Gone Baby Gone (2007)

It's one thing for a film to be entertain us, but it's another thing entirely to do so while making us really think. Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, opts for the latter route, finding as much success as an intriguing crime thriller as it does as eye-opening lecture on morality.

Affleck adapted the film from a novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River), and cast his younger brother Casey in the lead of private investigator Patrick Kenzie. Early on, Kenzie and his investigating partner/lover Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) are hired to find a missing young child, also currently being pursued by the entire Boston police system. As their search goes on, we're treated to a variety of twists and turns in the plot and an even better variety of supporting characters, including Oscar nominee Amy Ryan as the girl's drug-addict mother and Ed Harris as the duo's Boston P.D. support. Even Morgan Freeman makes important use of his limited screen time.

It's a revelation for both Affleck brothers. Casey can finally emerge from his brother's shadow and assert himself as a serious and talented actor. After his performances here and in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, expect more roles and acclaim to come his way. But it also makes a name for Ben as a director (his writing chops already made apparent by Good Will Hunting). If the guy never acted in another movie again and stuck with writing and directing, he might have a promising future in Hollywood. Only time will tell.

And just when you think the story's over and you have an angle on the movie, it starts up again, becoming deeper and more thought provoking than ever before. Comparisons will be drawn between this and The Departed, if for little more than the fact that they're both crime dramas set in Boston. But Scorsese's film, while intriguing, was purely for entertainment value, and Gone Baby Gone outdoes it in one key area - it makes us question our own previous notions of right and wrong. It does so without any shred of arrogance or pretense, seamlessly blending it all into the entertainment value.

All things considered, Gone Baby Gone is a rich, emotionally stimulating film - truly one of the best 2007 had to offer.

3.5 stars out of 4
8/10

Dazed and Confused (1993)

On the surface, Richard Linklater's film, Dazed and Confused, appears to be little more than another entry into the teen party-comedy genre, of which films are usually a dime a dozen. But it's Linklater, so you know there'll be more to it than that, and in fact there is - all that mid-70s nostalgia! Filmed in 1993, but set in '76, the movie focuses on an epic party on the last day of school. (Sound familiar, Superbad fans? Aside from the classic rock backdrop of Dazed, the two could be the same film.) The plot's nothing to speak of, but it doesn't have to be; the movie's many moments of sheer hilarity and eye-opening depiction of high school life in the 70s have got its back.

I myself was not a teenager, or in fact ALIVE in the 1970s, so I can't comment on the film's accuracy. However, I will say that if this IS accurate, I'm glad to have grown up when I did. Sure, everyone seemed to be on decent terms with each other in this, the time before cliques. But that said, certain personae make ones teeth grind to pure sawdust, so maybe it's a blessing to not have to deal with the likes of Parker Posey's dictator-esque cheerleader Darla, for example. Or better yet, Ben Affleck's O'Bannion, the senior who flunked on purpose so as to be able to terrorize freshmen for one more year. Charming.

In spite of these missteps, the rest of the ensemble cast is pretty terrific, and delivers laughs from all angles. Most of those laughs come from one Ron Slater (Rory Cochrane), who's destined for that certain plateau of greatness alongside Mike Damone and John Bender for teen comedy roles that transcend their meandering genre. Having known many a lazy stoner in my life, I can not only confirm the accuracy of Cochrane's performance but assert it as absolutely hilarious. Want proof? Check out his speculation on alleged cult involvement and marijuana use by, yes, George Washington.

Not a GREAT film by any means, but for one I wasn't expecting to like, Dazed and Confused certainly delivers.

2.5 stars out of 4
6/10