The Visitor

This is an absolute gem. With a plot involving an emotionally repressed widower who comes to life via the power of music, and the illegal immigrants he befriends, it could have been terribly worthy and po-faced. However, it never does quite what you expect. Walter's attempts to follow in his late wife's footsteps by learning to play the piano come to nothing, but surprisingly he finds himself fascinated by the djembe drum played by Tarek, and even more surprisingly has an aptitude for it. From being a disconnected, disinterested presence in his own life, he starts unsconsciously tapping out rhythms during banal activities and slowly rejoins the world - friendship, a rather touching not-going-anywhere not-quite-romance, and a sudden outburst of anger at the sheer idiocy of American official bureaucracy. The potential melodrama of the arrest and deportation of Tarek is downplayed, letting the viewer simmer with their own indignation at his fate, and by extension that of his girlfriend (also illegal so unable to see him again) and his mother (another illegal alien), who leaves the country she's made her home in order to be with her son, knowing she can never return. Throughout, there's a wonderful strand of humour, particularly from Richard Jenkins' pitch-perfect performance. Just watch him join the drumming jam session in the park, or drift into domestic life with Tarek's mother. He's the heart of the film although the rest of the cast of equally fine.

Female Agents

An old-fashioned WWII romp with the twist that the main SOE operatives followed are a mismatched group of women. There's nothing particularly original about the film but it rattles along from set piece to set piece and with the group being progressively reduced. Some reveal themselves to have unexpected reserves of courage while others fall short. It's not a cynical film. People have the chance to redeem themselves like Eddy, a collaborator pandering to the Germans, who we finally see as a fully fledged member of the Resistance, or Jeanne, the prostitute who murdered her pimp, who ends up as one o the bravest of the agents.

Let's Get Lost

I'm not a jazz fan. I can happily listen to Jelly Roll Morton and early New Orleans jazz, but that's about as far as it goes. The music in Let's Get Lost hasn't converted me. Perfectly pleasant but rather soporific, which could also be said of the manner in which Chet Baker speaks during this documentary. The film itself is stunning to look at, all moody black and white, and comes complete with a "is that who I think it is?" fascination (and no, I wasn't imagining things: apparently I did spot an impossibly young-looking Viggo Mortensen in a very brief shot) The most interesting aspect of the documentary is the way it gradually reveals Chet's entangled love life and the generally appalling way he behaved towards his loved ones, not to mention the venomous attitude towards each other of some of the women in his life. None of which is quite as shocking as realizing that the once beautiful young man looks as old as his mother.

Welcome to the Sticks

Time for a rant: how difficult is it for *professional* filmmakers to ensure that the mic and the boom do NOT appear in shot? And not just once (anyone can have a lapse) but repeatedly both indoor and outdoor scenes, closeups and long shots. Surely someone notices these things? Maybe the editor while putting the film together? Or anyone who actually watches the first rough-cut? From my POV the constant intrusions into the upper screen space totally detracted from the enjoyment of what is actually a rather funny comedy. I expect if you're French you get the most out of the linguistic and regional humour, judging by the reaction of the French people dotted in the audience, but even in translation it's still quite amusing - and physical humour works whatever the language.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

Not one for any elderly relatives, containing what might be described as "language (of a sexual nature)", this is actually a bittersweet indie romantic comedy filmed in sumptuous black and white. It manages the near-impossible feat of making LA look like an unknown place, possibly because it's a film that follows characters mostly walking around the city rather than driving. Rather than the glittering, glamorous image presented by Hollywood, we see the more rundown parts, where beautiful old theatre lie empty and subway stations are as glacial as anything in a sci-fi movie. Wilson is in search of a New Year's kiss, egged on by his housemate after a *very* embarrassing incident involving a photo of said mate's girfriend. Vivian is speed dating for the same reason and they spend most of the running time bickering, talking, upsetting each other and generally not-quite falling in love. It would be misleading to say that all ends well but you feel the two characters end the film more self-aware than they began it, which counts as progress of sorts.

The Revenger's Tragedy: National Theatre

A terrific production of one of the most complicated (not to say downright daft) Jacobean revenge tragedies. What starts out as a simple quest for revenge against one man soon spirals into an intricate web of plot and counter-plot with almost every character trying to kill someone else. The revolving stage, with it's hidden passageways, aptly conveys the corruption at court while allowing several bits of action to be glimpsed in rapid succession, and the modern dress doesn't detract from the power of the play at all. Vindice and his brother set about ensnaring the Duke in revenge for the poisoning of the former's fiancee 9 years ago. Vindice, in an echo of Hamlet, talks to his beloved's skull but more ingeniously uses it as the means to kill his enemy. Meanwhile, in disguise at court, his machinations become entangled with the various maneouvrings of the Duke and Duchess's children, resulting in yet more bloodshed. By the end, revenge has turned into a palace coup with the final irony being Vindice's boasting wrecking the perfect murder(s). Far from being grateful, the new Duke orders yet more deaths. This is a world where justice is thoroughly compromised and men must act for themselves, thus sowing the seeds of their own destruction. A bleak, and blackly comic, view of the times.

