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Alan Arkin

Friday, March 15, 2013

Aging Magicians Try to Recapture Their Magic

Here's what movie critics are saying about 'The Inredible Burt Wonderstone.'

Once the bright stars of the Vegas strip, illusionists Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carrell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have lost the magic that sparkled for years in their act. Burt is more interested in seducing women than in convincing audiences what they are seeing is real. The two former best friends find their position is threatened by daredevil masochistic magician Steve Gray (an incredibly buffed Jim Carrey), so they, too attempt a dangerous trick — that fails miserably. The two go their separate ways, Burt to a retirement home where he meets Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin), a once big-time magician, and Anton to Africa. The question is: Can Burt revive the magic with Anton and regain his place as Numero Uno? Here's what the …

Friday, October 12, 2012

Argo is Timely, Topical and Thoroughly Entertaining

Six Americans are rescued from Iran in 1980 (true story), and now the real-life drama is a movie, and a good one at that!

On Nov. 4, 1979, a large group of Iranians stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But six Americans did escape. The story about how those six made it out is the set-up for the film "Argo." The six find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. That's when CIA operative Tony Mendez comes in. He's played by Ben Affleck, who also directs the film. He cooks up a plan to fly in alone and fly out with the six, all of them posing as a film crew scouting locations for a faux "Star Wars" knockoff titled "Argo." It's a crazy scheme to get hostages out by fronting a fake movie, but it works…and, at times, it's very funny. There are some great supporting roles for Bryan Cranston, the CIA boss; Alan Arkin, the fake movie …

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