A R G O

    “Some stories are so incredible, they can only be true. Argo is one such story.”

 "Argo" begins in November 1979, when activists, outraged over the US's granting of asylum to the recently deposed Shah of Iran, stormed and captured the US embassy in Tehran, eventually holding 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. The story centers on the extraordinary true story of six American consular employees who were able o flee from the compound, and the efforts of CIA exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez (Affleck) to get them out of the country.

Affleck’s third feature film as a director, Argo, presents this unbelievable hostage rescue mission on screen as a taut, well-paced suspense thriller with so much palpable tension throughout that along with you and the entire audience are on the edge. You know the story but the drama of how it unfolds is of aiming-for-an-Oscar-nod quality. The entire cast is terrific, led by Affleck himself playing Mendez in the movie, but veteran acting legends, John Goodman and Alan Arkin steal the show with their delivery of some of the smartest lines on film this year.

Unarguably, the full credit of one of one of the movies of the year goes to director Affleck, who has transformed himself from Oscar winning screenwriter ( for "Good Will Hunting") to mediocre leading man ("Daredevil", "Gigli") to directorial powerhouse ("The Town", "Gone Baby Gone"). However, "Argo" is an unmitigated triumph. Argo is a ferociously exciting thriller. Yes, it's based on facts. Yes, that's Hollywood code for truth-stretching. But, no, we shouldn't be worried about that, should we?

While his first two films served us notice that Affleck is a director capable of greatness, with “Argo,” he’s gone out and actually achieved it.

Lester Siegel( Alan Arkin) to Tony Mendez ( Affleck): “You want to come into Hollywood and act like a big shot without doing anything?”…..“You’ll fit right in!”

L O O P E R

              Stylish, Smart, Shocking, Sensational and Satisfying

Rian Johnson hits the ball right out the park with an extraordinary time-travel tale, LOOPER. But Looper is more than just a film on time travel. The story unfolds in the first 20 minutes or so and you’re introduced to a world in 2044. It is at this point that you marvel at the level of detailing achieved in writing out a setting of the future. It's a rip-roaring mind-bender that dodges the sci-fi-for-dummies approach (Resident Evil – really?) and hurls us into a world of existential curveballs and long-toss imagination.

It’s not so much the concept of Looper that blows your mind, but the precision and ingenuity of the narrative that impresses you. The ensemble performance is incredible. Willis and Levitt play off one another like they've been doing it for years, supporting roles played by actors big and small make their mark on the film and help the pair stand out, as well. The big surprise may be Emily Blunt. Gordon-Levitt, coming off the back of The Dark Knight Rises and 50/50, caps a terrific 12 months with a performance brimful of maturity. But as is the case with Willis he just loves to bring his A-game to great films. Going from brazen aggressive man to a hopelessly in love man to an insanely desperate man, he holds the film together. At one point he even turns into a terminator wiping out an entire mob a la the solo heroics of John McClane. "Yippee-ki-yay" moment of the film.

Looper is that rare breed of sci-fi films that serves up the right amount of entertainment, with the right level of intelligence. It’s almost like an equation that balances itself out, like a marvel of science and creativity. This movie is difficult to discuss without spoiling the big twists, as they are really what makes it soar. Suffice to say, this is a film that almost requires multiple viewings — not because it doesn't make sense or leave an impact the first time, instead precisely because of the impact it leaves. Go and grab it, before all the loops get closed.

PS: If you want to change the future, change the present.

Tip: Avoid impatient people while going for this movie. It will test your patience in initial half an hour. But, the wait is totally worth.