Argo

Argo: B+

I've always loved movies about making movies. The Player and The Muppet Movie are two of my favorite movies of all time, which making movies is a major story point in both films, yet that's not what these movies are really about. The Player is actually a thriller about a movie studio executive and The Muppet Movie is a road comedy/musical about characters who "want to be rich and famous". Argo is also a movie that's not just about making a movie, in fact, it's about making a fake movie to save hostages in Iran and the amazing thing is, it's all TRUE!

Ben Affleck has surprised a lot of critics and movie-goers alike over the last few years as he's taken the roles of writer/director. Gone Baby Gone and The Town are both fine movies, but I think they're really good movies, nothing spectacular. Maybe that's why they've only been nominated for supporting actor roles at the Academy Awards. I think it's more shocking that Ben Affleck, who has had success as an actor, has suddenly taken up the role of writing and directing and the movies are surprisingly good! Yes, Affleck did co-write Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon AND won the Oscar for writing, but I wonder if they won that Oscar for the same reasons I just mentioned.... actors that are suddenly writing and the movie is good!

Argo is no different. Affleck has left the pen behind for Argo, and instead has taken the lead role (like in The Town) and is directing a cast of great actors, most of them known for their television work. Affleck does some clever tricks and storytelling in this film. The movie starts off with the 1970's Warner Bros. logo, and it instantly lets you know when this movie takes place. It also gives us a back story of how the Iran hostage crisis started, cleverly using storyboards. This brought a smile to me, for I work in the animation industry and love looking at storyboards. It's a great way to bring us into Iran and get the movie started. As the audience, you're thrown into the intense nature of what is happening there.

The movie now becomes a "How do we get them out of there", something that can be seen on television on shows like Criminal Minds or NCIS. Nothing spectacular, but it does have it's interesting moments. The movie takes a left turn and almost becomes farce, when it is decided by Affleck and his supervisor, Bryan Cranston, to make it look like they're Canadian filmmakers making a fake sci-fi movie (ala Star Wars) in Iran to get the hostages out. Affleck does a fine job of giving us a glimpse of how films are made in Hollywood and how it's more publicity than fine storytelling that can get a film made. Alan Arkin and John Goodman have very funny roles as the money (Arkin) and the name (Goodman) behind the picture.

The last third or the movie is quite intense and I believe this is what most people are responding too when they are giving the A+ Cinemascores. Other than that, Affleck's acting is nothing spectacular, they did some great casting on the actual hostages as they showed the pictures of the actors next to photos of the hostages so you can see how much they look alike, and I wouldn't be surprised if Arkin gets another supporting actor nomination for this film, simply because he practically steals the show with one line. Affleck even got President Jimmy Carter to narrate a bit over the ending credits on his account of what we just saw in the movie, to give the movie a clear sense of truth.

Argo is a very entertaining movie with a few great lines, an inside look into Hollywood, and a suspenseful ending that will keep you from breathing until the credits run. It's definitely worth the price of admission and I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot about it during Oscar season.