Argo (jhunterfilmreview)

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(2012)

Genre: History/Thriller

Director: Ben Affleck

Writers: Chris Terrio, Tony Mendez, Joshuah Bearman

Producers: Ben Affleck, Chris Brigham, Chay Carter, George Clooney, Tim Headington, Amy Herman, Grant Heslov, Graham King, David Klawans, Alex Sutherland, Nina Wolarsky

   

 Nominee

Synopsis: Based on true events, Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis-the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA "exfiltration" specialist named Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies. -- (Written by Warner Bros. Pictures)

Cast:

• Ben Affleck
• Bryan Cranston
• Alan Arkin
• John Goodman
• Victor Garber
• Clea DuVall
• Scoot McNairy
• Rory Cochrane
• Christopher Denham
• Kerry Bishé
• Kyle Chandler
• Chris Messina
• Tate Donovan

IMDb - Argo

jhunterfilmreview: And the Academy Award for Best Picture goes to...historical drama thriller, Argo. Definitely one of my favourite films from 2012. Thanks to the wise decision of Warner Bros, and producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov,  Ben Affleck was appointed director, making this his third directorial project (Gone Baby Gone, The Town). 

On November 4 1979, militants stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, in retaliation to the CIA's involvement in Iran. 52 Americans were taken hostage, and 6 managed to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Argo follows the true story of CIA operative Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), and his plight to rescue the 6 escapees and deliver them back to the U.S. Without any idea of how to pull it off safely, Mendez develops an unusual plan to train the escapees to pose as a Canadian film crew returning home from an exotic location scout for a new science fiction film, "Argo".

Written by Chris Terrio, the screenplay is a dramatisation adapted from the book 'The Master of Disguise', which was written by the real Tony Mendez, himself. This, and the 2007 Wired magazine article 'How the CIA Used A Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran'. 

I think it's safe to say that Affleck has definitely delivered as the director of this extremely tense and captivating masterpiece. Unlike many of today's prominent film makers, he has concentrated on producing a less frenetic, less showy film, and has focused more on the narrative. Not only this, but Affleck and Terrio have also managed to find a near perfect balance between humour and tension, which, when you think about it, is a refreshing break from the VFX-heavy Hollywood blockbusters.

Ignoring the fantastic costume and production design for a minute. Affleck has done a top notch job at creating that 1970s aesthetic. He achieved this by shooting on regular film, cutting the frames in half, and then blowing the images up by 200%. This increased their graininess dramatically. In addition to this, he looked to the 1976 drama All the President's Men for inspiration regarding the films camera movements. As a historical piece, Affleck also utilised archival news footage from ABC, CBS and NBC. 

Leave it to renowned film composer Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech, The Ides of March, Moonrise Kingdom) to create a score that induces a variation of heavy tension, and a light sense of playfulness. A score that accompanies the film so well, that it is not at all difficult to see why it earned its Best Score Oscar nomination. 

In addition, Argo received 6 other Academy Award nominations including; Best Sound Mixing, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine, Get Smart, Edward Scissorhands), Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture, taking out the last three on Awards day. Overall, I was very happy with the results of this year's awards season. However, I believe that Ben Affleck deserved a Best Director nomination at least...and I know that I'm not the only one. 

I thought I'd leave you with this comment from the late Chicago Sun Times' film critic, Roger Ebert.  This is because of two reasons - I feel he has summed up what makes this film unique in one comment, and also to pay respect to this already highly respected film critic who passed away last week..."The craft in this film is rare. It is so easy to manufacture a thriller from chases and gunfire, and so very hard to fine-tune it out of exquisite timing and a plot that's so clear to us we wonder why it isn't obvious to the Iranians. After all, who in their right mind would believe a space opera was being filmed in Iran during the hostage crisis?" (Ebert, R. 2012)

In the end I'm extremely pleased with Argo's success, and I feel it has earned every little bit of it.

...I give this film 9 stars.

