downey, Jr. - Iron Man

Best Director
Thomas McCarthy - The Visitor
Andrew Stanton - Wall-E
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
Wong Kar-Wai - My Blueberry Nights
Gus Van Sant - Paranoid Park

Best Picture
Wall-E
My Blueberry Nights
In Bruges
The Visitor
Iron Man

And as for the worst…

Worst Performance of the Half-Year
Matthew McConaughey - Fool’s Gold
Donald Sutherland - Fool’s Gold
Dennis Quaid - Vantage Point
Edward Burns - 27 Dresses
Kate Hudson - Fool’s Gold
Forest Whitaker - Vantage Point

Worst Picture
The Happening
21
88 Minutes
Vantage Point
Rambo
Fool’s Gold

And the movies I've missed and mean to catch up with...

Shine a Light, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Redbelt, Snow Angels, Encounters at the End of the World, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, The Fall, War, Inc., Married Life, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Smart People, The Band's Visit, Doomsday, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Get Smart, City of Men, Wanted, Chicago 10, The Air I Breathe, The Incredible Hulk

Comments to follow...

In the Screening Room - George Steven's Shane

Session 021 - Shane

Who saw it and what are your thoughts on it?

Reactions to Hancock (Peter Berg, 2008)

Post reactions, highlights, drawbacks, best/worst moments, or whatever else you feel needs saying.

Must See Movie of the Month: July 2008

As if there could be any other choice?

Who else wants to see it and what are your "must see's" of the month?

Other Notables:

Hellboy II: The Golden Army, X-Files: I Want to Believe (still haven't seen the first though, so it's unlikely I see this anytime soon), Step Brothers, American Teen

Recent Watches: July 2008

What's everyone been watching?

Hard Candy (David Slade, 2005)

Hard Candy is Hostel for the self-righteous filmgoer. A heinous, wish fulfillment fantasy about what director David Slade and screenwriter Brian Nelson would like to do to pedophiles, the film amounts to nothing more than a justification for getting satisfaction out of torture porn. But instead of sympathizing with the people on the receiving end, hoping for their escape… Hard Candy asks us instead, “Why watch a film like this unless you can root for the torturer?” Enter Ellen Page as our fourteen-year-old heroine Hayley, in her now-patented snarky fashion (this is really nothing more than her Juno performance crossed with a sociopath). She suspects Jeff (Patrick Wilson), a thirty-something photographer of being a predator of little girls her age… so in between some smarmy quips, she drugs him, ties him up and begins her search for the damning evidence by ransacking his home. It’s an interesting role-reversal decision to see the preyed upon get the better of the predator, the only problem being Hayley is entirely insane. And we as the viewer are expected to cheer her on while she gets all sorts of sickening pleasure out of her vile acts, even without Hayley having a shred of evidence to show us (don’t worry, she’ll obviously find some later to justify the blood thirst). Thankfully, Nelson has also provided Page with enough trite, longwinded speeches to spit out all the while about how harmful pedophilia is… apparently just so we don’t lose sight of who the real bad guy is here. It’s a hideous spectacle of the filmmakers’ ids, a terrible moral lesson on taking an eye for an eye and purports the appalling message that victims of sexual predators should take revenge into their own hands. All this is not to say that a pedophile does not deserve what he gets, but who appointed Page judge, jury and executioner? It’s not her responsibility, nor entitlement to do so. It’s simply a means to an end for Slade and Nelson, using Page as their surrogate to show us what they themselves would like to do…

Reactions to Wall-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)

Trying out a new reaction thread for our recent theater watchings. Post reactions, highlights, drawbacks, best/worst moments, or whatever else you feel needs saying.

Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)

The shockingly assured and visually distinctive filmmaking style of Terrence Malick arrived, fully-formed with his debut feature Badlands in 1973. The circular, contemplative retrospection, painterly images and existentialism that befit Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line and The New World were in full effect from Malick’s first feature, a low budget rumination on the rage of murders committed by real-life couple Charles Starweather (Martin Sheen as Kit Carruther’s) and Caril Ann Fugate (Sissy Spacek as Holly) in the late 1950’s. But this isn’t Bonnie and Clyde. These outlaws aren’t in search of fame or fortune. These things just seem to happen to them and Kit can give you no better reasoning for why he shot Holly's dad then, "I don't know. I always wanted to be a criminal, I guess. Just not this big a one." Kit’s a strange study, “quite an individual” he’s called later, killing numerous people along this spree but always appearing as cool and calm as he did at the beginning collecting garbage. Actually, other than bolting towards the border, the only thing Kit seems to have put any real thought into is Holly. He knows he wants to be with her, nothing else matters but that and surviving. So that leaves Holly with plenty of time to ruminate on the intricacies of life and love and, in typical Malick-ian fashion, she does so through a soothing, searching voiceover narration that the director would go back to years later in Days of Heaven. The two of them are in a world unto themselves, spending as much time alone living in the woods and driving through dirt fields as they do interacting with anyone else. And everything happens on the fly, as the outside world closes in and our two fatalistic lovebirds make way for Canada keeping a realistic perspective of where this is headed. And, I think it’s safe to say, it ain’t happily ever after.

RIP George Carlin

1937-2008

EW's 100 New Movie Classics

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2001-03)
3. Titanic (1997)
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Matrix (1999)
13. GoodFellas (1990)
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
20. The Lion King (1994)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
23. Memento (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986)
28. Wings of Desire (1988)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
37. Pretty Woman (1990)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
40. Speed (1994)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
43. Gladiator (2000)
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988)
46. Children of Men (2006)
47. Men in Black (1997)
48. Scarface (1983)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
53. The Truman Show (1998)
54. Fatal Attraction (1987)
55. Risky Business (1983)
56. The Lives of Others (2006)
57. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
58. Ghostbusters (1984)
59. L.A. Confidential (1997)
60. Scream (1996)
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)
63. Big (1988)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
65. Dirty Dancing (1987)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985)
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992)
72. Thelma & Louise (1991)
73. Office Space (1999)
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
75. Out of Africa (1985)
76. The Departed (2006)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003)
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
84. Sideways (2004)
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
87. Swingers (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. In the Mood for Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

What are your thoughts? What's too high? Too low? What would have made your list? And what has no business even being on this list?

In the Screening Room - Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor

Session 020 - The Last Emperor

Who saw it and what are your thoughts on it?

Definitely, Maybe (Adam Brooks, 2008)

I’ve liked Ryan Reynolds ever since I saw him on "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place" back when I was in high school. I don’t remember how many episodes I saw but it couldn’t have been many since I can hardly recall a detail about any of them, except that Reynold’s wit and comic timing stood out. He was the one reason I stopped flipping and tuned in. Fitting then that his first couple forays into film had the same result, Van Wilder, Waiting..., Just Friends… not a worthwhile picture in the bunch, but again, Reynold’s wit and comic timing stand out. He’s been, very often, the only reason to tune in. That finally changes with Definitely, Maybe. After an inauspicious opening sequence that amounts to about the equivalent of flipping through a photographer’s collection of Ryan Reynolds’ modeling shots and unnerves you towards the possible vanity still to come, the film settles into a nice groove… instead relying on charm, affection and an unfeigned playfulness between its pretty people falling in love. In a way the charm is akin to that of The Princess Bride (though admittedly not as strong), but it’s tale, set up as a story told by an adult to an interested youth, instills the film with a childlike curiosity and mindset that Brooks works to his advantage. Reynolds spends the following two hours recanting a story to his daughter (Abigail Breslin) about how he met her mother and because of its setup, everything becomes sweeter. The usually tired plot points of the romantic comedy get a different taste, but there’s a slight cynicism that the romance isn’t always perfect and doesn’t always work out. It’s hardly perfect, but it’s well acted by all involved (Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Kevin Kline and Isla Fisher in particular), and it’s especially nice to see Ryan Reynolds finally has something worthy of his time, and so do you.

