1) the visitor: this is the second movie by writer/director tom mccarthy. i was a big fan of his directorial debut in 'the station agent' in 2003, which was one of the most underappreciated movies of the past five years. like 'the station agent,' don't expect a complicated plot from mccarthy or much real action at all. mccarthy's brilliance shows up in his portrayal of the daily grind of our every-day activities in a way that is both artistic and psychologically-insightful. he also does an amazing job of getting the most out of his actors. richard jenkins (the dead father from 'six feet under') was phenomenal in the lead role as an aging, widowed economics professor who walks into his rarely used manhattan apartment one day only to find two illegal immigrants living there. on its surface, the movie is clearly an attack on america's post-9/11 immigration system, but it is so much more than that. it really is just a story about friendship and jenkins' evolution from a bored, boring, and melancholic old man to a man who rediscovers that his life is worth living.
2) the dark knight: believe the hype! it is not an overstatement to say that heath ledger outdid jack nicholson's 'joker' performance in the original batman. this movie exceeded my already-high expectations. this is probably my favorite superhero movie of all time. go see it on the big screen! ledger stole the show with his scary, funny, smart, and believable portrayal. his death is a loss to us all. it will not merely be a publicity stunt if ledger wins a posthumous oscar for this role. christian bale was slightly disappointing, but his character was very well scripted and even more complex than it was in 'batman begins,' which was also a very good movie.
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