I freely admit the main reason I went to “The Flash” was with eager anticipation for the return of Michael Keaton as Batman. So be it, but as “The Flash” and its time- and universe-bending plot undertook its twists and turns, I found so much more to enjoy than Keaton being back in the bat-saddle as the Caped Crusader. For his performance, I (and, it must be said, the entire preview audience) was ... more >
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The space-time continuum is not to be trifled with; “THE FLASH” | Movie review
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language and partial nudity
Sasha Calle, Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller and Michael Keaton
Directed by Andy Muschietti
MOVIE REVIEW: “DEEP WATER”
An immersive work from Adrian Lyne, a veteran filmmaker who hasn't lost his edge
Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas and Tracy Letts
Directed by Adrian Lyne
“Deep Water” is Adrian Lyne’s return to filmmaking after twenty years. Now 82, his last film was 2002’s excellent “Unfaithful” starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere, a strong character-driven erotic drama. Lyne’s best films (“Unfaithful,” “9 1/2 Weeks,” “Fatal Attraction” and his extremely undervalued 1997 version of “Lolita”) find an interesting balance of character drama and eroticism, with a ... more >
GONE GIRL beset by technical goofs
Film was co-produced by Reese Witherspoon
Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike
Directed by David Fincher
It would be ungracious to deny that David Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” lengthy as it is, whizzes past, keeping us highly entertained throughout. I haven’t read the book on which it is based so I don’t know if the structural change that has apparently caused an uproar is for the better or not. Anyway, both book and screenplay are by the same author so she’s entitled to doing what she wants with ... more >
To the wonder
Your guide to Terence Malick's To The Wonder
Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko
Directed by Terence Malick
Here’s a topic for sitting around the campfire: are the worst films by the best directors still better than 80% of what is released? Are say, "Bringing Out the Dead" or "The Hudsucker Proxy" still relative carrots for the eyes when compared to the "Transformer" movies? Terrence Malick’s "To the Wonder" is a lot more "The Prairie Home Companion" than "McCabe and Mrs. Miller." Following in the ... more >
To the wonder
Why hide it?
Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams
Directed by Terrence Malick
Less than three years after “Tree of Life” and his Palme D'Or win at Cannes, Terrence Malick is back with “To the Wonder,” a film-as-poem whose secret only he knows, apparently. At some point during the time lapsed Malick’s creativity and inspiration went out the window. In fact, with this vaguely sensory, visual fog of a film, Malick, convinced of his own genius and assured of making a new ... more >
Unstoppable ARGO crowned bestest at Academy Awards
Ben Affleck's film gets well-deserved nod
I never get my prediction for Best Movie right. This year, I did. Sure, you will claim that “Argo” was a shoo-in, what with the trail of fire it’s been leaving behind it these past few months (unstoppable, that movie's been lately), and you’re right. “Argo” is where the money’s at. Although shot in Turkey, the Ben Affleck-directed political thriller takes place in Tehran, Iran, right in the ... more >
BEN AFFLECK WINS BIG AT BAFTAS
Affleck cleans up, grabs best director and best film gold
Ben Affleck has made his comeback on the international stage with aplomb, grabbing several awards at the Brit Awards, namely Best Director and Best Movie, for his film "Argo." What an improbable turn for "Argo," a vital and thrilling film about a little-known incident which occurred during the Iranian Revolution of 1979 (visit the BAFTA's tumblr for more on this). Can this win be a sign of ... more >