Though he earned writing credit for “Good Will Hunting” and served as producer for several films, “Gone Baby Gone” marks Affleck’s first attempt at directing a feature.
We’ve seen our fair share of Ben Affleck sucking in front of the screen. Can he handle standing behind a camera without sucking?
Affleck made his feature directorial debut last week with “Gone Baby Gone” at the Chicago International Film Festival, sharing a schedule with dozens of films ranging from mainstream fare to flicks of a “what the hell did I just watch” caliber.
Though he earned writing credit for “Good Will Hunting” and served as producer for several films, Affleck has only filled the director’s seat once before with the short, “I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney,” which speaks for itself.
“Gone Baby Gone” stars Affleck’s brother Casey and also features Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. Listed as a gala presentation with the festival, the flick tells of two detectives who look for a missing little girl. Dude, as long as Michael Bay is far, far away, I’m in.
Affleck isn’t the only actor who gets the chair at this festival, as Anthony Hopkins will also sport his new film, “Slipstream.” With Hopkins also given writing, acting and music credits, the movie focuses on a screenwriter whose lines of reality and fiction start to blur upon writing a murder mystery script.
Other highlights from the festival, which began Oct. 4 and runs through Oct. 17:
–Weirdo director Anton Corbijn, the guy responsible for Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” music video, brings “Control” to the festival’s main competition. Music is close to Corbijn’s heart, as he’s also helmed clips for Joni Mitchell, U2 and Henry Rollins. “Control” is a biography, of sorts, on Ian Curtis, who committed suicide while singing lead for Joy Division.
–Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro co-star in “Things We Lost in the Fire,” produced by “American Beauty” mastermind Sam Mendes. Berry plays a woman in grief after her husband suddenly dies, while Del Toro’s character isn’t quite above the clouds himself.
–But really, who was Freddie Mercury? The late Queen singer is profiled in the documentary, “Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs — The Untold Story.”
–Hot off the word-of-mouth success of “Waitress,” Keri Russell joins Robin Williams in “August Rush,” about an orphaned child who uses music to bring his parents together or some other type of warm fuzzy feeling that would fit into the festival’s new Family Focus category.
