Argo

[Hamatron]

Saw this yesterday and totally loved it. I knew about the incident going in, but my heart was racing from the suspense at various parts. I also wanted to give Canada a big hug at the end (not that I wouldn't give Canada a big ol' hug anytime it wanted one).

I know there has been some talk here on Canada's involvement, but I assumed that there was more going on between Canada and the U.S. that wasn't being shown because of the constraints of the story focus. There were some offhand comments in the script like where people were saying things like, "Canada will do x" that made me think there was communication going on that we weren't seeing. And I thought the Ambassador and his wife and housekeeper were shown as being very brave in the risks they took.

[RabbitEars]

I finally saw this. Ben Affleck is one of those rare men whose face is improved by a beard. The '70s would have loved him.

Argo is not groundbreaking, but it's a very entertaining thriller. Unlike some other award-winning movies, I think this one will age extremely well. It's beautifully shot and understated. Except for that last dramaaaatic scene, it hits hardly any false notes.

The newsreel footage was perfect. I spotted Ted Koppel, Jessica Savitch, Diane Sawyer. I am around Affleck's age, so that hostage situation was part of my childhood, and I remember the yellow ribbons tied just that way, all poofy and elaborate (and how they got tattered and dingy over the long hostage crisis). They never did use Tony Orlando's song, and I thank them for that.

I'm disturbed that Tate Donovan looked 50 years old. How old is that man, and how old does that make me? (Googles.) Holy shit, he IS going on 50. (Cries.)

[Deleted]

I thought Ben looked very handsome in this movie, the beard made him look younger.

[bklynred]

Is this best seen in a theater? I know the plot so spoilers aren't important...

[Atreides]

Jan 18, 2013 17:28:06 GMT -4 bklynred said:

Is this best seen in a theater? I know the plot so spoilers aren't important...

No, it would be fine seen on a TV. It comes out on DVD and Blu-ray next month. It's a modestly budgeted movie with little in the way of special effects. This may actually be a positive for Academy voters who will watch this on a smaller screen.

[bklynred]

Cool! Thanks Atreides.

[sardonictart]

I saw this today and really enjoyed it.

Argo is not groundbreaking, but it's a very entertaining thriller. Unlike some other award-winning movies, I think this one will age extremely well. It's beautifully shot and understated. Except for that last dramaaaatic scene, it hits hardly any false notes.

The newsreel footage was perfect. I spotted Ted Koppel, Jessica Savitch, Diane Sawyer. I am around Affleck's age, so that hostage situation was part of my childhood, and I remember the yellow ribbons tied just that way, all poofy and elaborate (and how they got tattered and dingy over the long hostage crisis).

ITA. I actually became a bit upset watching the coverage of the hostage crisis - I guess it brought back some memories.

This film focuses more on the CIA aspect and ridiculous aspects of the Hollywood film industry, hence the title "Argo" and not "The Canadian Caper" which would/should have featured more of the Canadian activities. But, it still would have been nice to see more. You get the sense that the Canadians were risking a lot, but I think more drama could have been rung out of a script that showed more of how they were responsible for saving these 6 people.

I found the involvement of household staff to be particularly moving. In real life, more were involved than the Iranian woman, and I do wonder what happened to them. My guess is nothing good if they didn't get out of Iran in time. My dad worked in Tehran in the 70s and figures that all of the Iranians that he worked with were killed either during or post revolution. I imagine that many 'collaborators' were treated similarly.

ETA: Update! One of the household staff that helped the Americans in real life is just fine (he worked for one of the Brits that helped the Americans). He now owns several restaurants in New England. Yay!

[plush]

To me, Argo is a good suspensful thriller that I quite enjoyed while watching it but not the type of movie that stays with you once it's over.Munich by comparison, is a devastating harrowing story that shows the effects of war, loss and pain even when succeeding at a mission you were 100 % convinced was the right thing to do. Munich is more complex on a more human level which is more appealing to me. Argo is a different type of movie with more nuances regarding the political complexities of the day and less so on a emotional level. I cheered at the end and I cried because I am a sucker for feel good movies that are based on true events but after it was over, I didn't think much of it. It's not a movie that makes me think or poses questions because it answers everything itself. It's very good, but not excellent. But than few movies are.

I have one question about the rescued 6. Why would they have been killed even if the Iranians found them? Before watching the movie and knowing nothing about the crisis I thought these 6 were the only US employees left in Iran after the revolution so their lives were iin danger on account of being the only Americans there. But there were 54 more people who were being held hostage at the American embassy in addition to these 6. Wouldn't the Iranians just drag them to where they held the rest instead of killing them?

[azaleaqueen]

Not necessarily, plush. Finding the 6 might have made the Iranians so crazy angry that they might have shot all 60 on the spot. This would probably have been true for the 6, at least, as they would have been deemed spies immediately, on the theory that they ran, so they must have had something to hide.

[bklynred]

I finally saw this and was really, really impressed. Like ZDT, I knew the end but was still taken for a ride. I remember loving Jimmy Carter as a kid (and now) and wondering how people could blame him for this when the hostages were eventually freed. (Learned about real politics later.) I thought performances across the board were great, sharp... I absolutely felt Canada's role was spotlighted but I'm watching partially through a pre-teen's eyes, partially through a cynic's, partially through a wikipedian's...