Ben Affleck has me worried.

So I’m in the middle of A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane… I’ve read a few of his other Patrick Kenzie-Angela Gennaro novels, and I love them. They are some of the best pure entertainment reads I’ve had in my hands in a long time – right up there with Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. Lehane’s style is so beautifully cinematic; the title “master of the new noir” is perfectly fitting. I can hear Kenzie’s voiceovers in my head, and they sound perfect. I am literally chomping at the bit to see this stuff on the big screen…

… but directed by Ben Affleck, I might not be so eager.

I have to be fair. I’ve never seen I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her On A Meat Hook, and Now I Have A Three-Picture Deal With Disney, but I think it’s safe to say very few people have – from the sound of it, we’re all better off that way. And since that is Affleck’s only directorial experience, pardon me for being a bit nervous when he is helming the first film from one of my favorite book series. In order for my favorites in the series (Sacred in particular) to come up on the slate, Affleck needs to not mess up Gone, Baby, Gone. Let’s take a look and see how he’s doing.

SETTING: Word is Affleck has been spotted around Rockport, MA scouting locations, and has rented a house in Cambridge to live in while he shoots. No West Coast city posing for Beantown this time around. Lehane’s descriptions are so specific and so contextual that there’s no other way to pull it off. Good move, Ben.

WRITING: Affleck is adapting the novel himself. There’s always been a lot of gossip flying around about how much of Good Will Hunting came out of Affleck, how much out of Damon, and how much was actually a collaborative effort… most speculation points to the script being largely Damon’s. I think that’s an unfortunate result of Affleck’s ridiculous social life (RE: Tom Cruise), and I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. So this’ll be neutral.

CASTING: Ooookay. Here’s where we might hit an issue.

• Affleck has cast his brother Casey Affleck as Patrick Kenzie. *cue potential train wreck* Now I’m all for nepotism. If that weren’t around, Bruce Campbell would never be in a mainstream film. But this doesn’t taste right to me. I like what I’ve seen of the younger Affleck – most notably, Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s Twelve. But Kenzie he is not. He’s far too clean shaven, and way too boyish. From what I’ve read, Kenzie needs to be fairly rugged – attractive, but you need to be able to take him seriously. That might be where I have the biggest problem with Affleck Minor. I just can’t see myself believing him doing a lot of the stuff he’s required to do. Plus, he looks a little too much like Affleck Major. It’s unnerving.
  
• Michelle Monaghan as Angie Gennaro: OK. I guess. I could think of a number of much more inspired choices, but since Miramax is keeping Major on a fairly short leash, budget-wise, I can understand how it might fall to her. I did like her in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, because that movie rocked all the way around, so I’ll give her a chance. She’s pretty enough, I suppose, but Angie is supposed to be a fall-on-your-ass knockout. Not quite there.
  
• Ed Harris as “a cop.” There’s a number of people that could be from Lehane's previous books, but Harris lends some credibility to the cast from the get-go. Nice grab.
  
• And then there’s Bubba. Bubba Rugowski is probably the hardest person in this film to get right. Bubba is described as a MONSTER of Polish descent, with a babyface. Umm... Also, with Bubba, it's all about demeanor. Sociopath doesn't really begin to describe him. He doesn't really like talking about pleasant things. He enjoys the bad stuff in life. The only people Bubba actually likes are Angie and Patrick. My only though for a "name" for Bubba would be Michael Chiklis, but I'm not even sure he's big enough (he could definitely be mean enough, though). Other than that, a no name is the only way to go. If I see a name who is unworthy of the name Bubba, there'll be bloodshed.

So I do realize that I haven't come to any conclusion about much of anything in here, but I do feel better for putting my thoughts about it in order. Now if only I could guarantee that Affleck won't mess this up...

V for Vendetta

Seen Sunday, April 16; Loews Boston Common #10
* * * * * (out of 5)

This movie scared the pants off of me. It’s really, really, really, REALLY relevant to today. In a very frightening way. As the final scene of the film played, I was gripping the armrests of my seat, wondering if any real situation could ever force the public’s hand in such a way. Would we, as a people, ever be forced to march against our own government in such a vehemently defiant fashion? Like the current government or not, that’s a terrifying prospect.
Like the current government or not, that’s a terrifying prospect. And yet, let me back up.

This film is fantasy (and thank heavens for that). It’s a futuristic dystopia that bears a more thematic resemblance to 1940s Berlin than it does modern-day London. And boy, does James McTeigue milk that imagery for all it’s worth, as well he should. If we avoid anything else in our volatile global political situation, we need to avoid anything resembling the rebirth of Nazism. McTeigue draws parallels between Adolf Hitler and Adam Sutler (an infuriatingly good John Hurt) as often as he can, with a very effective result. Sutler is the chancellor of the fascist regime that has taken over London, and rules with every suppression technique and brute force method marginally necessary.

Set against him is V (Hugo Weaving), a masked vigilante with a scarring past who is systematically taking down every member of the government who was involved in the incident that left him crippled and scarred. He’s the equivalent of a Zorro character, but without the personal history. His mask is a reference to Guy Fawkes, who unsuccessfully tried to blow up Parliament in 1605 – known as the “Gunpowder Revolution.” V saves Evey (Natalie Portman) from uncertain punishment at the hands of corrupt cops, and develops something of an obsession. Through repeated encounters, and gradually with V’s prodding and guiding, Evey becomes involved in the revolution to unseat the fascist leaders.

Read the rest at HBS!

Thank You for Smoking

Seen Friday, March 31; Loews Boston Common
* * * * (out of 5)

It’s been very difficult lately to get a laugh out of a crowd without going significantly over the top (re: high concept stuff like Wedding Crashers or The 40-Year Old Virgin). What makes Thank You for Smoking so very much fun is that it sits very smugly and confidently on the top, and every once in awhile jumps a little bit. The writing is usually nice and tight, and it approaches the ridiculousness of some situations with such a smirking self-assuredness (literally through the perpetual half-grin on Aaron Eckhart’s face) that you can’t help but giggle.

Eckhart plays Nick Naylor, a Washington, D.C. lobbyist for Big Tobacco. When we meet him, he’s fighting a number of wars: the constant PR war with the public; the all-out assault from a left-wing Vermont senator (William H. Macy) insistent on making an example of Naylor and his clients; a dip in cigarette sales forcing him to come up with new marketing platforms (or successfully resurrect old ones); convincing the former Marlboro Man (Sam Elliot), who is now dying from cancer, to drop his lawsuit and public blasting against his former employers; and most importantly, the battle with his ex-wife about how someone who defends a killer corporation can competently raise their thirteen-year-old son. All this while he also balances a semi-relationship with a print journalist writing a story about him – and sleeping with him to get all the best details. The film follows all of these through the end, with a few amusing side plots.

Read the rest at HBS!