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Argo

post #1 of 34
12/4/12 at 4:40pm
Thread Starter 




Febuary 19th USA
March 4th UK
Quote:
Eye Witness Account - Relive the takeover of the US Embassy in November of 1979 and the daring rescue mission in January of 1980 through the eyes of those that lived it.
Audio Commentary
Rescued from Tehran: We Were There - President Jimmy Carter, Tony Mendez and the actual house guests recount the real-life harrowing experience they endured.
Argo: Absolute Authenticity - From characters to heart-stopping action, Ben Affleck's eye and ear for hard-hitting realism and attention to exacting detail has become his signature as an A-list filmmaker.
Argo: The CIA & Hollywood Connection - Director Ben Affleck and former CIA agent Tony Mendez give a firsthand view of the actual documents and cover story used to create the phony movie Argo that had all of Hollywood believing in.
Escape from Iran: The Hollywood Option - Escape From Iran commemorates the 25th anniversary of the "Canadian Caper," taking us back to this startling affair through the direct testimony of the Americans who found sanctuary at the Canadian embassy in Tehran, and the Canadians who risked their own safety to shelter their closest neighbors
UltraViolet

Film of the year for me and 100% a must buy.
Edited by dvdmike007 - 12/21/12 at 11:40am
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post #2 of 34
12/6/12 at 6:44am
Fantastic film. Manages to be deadly serious and utterly goofy at the same time. One hell of a thriller, and a time capsule. Argo Fck Yourself.
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post #3 of 34
12/18/12 at 4:08pm
Thread Starter 
Extras and UK date updated
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post #4 of 34
2/19/13 at 10:24pm
Ben Affleck is one wooden, expressionless actor biggrin.gif. Kinda slow moving...I'll probably enjoy the included documentaries of true events more than the film.
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post #5 of 34
2/20/13 at 6:43am
Absolutely one of my favorites of a young 2013. Immeasurably tense finale made all the better by the lack of certainty elsewhere. Loved the hard contrasts between the fun Hollywood stuff and heavy embassy material too. It's made all the better by the lack of any heavy media coverage when this became declassified, so for a lot of people, most of this stuff is unknown. My review of the Blu-ray:

http://www.doblu.com/2013/02/20/argo-bluray-review/
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post #6 of 34
2/20/13 at 7:37am
I'm not sure how it's going to do against the other Oscar-bait contenders, but I'd love to see Argo take best picture. It would feel right. Hollywood makes so much cowardly, derivative crap that Argo is refreshing in its originality.
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post #7 of 34
2/20/13 at 9:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_R_STL View Post

I'm not sure how it's going to do against the other Oscar-bait contenders, but I'd love to see Argo take best picture. It would feel right. Hollywood makes so much cowardly, derivative crap that Argo is refreshing in its originality.

I haven't seen Lincoln yet, but personally, Argo is a far more interesting slice of history to me because no one really knows the story, so I can agree on that count. As far as filmmaking goes, it's still a toss up.
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post #8 of 34
2/20/13 at 11:16am
The documentary in the extras is more interesting than the movie biggrin.gif. With the hostage situation, the Iranian revolution to overthrow the Sha, they do a movie on this dull side tangent. Affleck's stone faced performance didn't help matters either smile.gif.

Got interesting at the VERY end. Speaking of which...
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
...the escaped Americans on the plane leaving Iran are awefully LUCKY that the Iranians didn't use RPGs or surface to air missiles...this leads me to believe that either the Iranians showed restraint because of the international ramifications, or this was an over dramatization of the story. The afghanies didn't get these weapons until the US gave to them in the late 70's to fight the Russian aircraft, but surely a country as rich as Iran had them.

The documentaries are worth the disc, even if the feature film is a cure for insomnia.
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post #9 of 34
2/20/13 at 12:44pm
Definitely an intense, nail-biting thriller that was more about a situation than any one person. The brilliance of it lies in its ability to contrast suspense with satire, something many films attempt, but few pull off well. So as always, a great movie starts with a great script. Affleck was fantastic in this, particularly in his interactions with his son, but he really conveyed the pressure that Mendez was under, both externally and internally.
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post #10 of 34
2/20/13 at 1:24pm
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
...the escaped Americans on the plane leaving Iran are awefully LUCKY that the Iranians didn't use RPGs or surface to air missiles...this leads me to believe that either the Iranians showed restraint because of the international ramifications, or this was an over dramatization of the story. The afghanies didn't get these weapons until the US gave to them in the late 70's to fight the Russian aircraft, but surely a country as rich as Iran had them.

