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Globe winner Jennifer Lawrence), who
lost it after the death of her husband.
Instead of exacerbating each other???s
unhealthy flaws, the relationship
between these two cracked souls heals
both, much to the surprise of everyone,
including Pat???s parents (dual Oscar
nominees Robert De Niro and Animal
Kingdom???s Jacki Weaver). Besides
IHeartHuckabees (which deserves
reevaluation) and Russell???s infamous
tirade, The Fighter, the filmmaker has
one of the strongest filmographies
of any of the acclaimed auteurs first
discovered in the 1990s. Silver Linings
Playbook has an awkward edge???you
keep waiting for Pat and Tiffany???s house
of cards to collapse???that makes
even the smallest successes so much
sweeter.
TAKEN 2 (PG-13) Most movies fail to
encapsulate the description ???unneces
sary sequel??? as perfectly as Taken 2.
(I wish it had had some silly subtitle
like Taken 2: Takenier, but alas.) As a
consequence of the violent methods
he employed to retrieve his kidnapped
daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), in the
first movie, retired CIA operative Bryan
Mills (Liam Neeson), must face off
against the Albanian dad (played by
go-to Eastern European baddie Rade
Serbedzija) of one of the sex traffickers
he killed during his rescue mission.
TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D (R)
Leatherface returns! A young woman
(the gorgeous Alexandra Daddario)
heads to Texas for her inheritance and
runs into the dangerous Sawyer clan
and its chainsaw-wielding, skin-wear
ing man-child. Original Leatherface
Gunnar Hansen and The Devil's Rejects'
Bill Moseley, who played Chop-Top in
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, make
return appearances as Sawyers.
THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN
(NR) 1954. In this classic Best Picture
nominee (and winner of two Academy
Awards), three American secretaries
(Dorothy Maguire, Jean Peters and
Maggie McNamara) make wishes for
love after tossing coins into Trevi foun
tain. The cast includes Clifton Webb,
Louis Jourdan and Rossano Brazzi.
The film???s most lasting contribution
has been the Academy Award winning
song, ???Three Coins in a Fountain.??? The
film is showing as part of the Georgia
Museum of Art???s Americans in Italy
Film Series. (Georgia Museum of Art)
ZERO DARK THIRTY (R) Academy
Award winner Kathryn Bigelow follows
up The Hurt Locker with this controver
sial, excellently crafted military thriller
documenting the decade-long search
for Osama bin Laden. Despite everyone
(I hope) in the audience knowing how
the story ends, Bigelow ratchets up
the tension, as near misses and further
attacks make the search, conducted by
the ferociously single-minded screen
proxy Maya (Jessica Chastain), that
much more desperate.
Drew Wheeler
BEST BAD PLANS
ARGO (R) It's 1979, and the Iranian
Revolution is in full swing. Six Americans are
hiding in the Canadian embassy, and CIA oper
ative Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) devises a way
to free them: pose as a movie big shot, get
into Iran and smuggle out his "crew." Based
on a true story.
it, at least as a director. As an actor, he's
always been a bit of a drip, and really doesn't
improve much here. He, thankfully, doesn't do
anything wrong, either. He's just a blank slate.
Affleck is a much better director, though, and
wisely surrounds himself with a great cast,
allowing everyone in the ensemble to have a
Although Argo was released last October,
recently it has been generating major awards
buzz, especially after winning the Best Motion
Picture Drama prize last week at the Golden
Globes. Is it the best movie of the year? No.
It is, however, one of the most entertaining,
well-acted and suspenseful American political
thrillers in some years. Big Hollywood com
mercial movies like Argo don't get made much
anymore. Back in the 1970s, though, intel
ligent thrillers with great suspense???like Dog
Day Afternoon and Alt the Presidents Men,
etc.)???were easy to find. Blame George Lucas
for ruining the party.
Director/star Affleck immediately pays
homage to that earlier era by using Saul
Bass' memorable red, white and black Warner
Bros, logo from the 1970s. Most people in
the audience won't notice it, but it's a secret
handshake cluing us in that the filmmakers
get it. For the most part, Affleck does get
small moment to shine, particularly Alan Arkin
as Hollywood movie producer Lester Siegel,
Bryan Cranston as Affleck's CIA supervisor Jack
O'Donnell and John Goodman as legendary
special effects makeup artist John Chambers.
Scoot McNairy, who was one of the highlights
in the recent crime movie Killing Them Softly
playing a thief, likewise stands out here as
one of the Americans in Tehran.
Slick, efficient and energetic, Argo is a
reminder that you don't need a bunch of CGI
robots mindlessly stomping each other for
two-and-a-half hours or angry men with guns
pointing them at other angry men with guns
to keep audiences riveted. All you need is a
slow-moving line at the airport, a man with a
fake passport, a suspicious guard and a ring
ing telephone. Your heartbeat will be racing in
no time.
Derek Hill
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