Good film, entertaining, easily digestible, does a fine job building up the tension although you know everything went well (resorting to the cliched 'the car won't start!' device was lame, but thankfully brief). Agreed with Markku there's not a lot to "hang on" to, but it's fun while it lasts.
Acting-wise I thought Scoot McNairy was by far the stand-out, too bad he won't get any attention. Clea DuVall was very good too.
Very very solid entertainment. The direction is extremely tight. Ben Affleck definitely delivered. He should quit acting and just do this forever. He definitely found his calling. It should be better viewed as a thriller than as a political statement. Like Michael Clayton. Good tight old-fashioned suspence movies are very very hard to come by and it's refreshing to see Argo delivering. It would be nice to see it get nominated in many categories but I won't be heartbroken if it doesn't.
Why is this so uninterested in one of the most politically fascinating periods in American history? It's decision to go apolitical makes sense in some ways but its refusal to engage with the Carter handling just makes it feel thin.
I don't know how they could've done that honestly, at least with the film we got. Remember we're dealing with a little-known tangent to a well-known story.Originally Posted by Artimus
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Star Trek (2009)
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Very well made, with an impressive attention to details, which makes the movie very believable. It is obvious that Affleck is intent on being as accurate as possible in his depiction of the events. He does not stray from that path (except for the ending with the car chasing the plane, etc.). However, these honorable intentions are also the reasons why Argo is, in my opinion, not a great movie - just a good one. All that Argo has to offer is offered upfront, while the viewer watches a movie. It is not a movie that has strong undercurrents or multiple layers, not a movie that elevate its subject into something more meaningful or more powerful (Affleck flatters Hollywood for its role in this story, but is not interested in exploiting the potential of the movie theme, about how the fakenesse of a movie can prevail over reality), on which we could ponder upon after seeing the movie. It is not a movie that is driven by strong visuals (it is very well edited but there is nothing special in the composition of the documentary-style shots) reflecting the inner visual world of the director. Argo is an exciting movie - but there is little to imagine beyond it. And when it ends, because the movie lacks striking visuals, and lacks a strong personality behind and in front of the camera (Affleck is a bit bland in the lead role), when every piece of information is given to us about the real life characters, the movie becomes like a locked box, complete in itself. As a result, when I left the theater, I had not much left to think about, nor did I feel the movie would have an everlasting effect on my mind.
Last edited by Semp; 11-20-2012 at 04:09 AM.
Except that he changed a ton of details and manufactured the entire dramatic airport sequence. in real life, they just... got on the plane and left.
Last five movies seen:
Chunhyang (2000) **1/2
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) **
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Ben Affleck was just too afraid to take any risks. That was my biggest takeaway from 'Argo.'
Well, it is just a movie, not a history book - of course, the car chasing the plane at the end is a but too much.Except that he changed a ton of details and manufactured the entire dramatic airport sequence. in real life, they just... got on the plane and left.
Last edited by Semp; 11-20-2012 at 04:09 AM.
A fine film, well made, interesting, entertaining and all of that. But so lacking in any gravitas paired with the blatantly fictional climax positions me squarely against a best picture victory.
But you just praised it for being accurate...
Also why are there no phones in the air traffic tower!?
I guess I should not have used the word "accurate" - English is not my first language. I meant to say that Affleck was keen on being as precise and sober as possible in his depiction of the events in order to give the illusion that such depiction is "historically accurate". And I think he succeeds in doing so.
I actually enjoyed this a lot. I was expecting to hate it but it was well-made and Affleck really sold the tension. Sure, it's as straightforward as you can get but for what it is, it's a solid and smarter than average movie and is superior to what usually gets awarded Best Picture anyway.
And SLP haters bitch about it being a crowd pleaser ...
The last half hour of ARGO made me face palm a dozen times by its blatant attempts at building fake suspense with techniques you normaly see only in 80's DTV ... 25 years ago ... and that even Steven Seagal and Van Damme don't use in their movies shot in Romania.
OSCAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!
The movie was ok but the sheep mentality on its paise puzzles me.
And I forgot : "Americka, Fuck Yeah" shoud have been the credits song.
No, it should have been "Blame Canada."
The opening 15 minutes were good (though I thought I had put on some Marvel film with the 'history lesson' at the beginning), and I liked the juxtaposition of the script reading for the press with the young Iranian girl giving the statement, but otherwise this was about as thrilling as watching paint dry. Of course, that comes with showing an escape which you already know will succeed. I also thought this was as subtle and nuanced as an RRA post (just pulling your leg, man. A bit).
I will marshall all the forces of darkness to hound you to an assisted suicide - Peter Capaldi, In The Loop
Really? There was of course nothing groundbreaking or thought-provoking about this film, but I thought the tension and suspense were very well conceived, especially for a story where you already know the outcome. I was entertained.The opening 15 minutes were good (though I thought I had put on some Marvel film with the 'history lesson' at the beginning), and I liked the juxtaposition of the script reading for the press with the young Iranian girl giving the statement, but otherwise this was about as thrilling as watching paint dry. Of course, that comes with showing an escape which you already know will succeed. I also thought this was as subtle and nuanced as an RRA post (just pulling your leg, man. A bit
This. All of this. And I thought I was the only one.The opening 15 minutes were good (though I thought I had put on some Marvel film with the 'history lesson' at the beginning), and I liked the juxtaposition of the script reading for the press with the young Iranian girl giving the statement, but otherwise this was about as thrilling as watching paint dry. Of course, that comes with showing an escape which you already know will succeed. I also thought this was as subtle and nuanced as an RRA post (just pulling your leg, man. A bit
Yeah, this. I wanted to know more about John Chambers' involvement with the CIA prior to the hostage crisis. That could make for a potentially more interesting movie. The procedural stuff in the middle section was curiously threadbare and dull. The suspense in the climax is ratcheted up nicely, but the whole "will they make it past the checkpoint?" development felt too routine even if the representation was accurate. A good cast with nothing to do.The opening 15 minutes were good (though I thought I had put on some Marvel film with the 'history lesson' at the beginning), and I liked the juxtaposition of the script reading for the press with the young Iranian girl giving the statement, but otherwise this was about as thrilling as watching paint dry. Of course, that comes with showing an escape which you already know will succeed. I also thought this was as subtle and nuanced as an RRA post (just pulling your leg, man. A bit
I liked The Town better.
"Keep yoah paint outta my pahhking spot aaaahhhht depaaahhhhhtment!!!"
Completely off topic, John Carpenter tweeted that he quite enjoyed ARGO.The opening 15 minutes were good (though I thought I had put on some Marvel film with the 'history lesson' at the beginning), and I liked the juxtaposition of the script reading for the press with the young Iranian girl giving the statement, but otherwise this was about as thrilling as watching paint dry. Of course, that comes with showing an escape which you already know will succeed. I also thought this was as subtle and nuanced as an RRA post (just pulling your leg, man. A bit
Well not off-topic I guess, since the meat of ARGO in retrospect does feel like the sort of movie Carpenter would've made if he had made this, since he usually was about as subtle as a bomb. And maybe the same end result? (Except he wouldn't have done the opening storyboards, and maybe would've been more motivated to stick it to the government superiors because he generally despises authority.)
Movies recently reviewed by RRA:
Star Trek (2009)
Pain & Gain (2013)
Oblivion (2013)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
The New RRA: Less Spam, still 100% ruining AD.
Well, apparently Affleck has just been named EW's "Entertainer of the Year"...
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