In reality...
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
...the Americans got out just fine. None of the airport drama happened - they got on a plane and left.
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post #11 of 34
2/20/13 at 1:40pm
LOL, I figured that smile.gif!
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Any militia worth their salt and that close within RPG range would have attempted to shoot that plane down. Those Americans were way too important to stand there and watch them fly away. First of all, they kept the US and Britain from nuking the whole nation, and they were the only bargaining chip they had to bring the Share back to Iran for execution.The Iranians woyld have wanted to send a message that they are willing to kill the hostages if they dont get the Sha.

Now that I think about it, a similar hostage rescue occurred in Columbia (?). The government forces disguised themselves as the media and aid workers to trick the guerrillas. Gave the guerrillas sodas and food while they loaded the hostages in the chopper smile.gif. Once in the sky, they overpowered the 2 guerrillas that got in the chopper to go with them.
Edited by AndreHD - 2/20/13 at 2:52pm
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post #12 of 34
2/21/13 at 11:08am
If you'd look at the blu ray and standard DVD boxes, you'll notice that affleck has this same blank, emotionless look on his face?

He maintains that VERY same spaced out look the ENTIRE 2 hour movie biggrin.gif! No matter the levels of tension going on AROUND him biggrin.gif! Its like he got caught in that blizzard in Boston a couple of weeks ago and his face was permanently frozen in that expression biggrin.gif!

No way he wins a best actor award! Anybody can stand out in a 5 degree blizzard for an hour with their face exposed, and render thr same performance biggrin.gif!
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post #13 of 34
2/21/13 at 1:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreHD View Post

No way he wins a best actor award!

But he should have been nominated for Best Director. And I also like him as an actor but I guess that's irrelevant at this point wink.gif ...I agree though, he might not be oscarworthy, but he is, imo, a decent actor, in the true sense of the term.
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post #14 of 34
2/21/13 at 6:53pm
I saw Argo in the theater the week it was released and loved it. 10 Stars out of 10. For obvious reasons, I bought the Argo BD, watched it tonight, and was blown away again. My only regret was that I couldn't have given it a vote of 11 Stars out of 10.smile.gif

Ben Affleck, like Clint Eastwood, is a mediocre actor, who has made a living in front of the camera mostly because of his looks. So what, though? In my estimation, Affleck, like Eastwood before him, has moved into the front rank of directors. Even Affleck's acting, although not great, is never really bad. On fact, I thought his performance in Argo was just fine.

The film looked great and sounded just fine, too. The audio, while a bit lacking in LFE, was solid.
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post #15 of 34
2/21/13 at 6:58pm
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Originally Posted by Morpheo View Post

But he should have been nominated for Best Director. And I also like him as an actor but I guess that's irrelevant at this point wink.gif ...I agree though, he might not be oscarworthy, but he is, imo, a decent actor, in the true sense of the term.

I posted before I read your post but so strongly agree with you I'm going to post again. The Academy's failure to nominate Affleck for Best Director showed bad judgment, which should embarrass them but probably won't. As I said in the poll for Best Film thread, I think Argo should win the Best Picture Oscar.
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post #16 of 34
2/22/13 at 12:32pm
I rented on Vudu last night in 480p – I recall the hostage crisis as a kid; how many days every night on rabbit ears. I believed the lamest resolution possible would convey the story best – true to the period. LOL (I’ve gone way over budget on movies this month – WAY over) There actually was what appeared to be a lot of old stock television footage used from the period too. I was just curious what people had to say about the Blu-ray.

I wouldn’t be too hard on his acting – the character seemed like he needed to be unphased by the intensity of the situation as if that was situation normal for him; Mr. CIA Operative or whatever. He gave in a few times and properly expressed the emotion of relief, etc. when I would have believed the character needed to do so or it was appropriate for the situation.

It was a nail biter though. I was holding my breath to the end even though you know it all worked out. I happened to see President Carter on Piers Morgan directly after and he basically said the movie was like only 80% correct true to life or something – the Canadian Ambassador? Was the real orchestrator of the operation or something. IDK I was almost asleep when it aired. He added a lot of detail that I didn’t realize – that the hostages were what cost him the election in his opinion and despite him negotiating their release they held them until like the day after President Regan took his Oath, but Regan let him greet them upon release, etc. Interesting.
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post #17 of 34
2/22/13 at 1:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fastfwd View Post

I rented on Vudu last night in 480p – I recall the hostage crisis as a kid; how many days every night on rabbit ears. I believed the lamest resolution possible would convey the story best – true to the period. LOL (I’ve gone way over budget on movies this month – WAY over) There actually was what appeared to be a lot of old stock television footage used from the period too. I was just curious what people had to say about the Blu-ray.

