Argo
Ben Affleck's latest directorial effort is his strongest effort behind the camera to date. Unlike his previous films Gone Baby Gone and The Town, he does not place his story in the crime scene of Boston but rather in Washington DC, Hollywood, and Iran during the Iran Hostage Crisis. This film could have been a simple political thriller, but thanks to Affleck's direction and Chris Terrio's intelligent script, the film becomes so much more.
Argo successfully blends the genres of political drama, Hollywood satire, and espionage thriller, and making these genres blend together efficiently. The three settings in this film each serve a particular genre and Affleck uses these settings to his advantage. The amount of detail Affleck uses in each scene proves himself as a director to watch out for.
The casting is also really spot-on here. Everyone does their role very well and no one slacks in the acting field. The real show-stealers are John Goodman, Alan Arkin, and Bryan Cranston. I hope all of them get Academy recognition at the end of this year. At the end of the credits, it amazes me how almost all of the actors look just like their real life counterparts in the movie. It proves Affleck's undying desire for accurate detail.
In the end, Argo proves to be more than just a simple political thriller. This film shows what I love in movies: spot-on humor, intense and suspenseful chase scenes, and excellent drama. If this film does not get Academy recognition, the Academy is obviously rigged. Argo is easily one of 2012's best and I want to see what Ben Affleck does next as a director. Stick to directing Ben, it's your calling.
Rating: 10 out of 10-Pure Masterpiece
Sinister
Sinister is the latest low-budget Hollywood horror film to arrive this Halloween season. I was a fan of the writer C. Robert Cargill's reviews and was curious to see what his writing brought to this film. Rather than being a simple found footage movie, Sinister somewhat pokes fun at that sub genre, creating a creepy and sometimes terrifying theatrical experience as a result.
I was never a fan of director Scott Derrickson's previous work (The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Day The Earth Stood Still were both dull and boring films). However, I really enjoyed the creepy atmosphere that he brought to Sinister. This film is obviously influenced by earlier haunted house films, but the creepy tension here is unlike most recent horror films.
Ethan Hawke really carries the film on his own, playing a writer obsessed with solving this mystery. Every film he's in, he goes above and beyond and it's not different here. While the rest of the cast doesn't do the best here, it's Hawke who keeps the film from going south in the acting department.
One main problem I had with the film was the script. The film has a tendency to use really cliche characters and cliche dialogue throughout that it feels less original than it should be as a result. Also, there are a lot of jump scares throughout the movie. Some really worked, others didn't. They felt rather stupid and almost laughable than terrifying.
Regardless of its problems, I still had a lot of fun watching Sinister. It's one of the creepiest recent horror films I have seen since Insidious. And it's also Scott Derrickson's best film as a director, even though that's not saying much. It has its problems, but if you want to be creeped out this Halloween, see this movie.
Rating: 7 out of 10- Good
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