Film Review: Argo

Tags

Alan Arkin, Argo, Ben Affleck, C.I.A “extraction” expert, entertainment, Film Review, film review argo, Films, Iran 1979, John Goodman, movies, Tony Mendez

Argo, the new Ben Affleck movie, is based on the real live events that took place in Iran in 1979.  It kick-starts when an angry mob storms the American Embassy in Tehran and take 50 Americans hostage.  Six embassy workers escape through the back and seek refuge in the residence of the Canadian Ambassador.

Back in Washington everyone is up in arms and the task to get the six back home falls to the C.I.A “extraction” expert Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck). Many plans are being considered, but none seem feasible or safe.

Faced with this problem Mendez comes up with the ridiculous idea to get the six out under the guise of making a SiFi film. With the help of special-effects expert and Academy Award winner John Chambers (John Goodman) and prominent producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) Mendez creates a bogus film company called Studio Six and even invites the media to a fake press conference. With posters, storyboards and a buzz backing up the story Mendez then enters Iran under the pretence of scouting for locations and issues false identities for the six Americans in hiding to fly them out.

The story sounds so implausible it’s hard to believe that it is true, that it worked is even more unbelievable. This incredible story wasn’t declassified until 1997 and really makes for a good movie. Affleck proves his doubters wrong again and like in “Gone Baby Gone” he surrounds himself with formidable actors, even in the supporting roles.

Argo is a great film and even though Affleck takes the liberty to spice up the action a bit towards the end, the film has an authentic feel to it. After all Argo never claims to be a documentary. The only downside to the film is that the science-fiction film Argo was never actually made, a film that Goodman’s character Chambers describes as ‘a twenty-million-dollar Star Wars rip-off” and you can’t help but feel that Arkins as Siegle is right when he stipulates “If I’m going to make a fake movie, it’s going to be a fake hit.”

The closing scene of Argo also seems to be too drawn out, there is no need for it and it detracts from the clever suspense filled film that Argo otherwise is. But overall Affleck has done good and Argo is well worth the price of a ticket.

Film review: Skyfall

Tags

007, Adele, Daniel Craig, entertainment, Film Review, Films, James Bond, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, m, Naomie Harris, Q, Sam Mendes, Skyfall

Bond is back, and this time instead of battling a suave international ring of villains he is up against a much more personal advisory.

The opening sequence of Skyfall is a fantastic chase over the rooftops of Istanbul, with 007 (Daniel Craig) in heavy pursuit of an unknown vital source of information.  Bond’s glamorous and sassy colleague Eve (Naomie Harris) tries to keep up and finally has to make a difficult decision when M (Judi Dench) gives the green light.

But after the turbulent start of the film the plot becomes more personal. We are given insight in to Bonds psyche, his relationship with M and his origins. However the main storyline circles around M, the original Bond Girl, who not only treats her 00-boys mean but keeps them keen too, ensuring fierce loyalty but triggering underlying resentment as a result of it. And when it suits her needs she disposes her boys with little concern of their health or safety.

A creation of M’s behaviour is the chilling villain Silva (Javier Bardem), an ex-agent whose feelings towards M are a delicate balance of lust, hate, love, envy and revenge. And because the only thing standing between him and M is Bond, Silva begins the hunt on 007, who is older, more ragged and not in best form.

Skyfall is not only beautifully shoot by director Sam Mendes, but he also manages to give Bond a modern twist for his 50^th anniversary. Ben Whishaw as Q represents the age of the geek, and as M explains to her critics the enemy is no longer a country but invisible, hidden in the shadows.

And never before has 007 been so relatable nor has the script ever been so funny, filled with sarcastically dry one-lines and dripping with British black humour. Mendes has given the oldest film franchise on the planet a facelift, and from the opening chase in Istanbul until the final shootout in the Scottish Highlands there isn’t a dull moment. Skyfall is a thoroughly enjoyable movie and Craig’s best Bond film by far, possibly even the best Bond film to date.

Joyful Noise

Tags

celebrities, Dolly Parton, entertainment, Film Review, film reviews, gospel choir, Jeremy Jordan, joyful noise, Keke Palmer, Kris Kristofferson, movies, music, Queen Latifah

Riding on the coattails of the TV series Glee Joyful Noise is the story of a small town gospel choir competing to be the best in their field.  With Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton in the lead, great music, strong voices and a mix of beautiful and quirky young singers you’d think that Joyful Noise has the perfect combination to be a fun-filled film. But a bit like Dolly Parton’s wardrobe it only ends up being a little bit tacky and gaudy and sadly lacks the charm that Dolly has to make it work.

The story is simple; when the choirmaster Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson) dies Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance) decides to name Vi Rose Hill (Latifah) as his successor, sidelining Sparrow’s widow GG (Parton) in the process.  Loyalties are split but while the two main characters try to work it out a Romeo and Juliet scenario develops between GG’s grandson Randy (Jeremy Jordan) and Vi Rose’s daughter Olivia (Keke Palmer).

As the story plods along the choir practises to compete in the final sing-off concert, Parton and Latifah fight, sing and dislike each other, Jordan and Palmer make-out, sing and rebel against the rules. But nothing feels real; the scenes are often over-acted and the dialogue is dull, self-deprecating and always unrealistic.

The last big number comes as a surprise when suddenly bit-players have interesting solos but have otherwise only feature a few minutes throughout the film. But then this fits into the messy stitching that holds the plot together.

Another surprise is the fact that although she is forever present on our screens and in our ears it has taken Dolly Parton twenty years to return to the big screen in a lead role, why she chose GG in Joyful Noise is anyone’s guess.

All in all Joyful Noise is filled with good songs, bad lip-synching, a tired love story and many dull moments. The only thing that save’s this film from being a total fiasco are the two young rising stars Jordan and Palmer and the two real live divas Latifah and Parton.

.

Think like a Man (Act like a Lady)

Tags

Act like a Lady Think like a Man, Chris Brown, entertainment, Film Review, Gabrielle Union, He’s just not that into You, Kevin Hart, Meagan Good, Michael Ealy, reviews, rom-com, Steve Harvey, Think like a Man

Just like the dating book “He’s just not that into You” Steve Harvey’s bestseller “Act like a Lady, Think like a Man” has now been scooped up by Hollywood and turned into a motion picture.

Centring around a group of friends from an interracial Basketball team and the women in their lives the story follows how both men and women play the dating-game.

Entertainer Steve Harvey and his book link the stories together by unabashedly stereotyping the characters into categories: The Peter Pan type, the man who just does not want to grow up and take on responsibility; the Mama’s Boy, the man who always puts his mother first, the Hit-and-Quit-it guy, the man who stops being romantic once he has had sex, or the “cookie” as Harvey calls it and then there is the woman who acts like a man.

As each sub-plot plays out the book gives solutions to each problem, like the 90-day rule before she surrenders the “cookie”, or make him chose between his mother and you and so forth. Sadly the film fails to be original, the script is not very funny and the talented cast (Michael Ealy, Chris Brown, Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union, Meagan Good etc) seems flat.

In many ways “Think like a Man” feels like an African-American version of “He’s just not into you”, it has the same structure of mix and match stories, the characters are only superficial and there is no real passion or twists to the plot. The solutions for the problems are either common sense or just a whole load of nonsense and it doesn’t help that Steve Harvey pops up throughout the movie pretending to know it all. More often than not it feels like one long advertisement for the book but just not selling it.

As rom-coms go “Think like a Man” is no worse than many out there, but if you are looking for laugh-out-loud moments or clever punch lines they are few and far between and you always see them coming.  Overall it may be better to spend the night at home with a box of cookies and watch on-demand TV.