Argo (2012)

4/5

Ben Affleck's Argo recreates the Iran hostage crisis of 1979/1980 with remarkable visual accuracy. After protestors overtake the US Embassy in Iran, 6 would-be hostages escape out a back entrance and hide in the Canadian ambassador's house. Meanwhile the US government is planning a daring "exfiltration" operation led by Tony Mendez (Affleck). Mendez creates a fake movie called Argo, gets Hollywood effects expert John Chambers (Goodman) and producer Lester Siegel (Arkin) to back the ruse, and flies into Iran with fake passports for the fake film crew. As this is going on, the Iranian military within the US Embassy are piecing together shredded documents that contain pictures of the missing employees.

The movie is well-made in terms of its cinematic technique, and Goodman and Arkin deliver knockout performances, but the movie as a whole just doesn't have a clear focus. It starts as a thrilling historical drama, with tense intimate situations and riveting political narratives. But when it turns to the Hollywood scenes, it becomes almost farcical in its tongue-in-cheek joking. It's quite funny, but the humor doesn't seem to fit. The two parts never quite match up, as if they don't belong in the same movie. Argo had no unifying mood to carry us through both halves of the film, and we are left with a jarring disconnect during each transition. Still, the movie is entertaining and exciting, and it's one of those rare movies that allows us a fascinating glimpse into an important piece of history through its storytelling.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/

Marley & Me (2008)

3/5

Marley & Me is pretty typical family-friendly fare for a quiet night in with the kids. The plot follows Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as John and Jenny Grogan, a newly-married couple who both write for a living. John, not yet wanting kids but wanting to satisfy his wife's desire to take care of something, decides to take the advice of his friend and get a puppy. That puppy grows into the "world's worst dog," as they like to refer to him, but his endearing antics and (literal) puppy dog face make it impossible to hate him. Marley simultaneously enriches and ruins their lives as they start a family, work past marital disputes, and deal with the stresses of parenthood and work. It's all a very simple story that takes few risks and reaps few rewards. There are no bad guys and no mistakes in their near-perfect, sugar-coated life, but they do experience some ups and downs thrown their way by random chance. Although it is unrealistically portrayed, there were a few key humorous and emotional moments that kept my attention and helped this movie stand out from all the other entries into the "family pet" genre. If you were interested in it, it will not disappoint you; but if you weren't interested in it, it will fail to surprise you.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0822832/

Rendition (2007)

4/5

Rendition is a skillfully-crafted and provocative thriller that puts human faces on the unjust way in which our system of laws can be used and exploited. A chemical engineer (Metwally) on his way back from South Africa is taken away by cops in an airport in DC and sent to a secret prison facility where he is to be tortured by non-US officials for information on a recent suicide bombing as a CIA analyst (Gyllenhaal) watches. His wife (Witherspoon) tries her hardest to find out what's happened to her husband, even going so far as to call up an old boyfriend (Sarsgaard) who works for a senator (Arkin). It turns out that the senator has connections with the woman (Streep) who authorized his rendition. When all laid out in just a few sentences, the plot does sound a bit coincidental and unrealistic. However, when you watch the movie, you see a film that is sympathetically acted, intricately poignant, and effortlessly believable.

The movie had a strong technical base off of which to build its narrative. The shots were beautiful, the editing well-paced, and the music heart-pounding. As a result of all three factors, the build up to the climax was palpably tense. And while the acting was spot-on, the writing and dialogue could have used a little work. Half the time they went out of their way to make what was going on explicit, while the other half of the time they assumed the audience knew what had happened or the characters correctly predicted everything that was going on, despite it all being classified top secret. These small errors aside, this gripping thriller based on the government's anti-terrorism policies is well worth watching.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804522/

Get Smart (2008)

3/5

Get Smart is one of many modern movie adaptations of old TV shows. I've never seen the original, but I'm glad for it (apparently a number of reviewers find it to be unfaithful). It's a spy movie spoof about a bumbling new field agent chasing after terrorist bad guys. The story is pretty bare bones. Naturally, the music, cinematography, and editing are all adequate and forgettable. But it's a great combination of hilarity and action. The best part about this movie is the characters, the interactions between them, and the actors portraying them. I love Steve Carell in everything he does. I'm not a fanboy--he just hasn't let me down. Ever. If you love Steve Carell, you will love this movie. If you don't, I don't know who you are or why you're reading this, because you're obviously not my friend. Anyway. Just know that this is a very entertaining, very light, action comedy movie. And enjoy!

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425061/

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

4/5

Edward Scissorhands is another one of those "weird" Tim Burton movies. But it is also incredible entertaining. Burton is able to create this world so vividly, from the first frame to the last, that you really feel like you are there. I love the pastel houses inhabited by pastel women. I love the shrub and ice sculptures. And who can forget the man with scissors as hands? Everything in this movie is so distinct that you cannot forget it. And it made me laugh the entire time. My favorite character was by far Alan Arkin's father. The way he thinks and talks is simply amazing. I don't even know how to describe it; just watch it. Winona Ryder's daughter was literally angelic; she looked beautiful in this movie, and I now understand Pooya's obsession for her. Danny Elfman's signature Burton-esque music is in full force here--definitely one of his best soundtracks.

I hated the stupid framework for the movie. Why do we need someone to be telling us a story? Tim Burton should be telling us the story with his visuals, not an 80-year-old Winona to her granddaughter in flashback mode because the dumb kid asked her where snow comes from. Grow some balls and tell the story yourself, Timmy. A lot of the special effects are cheesy, along with the characters' outfits and hairstyles. The movie feels quite a bit dated. I don't know if it was the TV screen distorting the anamorphic edges or what, but it seemed like the entire movie was shot with a fish-eye lens. It may not be the movie's fault, but it was extremely distracting. The rest of the movie was quite good, but let's face it: you go to a Tim Burton movie to check out the brand new world he has thought up, and this is one you will never forget.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0099487/

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

4/5

I saw this movie with my mother and brother for my birthday. It is both incredibly funny and incredibly heartfelt. There are some scenes of ridiculous emotional power, punctuated by extremely hilarious situations. The movie attempts to be both true to life and laugh-out-loud funny, and it succeeds admirably. It doesn't tie up the loose ends that don't need to be tied up; this dysfunctional family has problems that can't be solved in two hours and so they're not. The ending is so unexpected yet so fulfilling that it is sure to be remembered for years to come. It had me cracking up for five minutes straight.

I thought some of the film was uneven and some of the transitions between comedy and drama were too sudden. This movie contains sad scenarios, but instead of letting the emotions fully play out, they are instead cut up (and so the effect is diminished) by comedy. Wes Anderson's movies (e.g. The Royal Tenenbaums), on the other hand, have the opposite strategy, which I think works much better. Its standard is comedy, so when it suddenly switches to tragedy, we are taken aback more so than normal; the laugh escaping our mouth is choked and held in check. Otherwise, it's an amazing movie I wholeheartedly recommend.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/