Review: ‘Argo’ is Ben Affleck’s third home run

The very world that we live in, besides its sheer beauty and mysteries, is far more frightening than any other planet or star in the universe in my opinion. This very notion that my mind is occupied with, when it comes to the thinking of the situation that this world is in, is something that Mr. Ben Affleck, the director/actor of ‘Argo’ might nod as an agreement with me if I get the opportunity to speak with him. On the surface, Mr. Affleck’s film is a 70s political-espionage thriller, but once seen, the film goes deep in the dark souls of men; a place that not even Satan wants to find himself. This film, in my opinion, is quite important, probably one of the most important films of the year, yet daring one as well. The situation in Iran during 1979, those dark days are unfortunately still with us.

As far as the mind think about these dark days, captured precisely in the film, and written on paper delicately with much care by screenwriter, Chris Terrio, makes one think immediately that nothing has changed. What one might find interesting from this film is that there is hatred and a line of difference that Argo is defining for us, the difference that you think you-are-you and I am-Me, I blame you and that gives me the right to spit on you. Come and grab you and display your corpse to the world, for I am-Me after all. Your generation, your race, your citizenship does not matter to me, for my mind is angry and my soul has turned dark. But, Argo asks one question, an essential one, when this hatred among man will end?

Once you swim back up on the surface, Mr. Affleck’s Argo entertains the heart and mind; it’s warm and quite bright. Intelligent at all times, and humorous as well respectively, here Mr. Affleck shows his directing talent; he has exercised his mind and directing prowess. With Argo, I believe he has the right to flex his muscles as a true film-maker. Hesitant everyone was, when he commenced taking of Dennis Lehane’s novel, Gone Baby Gone and proved everyone wrong, when his hardcore crime drama, The Town surfaced. Two home runs back to back, and now safely, we can say that with Argo, it is three home runs back to back. Stepping as an actor in front of his own camera the second time, Mr. Affleck has shown himself that he can be serious as an actor as much as a director. Sporting in 70s style hair-cut and suit, he limns the character of Tony Mendez intelligently, and proves that this agent, was no 007 and with no single gadget, flies to Tehran to rescue six Americans from the anger and grip of the Iranian Revolution. And, yes, with a little, yet daring help from Hollywood.

Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) is CIA’s top man, an expert indeed in exfiltration and now, he takes on the responsibility to rescue Six Americans from a hostile environment. While everyone on the table is throwing ideas, Tony puts his insight, but when asked in the end, if he has a better idea. Tony simply looks down and says that he doesn’t. But, he does, though, when he gets an idea while he is watching “Battle of the Planet of Apes”. From here Mr. Affleck as a director takes the audience from getting prepared and then finally lands in Iran and introduces himself to the Six Americans, (Scoot McNairy Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishe) who are sheltering at the Canadian Ambassador’s house in Tehran. With compelling performances and Mr. Terrio’s convincing story-telling and dialogues, Mr. Affleck as a true auteur takes you on a journey, where you will feel like your heart is knocking against your chest.

Argo is not only a correct film in terms of powerful story-telling, performances, directing, cinematography, costumes, locations, but quite an entertaining one as well, besides being striking, bold, genius, edge-of-your-seat thriller that will make your palms sweat. Cinematographer, Rodrigo Prieto’s camera work, is sharp, bright that rhymes with Terrio’s scenes and Affleck’s vision. Once one walks out with smile, which I am sure that you will, the mind is thinking what to say and what not. All I said was, “Argo” Fuck Yourself.

Metal Gear Solid Makes The Movie Transition

I am an advocate for promoting selective video game stories into movies with the serious tenor that they deserve. Considering that the road has been paved by Uwe Boll’s land mines, it is not surprising that the Resident Evil movie saga is about as good as it seems to get for appeasing the fans of videogame-to-movie adaptations. It is going to take the prowess of an established visionary who understands the customer base targeted to jump start video games into movie glory. Such a person has been sought out with Avi Arad, best known for producing hit films such as Iron Man (2008) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Arad showed Hollywood that comic themed movies can be phenomenally successful when grit coats over the cheese. He is wielding that philosophy to the video gaming franchise and his first projects were revealed as of late. Among the list of titles that Arad is producing, is Hideo Kojima’s masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid (1998).

Metal Gear Solid is a Konami produced game that was exclusively for Sony’s Playstation gaming console. The story revolves around a soldier name Snake who should not be mistaken with Kurt Russell’s Snake Plissken, the obvious inspirational mold.  A terrorist organization has procured a nuclear disposal facility. With the newly acquired capabilities, the terrorists have threatened an atomic assault on the United States if the US government does not relinquish the preserved remains of a biologically advanced super soldier name Big Boss. Snake is tasked to deploy to the facility, kick ass, rescue hostages, and smoke a cig from the flames of that which he lays to rest. Standard action goodness on the surface but as the tale progresses, it unravels a plot laden with more holes than Octomom’s condoms.

