you'd think the only thing i ever do is go to afi director's screenings at arclight, wouldn't you?

The title says it all for such a long lull between posts. I don't know why. When you don't feel like blogging, you don't feel like blogging. That doesn't mean I haven't done anything worth blogging about. It's not as if the people who blog multiple times a day have really done anything worth blogging about either. I balance the blogosphere, I guess.

At any rate, I returned a little bit ago from an AFI Director's Screening of Gone Baby Gone directed and co-written by Ben Affleck and starring Casey Affleck (and a whole lot of other famous people...and the dude who played Taggart in the first two Beverly Hills Cop movies...I guess he had the sense to stay out of the last one).

Anyway, I totally wasn't expecting to be impressed by it. Let's face it, the trailer makes it look like pretty standard (read: mediocre) fare. And unlike most people, abducted child stories don't pull on my heartstrings that much (no, I don't think they're good, but come on, it's a total ploy to get you to cry and care and blah blah blah...it's a movie!). Let's just say the trailer doesn't do it justice. It's pretty taught with suspense, plot twists (some you can see coming but the movie doesn't pretend that you can't see them), and plenty of gunfire to make me jump in my seat a few times. Oh and it's funny. Casey Affleck gave an excellent performance, and yes, Ben Affleck can direct.

In the Q&A (no, I didn't spot any celebrity wives, babies, or best friends), the first question came from an older British woman who posed the question "to the director." Ben said that not using his name and addressing him as "the director" made his month! I believe it. He was really humble. Casey was funny and also made reference to his brother's "famous" status in a joking way. You can tell they just sort of take it in stride. It was a pleasant Q&A where I was taken by the participants (Amy Ryan was also there but obviously the attention was on the men) and there wasn't ass-kissing from the audience (maybe a first?). I did think it was a bit cheesey that the moderator asked everyone to stay in his/her seats while the panel exited "because they're already late for something." Come on. We know you don't want the crowd rushing Ben--and that's totally understandable--but why lie about it (or at least deliver the lie better)?

I love these things. They keep giving us $10 giftcards to Arclight, which basically makes the movie free. I still have one from the last one I went to. I also have a small stockpile of miniature Audi roadsters sitting in my apartment. Who wants one?