A few years ago, upon watching the slightly-underrated Hollywoodland, I came to a seemingly random and unlikely conclusion. The film, based on the real life suicide of George Reeves (TV's original Superman), stars Adrien Brody as a private investigator who gets caught up in the investigation via a series of seemingly unrelated twists and turns. It is not, admittedly, the best-made movie (or even particularly well-made, though there is certainly talent behind it), but it does showcase a rebounding Ben Affleck as George Reeves. A small role, to be sure, but one lucky enough to be the centerpiece of the film's plot.
I don't know why (no, really, I have no clue), but as I finished watching Hollywoodland I thought to myself, "Ben Affleck would make a good director." At the time there was absolutely nothing to base this conclusion on. One might be able to point to the screenplay for Good Will Hunting (which he co-wrote with Matt Damon), but given the controversies surrounding who actually wrote (or helped mentor, at the very least) that script, it's not wise to for the sake of an argument. Affleck had yet to direct anything that I'm aware of. And, let's face it, his acting resume had turned into a bit of a laughing stock (Gigli, anyone?).
The year after Hollywoodland, however, Gone Baby Gone (2007, by the way) was released. It blew me away. The director? Ben Affleck.
Sure, it was only one film, but I suddenly felt vindicated for having that seemingly random and unlikely conclusion.
Fast-forward three years to 2010. The Town gets a release. It doesn't blow me away like Gone Baby Gone did, but I'm thoroughly entertained and deeply admire its director for actually filming a car chase in which we're not getting dizzy trying to follow the action (in fact, I claim that it's the best-directed Hollywood car chase since Frankeheimer's Ronin way back in 1998). The Town, simply put, is an expertly-made film. The director? Ben Affleck (who, like Eastwood in Gran Torino, fit himself into a leading role perfectly).
A few months ago I wrote about who I felt were the greatest living American film directors. To me, Clint Eastwood currently sits on that throne. But, given the advanced age of the directors on that list, I openly admitted to eagerly awaiting the next batch of great American directors.
I realize I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm putting Ben Affleck on that list. And I'm calling him the heir apparent to Eastwood (for several reasons, some of which are painfully obvious).
No, I'm not joking. I have a feeling his next film will prove me right. If it doesn't, then, well, his film after that one will.
Showing posts with label Ben Affleck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Affleck. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Ghost Rider: Half-Cocked Superhero
If you can avoid Ghost Rider, do so. Unfortunately, I saw it last night, and am wondering if I can make a deal with the Devil to get my time back.
Ghost Rider is Nicholas Cage's long-awaited foray into a comic book film. Everyone knows that he once had the rights to the Superman franchise, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he gave them up. Anyway, Cage appears here as Johnny Blaze, "The Ghost Rider," and the results are less than fantastic.
Written and directed by Daredevil's writer/director, Mark Steven Johnson, the only thing that Johnson managed to accomplish was to finally convince the public of what Ben Affleck has been saying for years: Daredevil being a bad movie was not Ben Affleck's fault.
Seriously, the plot sucks. It's typical fare, of course, with the Devil offering a young Johnny Blaze a deal: sign here and I'll cure your father's cancer (but I'll kill him anyway). So, Johnny signs, watches his father die, leaves an uber-hot girlfriend who winds up a reporter that happens to interview an older Johnny Blaze. It's revealed that an old Ghost Rider screwed over the Devil and hid some contract, which the Devil's son and miscreant friends want to find to take over the world, so Johnny Blaze turns into the new Ghost Rider and whoops some ass. No, really, that's all there is to it.
Ghost Rider has no weaknesses. At no time did he seem to be in any sort of mortal danger. He whoops one demon in a few seconds by wrapping him in a flaming chain-whip. He whoops an air demon in a few seconds by spinning his flaming chain-whip really fast, thereby making a tornado and sucking in said air demon. He whoops a water demon in a few seconds by "flaming on" and boiling said water demon. And he whoops the main demon in a minute or two by shooting him with a shotgun, and burning the souls from the contract. No, really, that's all there is to it.
The characters, dialogue, and plot were all half-ass. The love story? Half-ass. The acting? Oh, man, don't get me started. Everything was half-ass. There was even this admittedly cool scene in which the new Ghost Rider, on his kick-ass chopper, and the old Ghost Rider, on his kick-ass horse, ride off to fight the bad guys. Only, the old Ghost Rider disappears after they get there. No fight, no nothing. Just disappears. No, really, that's all there is to it.
No wonder Eva Mendes had a "that's it?" expression on her face the entire movie.