Hideo Kojima (the creative mind behind the Metal Gear Solid series) once wanted to work with movies but fate dealt him to become a video game designer. It is a good career for a person who has demonstrated an aptitude for providing quality interactive products, when you can actually play them. Kojima’s passion for movies is evident in his games, very frustratingly so. As technology permitted gradually expanding space for full motion video (FMV), Kojima must had taken this as an invitation to fill that space up with more arbitrary animation with each new installment of his beloved Metal Gear Solid series. To me, it felt like I was already watching a damn movie that sometimes would break the monotony by including a few minutes of actual game play. As a result, there is an established template for a story that leaves little to the imagination for how it can be scripted for the big screen. That is, until you realize that Kojima is out of his fucking mind and that the Metal Gear Solid story spirals into a convoluted mess. Chock full of so many ending twists that it would make M. Night Shyamalan blush, as Snake’s character transitions from covert superstar to a clown who is the center stage of a confusing circus. Will this madness carry over to the movie rendition of Metal Gear Solid? It is difficult to say. Arad’s movies have been impressively faithful to their source material. If Metal Gear Solid receives that same treatment, then let the perplexity commence! Otherwise, some crafty editing is needed to carve a solid story out of a block of silly putty.

As with any reimagining of a series, it is difficult to ascertain what the final results will provide. There could be something quite imaginative in the process that delivers a pleasant surprise. I can’t fathom Metal Gear Solid being the viable choice for redefining video games as having a significant adult fan base. The title is just ingrained with too much silly shit. I am curious to see which elements are borrowed or excluded when the movie is released, lest we sit through an 8 minute sequence of a kid frying a fucking egg [as seen in Metal Gear Solid 4]. God of War should have been championed for the big screen but that is just wishful thinking. Despite my grievances, I sincerely hope that the Metal Gear Solid movie wins over audiences in a big way. There are many talented writers who have provided their services to adapting video game screenplays. Stories that at times have trumped most of Hollywood’s best summer blockbusters. These stories deserve to be told to audiences who don’t play games or own the consoles that the media is featured on. Metal Gear Solid just may be the silver lining to that opportunity, if handled correctly. Then again, even if the movie bombs, not like it will stop Avi Arad. The abomination that is Ghost Rider (2007) didn’t stop Arad from producing the sequel of Satan, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011). Proving that the only thing more astonishing than a flaming skeleton biker, is that Nicholas Cage is still allowed to star in movies.

Christopher Nolan completes his Batman Trilogy superbly, however with a surprisingly (yet welcomed) Spielberg-ish ending. (Mild spoilers throughout).

Nolanfans.com reported on an interview by the Mike and Josh Movie Show that featured Academy Award winning cinematographer Wally Pfister.  Mr. Pfister has photographed all of Christopher Nolan’s since 2000’s Memento, and in this interview Pfister said that after reading the script for The Dark Knight Rises he realized that a perfect trilogy would be completed on July 20^th 2012.  Although I have a few minor complaints, The Dark Knight Rises is a near perfect flowing collage of in-camera effects, appropriate/minimal CGI, stellar acting, and screenwriting. 

87% of the nations professional critics have given TDKR, favorable to highly favorable reviews.  The remaining 13% have predominantly complained that the villain is not as memorable as TDK’s Joker and that the movie lacked humor.

1.  My retort to the former:  Batman Begins ended with Commissioner Gordon warning the Caped Crusader about escalation.  With the appearance of The Joker, Gotham is now faced with a threat that is greater than the organized crime that was already deteriorating the city.  The Joker was an incredible combination of humor and sinister acts, and was an example of how having a symbol of (hope), could attract to equally opposing forces.  Heath Ledger’s Joker with all the tics, walk, talk, and overall creepiness does overshadow Tom Hardy’s physically menacing Bane.  Yet Bane was everything that Nolan said he would be:  A classic movie monster.  Instead of having humorous dialogue (save Bane’s complimenting of a young boy’s singing) the villain in TDKR has had the same training as Batman and emerged from an even more tormented background.  I especially appreciated the first encounter between good and evil, where Bane shows his near-immunity to Batman’s pyrotechnics and even his nocturnal attacks.  If it were not for the breathing apparatus gravely restricting the audience from seeing Tom Hardy’s facial expressions, I may have been bold enough to say his performance was on the same level as the late-great Heath Ledger. 
2. My retort to the latter:  Really?????  Okay, seriously a film that is apocalyptic in its exposition does not have time to (in the words of one of the editors of Nolanfans.com) have the comedy meter set to the max.  The Avengers had wise guys such as Tony Stark and Agent Carlson in the mix so one-liners were expected.  I would call the non-serious dialogue of TDKR more witty than comical.  With a cat-burglar on a quest to get her criminal record expunged, a deteriorating relationship between a loving father figure and the person he loves as a son, and an intelligent/monstrous madman on the loose with a nuclear weapon, there is little time for laughter.  

