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Argo (2012)

1/2 (Ar-go fuck yourself!)

0 votes

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*/2

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**1/2

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***1/2

5 votes

****

5 votes

****1/2

2 votes

*****(Golden Fleece)

2 votes

El Segundo Escupidor Dec 19 2012 04:44 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Dec 24 2012 03:56 AM

Story of the rescue mission of 6 US Diplomats from Canadian Ambassadors house during Iran Hostage Crisis under the pretense of a fake film. Brilliantly executed. Ben Affleck shows the world he can act (and direct). Shock, horror. Manages to capture the mood of "Revolutionary" Iran and 70's America so well, you begin to believe you're watching a doco. Also fascinating insight into machinations of Hollywood. Only criticism: dramatic license of the final scene nearly ruins an amazing penultimate scene. Other than that, one of the best films of 2012. Unmissable. Four stars from me.

themetfairy Dec 19 2012 06:32 AM Re: Argo (2012)

I really enjoyed this film. The fact that it managed to maintain a sense of suspense, despite the fact that the outcome was a known entity, speaks volumes. Definitely my favorite film of the year so far.

Frayed Knot Dec 19 2012 06:49 AM Re: Argo (2012)

The Second Spitter wrote: Only criticism: dramatic license of the final scene nearly ruins an amazing penultimate scene. There were several points in the film where the timing of what I'm sure were actual events were, how you say, ramped up for dramatic purposes beyond how they almost surely played out in real life. "Ruin" is probably too strong a word but they just seemed a bit unnecessary. Other than that, great work blending the tension in Iraq & Washington with the comedy in California in ways that didn't make the movie into one of those messes where it can't seem to decide what type of flick it wants to be. Arkin & Goodman are gems. Ar-go fuck yourself indeed.

sharpie Dec 19 2012 01:38 PM Re: Argo (2012)

I liked it. As Frayed notes there were a few scenes that were unnecessarily amped-up (the runway chase most notably). I remember all of the "thanks, Canada" hoopla. Affleck was the least compelling part of the story and the scenes of his home life seemed rote and clunky. Three-and-a-half.

Vic Sage Jan 23 2013 02:59 PM Re: Argo (2012)

reminded me of APOLLO 13, in that it successfully created tension in telling a real life story about which you already knew the outcome. well crafted. Arkin + Goodman = good stuff. Affleck has turned out to be a much better director than he is an actor. If he keeps this up, i might eventually forgive him for fucking up DAREDEVIL.

TransMonk Mar 02 2013 07:08 PM Re: Argo (2012)

Not bad. Would have been better with less of Affleck in front of the camera.

metsmarathon Jun 11 2013 08:15 AM Re: Argo (2012)

finally saw this in full. very convincing retelling, and the historical inaccuracies don't get too much in the way (i'd likely feel different were i canadian, british, or kiwi) until the very end. they kinda had me going until the gun-toting iranians drove their car in partly in front of the engines of hte 747 trying to take off, only to have it finally lift into the air as they were about to shoot out the tires. this movie trope bothers me each and every time i see it. it's forgivable to an extent when it happens in toy story 3, i suppose, but less so here. there's no way those iranian police cars and certianly the big truck can catch let alone pass a 747 on a runway trying to take off. taxi, maybe. take off? puh-leeze! it's silly, but seriously, these kind of things just bother me, and kick me right out of hte movie. it's like when you're seeing a movie set in 1987 or '88, and there's this guy walking around in a pair of reebok pumps. it's like, hello, time traveller, welcome back from the freaking future. it just ruins the whole thing. i'm kidding. but the final scenes just had "artistic license" scribbled all over them. otherwise the film was really quite good. i gave it 4 stars. i think a stronger ending - hte original was surely tense, and it did a very good job of keeping my concerned about the success of the mission, but it relied too much of just. in. the. nick. of. time. the tickets are confirmed just as she checks the second time! he picked up the phone on the last ring just as the guy was hanging up! the gates are closed but they can still catch the plane! the revolutionaries just figured out who tehy were just after the gates closed and were locked and chained and welded shut, with an invisible forcefield to boot! the plane took off just as the guy had his finger on the trigger! the revolutionaries climb the tower but the plane is already in the air! seriously, i was waiting for the 747 to have to dodge a SAM, or dogfight an iranian jet. it was all too much. maybe without all that stuff, the movie would have ended dully, but i like to think otherwise.

Edgy MD Jun 11 2013 08:20 AM Re: Argo (2012)

Yeah, I was really impressed by the horse's speed in Toy Story. What is the takeoff speed of a 747? I'd really like to be that guy who readily quotes the exact speed to all the other viewers during that scene.

metsmarathon Jun 11 2013 10:57 AM Re: Argo (2012)

it depends on passenger load and wind conditions and atmospherics and the flap settings, but if you said 180 mph, you wouldn't be off by all that much. 150-180 mph is probably a reasonable estimate for most jet-propelled passenger planes.

Edgy MD Jun 11 2013 11:03 AM Re: Argo (2012)

And... aside from the speed, isn't there another piece of physics that they miss --- where the aerodynamic progression of the pursuing vehicle (often a Jeep, which is an aerodynamic nightmare already) should be disrupted by it's proximity to the engine of the pursued airplane?

metsmarathon Jun 11 2013 12:02 PM Re: Argo (2012)

well, yeah, the backwash off those engines is gonna toss those cars right along if they get too close, and the goons hanging onto the back of hte truck are well, yeah, there's a few things that'd be happining.... firstoff, the backwash off hte engines is going to hurl all manner of rock and pebble and dirt and dust backwards at an incredible velocity. the goons will be picking rocks out of their faces for decades to come. then, if hte car gets too close to the backwash, it's going to get tossed. the airflow over and under the wings is going to give them a little bit of extra resistance, and the plane will be squeezing that air down to generate the lift, and i imagine there will be some increased air flow as a result of this. not to mention the eddies and vortices that'll be generated. and those cop cars and the big trucks aren't terribly aerodynamic. theyre going to see a lot of extra lift. probably lose some ability to control the vehicle if they catch a good vortex. could conceivable flip 'em right over, or send 'em sideways. i think we need to get the mythbusters on it.

Edgy MD Jun 11 2013 12:16 PM Re: Argo (2012)

But none of that should stop Captain America from getting a good kiss off, or Tommy Lee Jones from zinging a clever wisecrack while controlling the vehicle.

metsmarathon Jun 12 2013 06:41 AM Re: Argo (2012)

well, david wright is known for his exemplary kissing technique.

Edgy MD Aug 24 2013 09:13 PM Re: Argo (2012)

As far stories of Red Star-winning CIA operations from the late-Carter/early-Reagan era, I think I preferred Charlie Wilson's War. Not to knock this, but it sort of felt good, but merely functionally so, to me. Could have hit, I don't know, deeper. Seeing everything else new and available to rent at my video store though, I don't begrudge this it's best picture award. Movies, man.

MFS62 Sep 01 2013 02:05 PM Re: Argo (2012)

Yeah, I was really impressed by the horse's speed in Toy Story. What is the takeoff speed of a 747? I'd really like to be that guy who readily quotes the exact speed to all the other viewers during that scene. http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/pe ... 0088.shtml Later