Ghost Rider is Nicholas Cage's long-awaited foray into a comic book film. Everyone knows that he once had the rights to the Superman franchise, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he gave them up. Anyway, Cage appears here as Johnny Blaze, "The Ghost Rider," and the results are less than fantastic.
Written and directed by Daredevil's writer/director, Mark Steven Johnson, the only thing that Johnson managed to accomplish was to finally convince the public of what Ben Affleck has been saying for years: Daredevil being a bad movie was not Ben Affleck's fault.
Seriously, the plot sucks. It's typical fare, of course, with the Devil offering a young Johnny Blaze a deal: sign here and I'll cure your father's cancer (but I'll kill him anyway). So, Johnny signs, watches his father die, leaves an uber-hot girlfriend who winds up a reporter that happens to interview an older Johnny Blaze. It's revealed that an old Ghost Rider screwed over the Devil and hid some contract, which the Devil's son and miscreant friends want to find to take over the world, so Johnny Blaze turns into the new Ghost Rider and whoops some ass. No, really, that's all there is to it.
Ghost Rider has no weaknesses. At no time did he seem to be in any sort of mortal danger. He whoops one demon in a few seconds by wrapping him in a flaming chain-whip. He whoops an air demon in a few seconds by spinning his flaming chain-whip really fast, thereby making a tornado and sucking in said air demon. He whoops a water demon in a few seconds by "flaming on" and boiling said water demon. And he whoops the main demon in a minute or two by shooting him with a shotgun, and burning the souls from the contract. No, really, that's all there is to it.
The characters, dialogue, and plot were all half-ass. The love story? Half-ass. The acting? Oh, man, don't get me started. Everything was half-ass. There was even this admittedly cool scene in which the new Ghost Rider, on his kick-ass chopper, and the old Ghost Rider, on his kick-ass horse, ride off to fight the bad guys. Only, the old Ghost Rider disappears after they get there. No fight, no nothing. Just disappears. No, really, that's all there is to it.
No wonder Eva Mendes had a "that's it?" expression on her face the entire movie.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
More MySpace Etiquette and Pointless Musings
A little over a month ago I posted "Cecili's MySpace Etiquette," a simple list of 12 rules every MySpace user should try to adhere to. Well, it's quite obvious that nobody is adhering to them, so I'm going to repost them... along with some extra commentary.
1. Comments should be comments. (If you are confused: There is a function on myspace that allows you to send a message).
This one is more optional, in my opinion, as some "comment conversations" are quite hilarious.
2. Don't post millions of pictures of your face all over your page--all the vanity and imagery is nauseating.
Yes, absolutely. And while body shots are okay on your photo page, using one that shows you flexing your biceps as your default profile image is quite pathetic.
3. Only post a bulletin if you have something important to report on.
This, along with the following rule, is one of the two Golden Rules of MySpace.
4. Bulletins should be reserved for general information only. If your "friends" want to know the answers to a survey you took, write it in a blog and they can read it at their leisure. Sadly, not everyone cares who your last crush is or what you think about jesus.
Yes, for the love of God, please quit with the rampant chain bulletins. If you simply must post one, please post only ONE and have some respect for your friends who actually post semi-important bulletins.
5. Try to refrain from commenting on someones page twice in a row--its aesthetically unpleasant.
I actually agree with this one, although sometimes it's hard to wait your turn, if you know what I mean.
6. Comments should be thought out and grammar should be observed.
Yes! Yes! Yes! And this goes for bulletins, too. There's nothing worse than making yourself look stupid with a misspelled bulletin.
7. Don't tell people to comment on your pictures--if people like you and/or they are in one of your photos, they will make a comment.
Yes. And don't tell people you've posted new pictures. If we care, we'll find out. The same goes for blogs.
8. There is no need to list EVERY single book/movie/hero you have ever read/watched/loved. People get bored after reading the first three or four entries. You are better off sticking to your favorites--and if this is disconcerting, you can always change your entries every so often depending on your mood. Which reminds me: update your page every now and again. You log on every day.
Eh, I like lists, but okay...
9. When commenting on a blog: stay on topic.
Yes, please.
10. No Blind friend requests... Ever.
Well, guys don't tend to have this problem, so I guess this means that us men should quit asking every "Cool New Person" who catches our eye to be our MySpace friend.
11. Comment approval takes the fun out of posting comments.
Absolutely. Not only that, it's quite lame.
12. Avoid reading blogs from people who make lame lists like this one and call it news.
Nah, lists are fun.
More Pointless Musings
Is it just me, or is Pink's NBC Sunday Night Football opening the absolute worst thing to happen to sports since ping-pong was made an Olympic event?
