Ben Affleck is far more interesting behind the camera than in front of it. Don't get me wrong; I've never had any particular dislike of Affleck or his acting abilities. He just never took any roles that made me take notice of him. He's good-looking in that sort of bland Hollywood way. The best I can say about him as an actor is that he's inoffensive. However as a director, he's distinguished himself as a mature talent with a strong voice who (if Gone Baby Gone is any indication) will have a great run.
About halfway through Gone Baby Gone, I sat there thinking: "Okay, not bad. This is a pretty competent film. Fairly engrossing." By the end of the movie, I kept saying to myself, "Wow. That was really good. Exceptional even..." Gone Baby Gone is one of those films that leaves you with something to chew on afterwards, a sort of moral quandary in the vein of Seven or In the Bedroom. It's impressive that Affleck would choose material that's this challenging for his first foray behind the camera. Then again, it seems many actors who choose to get behind the camera are fairly intelligent and not just looking to make vanity projects. Sean Penn, Robert Redford and Denzel Washington are just a few actor/directors who've made some seriously respectable films. (Penn's Into the Wild is a perfect example.) Affleck lets his scenes breathe and although his actors get intense at moments, they never become caricatures or just chew scenery (Okay, Ed Harris does a little bit, but I love Ed Harris. He can do whatever the hell he wants.). Casey Affleck also deserves special mention. He's the real deal. I didn't care enough about The Assassination of Jesse James etc. to really give his performance in it much thought. In Gone Baby Gone, he sells the character perfectly and he has to otherwise the conclusion of the narrative would have felt false.
I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that Affleck pulls off his first directing job which such aplomb. He is after all the same guy who co-wrote Good Will Hunting, which required a certain level of skill to not come across as (too) contrived. He's obviously an intelligent guy. Regardless of how this film does, he'll have at least one paying customer willing to see his next. Word, son.
6 comments:
OK PJ Harvey's last two cd's have been awesome. Track 1 of "Uh huh it's her" led to a rhyme I didn't think I had in me which featured lines such as;
The fifth horsemen
bathes in poison,
listless
looking westward
for Armageddon
marauder of the Skull Squadron
challenge your reason
the world collapses around us
into dust
and dreams
and we can still give you those things
the murder kings
AND REALLY, BSG is classic. watch it from the beginning. Our lives our separate but we both know what good is. And this is good without being stupid.
I've watched BSG from the beginning. I know it's amazing. I just..fell off as far as watching it. I don't know why. Can't explain it. It would be the equivalent of watching the first half of Neon Genesis and then just not finishing. Pathetic, I know.
You need to run, not walk to go see No Country For Old Men. The Coens are the twin deities of cinema right now.
Also if you haven't gotten In Rainbows, then you've not been paying attention. (See what I did there? Heh...) Seriously, the song Reckoner makes me want to just cry tears of pure joy every time I hear it. It's the aural equivalent of angels getting it on.
Ah yes, the murder kings...I think I might have that saved somewhere. We need to 'Drop Squad' Anwar and force him to start making music again.
Next up: Beowulf in IMAX 3-D...wow.
I don't even think we need to sample Reckoner. Just rock over what it is.
Perfect song.
I will be recording the 7 Capital Cities of Heaven EP between December 18 and January 1. I am anticipating the need for a Skull Squadron reunion on a track. All music will be from my favorite classical stuff and movie scores.
So put pen to paper sun.
Affleck co-co-wrote Good Will Hunting, if the rumbles that Will Goldman doctored the script after the boys were done is true.
Good on him, though. He's obviously (to me) a smart guy with some decent ideas, if I always thought they were a bit ham-fisted. It was clear in Hollywoodland that he was trying to get somewhere pretty scintillating (darkly scintillating) with his acting, but he didn't have the chops to do it. Even knowing those regions are there is a plus in my book -- and I don't mean simply existential angst or whatever, something more profound than that -- but if he manages to find his voice behind the camera, then that's terrific.
BSG is not quite a classic, in my mind. Too many middling episodes, too much meandering. It's a bit gruelling to get through some parts. The last seasons is set up for a timid disappointment. BUT there have been A1++! stellar moments. Spoiler alert?!: the stuff with Tigh and his wife is just about the best stuff I've ever seen.
I'm to see Eastern Promises tonight with classmates. Very excited about it. Wasn't thrilled with the gangster turnoff from the thrill-a-minute History of Violence, but I'm ecstatic to see an already great director like Cronenberg start to make his pitch for posterity.
signed belatedly - elw
I'm willing to give Affleck the benefit of the doubt on being (along with Damon) the sole author of GWH. I think they might have gotten "direction" on the script, but it remained almost wholly their baby. Gone Baby Gone seems to bolster that idea as well.
I'll be interested to see how you respond to Eastern Promises since in many ways it's more violent that A History of Violence (which I really enjoyed btw; especially how everything got revisited like the two sex scenes between Viggo and his wife...). The only thing that didn't work in EP for me was the love story aspect. Didn't need it since it was so underdeveloped anyway. It would have made more sense for him to kiss the other person in that last scene.
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