This is Ben Affleck's film all the way and I have to say I am more than impressed. I'm glad that he seems to have discovered what he is really good at. As an actor he was never really convincing. And even though he gives a great understated, albeit a bit one-note, performance here, it is in the director's chair where he excels.

This bizarre 'truth is stranger than fiction' tale has all the hallmarks of being turned into an over-stylized and over-dramatized political thriller. This is anything but that. Much like his performance, Affleck decided to take away the frills, leaving behind a film that is reminiscent of the political thrillers of yesteryear. Solid, made with craftsmanship and more…

Argo, the true life story you couldn’t make up, was always ripe for the Hollywood treatment and for the most part Affleck and co. do a good job of bringing it to the screen. Most should be familiar with the plot by now but if not it revolves around a CIA operation to get American diplomats out of Iran during the revolution. Their cover is an audacious and implausible recce scouting for film locations for a crappy space opera movie. It is easy to see what would attract somebody like Ben Affleck to this project, it has a current political resonance, Hollywood satire and an old fashioned thriller element driving the story forward.

Affleck does a commendable job juggling many…

Winner of 3 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Argo is Ben Affleck's finest work as a director, is one of the best films of its year & is quite an accomplished piece of storytelling that expertly recounts the real-life event that took place in Iran during the Iranian Revolution in which 6 US diplomats were rescued by CIA with the help of Canadian government.

Set in 1979 Iran, the story of Argo follows 6 US diplomats who go into hiding when Iranian revolutionaries invade the American embassy in Tehran, taking several of them hostages. In an effort to get its people out of the country, CIA goes through various options & eventually settles with an insane plan; to arrive in Iran for…

From gossip-rag pin-up to powerhouse director Ben Affleck has one of the most chequered careers in Hollywood. Channelling experience following his previous two features, tightly wound action thrillers Gone Baby Gone and The Town, his time behind the camera is proving most fruitful. His recounting of the true life story of Argo is no exception and further authorises his position as a meaningful director.

Set in late ‘70s Iran, amidst a violent revolution, a group of CIA operatives strive to rescue six of its US embassy officials who are trapped within the dangerous melting pot. Under the innovative guise of a Canadian film crew scouting locations for an artificial sci-fi flick, exfiltration expert Tony Mendez infiltrates the city’s capital Tehran…

Around the World in Cinema 2018 - USA (By way of Turkey)

Best Picture Oscars #9

Did Argo deserve the 85th Oscar? Nope. Even if its a divisive film in itself, Django Unchained is a better movie even if you the reader hate Quentin Tarantino. The list of Best Picture nominees for this year is strange. Life of Pi is an average film, as is Spielberg's Lincoln, so both are immediately discounted. The rest I haven't seen. I am hesitant of Michael Haneke, but its fascinating he managed the rare feat alongside Ingmar Bergman with Amour getting a nomination, one of the only non-English language films to get this high an Oscar nod. I will eventually look into Zero Dark…