Surviving Christmas

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(2004)

Genre: Comedy

Director: Mike Mitchell

Writer: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont, Jeffrey Ventimilia, Joshua Sternin

Synopsis: Drew Latham is an executive leading an empty, shallow life with only wealth on his side. Facing another lonely Christmas ahead, Drew wants to revisit his old childhood home and possibly relive some old holiday memories. But when he arrives, he finds that the house he was raised in is no longer the home he grew up in. Inhabited by another family, Drew offers a nice financial reward that has the family ringing. But is Drew's generous cash offer only the beginning of an annoying visitor whose a little too overeager to celebrate Christmas? (Written by monkeykingma)

Cast:

• Ben Affleck
• James Gandolfini
• Christina Applegate
• Catherine O'Hara

 

IMDb - Surviving Christmas 

Gone Baby Gone (jhunterfilmreview)

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(2007)

Genre: Crime/Drama

Director: Ben Affleck

Writer: Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard, Dennis Lehane

Synopsis: When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detective freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons - they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live. As the case progresses, Kenzie and Gennaro face drug dealers, gangs and pedophiles. When they finally solve the case, they are faced with a moral dilemma that tears them apart. (Written by garykmcd)

Cast:

• Casey Affleck
• Ed Harris
• Michelle Monaghan
• Morgan Freeman

 

IMDb - Gone Baby Gone 

jhunterfilmreview: Before The Town, actor Ben Affleck’s directorial debut was Gone Baby Gone. A gritty drama/mystery centred around a child abduction and the countless number of lives it affects. The film has been adapted from the work of novelist and screenwriter Dennis Lehane, who is known for his famous pieces like Mystic River and Shutter Island, which have also been adapted into Academy Award-winning and nominated films, respectively. There are several aspects of the film that made me thoroughly enjoy it. Firstly, it’s an amazing thriller. Starts off slow, but still gripping, and as the story proceeds the thrills increase and viewers are left using their hands to block their ears (maybe just me) to somehow protect themselves from the tension that is on screen. Another aspect of the film, which is rarely achieved in modern cinema that i've seen, is how the thrills and tension is maintained throughout the film, without showing too much gory content. For example, when the main character finds a mutilated body of a child in a bathtub (not a spoiler), the shots are separated by suspense ‘thuds’ and a black screen.  I also find it interesting when a film’s title is used in the dialogue – which was achieved here with thug character, Cheese - as it explains and gives meaning to the title. On top of all this, the film has an all-star cast – Casey Affleck (yes, Ben Affleck’s brother), Michelle Monaghan (Eagle Eye, Mission Impossible 3), Ed Harris (A Beautiful Mind, The Rock) and Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en). Despite all these positive points, I did however have a negative one – I found that some of the dialogue was mumbled, so when I’d turn the volume up to try and hear, the loud sound effects would suddenly blast through my whole house, leaving me slightly irritated. This did not however, affect my overall opinion of the movie, and for this reason…

I give this film 8 stars.

Good Will Hunting

 

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 (1997)

Genre: Drama

Director: Gus Van Sant

Writer: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck

Synopsis: A janitor at MIT, Will Hunting has a gift for maths that can take him light-years beyond his blue-collar roots, but to achieve his dream he must turn his back on the neighborhood and his best friend. To complicate matters, two strangers enter the equation: a washed-up shrink who starts to coach Will through his transformation, and a med student who shows him that there can be a pretty face along with his life of the mind. (Written by Damien Saunders)

Cast:

• Matt Damon
• Robin Williams
• Ben Affleck
• Minnie Driver

 

IMDb - Good Will Hunting 

The Town

 

My Score:

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 (2010)

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Director: Ben Affleck

Writer: Ben Affleck, Peter Craig, Aaron Stockard, Chuck Hogan

Nominee

Synopsis: As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down. (Written by IMDb Editors)

Cast:

• Ben Affleck
• Rebecca Hall
• Jeremy Renner
• John Hamm
• Blake Lively

IMDb - The Town