Should I see it?
Nope.

Short Review: Ben Affleck is to directing what Ben Affleck is to acting

Ben Affleck is living proof that a nice smile can get you far in Hollywood. Its probably a good thing because by the looks of things, actual raw talent doesn't help much.

Affleck co-wrote and directed this adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel about a couple who work as private investigators who look into the disappearance of a young girl. The plot is nothing spectacular and it never cuts any new ground. The couple Patrick (Casey Affleck) and Angie (Michelle Monaghan) are inexperienced in investigating but know the streets quite well. Casey Affleck (the actual talented one in the family) does a passable job, but never fills in his character completely. I don't believe this is necessarily his fault since his performance is hindered by a stuttering script and poor pacing. Each scene begins strongly enough but by the end it feels like the screenwriters (Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard) got bored with their own work and couldn't wait to start on the next scene. Then again, that could have been me, I kept finding myself pleading with Affleck to get moving with his predicable story.

Ed Harris also haunts this piece as a worn down cop who acts just like Ed Harris does in every movie he has ever done where he is strapped with a mediocre director. Harris is one of those actors who either gives a stunning performance (A History of Violence, Glengarry Glen Ross) or completely phones it in (Radio, Enemy At the Gates). Harris' job here is to say his lines and be angry and he does his job quite well. Morgan Freeman also shows up to nab a paycheck. Freeman nearly naps through all of his scenes.Like Harris, Freeman doesn't do much to get beyond his own face recognition and offers just enough of a performance to not hurt his career. Both men could have easily of been replaced by lesser actors and the same results would have been achieved.

Its not like Ben Affleck wasn't seated with a talented pool to pull from. He had everything in place except that he insisted on directing and writing the movie. Perhaps (and probably) his involvement is what got this film made in the first place. This doesn't mean it should have been made. This movie offers nothing new, nothing fresh and nothing lasting. It was made simply for the sake of making something. Since it isn't revolutionary, fresh or thoughtful, there's no reason to watch it. Forget about this one, anything about it that may be worth seeing, you've seen a hundred different times in a hundred different movies.


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Labels: Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, cops, Ed Harris, film, Morgan Freeman, movie review

posted by Scott Nehring at 7:25 AM



2 comment(s)

Should I see it?
No...yes...uh, well...its stupid so if you like dumb, go for it.

This is the quintessential big, fat McMovie. Huge and stupid, this movie asks nothing of its audience and gives nothing in return. Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis star in this goofy flick about a group of oil drillers are sent into space with nuclear warheads to blow up a killer asteroid. The upside to this film is how it openly revels in its stupidity. The frank dumbness at the heart of this piece begs you to wallow in this thoughtlessness carnival of crap without shame. You know this is stupid, the people who made the movie know it’s stupid – everyone agrees. If you like big flashing lights, big explosions and lots of bad dialog screamed at full throat, this is the movie for you. If you’re into plot, character, dialog, or patient exposition, you’ll be better off finding something else.

Click on Bruce to see the trailer
(it has the same intellectual depth as the whole movie - so its a bit like seeing the real thing)

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Labels: Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Michael Bay, Owen Wilson, Steve Busemi, Will Patton

posted by Scott Nehring at 6:41 PM



0 comment(s)

Should I see it?
Nope.

There are plenty of guns, shooting, blood and cursing - so its a little like hanging out Tom Sizemore on a Friday night.

This film is a well stylized bullet fest with some very clever dialog thrown in for good measure. If hyperbolic, posturing characters and ridiculous gunplay are your thing, you’re in for a ride, but I wouldn't recommend this personally. While inventive, it unashamedly dips into coarse violence for the sake of simply being violent. The smart dialog and sharp filmmaking give the impression there's something more going on than blood and guts, but there isn't. This is all flash and no substance.

Overall, this is a smart person’s version of a dumb shoot ’em up - but if you're smart enough for this movie, you're probably too smart to want to sit through it.

Click below to view the trailer (caution, its violent)

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Labels: Ben Affleck, Common, FBI, film, mob, movie review, Ryan Reynolds, shoot em up

posted by Scott Nehring at 5:17 PM



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posted by Scott Nehring at 1:22 PM



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posted by Scott Nehring at 2:21 PM



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