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Issue 44 2012

Monthly newspaper and online publication targeting 18 to 35 year olds. The ultimate guide to the hottest parties, going out and having fun. Music, fashion, film, travel, festivals, technology, comedy, and parties! London, Barcelona, Miami and Ibiza.

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Issue 44 / 2012 www.guestlist.netFILM 15 7 The word 'comeback' may be synonymous with such stars as Cher, John Travolta and, perhaps most recently, Robert Downey Jr., but Ben Affleck's transformation from pop culture punchline to critically acclaimed writer/director has been quite the success story. ARGO Behind it all, of course, is an undeniable talent for searing dramas such as Gone Baby Gone but also lighter, quirkier works like Argo – a highly embellished account of what we doubt is even one of the strangest stories in CIA history. Focusing on a hostage takeover during the 1979 Iranian revolution, Argo may wear a coat of red, white and blue gloss, but it's diffusing humour and likeable cast keep things grounded. Affleck stars as Tony Mendez, a CIA specialist who hatches a devastatingly clever plan to save six escaped hostages, now in hiding at the Canadian embassy. Inspired by a brief glimpse at Battle for Planet of the Apes, Mendez hooks up with the film's make-up artist John Chambers (John Goodman) to concoct a fake science fiction movie with just enough plausibility to stage a shoot in Iran, saving their captives in the process. But what begins as a white lie is soon blown into a fairly credible cover with the help of super producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) and the purchase of a dire, sub-Star Wars rehash of a script named Argo. The assembly of Mendez's Hollywood team is undoubtedly entertaining, if tonally awkward. It is the contrast between these scenes and the darker second half, however, that provides much of the film's tension. When Mendez & Co. do finally make it to Iran, they're simply unprepared for the threat that awaits them. It's here that you realize the depth of Affleck's talent, not only as a director, or as an Academy-award winning writer, but also as an actor. More than anything else, Affleck bears the qualities of a true Hollywood hero, through both his good looks (honestly, how did a Superman film ever pass him by?) and the electric demeanour he instills in Mendez. The outcome of the real mission is thankfully reflected in Argo, but only after a breakneck finale that marks it as a serious contender for the most thrilling film of the season.

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