Ben Affleck continues to prove that he is the closest person, past or present, with a chance (however slight) to unthrone Clint Eastwood as the greatest actor/director combo ever. It will take a herculean effort to unseat Eastwood’s five Oscar nominations for directing (wins for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby) to go along with over 35 other directing credits, as well as nearly 60 acting credits. Affleck, at just 50 years of age, very well could surpass Eastwood’s acting credits, but another 35 directing credits seems like a stretch. Air is Affleck’s fifth feature-length film. Three of his previous four (Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo) have resonated strongly with critics and audiences, while his fourth (Live By Night) wasn’t that far of a drop-off. What’s great about Affleck as a director is his drive and creativity. The staples of his directed movies are taut scripts, formidable, seasoned casts, and expert artisans (cinematographers, sound engineers, production designers) who he allows the freedom to shine. Air delivers on all fronts. It’s a movie that would be difficult not to enjoy.
Category Archives: Matthew Maher
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Ben Affleck’s (Argo, The Town) Gone Baby Gone is a classic film if you watch it once. But then comes the age-old question, “Does a movie stand the test of time?” And the answer to the question for this film is “I think so.” By this, I’m referring to the fact that if you watched it today for the first time, you would likely feel the same sentiments I felt on my first watch. You would think that it is an instant gem. But there are better movies for repeat viewings. Some films are great the second, third, and fourth time around. Gone Baby Gone is not one of those films. It’s a bit frustrating on repeat viewings. But I will ignore my most recent viewing of this film and write it from the standpoint that I had just seen it for the first time because that is the review it deserves.
Live by Night (2016)
For the last three or four years, I’ve said that I think and hope that Ben Affleck can be our generation’s Clint Eastwood. Affleck has completely transformed himself into a Hollywood A-lister. With a career that really began with Kevin Smith movies like Mallrats and Chasing Amy, Affleck became a household name when he won an Academy Award (best original screenplay) for Good Will Hunting, a film in which he co-starred with Matt Damon. Affleck then stars in big-budget blockbusters such as Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and The Sum of All Fears. But after he started dating Jennifer Lopez and co-starred with her in both the forgettable Jersey Girl and Gigli, a movie that many people have called one of the worst movies ever made, his perception as an actor began taking a turn for the worse. Forgettable money grabbers like Daredevil, Paycheck, and Surviving Christmas accompanied tabloid fodder and, seemingly, in the blink of an eye, Affleck became sort of a joke in the Hollywood circles. Meanwhile, best friend Matt Damon was striking gold with everything he touched. But in 2007, Affleck dabbled with directing for the first time and had one of the best directorial debuts of all-time with the quiet, understated, and much revered Gone Baby Gone. Knowing he needed a break from being in front of the camera, Affleck turned to his brother Casey Affleck as his leading man. Not only did it launch Casey’s career, but critics and fans alike wanted to know if Ben was a one-hit-wonder as a director or if this was a sign of things to come. Fortunately, this was just the start for Affleck, who has since directed The Town (my second favorite movie of all time), and Argo, the Academy Award Winner for Best Picture of 2012. Affleck also reemerged as a leading man with The Town, Argo, State of Play, and the amazing Gone Girl. In all honesty, Affleck was due for a dud. But, personally, I felt like I owed it to him to see whatever his fourth movie behind the camera would be. I was excited about Live by Night when I first heard about it, but I went in with lower expectations after seeing the critics’ score of 33% and the audience’s score of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. While this easily was his worst movie as a director, it wasn’t bad, but rather because his other movies were so good. I didn’t love Live by Night, but I by no means disliked it. It was longer than it needed to be and had a couple of too many storylines. But Affleck created a well-crafted story with some memorable characters, and, honestly, I’ll probably watch this movie again when it comes to Netflix so I can better analyze it and catch all of the parts that I might have missed.