Thursday, March 21, 2013

Argo Movie Review and Thoughts for Thursday--History

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Okay, I'll admit to not watching Argo very carefully, so this review will be short and somewhat vague. I had work to do and was multi-tasking, so I probably didn't give this Oscar-winning film the attention it deserved.

 Even saying that, though, I was fairly impressed with it. It was one of those films that didn't have high action, but managed to be suspenseful anyway. It was something that, once in motion, happened too quickly for comfort. Things inevitably went wrong, and bureaucrats tried to shut down the rescue after it was far too late to turn back without loss of life. Because of that, tempers ran high and people got to shout things at their superiors that we all dream of shouting when people are thinking with their arm-hairs rather than their brains.



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The reality of the situation's resolution was bound to be a bit anti-climatic, but the film was made well enough that it still felt deeply satisfying and left you smiling. Lots of Hollywood heavyweights made appearances, sporting both haircuts and clothing styles of bygone eras, making the audience want to throw their heads back and shout, "WHY!!??" Only Ben Affleck manages to pull off his look and still seem hot, but that's just because he's Ben Affleck.

 Clear back when I first saw trailers, the premise made me smile. Not because the true historical situation was amusing, but because once it was declassified, Hollywood jumped at the chance to make a movie where a potential film-making opportunity saved lives. But at no part did this come off as cheesy or as film-makers puffing out their chests. Rather, it was a nod at the creativity of a CIA agent and those willing to work with him to save innocent lives at any cost.

 Lots of language in this film as tensions run high and, let's face it, tongues don't become more saintly as stress rises. (There's just something grin-inducing when Bryan Cranston drops the F-bomb. Couldn't tell you why.) Other than that, there's nothing too explicit in the film--just a few disturbing images and some mild violence.

Thoughts for Thursday


Thoughts for Thursday is a meme hosted by Musings on Fantasia and LKHill.  In this meme, we share thoughts or quotes that we know or have recently come across. Each week there is a specific subject or theme. These can be quotes from books, quotes by famous people, (quotes by YOU, perhaps ;D). Anything from anywhere is game, though we do ask that you keep your quote to a few sentences at most. Don't quote, for example, entire passages of a book or essay. These can be funny quips, cool sayings, hair-raising antidotes, movie lines, any kind of quote you can think of!

Just have fun, collect awesome sayings by awesome people, and try to be inspired!

This week's theme is History!
"A country without a memory is a country of madmen."--George Santayana
"Knowledge of our history is our inheritance. What we do with that knowledge will shape our destinies."--L.K.Hill
"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history."--George Orwell
"There is no history of mankind, there is only an indefinite number of histories of all kinds of aspects of human life."--Karl Popper
"Study the past if you would define the future."--Confucius

What is your favorite history quote? Do you have one to add?

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4 comments :

  1. Alex J. CavanaughMarch 21, 2013 at 8:58 AM

    I thought Argo was well deserving of the Oscar. And I laughed every time they uttered the unofficial tagline.

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  2. LivvyMarch 21, 2013 at 12:44 PM

    Argo sounds like it could be fun and action. Ben Afleck has to be a highlight, although I'm not sure it's my type of film.

    Glad you enjoyed it so much! :)

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  3. Maurice MitchellMarch 21, 2013 at 8:59 PM

    Argo is a fascinating concept for a film

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  4. Livia PetersonMarch 22, 2013 at 7:34 PM

    Argo totally deserved its Oscar. It was an INCREDIBLE film and will continue to watch it in years to come.

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