Ben Affleck has directed three films and the last, Argo, won Best Picture and Best Screenplay at the Oscars. Affleck’s first directorial effort, Gone Baby Gone, starred his brother Casey and a fleet of great character actors. Hollywood was taken aback by Affleck’s first attempt behind the camera, as was the viewing public. This came after a long period of inactivity from the star, who escaped from the limelight after his doomed action hero career and relationship with Jennifer Lopez. Affleck figured he needed to get away and reestablish his persona and rekindle that Good Will Hunting ingenuity. While Argo and Gone, Baby, Gone are the more critical acclaimed films of his 1-2-3 punch, The 2010 heist film, The Town, is the Fleck’s true masterpiece. I’ll give you five reasons. (more…)
Month: June 2015
Bo Jackson: A Real Life Avengers
(You may have seen this on Up All Night in April but I wanted to bring it back for my exclusive Dose of Buffa Readers)
As Avengers Assemble week starts up here at Up All Night, I wanted to take a look at the one true Avenger that played sports. That man was Bo Jackson. His professional sports career was bittersweet and exists in memory as an otherworldy event when thought about these days.
I had an idea about Jackson’s story. I knew what he did and the reputation he had. The bat snapping. The long home run at the All Star Game. The miraculous feats accomplished in both football and baseball. The Nike campaign that coined the catchphrase “Bo Knows”. He was Thor on a baseball field and a muscle bound Quicksilver on a football field. I didn’t know about all the little details of his rise and fall, and that is where ESPN’s 30 for 30 comes into play. Via a Netflix suggestion(and the fact I have the first box set in my entertainment center gathering dust), I took on Christian Laettner’s Duke Hate phenomenon and then ran into Reggie Miller’s triumphant conquering of Madison Square Garden.
Afterwards, the Bo Jackson 77 minute documentary was suggested. I couldn’t resist. I love sports history mixed with filmmaking, interviews, and some of the best musical scores you’ll find on television. The only thing missing is the sultry cool voice of HBO’s narrating maestro Liev Schreiber telling the story but thankfully, the stories are strong enough to carry the weight. Jackson’s story is unique because of how unique he was as an athletic specimen. (more…)
Dose of Buffa 