Charm in the Movies

Charm

“The enchanted day is only enchanted if we ourselves believe anything is possible”

[Mark O’ Brian]

                Anything can be charming, not just Justin Timberlake, but art and character as well. Movies can also be charming, endearing and lovable, in fact, it is what makes movies like The Wizard of Oz still relevant today. Charm is the ultimate x-factor when it comes to movies; you never know if a movie has charm until you see it, but it is clear when a movie has it. You have to keep your mind open, or else you will never truly be charmed and really experience a movie. The first real movie I ever saw was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone a movie that had a strong hold on kids across the world, with the charming and endearing story of Harry and his friends and their wide world of magic. Harry Potter is what got me started on movies in the first place, and it showed me how movies could have a profound impact on people’s lives. The first Harry Potter is by no means a best picture winner for it is silly at times and often does not make any sense, but the sheer charm of the movie is endearing to anyone who has a soul and covers up most of the confusing parts. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is what got me started on movies in the first place, and it showed me how movies could have a profound impact on people’s lives, as it had a profound impact on mine. I must have seen that first Harry Potter about fifty times since I first saw it, and every time I do the magic comes back. Charm is an unquantifiable factor in a movie, but it is what makes going to the movies special.

Argo: Is it worthy of Best Picture?

Argo, Ben Affleck's recreation of a real CIA operation in 1979 to rescue six americans trapped in Iran at the height of the hostage crisis won the Oscar for Best Picture last year and garnered solid reviews from critics and viewers alike. Like The Town, Affleck's 2010 venture into directing, Argo also features Ben Affleck as the star and hero. Affleck is a regular analyst at the CIA, who comes up with the wacky idea to use a canadian movie set to give the americans some backstory in hope to get them on a plane out of Tehran.
Argo was clearly a contender for the Best Picture from the get-go, with one of Hollywood's brightest stars pulling double duty directing and starring and unstoppable supporting actors like Bryan Cranston, with his Walter White pre-cancer haircut, John Goodman and Alan Arkin.  With all this personality, how could Argo possibly lose?
Ben Affleck did a bang-up job directing Argo, perfectly capturing the fast-pace and absurdity of the entire plan, but was it the best picture of the year? Against diverse competition this year, Argo was the only real blockbuster among the group except Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained which never really stood a chance due to it's racial themes and extreme violence that never meshes well with the aged Oscar panel. The rest of the competition could be ruled out for a multitude of reasons: Amour and Lincoln were hard to watch due to their dull points that popped up constantly throughout the films; Zero Dark Thirty gathered some serious controversy, as veterans groups and the government were up in arms about the release of tactics and equipment; Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook and Beasts of the Southern Wild all could have been great cases for the Oscar, but went against the grain of typical Best Picture winners due to their weirdness and indie status.
Argo is definetly a great movie, but was not the clear pick for the Oscar and against movies with more commercial appeal, it probably would not have won.