I Went to a Movie Instead of Watching the Giant's Win the World Series

I went with a longer blog title today but it's something I'm not ashamed to admit. I can't watch 9 innings of baseball unless I'm actually at the game. Baseball is boring. But do I wish I had then gone out for the celebrating and rioting? Oh yes, crazy drunk people are indeed the best part of sports. I like going to day games for baseball because it makes it completely fine to be drunk by noon, sitting outside in the sun. Now that is America's past time.

Anyway, the movie I went to see was "Argo," which has been recommended to me by several friends. Not just any friends but the type of friends where I value their taste and opinions. I enjoy movies rooted in actually history, so this was right up my alley. The movie centers around the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, where a U.S. embassy was taken over in Tehran as a protest to the U.S. harboring their deposed Shah. Everything I've read makes a very clear point to call our that this is "loosely based" on the events that happened surrounding the crisis. If you want specifics on where Hollywood decided to get creative, check out the movie's Wikipedia page. The plot focuses on the CIA's undercover operation to extract 6 embassy employees who escape the raid on the embassy. The title pays homage to the America spy's cover, a casting director for a new sci-fi movie, Argo. Best line of the movie: "Arg go fuck yourself."

The movie is directed by Ben Affleck (who also stars in it). I think people sometimes people forget that Affleck has legitimate film chops, after making a series of movie like "Jersey Girl," "Gigli" and "Daredevil". In the 90s, he appeared on the scene acting in cult movies like Mall Rats and Dazed and Confused. He hit it big when he co-wrote and acted in "Good Will Hunting." He also wrote "The Town," which I actually liked. He co-wrote and co-directed the great film "Gone Baby Gone" which his genius little brother Casey Affleck. One of  the "Argo" producers is George Clooney, so you know the film is going to have some not-so-subtle political moral of the story.

With the clout of Clooney and Affleck, they were able to score some great actors for this film. Highlights include Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, Victor Garber (who walked Affleck's wife Jennifer Garner down the aisle when they got married) and Tate Donovan. However, John Goodman really steals the show. With all the reviews he's getting about his performance I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a Best Supporting Actor nomination out of it. I definitely recommend seeing this movie in theaters.