by Rich Handley
I watch a lot of films, but I tend to form opinions about actors and directors that limit my viewing habits. For example, I am not likely to watch another Adam Sandler film any time soon, as I've seen enough over the years to realize there are far more
Jack and Jills than
Wedding Singers on his résumé. Still, every now and then, an actor will turn in a performance that surprises me, making me reevaluate whether I should start paying more attention to that person's career.
As of today, that is true for Ben Affleck.
Take THAT, Matt Damon.
Previously, I didn't necessarily consider Affleck a
bad actor, per se, nor did I actively dislike his films. I enjoyed
Mallrats,
Chasing Amy,
Good Will Hunting and
Shakespeare in Love, for instance. But my appreciation of those stories hadn't been due to Affleck's involvement—more often, it was despite it, as I tend to find his performances bland. Much of his other work (
Armageddon,
Reindeer Games,
Pearl Harbor,
The Sum of All Fears,
Daredevil,
Gigli and
Jersey Girl) has left me thinking "meh," both in regard to the films and his acting. And I know I'm not alone in this view, as I've seen many critics make the same observation.
One exception was
Hollywoodland, the biopic in which he did a remarkable job of highlighting
Superman actor George Reeves' troubled life and suspicious death. But I'd always considered that to be a diamond in the rough—a rare shining moment among two decades of mostly continuous dullness.
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... drunk Superman's package.
That is, until today. You see, I've just returned from viewing his latest work,
Argo, which he both directed and starred in. And I'm starting to change my mind.
Read more »Labels: Argo, Battlestar Galactica, Ben Affleck, John Chambers, John Goodman, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars