My latest movie column for Sympatico/MSN is a compare-and-contrast on the careers of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Perhaps you’d like to read it.
I mean, I didn’t want to be the 75th guy to write a Bourne vs. Bond piece. Though I’m pretty sure Bourne would kick Bond’s ass at first, but then Bond would shoot him in the neck with his secret spear-gun watch.
Just for the record.
I think Affleck made all the coin he could as a leading-man, and is now preparing to shift into directing full-time, a la Mel Gibson.
GONE, BABY, GONE, his directorial debut, is getting pretty good hype. If Affleck proves himself as a director of solid actors (and with Morgan Freeman on board, that shouldn’t be too difficult), and Hollywood — and the public — accepts it, I wouldn’t be surprised if he slowly slips out of the leading man roles and settles behind the camera for good, a la Mel Gibson and Ron Howard and other actors who don’t need the hefy paychecks from their acting gigs anymore…