It's probably not the smartest idea to put pictures of yourself smoking pot on your MySpace page.
I just realized that Ben Affleck has an Academy Award. How the fuck did that happen?
The San Diego Padres have reclaimed first place in the NL West from the hated Dodgers. Hell, yes.
The war in Iraq is turning out to be a complete waste of money. Can we wind up doing what we intended to over there? Yes. Does it look like we're going to? No comment.
For the first time ever, Rosie O'Donnell said something I completely agree with. She said something to the effect that radical Christians are just as dangerous to the American establishment as radical Muslims. What's shocking is not that she said this... what's shocking is that people are actually arguing with her.
If you're not a football fan, quit pretending that you are. Nobody thinks you're cool just because you root for USC. Then again, they might think you're cool if you can name more than five USC players.
Anyone hear about the three 20-year olds in Wisconsin that tried to dig up a woman in order to have sex with her? Seriously. One saw her obituary photo, decided she was good-looking, and grabbed his two buddies for a night on the cemetery. I think I need to move to another planet.
This will be the last of my daily blogs, as I've decided to keep MySpace and, as such, have more time to bore you with my opinions.
1. Comments should be comments. (If you are confused: There is a function on myspace that allows you to send a message).
This one is more optional, in my opinion, as some "comment conversations" are quite hilarious.
2. Don't post millions of pictures of your face all over your page--all the vanity and imagery is nauseating.
Yes, absolutely. And while body shots are okay on your photo page, using one that shows you flexing your biceps as your default profile image is quite pathetic.
3. Only post a bulletin if you have something important to report on.
This, along with the following rule, is one of the two Golden Rules of MySpace.
4. Bulletins should be reserved for general information only. If your "friends" want to know the answers to a survey you took, write it in a blog and they can read it at their leisure. Sadly, not everyone cares who your last crush is or what you think about jesus.
Yes, for the love of God, please quit with the rampant chain bulletins. If you simply must post one, please post only ONE and have some respect for your friends who actually post semi-important bulletins.
5. Try to refrain from commenting on someones page twice in a row--its aesthetically unpleasant.
I actually agree with this one, although sometimes it's hard to wait your turn, if you know what I mean.
6. Comments should be thought out and grammar should be observed.
Yes! Yes! Yes! And this goes for bulletins, too. There's nothing worse than making yourself look stupid with a misspelled bulletin.
7. Don't tell people to comment on your pictures--if people like you and/or they are in one of your photos, they will make a comment.
Yes. And don't tell people you've posted new pictures. If we care, we'll find out. The same goes for blogs.
8. There is no need to list EVERY single book/movie/hero you have ever read/watched/loved. People get bored after reading the first three or four entries. You are better off sticking to your favorites--and if this is disconcerting, you can always change your entries every so often depending on your mood. Which reminds me: update your page every now and again. You log on every day.
Eh, I like lists, but okay...
9. When commenting on a blog: stay on topic.
Yes, please.
10. No Blind friend requests... Ever.
Well, guys don't tend to have this problem, so I guess this means that us men should quit asking every "Cool New Person" who catches our eye to be our MySpace friend.
11. Comment approval takes the fun out of posting comments.
Absolutely. Not only that, it's quite lame.
12. Avoid reading blogs from people who make lame lists like this one and call it news.
Nah, lists are fun.
More Pointless Musings
Is it just me, or is Pink's NBC Sunday Night Football opening the absolute worst thing to happen to sports since ping-pong was made an Olympic event?
It's probably not the smartest idea to put pictures of yourself smoking pot on your MySpace page.
I just realized that Ben Affleck has an Academy Award. How the fuck did that happen?
The San Diego Padres have reclaimed first place in the NL West from the hated Dodgers. Hell, yes.
The war in Iraq is turning out to be a complete waste of money. Can we wind up doing what we intended to over there? Yes. Does it look like we're going to? No comment.
For the first time ever, Rosie O'Donnell said something I completely agree with. She said something to the effect that radical Christians are just as dangerous to the American establishment as radical Muslims. What's shocking is not that she said this... what's shocking is that people are actually arguing with her.
If you're not a football fan, quit pretending that you are. Nobody thinks you're cool just because you root for USC. Then again, they might think you're cool if you can name more than five USC players.
Anyone hear about the three 20-year olds in Wisconsin that tried to dig up a woman in order to have sex with her? Seriously. One saw her obituary photo, decided she was good-looking, and grabbed his two buddies for a night on the cemetery. I think I need to move to another planet.
This will be the last of my daily blogs, as I've decided to keep MySpace and, as such, have more time to bore you with my opinions.
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