Ron Archive

In 1980, when the American Embassy in Iran was swamped and over-run by mobs demanding the return of their Shah, so that he could be tried and executed, six embassy workers were able to escape and were in safekeeping at the Canadian ambassador’s residence. The CIA toyed with various plans to extract these six, especially since they knew that the Iranians were prone to find out that six were absent from among their captives. Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) was vocal in pointing out flaws in many of the CIA’s proposals. Tony suggested a daring, bizarre plan which may have a chance of working. The ruse was to go scouting for a location for a movie, which Tony was purportedly directing. Once in Iran with proper permissions, he was to contact the six, provide fake Canadian passports, quickly train the six as location scouting film crew members, and then exit Iran. John Chambers (John Goodman) and his studio are recruited to produce Argo. He insists that everything must look real, because the Iranians will check, and to that end a star that can be trusted to keep a confidence needs to be recruited. Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) is that star. Tension filled and gripping to the end even if you know the outcome. .

A young princess, Merida (Kelly Macdonald), is being trained by her mother to, one day, become queen. Merida succumbs to her training, schooling and grooming, but she especially enjoys her days off, when she can ride her steed Angus, and practice her marksmanship with her bow. As she grows older she has increasingly difficult disagreements with mom. On one rambling trip, she discovers a wood whittler’s cottage. The whittler, of course, turns out to be a witch. Merida strikes a bargain with the witch, whereby the witch will cast a spell to change mom. The potion is baked in a tart, which Merida gives her mom. Surprisingly, mom’s mind doesn’t change at all, but her physique does. From here on, the grim tale begins (but unlike any of Grimm’s tales that I know). Many funny, sometimes tearful, sometimes frightful, scenes later, Merida and mom are reconciled. PIXAR’s smooth action and highly detailed graphics lull one into forgetting that this is all PIXAR. Mothers, convince your recalcitrant daughter’s friends to take your daughter to see this movie….4 stars

Wow! Where and how do they find these superb pre-teen actors? OK, the other superlatives will remain suppressed throughout this narrative. Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) are two twelve year olds, on a small island with one town, a scout camp and a lighthouse, who perceive themselves to be misfits in the social groups they’re in. After a chance meeting in town, Sam and Suzy correspond. They make a plan to meet, and escape together into the wild and rough it. A few days later, they’re discovered, Suzy is returned to her parents and Sam is remanded to the temporary custody of the island’s police chief, awaiting transfer to DCFS and probably an orphanage. When Sam’s troop finds out of his impending fate, they resolve that, after all, “he’s one of us”, and after kidnapping Suzy, they convince Sam to sneak out of the police chief’s trailer. A new set of adventuress ensues. There is plenty of levity, peril and narrow escapes. Young, guileless love triumphs. This is a latter day Romeo and Juliet story without a suicide, especially for anyone who has ever felt left out.  5 stars