I wouldn’t be too hard on his acting – the character seemed like he needed to be unphased by the intensity of the situation as if that was situation normal for him; Mr. CIA Operative or whatever. He gave in a few times and properly expressed the emotion of relief, etc. when I would have believed the character needed to do so or it was appropriate for the situation.

It was a nail biter though. I was holding my breath to the end even though you know it all worked out. I happened to see President Carter on Piers Morgan directly after and he basically said the movie was like only 80% correct true to life or something – the Canadian Ambassador? Was the real orchestrator of the operation or something. IDK I was almost asleep when it aired. He added a lot of detail that I didn’t realize – that the hostages were what cost him the election in his opinion and despite him negotiating their release they held them until like the day after President Regan took his Oath, but Regan let him greet them upon release, etc. Interesting.

Jimmy Carter was a one term president for a lot of reasons. Not only did the interminable Iran hostage crisis make him look ineffectual, he was also cursed with a bad economy, soaring interest rates, and raging inflation. His opponents called his problems with inflation and interest rates, "the misery index." Worst of all, Carter was up against an incredibly charming and articulate opponent, Ronald Reagan. There's some truth to the saying, that in order to be great a president he must first be lucky, To say the least, Carter wasn't very lucky.

I think Ben Affleck was unfairly criticized for his performance as Tony Mendez. First, he was exactly the right age, 39, and the beard Affleck wore in the film made his appearance remarkably similar to the way Mendez looked in 1979. When the credits ran, the ID card photos of Mendez, the six Hollywood guys who helped him put together the movie scam, and the six Americans who Mendez succeeded in getting out of Iraq were shown next to photos of the actors who played each real party. The similarity between the ID card photos and the pictures of the actors was startling.
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post #18 of 34
2/22/13 at 1:27pm
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Originally Posted by gwsat View Post

Jimmy Carter was a one term president for a lot of reasons. Not only did the interminable Iran hostage crisis make him look ineffectual, he was also cursed with a bad economy, soaring interest rates, and raging inflation. His opponents called his problems with inflation and interest rates, "the misery index." Worst of all, Carter was up against an incredibly charming and articulate opponent, Ronald Reagan. There's some truth to the saying, that in order to be great a president he must first be lucky, To say the least, Carter wasn't very lucky.
+1
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post #19 of 34
2/22/13 at 6:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gwsat View Post

Jimmy Carter was a one term president for a lot of reasons. Not only did the interminable Iran hostage crisis make him look ineffectual, he was also cursed with a bad economy, soaring interest rates, and raging inflation. His opponents called his problems with inflation and interest rates, "the misery index." Worst of all, Carter was up against an incredibly charming and articulate opponent, Ronald Reagan. There's some truth to the saying, that in order to be great a president he must first be lucky, To say the least, Carter wasn't very lucky.

I think Ben Affleck was unfairly criticized for his performance as Tony Mendez. First, he was exactly the right age, 39, and the beard Affleck wore in the film made his appearance remarkably similar to the way Mendez looked in 1979. When the credits ran, the ID card photos of Mendez, the six Hollywood guys who helped him put together the movie scam, and the six Americans who Mendez succeeded in getting out of Iraq were shown next to photos of the actors who played each real party. The similarity between the ID card photos and the pictures of the actors was startling.

Well, to hear him tell it the hostage crisis lost him the election anyway. I seem to recall a number of issues from that timeframe even though I was a fairly young child then. The lines for gas, etc. The insight he provided to the story the movie was based on was more the point of it really.
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post #20 of 34
2/22/13 at 11:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fastfwd View Post

Well, to hear him tell it the hostage crisis lost him the election anyway. I seem to recall a number of issues from that timeframe even though I was a fairly young child then. The lines for gas, etc. The insight he provided to the story the movie was based on was more the point of it really.
In spite of everything, I DO remember those days reasonable well...particularly drunkenly siphoning gas in the middle of the night.wink.gif
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post #21 of 34
2/24/13 at 9:00am
Watched ''Argo' after hearing all the buzz... slow and drawn out. Don't see what the buzz is all about... particularly since the ending is well known.