Nolan has stated in various interviews (most effectively in the documentary These Amazing Shadows), that he is not so much a fan of science fiction as he is a fan of movies that takes the viewer to another world.  Most of scenes in TDKR features wonder and discovery in every fame.  Just as Batman Begins reminds the viewer of Sir Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, TDKR’s technical marvels and set pieces are in the same tradition of the aforementioned film, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Metropolis.  The latter film was during the silent era and just like D.W Griffith’s silent films featured thousands of extras to fill a set.  The scene where Batman and Selina Kyle escape off of a skyscraper’s roof on a helicopter/plane hybrid is subtle and more peaceful than action-packed.  Yet is far more impressive than a CGI Transformer toppling downtown Chicago.  The special effects team and set design lead by Chris Corbould and **** respectively have set a new benchmark in visual splendor.  All of the scenes in the trailers that hyped the film are topped or at least matched by other scenes throughout the film.   The Blu-ray of this film will have the expected making-of shorts that will show the planning and staging of a film with a budget of $250 million.    

3D would have hampered the viewing experience of this film and the IMAX scenes are a testament to bringing film stock back as the ruling format for shooting movies.  I saw TDKR in digital IMAX and TDK film IMAX, and although the film format was larger the digital format was clearer.  I appreciate that Nolan placed the statement “This movie was shot and finished on film” at the end of the credits. 

The ending will please most DC Comics fans and general moviegoers.  Also it gives the person taking over the inevitable reboot a nice slate to start a new Batman series.   Although I have concluded that the ending was well devised and effectively ends a trilogy, the closing scene was a little too neatly wrapped with a bow.  It reminded me of how Steven Spielberg ends his larger scale dramas and action/adventure movies:  There is no room for debating the fate of the characters and the film has that “happily ever after feeling”.  The demise of Bane is no cop-out and answers renowned film critic Roger Ebert’s question (with respect to his positive review):  Why doesn’t someone just shoot Bane when he is in the open?  The Batman Begins and The Dark Knight alumnus all give their best performances in the series, and Detective Comics newcomers, Tom Hardy, Marion Cottilard, Anne Hathaway, and Joseph Gordon Levitt all shine.  Bale’s voice is still raspy yet it does not sound like he is gargling marbles this time, and his acting shows that his Best Supporting Actor Oscar was no fluke.  

Mr. Nolan, take that well deserved vacation that you said that you needed, the cinema world still needs things to be shook-up a bit.  

Marc Webb’s superb direction and a near perfect cast shine in Marvel’’ latest web slinger adventure. But it is 85-year-old Alvin Sargent’s script that is the true star of The Amazing Spiderman.

Hollywood is seriously over exhausting the ideal of the reboot.  Sometimes it as though studios rush a film solely for revenue purposes, knowing the fan and critic response may be negative.  However audiences are forgiving of some sub-par franchises, and look forward to the inevitable darker, moodier, and more tightly woven reboot.   I knew that the reboot would be as common as romantic comedies after viewing the two definitive reboots of the early 21^st century:  Batman Begins and Casino Royale.  Although nipples on the Batsuit and invisible Aston Martins certainly were ludicrous plot devices that needed correction, the first good caped crusader film and 21^st Bond film should be a testament for studios to aspire to do cinema right the first time.  Nevertheless, I viewed Sam Raimi’s 2002 & 2004 Spiderman and Spiderman 2 (yes I still avoid subsequent viewings of the overly convoluted third film) respectively with the hopes of intentionally creating Déjà vu.  If Sony Pictures studio executives Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton are correct in justifying the 2012 Spiderman reboot, audiences should feel as though they are viewing an entirely new film.  500 Days of Summer director Marc Webb remarkably revisits some familiar territory and still delivers a worthy entry into the superhero genre. 