Street and Studio

This exhibition at Tate Modern is a fascinating look at the history of urban photography. I found the earlier examples the most intriguing although there is something for all tastes. One of the constants from the 19th to the 21st century is the fascination with vagrants and others at the bottom end of the socio-economic ladder. This extends from shots of tramps asleep on benches in Paris to photos of "undesirables" to be used by the Swiss authorities. Leading on from this there is also a selection of mugshots from the Chicago police. The photos also provide an important historical function. We can see 1899 San Francisco Chinatown, later destroyed by the earthquake, the execution of a Hungarian Fascist leader at the end of the war, and a murdered Mexican striker in the 1930s. Then there are the more mundane photos such as those taken by street photographers in Berlin or urban studios in Mali. These too provide evidence of their time. The exhibition also raises issues about the ethics of secret filming. How do those people innocently sitting on trains or walking down a street feel about their later use as art? Where does consent fit into this? In all, a thought-provoking show.

DVD roundup June

I can't blame HMV this time. I did it all myself by looking at Amazon...

The Bourne Ultimatum - it's still a tremendously thrilling experience although my favourite of the trilogy remains Supremacy. Ultimatum does suffer from a slight case of sequelitis, especially in the car chase sequence which seems determined to top that in it's predecessor but without the same effectiveness. David Strathairn makes a steely adversary even if Albert Finney is wasted. The Paul Greengrass commentary is typically informative and generous. I do hope though that the powers that be *don't* try to extend the franchise further. It would be a shame to see it succumb to the movie law of diminishing returns.

Out of the Blue - this disc has a lot of very useful extras that fill in the background to the true-life events depicted on screen. It becomes clear why the film is made with such care as the traumatic happenings in Aramoana have left a deep mark on the community. Out of the Blue is the complete antithesis of the Hollywood action film. There's no superhuman cop to save the day, no snarling embodiment of evil to revile. The sense of panic and confusion is perfectly captured and the acting complements this. No histrionics, no flashiness. As deeply moving as it was on first viewing.

The Chronicles of Riddick Director's Cut - I was hoping that the Director's Cut might make more sense than the theatrical version, and in some ways it does. The roles of Vaako and Dame Vaako are expanded considerably so their Macbeth-like subplot now feels less like an afterthought (plus more Karl Urban is always a good thing) However, the addition of Riddick's Furyan visions actually make that side of the plot more confusing. OK, so the film was supposed to be one of a sequence and in the overall scheme of things, Furya might have made sense, but as a one-off it's not helpful.

Gone Baby Gone

Having never read the source novel, I have no idea just how much Ben Affleck cut from the original story. Given some of the editing techniques in the second half, I suspect quite a lot. Even so, the plot becomes fiendishly complicated and the viewer really has to pay attention. And what a relief it is to be confronted with a film that doesn't treat the audience like idiots. This is a refreshingly grown-up film that doesn't tie everything up neatly with a bow. By the end you feel that Kenzie, although taking the moral - and legal - high ground might actually be wrong while Angie, adopting a more pragmatic approach, could very well be right. It's a moral quagmire where noone really wins. This makes the private detective couple's earlier comment that their involvement couldn't do any harm even more ironic. By the time they've finished, people are dead and their relationship is in tatters. The acting is top class, although Michelle Monaghan seems miscast. Angie should have a bit more spikiness about her for her two key scenes to ring true. However, the rest of the actors are terrific. I could watch Ed Harris all day and his Remy is unreadable. You sense that maybe he's not all that he seems but can't be sure. Amy Ryan as the neglectful mother gives an astonishing performance. The scene where she lays into her sister-in-law will draw gasps for it's sheer viciousness - and this from a woman who at that moment is supposed to be helping the police find her missing daughter. The film really works though because of Casey Affleck. There's a running joke in the first half about his youthful looks (greeted with increasing irritation each time) but there's steel beneath that innocent exterior. Watch the bar scene to see just how dangerous he can be. He might get all self-righteous at the end but before that he's killed a man in cold blood. While others greet him as a hero for this action, that's not how he views it himself. Maybe that's why he makes the decision he does at the end. For him, the end doesn't justify the means. You fear he's made the wrong choice.

Mongol: the Rise to Power of Genghis Khan

Anyone who thought that there was too much walking in The Lord of the Rings will certainly feel that there's too much horseriding in Mongol, particularly in the scenes set during the main character's childhood. This first half suffers from a few too many capture/escape/recapture scenes, and an arch-enemy who constantly threatens to kill the hero but somehow never quite gets round to it. However, things come into sharper focus once Temudjin reaches adulthood and the two plotlines revolving around his relationship with his fesity wife and with his bloodbrother-turned-enemy hold the attention. The battles scenes are surprisingly gory but could have happily done without the CGI shots, and the overall narrative is rather episodic, with one key setup left completely hanging to be dealt with almost as an afterthought in an end title. Possibly one of those rare occasions when a *longer* film might have been required.