Reviews

Title: Argo (2012)

With the recent tension between America and Iran, there has been renewed interest in this movie -- for a good reason. In a nutshell this is a real movie based off a fake movie that was used in a real life military operation to rescue American Hostages in 1979.

The first 15 minutes of this film is electrifying and the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat for the whole ride. With few options in an exceptionally trying situation, CIA agent Tony Mendez proposed a dangerous plan; create a fake Canadian film project and hope the confusion ultimately masks the identity of the 6 American hostages in an effort to bring them back to their homeland. The acting and flow of the movie is extraordinary as it shows how truly terrifying and bizzare of a situation it really was.

The only complaint I have about the entire movie is the airport scene. I have a hard time believing that Military/airport security officers would fall for such a measly plan; to distract them with fake storyboards from a fake movie. As much as I love movies, I'm not sure military officers in a hostile situation would feel the same way.

Title: The Irishman (2019)

Scorsese's return to Mafialand, is an ultimate slow burn that lasts around 3.5 hours. Scorsese finds himself in familiar territory in this organized crime flick that is led by a hall of fame cast: De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino. This masterpiece of a movie has a very interesting take on the Jimmy Hoffa story -- which is just one of several theories of what might have happened in the real life events of the late 70s/early 80s.

The movie is seen from Frank Sheeran's eyes, a truck driver who got involved with Russell Bufalino and the midwestern organized crime outfit. Sheeran ultimately proves to be a rising star in the crime family and somewhat surprisingly finds his way to the top as the family's top hit man. The narration of this story is particularly interesting when you consider the fact that the latter half of the movie is about Sheeran himself recalling events that allude to his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa, who was widely considered Sheeran's best friend at one time.

The Special effects in this movie were phenomenal. The de-aging technology paired with the strong acting from this timeless trio is amazing to see. While it is a bit uncanny to see fresh faces on these three men now in their 70s, the battle had just begun for the producers. They were faced with making the three men look 20-30 years younger in the majority of the movie and then allowing some of their advanced age to show as the scenes cut back to "present day". All in all, these effects were a nice modern touch on an old-school masterpiece.

I think the only bad thing I can say about this movie is that compared to its predecessor Goodfellas, the crime itself (which is largely true) is just not as interesting. Despite a bunch of small crimes and one-off hit scenes the macro story focuses on stealing steaks. They do a good job of building off of it but steaks aren't as inherently fun as casinos and inside mob stories. All things considered, this is a fantastic movie that can't help but seem like a goodbye from 3 of the greatest actors in Mob movie history. Grade A-

**Best movie of the summer**

Title: Once upon a time in Hollywood (2019)

Quentin Tarantino really stepped out of his comfort zone to deliver a film with less glam than usual. This movie pays homage to 1960's Hollywood known as the Golden era. It's essentially a story of a washed up actor, staring down the barrel at middle age, trying to keep up with the changing times in Hollywood and in pop culture. Dicaprio and Pitt are proving to be ageless wonders, as they both did outstanding jobs at playing less familiar roles. The movie has a unique spin on the Sharon Tate saga that ultimately proved to be a defining moment in the decade. The ending of the movie is surprisingly bloody but delivers an unforgettable sequence; this time ending in the way everyone wishes it would have the first go around. The only downside to this movie is that between the story of the aging Rick Dalton and the cut scenes to the Sharon Tate build up, this movie is essentially a movie without a plot. However, the way Tarantino was able to intertwine historical moments (some haunted by the ghosts of real life events) with movie lore, makes for ultra-entertaining flick that is different from most movies you see in today's age. Although the movie was met with mixed critic reviews and was certainly an experiment for Tarantino... I think it was the best movie of the summer and is worth the watch for most crowds.

12 Angry Men is essentially a wordy film that epitomizes civic duty. Director Sidney Lumet does a phenomenal job at taking a script with 12 average looking men that hardly ever leave one room and creating a startlingly moving picture. The movie is shot entirely in black and white, which in my opinion, plays a positive role in highlighting the amazing dialogue.

Henry Fonda leads a troupe of men serving their jury duty down a truly thought provoking rabbit-hole that ultimately tries to determine if the young man on trial is guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt". The intense dialogue in the movie brings to light an often forgotten subject that is just as prevalent in real life as in the movie - the art of arguing.

My only knock on the movie is the slight far-fetched detective skills of Fonda himself. His Sherlock Holmes' like nose for detail is the only way to make the movie work but I must say that he points out/recalls some flat out miraculous details hours after a brief hearing.

The bottom line is that despite this movie's age, it still provides a relevant perspective of the American jury system - and many of its flaws.

This is one of those movies that uses top of the line production and a sky-high budget to mask an average-at-best storyline. Now before I say any more, Joaquin Phoenix did a phenomenal job here and absolutely destroyed the role of the joker. But that is where the problems began -- the role of the joker. Most people know that this movie is the prelude to the modern joker (Suicide Squad, Dark Knight, etc..) but the delivery of the storyline starts to drag out about halfway through the movie. The movie is a true slow burn that sort of glosses over a major storyline of Thomas Wayne; the joker and batman are seemingly half-brothers now. This was a half-baked attempt to leave the franchise wide open. All in all, the Joker's disturbing personality and the mental health implications make this movie worth seeing. But with all the hype surrounding the movie, I was mildly dissapointed.