Posted in Comics, My Geeky Life
Affleck + JLA = I Can Dig It
Okay, let’s get it out of the way, Ben Affleck has committed crimes against cinema. I saw what happened in Daredevil. The scar tissue from Gigli still torments the brains of anyone who loves movies. There are others but those are going to be the rallying cries of why he should not be allowed within 10 feet of JLA.
It perplexes me a little. I often wonder about what it takes to reach escape velocity on bad career choices in Hollywood. Robert Downey Jr. almost killed himself and is now on top of the world. All Affleck did was fall in love and make a horrible movie and yet there always seems to be a reluctance to let him move on. I have no problem doing it.
As an actor he has made some very good movies. His portrayal of George Reeves in Hollywoodland was haunting. He was completely believable in The Town. It isn’t acting which is bringing him to the JLA table, it’s directing. If you have seen Gone, Baby Gone or The Town you know why Warner Brothers is interested. Both those movies were well crafted, well acted, and well directed movies.
The recent trend in superhero movies is a good one. Bring on talent and let the rest take care of itself. I love Joss Whedon but honestly his track record was spotty. He didn’t have a blockbuster movie under his belt. He had several failed TV series (admittedly Fox screwed him here). He was hired because of talent. Christopher Nolan and Batman was completely out of the box. Kenneth Branagh doing Thor was a total surprise.
So now we will get to listen to the hue and cry if Ben Affleck signs in to JLA. It has already started in several forums. Me, I dig it. It is totally out of the box. Affleck has talent and while as an actor he has been around for awhile he is still a young and hungry director. A director with an eye for casting. Someone who has written a few movies with great dialog. He has successfully adapted a best selling novel. His new movie Argo looks like a winner.
I am willing to forgive Affleck’s crimes against cinema. Maybe he will reach his escape velocity at last. I would rather have talent involved with projects that mean a lot to me. Does it mean it will work? No, of course not. There is some risk here for both Warner Brothers and Affleck. If it fails the chorus of, “I told you so” will rain down on their heads. If it succeeds than every superhero geek gets one more great movie we never thought would get made.
