Argo
Mr Amazing Dude and I finally watched Argo. I had wanted to see it in the theater, but life got busy and our budget majorly trimmed. So we waited until it showed up on Redbox and we had a quiet weekend.
What I loved: The opening montage, even if it over-simplified some historical details. The attention to early 1980s American culture, politics, and hairstyles. The brief embassy scenes. The pacing, with its slow, but steady build of intensity throughout the movie. The dry comedic elements. The Cold War espionage motif. The soundtrack. The supporting cast of Alan Arkin and John Goodman. The flashes of Iran in the confusing aftermath of the revolution. The way it inspired me to work more on After Her Death. The majority of the movie, actually.
What I disliked: Very little. Ben Affleck (Nothing against the man but I'm not really a fan of his acting). Mr. Amazing Dude, however, said Affleck played the role very well. The unnecessary historical mistakes concerning the UK and New Zealand, both of which, despite the movie's suggestion otherwise, provided our side with assistance. The downplay of the real heroes in the story: the Canadians. The chase scene near the end, while adding suspense, was a little ridiculous in light that it never happened. The missed opportunities throughout the movie to reveal Iran's complexity instead of playing on tired stereotypes. Most Iranians really like Americans, even the ones that don't like our government/religion/morality.
Bottom-line: There is a solid reason why this movie won so many awards. Overall, it is a terrific cinematic experience. I definitely recommend watching it, followed up with a bit of historical fact-checking and (virtual) exploration of Iran's culture and politics.
What I loved: The opening montage, even if it over-simplified some historical details. The attention to early 1980s American culture, politics, and hairstyles. The brief embassy scenes. The pacing, with its slow, but steady build of intensity throughout the movie. The dry comedic elements. The Cold War espionage motif. The soundtrack. The supporting cast of Alan Arkin and John Goodman. The flashes of Iran in the confusing aftermath of the revolution. The way it inspired me to work more on After Her Death. The majority of the movie, actually.
What I disliked: Very little. Ben Affleck (Nothing against the man but I'm not really a fan of his acting). Mr. Amazing Dude, however, said Affleck played the role very well. The unnecessary historical mistakes concerning the UK and New Zealand, both of which, despite the movie's suggestion otherwise, provided our side with assistance. The downplay of the real heroes in the story: the Canadians. The chase scene near the end, while adding suspense, was a little ridiculous in light that it never happened. The missed opportunities throughout the movie to reveal Iran's complexity instead of playing on tired stereotypes. Most Iranians really like Americans, even the ones that don't like our government/religion/morality.
Bottom-line: There is a solid reason why this movie won so many awards. Overall, it is a terrific cinematic experience. I definitely recommend watching it, followed up with a bit of historical fact-checking and (virtual) exploration of Iran's culture and politics.
I loved the movie enough to read the book. And it was even better! Goodman was so well-cast. I have never been a big Affleck fan but I thought this was his best acting performance. I am beginning to think he is a better director/writer and he acts because he is just so darn pretty.
ReplyDelete