The Forums: Topic III

Topic of the Week:

Name Your Favorite Scenes of the Year, Thus Far

Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show (Ari Sandel, 2008)

The brainchild of Vince Vaughn (we actually get to hear Vaughn propose the idea over the opening credits), the Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland is a mash up, more documentary than stand-up, more behind the stage than on it, more improvised than not and, just slightly, more good than bad. Pitched as a sketch show hosted by Vaughn himself, the film opens to an amusing skit between Vince and, naturally, Jon Favreau about Swingers. But from that point on the skits start misfiring pretty badly, which filmmaker Ari Sandel seems to realize as he pushes the four comedians (Sebastian Maniscalco, Bret Ernst, John Caparulo and Ahmed Ahmed) to the forefront of the story. The whole thing is curiously devoid of legitimate “westerner’s” and the jokes are sometimes uneven, but regardless, it’s when the film takes the time to reflect on the comedian’s individual situations (Maniscalco waiting tables, Ernst on how his set had just bombed) that the best moments shine through. Unfortunately those moments are rare and I started to get the peculiar feeling that a lot of the juicier moments were cut out to make this more of a “puff piece” than it should have been. After all, the film is mostly an excuse to hangout for Vaughn and a group of his friends. But it’s strange that after 30 days, Vaughn, who’s surprisingly getting the least number of laughs and the least attention, is ready to call it quits… while the comedians want the show to go on.

Recent Watches: June 2008

Why have I taken so long to post this forum? A better question, how can I forget about a topic that I post every... single... month?

The Visitor (Thomas McCarthy, 2008)

In just two films, director Thomas McCarthy has shown himself to be an adept, minimalist storyteller. Observant and, even better, patient, McCarthy lets his stories unfold in a naturalistic manner that allows the actors room to find the story without feeling the need to force big moments.

When McCarthy approached the regular character actor Richard Jenkins about staring in his next film, The Visitor, Jenkins said something that amounted to “Sure, but the producers won’t fund it with me in the lead.” McCarthy simply told him not to worry about that and cast him anyway.

He knows his characters, his story and he casts the actors that will best fill his story’s needs (it seems that his own acting experience has gone a long way towards helping him trust his actors). What was the much-loved (especially by me) The Station Agent but a clinic on the power of a silent scene, brilliantly assaulted by Bobby Cannavale’s overly garrulous Joe?

In fact, The Visitor, another character study film based on a reclusive outsider brought back to the world by an enormously affable new companion, shares a lot of similarities with McCarthy’s only other directorial work. These films are chock full of moments that would be excised from other, lesser films. They’re full of silent, retrospective moments, humor and real relationships and conversations. In fact, the only drawback I can think of to The Visitor is it’s sometimes too much like real life and its conversations tend to reflect that by not always being the most attractive of dialogue.

But how invigorating is it to see a director dedicated to making grown up stories and to finding new talent (Haaz Sleiman as Tarek is as great a find as Cannavale and Dinklage were). By keeping his budgets modest, McCarthy has somehow managed to work inside the studio system and meanwhile keep his stories and characters intact. That’s why he can turn a profit, even with the relatively unknown Richard Jenkins in the starring role.

The sad-eyed Jenkins is exceptionally good as Walter Vale, a college professor whose wife recently passed and who starts the film heartbreakingly trying to learn her life’s passion, the piano, only to be told he’s not naturally gifted at it and probably too old to learn.

Recently, he’s decreased the number of classes he teaches, in order to focus on writing his latest book but ends up spending most of his time at home, alone with a glass of wine and his wife’s CD to listen to. It’s only when he’s forced to present a paper he “co-authored” with a colleague at a conference in New York that he’s reluctantly thrust out of his self-imposed routine (that his colleague is about to give birth doesn’t dissuade him from still trying to pass off the task to her).

It’s in New York, much like when Finn from The Station Agent moves to Newfoundland, that Walter is forced to confront the outside world… it just happens from inside his own long-discarded apartment, where he finds both Tarek and Zainab, illegal immigrants to the states, have been living for the past three months. After some initial confusion and apologies (the couple thought they were renting the place from its rightful landlord), the same humanistic elements that touched Finn persuade Walter into letting them stay “until they find another place.”

The immigration story ultimately has more on its mind and more of a message then the beautifully low-maintenance Station Agent, which doesn’t necessarily make it a better (or worse) film. It’s just a different angle that McCarthy has decided to take on similar material. He puts a face on a relevant political subject and because that face is Tarek’s, a character so imbued with an affirmation and love for life, it makes it next-to-impossible to ignore. After all, McCarthy’s characters are only looking for a sense of belonging, to each other and even to this country. They do, as does McCarthy with that camera.