Being less campy and bleaker is not enough for Marc Webb and his crew, and they have chosen to have seemingly less action and more dialogue in a movie with a reported $220 million dollar budget.  This is a risky but logical approach that is probably learned in film courses with 101 following the course name: i.e the audience becomes fully acquainted with the cast and when action happens they actually care about the character’s fate.  Simple enough but this warrants stellar execution on the part of the director framing his actors/actresses in a serene environment.  Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone do not totally overshadow what Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst first did 10 years prior, but the former mentioned couple’s relationship is richer and more vibrant.  Garfield and Stone are able to have an intelligent loner and intelligent rebel have chemistry without it felling trite and forced.  In this movie Peter Parker was not the kid that everyone thinks of as a window-licker or the person destined to go dunking for turds in the high-school bathroom courtesy of the cliché’ school bully.  No, he was not overly popular and he is highly intelligent, but that does not denote nerd.  And this is where the script shines:  Parker does not have to be nerdy or unpopular for us to cheer for him once he receives his extraordinary powers.  The circumstances that led to him living with Uncle Ben and Aunt May (Martin Sheen & Sally Fields are a worthy swap for Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris) are complex enough to drive this movie and the inevitable sequel. 

The movie’s $220 million dollar budget is distributed well across the runtime of 2hrs 16mins, and although I am not a fan of CGI, the computer effects are warranted if you want an agile lizard-man ravaging the George Washington Bridge.   The Epic Red One camera (along with the Arri Alexa) is the best of the lot when it comes to digital cinematography, but I am still not convinced that it is better than standard 35mm.  Nonetheless all of the aesthetics for this film are on par or better than other 2012 releases thus far.

My only complaint is that at times the antagonist will play out like a derivative Godzilla like creature rather than a true villain.  Again this is a minor complaint and I am looking forward to what the 85 year old Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People, What About Bob? and Spiderman1-3) and his fellow two screenwriters will come up with next.  Sony Pictures was at fault for forcing Sargent to include too many villains and a daytime soap opera love story in the 3^rd Spiderman film.  Alvin Sargent, James Vanderbilt, and Harry Potter alum Steve Kloves have a challenge ahead of them to explore the dangers of Oscorp, decide the fate of Gwen Stacy, and ultimately give a reason for audiences to return to theaters once this huge 2012-movie year is over. 

The Amazing Spiderman: B+

The Impact of Cinema

What fascinates me about films is the marketing campaign. In fact, it’s the marketing that attracted my young mind back when I was about 7 years old; whenever my father took me to a movie theatre; we spent an hour or sometimes actually two hours in the lobby waiting for our show. During this anticipation, we both would slowly walk and take our time and cherish the film posters on the walls. I still do it, even when I go to movies alone sometimes. There is something about it that made me fall in love with cinema. What gets my attention and what got my attention when I was young in the movie posters on those walls was the title of the film; the font, color and design of the poster, the characters in tears or smile on their faces.

It was this young mind of mine that was introduced to an idea then. This is an idea with a vision, which defines my dream with the impact of a single movie poster. I imagined myself, at that young age back then on the movie poster, with my face on it printed and an explosion captured behind me and my name printed on top of the poster with the title of the film beneath my chin. Or my name printed as the writer.

Studios today produce many films of different genres and each project requires marketing. We see trailers, posters, TV SPOTS, little advertising banners on websites and blogs. Newspapers and magazines with specific sections regarding films, walking in the mall, I turn my face, I see movie posters. When I drive down towards downtown, I notice the billboards, and I often ask myself, am I in heaven or a kid in a candy store? – So, in silence, one night I heard a pin drop, I slightly moved my head towards the direction of the sound. There was nothing on the floor though. I realized that I too can be part of such heaven. Butterflies began flying around in my stomach, I started getting goose bumps. And often, I stood in front of the mirror to see if craziness can be seen and touched inside me. For my eyes and my young mind, to actually define my point of view in that age, cinema was redefined.

The impact of a single movie poster redefined me; it was an introduction to a new world. A world full of creativity, with ideas travelling to comprehend the impact of storytelling. – So, today here I sit thinking about my past and comparing with present day. I asked myself, if cinema can be redefined. Can it be understood? – Can the new generation understand the impact of cinema?  Cinema woke me up, so therefore I cherish it and going to contribute to make it better and to see it run longer. Film-makers and writers with unique vision can change lives. I was a kid with no vision, but through films I found that vision. I see light in this long corridor at the end.

Looking at the poster of the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises helmed by Mr. Christopher Nolan, which is going to be released on July 20^th, I wonder who else is going to feel what I felt when I was young. Who else is going to sense the sound of a pin dropping in silence? – I compared the past with present today, and I feel that cinema is probably in the verge of being redefined again for one soul somewhere, or for more. I am still and will always be that kid standing in the lobby looking at the posters, I guess, yet with a vision this time. I can feel the gravity of the impact that cinema can deliver; it’s only less than a month away. I believe on July 20^th cinema will be redefined and understood. Someone somewhere may rise in this long corridor, which has a light at the end. A light that I was introduced to. The light that now I can see with clear vision.