The story line was compelling but I thought the pacing was slow. I think Affleck didn't get the Director' nomination precisely for some of the problems with how he directed this film (e.g. pacing). Moreover, there were no real gripping moments or pay off conclusion. The escape on the plane lacked the absolute terror that I am sure the escapees were feeling. It just didn't translate to me. The tension seemingly could've been amped up with this story line. To me, it was a good story but average movie making.
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post #22 of 34
2/24/13 at 10:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fastfwd View Post

Well, to hear him tell it the hostage crisis lost him the election anyway. I seem to recall a number of issues from that timeframe even though I was a fairly young child then. The lines for gas, etc. The insight he provided to the story the movie was based on was more the point of it really.

I was just out of High School when all this played out. The gas lines and escalating prices, especially the "odd / even" days depending on your license plate number made for massive lines at stations and the incessant rumors you'd hear on the news (gas trucks seen dumping gas in the desert, etc) made for some strange times. I do think the botched hostage rescue played a major role in Carter losing a 2nd term - he was really seen as an utterly ineffective President.

As for Argo itself, it's a good movie but I'm rather bemused at all the hype it gets. It isn't *that* good of a movie and the historical resolution of the story renders any pumped up suspense at the end rather moot - it's kind of like "Apollo 13" ... you know the astronauts made it back to Earth.
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post #23 of 34
2/24/13 at 10:57pm
Looks like I got my wish: Argo took the Oscar for best picture tonight. Affleck seems pleased. I think he'll get over not being nominated for best director.

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post #24 of 34
2/25/13 at 6:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_R_STL View Post

Looks like I got my wish: Argo took the Oscar for best picture tonight. Affleck seems pleased. I think he'll get over not being nominated for best director.


He was anything but expressionless when they announced it. LOL It was touching to see him be so moved by winning.
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post #25 of 34
2/25/13 at 6:22am
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Originally Posted by Fastfwd View Post

It was touching to see him be so moved by winning.

That was great and he deserved it imo. I liked his speech.
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post #26 of 34
2/25/13 at 8:16am
Not only did I think Argo was a deserving Best Picture Oscar winner, I loved it that the Academy, by giving the Oscar to Argo, repudiated the Director's Guild for its stupidity in passing over Ben Affleck for a Best Director nomination. When Ang Lee's name was announced as the winner of the Best Director Oscar, I ground my teeth. It seemed to me that there were at least five other films nominated for best picture, most of which weren't nominated for Best Director, which had better direction than Ang Lee's Life of Pi. In addition to Argo I thought that Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained, and Les Miserables all had better directing than Life of PI. When Argo was announced as the winner of the Best Picture Oscar, I cheered. I hope the Director's Guild has the wit to be embarrassed by all of this but somehow I doubt it.
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post #27 of 34
2/25/13 at 8:54am
Though, IMHO "Argo" was not the "best" movie on that list of films. It was a really good film, to be sure, but it just wasn't Best Picture material. Little by little, Ben is growing in his directing talents. Not trying to take anything away from him in that regard.

Gotta give props to Bryan Cranston. He's great in everything he does (even in short cameo rolls) and is waaaaaaaay underutilized in film. A funny guy too.
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post #28 of 34
2/25/13 at 9:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Hitchman View Post

Though, IMHO "Argo" was not the "best" movie on that list of films. It was a really good film, to be sure, but it just wasn't Best Picture material. Little by little, Ben is growing in his directing talents. Not trying to take anything away from him in that regard.

Gotta give props to Bryan Cranston. He's great in everything he does (even in short cameo rolls) and is waaaaaaaay underutilized in film. A funny guy too.

Glad you mentioned Bryan Cranston's performance in Argo. His presence there was just one more indication of Affleck's genius as a director. He has a seemingly unerring talent for picking the perfect actor for the perfect role and bringing out that actor's best. Quentin Tarantino has the same kind of skill, for which Christoph Waltz should be eternally grateful.smile.gif

Back to Argo, I thought that John Goodman was great as a genius makeup man. In fact, Goodman looked eerily like the real life Hollywood guy he portrayed.
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post #29 of 34
2/25/13 at 3:45pm
Argo 'Extended Cut'

Warner Germany announced a 9 minutes longer extended cut.
The Disc contains also the theatrical cut.

Theatrical Cut: 120 Min.
Extended Cut: 129 Min.
http://www.areadvd.de/news/2013/02/25/warner-argo-als-extended-cut-auf-blu-ray-disc/
http://www.bluray-disc.de/blu-ray-news/filme/42866-warner-spendiert-oscar-gewinner-argo-einen-extended-cut-exklusiv-auf-blu-ray-disc
www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00A696AKE
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post #30 of 34
2/26/13 at 3:56pm
Region-locked or no? (I can't read German)
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