Arts & Entertainment

The “Intouchables,” based on a true story, is an ingratiating French comedy of cross-racial friendship about two men — one rich, uptight and white; the other poor, exuberant and black — who become best pals in spite of their differences. Aristocrat, Philippe is paralyzed from the neck down as the result of a hang-gliding accident and lives attended by a nervous staff and ignored by his adolescent daughter. His newest employee, a streetwise hoodlum named Driss, does not look as though he will last long in the job. Moving into Philippe’s mansion, Driss steps away from a background of poverty, family dysfunction and trouble with the police. Under his boss’s stern gaze and imperious tutelage he starts to acquire a work ethic and a sense of discipline. In exchange, he helps Philippe discover his appetite for life and his capacity for joy.

Fifty years on from Sean Connery’s debut performance as James Bond in Dr. No, Daniel Craig returns for his third outing as Agent 007 in Skyfall.

Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and soundtracked by British pop sensation Adele, Skyfall continues the revamping of the Bond franchise that began with 2006’s Casino Royale.

Change is afoot in MI6 and Craig’s Jason Bourne-influenced Bond eventually finds himself joined by a new M, Q and Miss Moneypenny. The Cold War escapades of early Bond are long gone and even the War on Terror seems to have made way here for the more contemporary “WikiLeaks” era.

Skyfall’s blonde villain Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) not only bears a passing resemblance to Julian Assange; he also finds himself in possession of data containing the identities of all MI6 agents working undercover in criminal or terrorist organizations around the world. Bond’s mission to plug the leak takes him from Istanbul via London and Shanghai to a showdown in the Scottish highlands.

By painting crazed whistleblowers as the great threat to western democracy, Skyfall seems to have adopted the same conservative platform that this year’s Batman movie, Dark Knight Rises, did in lauding a millionaire vigilante as the hero who overcomes rabid protesters intent on shutting down Wall Street.

Politics aside, this is as enjoyable and action-packed as you would expect, with the finale almost a homage to Home Alone, only with heavy weaponry instead of kids’ booby traps.

Although it fails to scale the heights of Goldeneye or Casino Royale, Skyfall ranks above most recent Bond films and is well worth watching.

Director: Sam Mendes. Cast: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris. Rated: PG. Time: 2:23.

One of the biggest historical moments in recent years was the killing of Osama bin Laden, the “Most Wanted Man in the World.” This film, also known as: Seal Team 6: The Raid on Osama bin Laden, is set to debut on the National Geographic Channel on November 4.

A hairdresser who has lost her hair to cancer finds out her husband is having an affair, travels to Italy for her daughter’s wedding and meets a widower who still blames the world for the loss of his wife. Two very different families meet in a beautiful, old Italian villa, in the middle of a lemon grove. The occasion is a romantic wedding, meticulously planned to the smallest detail. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and yet everything works out in the end. Director: Susanne Bier. Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Kim Bodnia and Trine Dyrholm.

Investment-firm analyst Peter Sullivan uncovers sensitive information that could easily plunge the entire business into peril, inadvertently destroying the lives and careers of his colleagues in this tense thriller set during the onset of the 2008 financial crisis. Over the course of the next 24 hours, Sullivan realizes that the decisions he makes will not only affect the employees of the firm, but the lives of everyday Americans from coast to coast as well. Director: J.C. Chandor. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley and Demi Morre. Rated: R. Time: 1:46.

A hired gun from the future discovers that his greatest adversary is himself in this twisting sci-fi mindbender. In the year 2047 time travel has yet to be invented. Thirty years later, however, it has. Though immediately outlawed, time-travel technology is quickly appropriated by the mob, and used to cleanly dispose of anyone deemed a threat. The process is simple: When the mob wants someone to disappear, they simply send them back to the year 2047, where an assassin known as a “looper” quickly carries out the hit, and disposes of the body. Joe Simmons is one of the most respected loopers around. Each kill earns him a big payday, and he’s got big plans to retire to France. Then, one day, as Joe patiently awaits the appearance of his next target near the edge of a remote corn field, he’s shocked to come face-to-face with his future self. When the younger Joe hesitates, the older Joe makes a daring escape. Now, in order to avoid the wrath of his underworld boss, young Joe must “close the loop” and kill his older counterpart. Director: Rian Johnson. Cast: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan. Rated: R. Time: 1:59.