Three things our writers love this week

DVDs

"The Visitor"

Richard Jenkins is one of those quietly efficient actors who makes every moment count, and "The Visitor," out on DVD this week, showcases his subtlety. The tale of a lonely widower whose life is changed by some unexpected guests, it's an ever-surprising drama that reminds us of the way a new friend becomes essential to our lives; an empty space, now filled, that we didn't know was there. A gentle and lovely film. (Available Tuesday.)

Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times movie critic

Books

"Black & White and Dead All Over"

If you obsessively read The New York Times, you couldn't do better for light entertainment than John Darnton's latest book from Knopf. It's a murder mystery based at a newspaper called the New York Globe ... but Darnton has worked for 40 years as a reporter and editor at The Times, and many recognizable Times characters sashay through its pages. It's a mordantly funny, bittersweet tribute to the newspaper business, complete with a food critic named Dinah Outsalot and a gruesome death by newspaper bundler.

Mary Ann Gwinn, Seattle Times book editor

DVDs

Russell Brand

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" won't win any Oscars, but it's worth a spot in your Netflix queue for the daft turn by comedian Russell Brand as a sex-obsessed, drug-addled, megalomaniacal rock star — a just slightly exaggerated version of himself, in other words. (Available now.)

Lynn Jacobson, Seattle Times Arts & Life editor