Argo: The Declassified Extended Edition (Blu-ray+Digital HD)

I love this movie!It is so refreshing to see movies like this. There are so many amazing real events out there and yet Hollywood continues to recycle mindless drivel. Argo is a welcomed departure from the idiocy that Hollywood routinely churns out. It proves they can make good movies if they want to.Argo provides all the key elements to a great movie. Character development, plot, setting, good cinematography without endless special effects. And on top of that, there’s some history, a theme, and a clear storyline that moves the viewer along.So, if you’re done with over-the-top action movies that are nothing more than a string of explosions, car chases and shootouts, this movie may be for you. If you’re an adult that grew out of comic books when you were 12, you may like this movie. If you have no desire to be subjected to the latest barrage of woke Hollywood lecturing and want entertainment with a historical connection – Argo is for you.

Hollywood did itself proud to award this perfectly-crafted thriller the Academy Award for 2012. It's guaranteed to have you at seat's edge, so knotted up that you'll be constantly looking at your watch not out of boredom but to be assured that the unbearable tension can't go on forever.Graham Greene was a writer who distinguished between his deep, soul-searching works and his who-dunnit-style mysteries, calling the former "literature" and the latter "entertainments." "Argo" definitely shines as a stellar example of the latter. Unlike the socio-theological examination of life that we get from "There Will Be Blood" or "No Country for Old Men" (or, for that matter, Shakespeare's tragedies), "Argo" pieces together an historical moment with such resourceful precision that we can only marvel at the craft of the director, which manifests a restraint, patience and attention to detail comparable to that of the Iranian children whom we witness piecing together the evidence of what we're seeing from the thousands of strips that have been confiscated from the overrun American Embassy.In the script John Goodman, while helping Affleck construct the ruse that will permit him to free six Americans, calls directors stupid know-nothings, assuring Affleck that the American posing as a director has the easiest role of all. At the end of the film, when the plane is finally off the ground, that individual playing a film director approaches the real director, Affleck, and extends his hand as a gesture of thanks and admiration. As viewers we might do the same. However it was done, "Argo" is at once a delicate balance and an infinitely complex mosaic of small pieces. Yet, in the grand Hitchcock manner, nothing is wasted, nothing is gratuitous. Every piece fits so well that for two hours we return to a moment in Iran in 1979. If we leave the theater none the wiser, we also leave it marveling at where we have just been and what we have just seen. Acting, spectacle, film scoring--all of these components of a movie are strangely irrelevant in "Argo." All we're left with is the film. There is absolutely no room for clutter.We knew going in that Jason's journey was sheer fantasy and that the movie within the movie ("Argo") was a sheer ruse. Yet we need no convincing that the "Argo" we've just experienced was as real and believable as a film can be. If Affleck's Argo played somewhat loose with the facts, it proves no less compelling than the mythological Argo--or the deception that proved successful to the mission. In fact, the film succeeds because of the believability of 3 Argo's: the mythological story that has captivated readers for many centuries; the film fantasy concocted to contrive a release of the prisoners; the film we have just viewed and experienced for two breathless hours.There are three definitions of film that in my experience account for the compelling power of this art form to strike the sparks of truth from the stuff of imagination. Orson Welles' "Ribbon of Dreams" is not nearly as flimsy and fantastical as it may initially appear. From the scenario proposed by Affleck's character to the blocking out of characters and action, the entire project hung explicitly on cinema's hold on the imagination, its power to engage the viewer in a willing suspension of disbelief no less "real" than the most vivid dream or nightmare. Second is Jean Luc Godard's definition, "film is truth 24 times a second," reminding us that film in our post-Einstein quantum-mechanical world of the "dynamic" comes closer to representing a reality that is always changing, capturing our present experience more accurately than any form that restricts meaning to a "Bergsonian, knife-edge instant."But it finally is Siegfried Krackauer's definition of film that brings to film its moral compass while emphasizing the awesome responsibility of the filmmaker. At its best, film has the potential, beyond any other visual form, of being a "redemption of physical reality." The very last words of the film, some of the first from a recognizable public figure, are those of Jimmy Carter, who validates all that we have just seen, providing that final piece of evidence (while satisfying Krackhauer's requirement) that we need to make Argo more than a myth, a story, even a movie. It's an historical experience, one that has been saved from all the competing "noise" in politics, war and history to resonate in our imaginations long beyond the lives of any of its participants, creators, and possibly even later participants.Post-script: seeing "Argo" during the Easter season and in view of Krackauer's contention, I couldn't help but muse over film's redemptive quality in relation to the Incarnation and Resurrection. Conclusion: film can preserve the miracle of the Incarnation, representing figures who appear to represent a supernatural, or spiritual, ancestry. It cannot however work in the reverse direction, however, suspending the physical and temporal world of experience for the sake of representing the supernatural. The same lens that verifies the fleshliness of the spiritual is powerless to demonstrate the spiritual component of the physical world. In fact, there is no film director, no medium, no church, no creed, no book, no tradition capable of making the case for the divine in the material world. As Tennyson puts in, "There lives more faith in honest doubt than in half the creeds." Proof of the resurrection, in fact, demands doubt in the evidence of the eye, the ear, the mind--with respect to the existence of the divine the material world is a dark veil of ignorance penetrable only by the individual's spiritual eye of belief.

Outstanding movie -- keep us in suspense throughout. Excellent script and incredible story. Ben Affleck was amazing as lead actor and director. The movie is as relevant now as when it was first released. I promise you that you will be moved and inspired by this film.

Such a great, suspenseful movie. Based on a true story. John Goodman is great as is Ben.

Most people, myself included, really enjoyed "Argo". If you don't already own the film, this Extended Edition might be the way to go. But if you already own the original blu-ray release, then is it worth an upgrade? Well, hopefully the details below will help you make a decision.Included on the blu-rays:- Theatrical Edition of the movie- Extended Edition of the movie (an extra 10 minutes added to the film)- 3 New Special Features + all the special features from the previous blu-ray releaseIncluded in the box set:- 40-page book premium featuring behind the scenes photos, production notes, bios and more- Argo One-Sheet Poster (you know they are going to fold it to fit it in the box, so it will have creases right down the middle)- Map of Tehran movie locations (14" x 20")- Reproduction of Tony Mendez's CIA ID cardSo if you enjoyed the movie, then you might want to consider picking this up. I'm interested in seeing if the extra 10 minutes of footage improves the film (not that it needs improvement); and with three all-new special features and the book/memorabilia from the film, this set might be worth it.********FULL LIST OF SPECIAL FEATURES:Brand New Features (exclusive to this blu-ray set):1. Argo Declassified - Tony Mendez's daring operation gets honored as part of the CIA's 50th anniversary2. Ben Affleck's Balancing Act - Balancing humor, politics, Hollywood and international intrigue as only Affleck and his team could do3. Argo F*** Yourself - Ben Affleck leads an all-star review of Argo's classic lineAdditional Features (from the old blu-ray release):4. Picture in Picture: Eyewitness 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.5. Feature length audio commentary with director Ben Affleck and writer Chris Terrio6. Rescued from Tehran: We Were There - President Jimmy Carter, Tony Mendez and the actual houseguests recount the real-life harrowing experience they endured.7. 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.8. 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.9. 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.10. Tony Mendez on Tony Mendez - Former CIA agent Tony Mendez shares additional details and stories from the mission11. A Discussion with the Cast of Argo - Ben Affleck joins Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Clea Duvall and Rory Cochrane for a live conversation about their experiences while making Argo12. The Istanbul Journey - Ben Affleck shows us why Istanbul was the ideal place to shoot Argo