Exotica (1994) - Egoyan's strong sex drama

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+ Best Canadian Movie of the Year + Best Sex Drama of the Year

Mia Kirshner sends us an intense, deep stare from the poster for Atom Egoyan's Exotica

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Thomas smuggles eggs into Canada to resell and goes to the opera with unknown men. Christina dances at the Exotica strip club for Francis, who has lost his daughter.

Exotica is a fine film that nevertheless seemed to force its way into my head without reaching my heart. - It's definitely a film I'll want to revisit. It seems to propose the theory that what each of us find 'exotic' has a much more poignant influence on us than we mostly admit to ourselves and others. It also deals with loss and nonlinear relationships.
Some great actors play in the film: Particularly Bruce Greenwood (Flight (2012)) as disillusioned accountant Francis and Mia Kirshner (Cadillac Girls (1993)) as the 'jailbait' stripper with emotions. The film is heightened by strong photography by Paul Sarossy (The Captive (2014)) and score by Mychael Danna (Life of Pi (2012)).
Exotica is the 6th theatrical feature by great Cairo-born Canadian writer-director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter (1997)).

 

Related post:

 

1994 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

 

Watch a clip from the film here

Cost: 2 mil. CAD (today equal to 1.53 mil. $)
Box office: 4.2 mil. $ (North America only)
= Box office success (at least)
[Exotica premiered May 16 (Cannes) and runs 103 minutes. The film was shot in Toronto, Canada. Egoyan's wife Arsinée Khanjian (Adoration (2008)) plays a part in the film while being seven months pregnant. Without a world gross known, I can't say whether Exotica was only a box office success or should, in fact, count as a big hit. It won the FIPRESCI (critics') prize in Cannes , 8 awards at the Canadian Genie Awards, Best Canadian Feature Film Award at Toronto International Film Festival as well as a Adult Video News' Best Alternative Adult Movie Award of 1996, a porn industry honor, which amused Egoyan, since Exotica is a serious sex drama. Exotica is fresh at 97 % on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Exotica?

Argo (2012) or, The Hollywood Hero

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Ben Affleck's giant head with a red strip of film over it on the poster for Ben Affleck's Argo

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6 Americans are secret house guests by necessity at the Canadian embassy in 1979 in Tehran, Iran. From home, a daring rescue mission is being constructed around a fake science fiction-film to be shot partially in Iran.
Ben Affleck's (The Town (2010)) triumph Argo is an impeccable suspense movie with political ties a' la The China Syndrome (1979) with a wonderful, comedic Hollywood-angle in Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine (2006)) and John Goodman's (Monsters, Inc. (2001)) great parts, - and many other fine actors.

John Goodman and Alan Arkin in Ben Affleck's Argo

Irreproachable production; the script by Chris Terrio (Batman vs. Superman (2016)) amuses in the last act, as various suspense-building obstacles are placed in front of the escaping group of Americans in hostile land.

 

The escape group of Ben Affleck's Argo face yet another obstacle

Argo is an excellent, historical thriller, which won three Oscars for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.
Affleck seems to be leaving directing again now for the (next long) time being, since he has been cast as the next Batman (in Batman vs. Superman (2016) and later in Justice League), - the kind of multi-million dollar leotard-wearing job that easily rips out years and years from a poor man's life.

Watch the great trailer for Argo here

Budget: 44.5 mil. $
Box office: 232.3 mil. $
= Big hit

What do you think of Argo and Affleck's other achievements?
How would you describe going from making Argo to playing Batman?