Argo

Starring: Ben Affleck, John Goodman
Director: Ben Affleck
Rating: ●●●●○

Great movie. Let's start with this.
I was looking forward to see Argo and it did not disappoint me.
Argo is based on a true story about the American embassy in Iran being raided in 1979.
Ben Affleck plays a secret agent who has the duty to rescue some of the american diplomats.
While watching the movie, I was thinking how different this secret agent is compared to the imaginary 007 action hero character in Skyfall.
But this also a movie about making a movie, a science fiction one, so trendy in 1979, just like people smoking on airplanes, big glasses, mustaches, and Dire Straits and Van Halen.
Ben Affleck does a great job not just as an actor but he is starting to build a credibility as film maker after The Town.
Argo has the right pace, not too fast, not too slow building the right tension up to the end.
Well done.
Recommended.

Untouchable

Starring: François Cluzet, Omar Sy
Director: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
Rating: ●●●●○

Today I will be talking about Untouchable, a French movie released originally in 2011 but in the UK only recently. The movie is still actually in the cinemas and for this reason I want to invite people to see it if they have a chance.
At first I was in doubt, it did not seem my favourite type of movie.
Then, having been told it was really worthwhile, I gave it a go.
And yes, Untouchable is a very good movie.
It is a story of a friendship between a man left paralyzed by an accident and its unwilling caretaker, but also the relationship between 2 world apart, rich and poor, black and white, central Paris and Banlieues, classical music and funky music.
The thing that I liked the most is the light hearted atmosphere, funny even, and also moving. It give me emotions leaving pain and compassion out. This made me love this movie.
By the way, this movie based on a true story.

Looper

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt
Director: Rian Johnson
Rating: ●●●●○

I approached this movie with bit of care... when was the last time I saw a movie worth watching staring Bruce Willis? Well, this surely is.
The story is too complicated to summarize here, without spoiling it. But let's say that it could vaguely remind of Terminator... people travelling back in time trying to change the future.
But Looper is much darker.
In this movie there is no hero, no hope, no one fighting for a good cause.
The story is set in 2044 when the world is in the hand of organised crime for which the main character, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (a younger De Niro look alike), works for as a killer. But the killer routine stops when Bruce Willis appears...

How much do you allow your past to destroy your future?

I don't want to disclose anything more... be prepared to be surprised.
I really suggest this one, though it is violent and dark... not your average Hollywood movie.
Mindblowing.

Worth mentioning the talented director Rian Johnson (Brick, Blood Brothers) who also wrote the movie, and Emily Blunt who diguises her SW London origins playing the American country woman.

Skyfall

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench
Director: Sam Mendes
Rating: ●●○○○

What better way to re-start the 7th art blog than reviewing Skyfall, a movie promoted none the less by HM the Queen of England.
Let's go straight to the point: is all the hype worth? Depends how much of a 007 fan you are.
If when asked your name you answer "Smith, Paul Smith" then you will find here the car chases (at the beginning), the impeccable suits, the exotic locations, the also exotic women, you will even find the Aston Martin DB5 used in Goldfinger, and most of all the great opening song sang by Adele.
Basically all you expect from this modern age British hero. Maybe that's why Metro in the UK rates this movie with 5 stars (as a masterpiece).

But if you are just a normal viewer like me, what do you get out of this movie?
Well, not much frankly. One scene probably describes all my perplexity and it's the opening chasing scene. The chase ends with Bond being shot, falling from a very tall bridge in the water, his body dragged in a water fall... and yes, he survives.
As he does later on after falling in a frozen lake and fighting underwater for a minute. If this is the case, than let's just say he is an X-man and next time let's have him defeat the evil using magnetic brain powers or laser beams flashing from the eyes.
The action scenes (of the kind described above) are 80% of this movie, but what about the other 20%? Not much. The plot has gaps all over. You keep thinking "why is he doing this?", but then you realize that this has to be, so you give up asking yourself stupid questions.

There is actually one thing very good about this movie, and it's Javier Bardem's interpretation of the villain, crazy, clever, disturbed and mad. But from a guy who won best actor in Cannes, Venice and the Oscar, you cannot expect less. And yes, the song by Adele.