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| Ben Affleck in 2012. Photo by Elen Nivrae. |
I am starting off with Ben Affleck. Keep in mind that these are just my personal opinions and the movies and shows that I think you may not have seen yet are just ones that seemed under the
radar to me, but may not have to everyone. I should also point out that for best movie/tv show they have been in I'm only going to choose ones where the actor is at least the supporting character. Anyways, here we go.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
I REPEAT, SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
My favorite Movie/TV Show he has been in:
Armageddon (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 38%
IMDB rating: 6.7/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
The plot per IMDB: "After discovering that an asteroid the size of Texas is going to impact Earth in less than a month, NASA recruits a misfit team of deep-core drillers to save the planet."
First of all, how does this movie only have a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes? Am I the crazy one? I'm sure I will get some crap for this one, and I know there are some other great ones, but my favorite Ben Affleck movie is Armageddon. I get the action and sci-fi is very, very over-the-top. And some might even say the acting is forced or just too much, but I still love this movie. The story itself is a good one, although a little bit far-fetched. And I feel like the cast alone is enough to make this one of the greatest movies ever. Affleck stars alongside Bruce Willis, possibly the greatest action movie star of all time. The supporting cast is amazing and too long to mention everyone, but some highlights are Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Will Patton, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Owen Wilson. Affleck teams with Willis, among other characters, as worlds best deep sea oil drillers as they are sent into space to drill into an asteroid and plant a nuclear bomb, to hopefully destroy it before it impacts Earth. Even if the story is almost unbelievable, it is hard not to cry at the end of this one when Bruce Willis makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the asteroid is destroyed and Earth is saved. This movie definitely chooses action and drama at the expense of accurate science, but even with that still manages to overcome the inaccuracies to create a great cinematic experience. I love science fiction, and I do like when movies are able to be somewhat accurate with science, but with this movie I am able to look past it. If you can't watch something where science is taken for granted then this one might not be for you, but if you are able to look past that then one is a quite enjoyable movie.
My rating:
I love this movie and would give it 9.5/10, becauseA I do think I have to take away at least a couple points for some of the inaccuracies.
My favorite Movie/TV Show he has been in that you may not have seen:
Argo (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%
IMDB rating: 7.7
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, HBO MAX
The plot per IMDB: "Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979."
Unlike Armageddon, this movie has a nearly perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a decent 7.7 on IMDB. And yet, it was even close to as mainstream as Armageddon. Now, I'm sure there is a significant number of people who have seen it, but I do feel like it was one that was definitely under the radar. Even still, it is a great movie. The film is based on a book by former CIA operative Tony Mendez , "The Master of Disguise", in which he tells about how he led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, under the guise of filming a science fiction film during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis. Affleck plays the role of Mendez, and just like Armageddon, another star studded cast joins him. Legends such as Alan Arkin, John Goodman and Bryan Cranston star in this one alongside many other talented actors. I won't give away too much of this one in case you want to check it out, but it definitely has all the stuff you expect in a spy movie; fake identities, hostages, suspense and more. Much of the first 20-25 minutes show the hostage situation unfolding and then Mendez (Affleck) and other members of the CIA trying to come up with a strategy to get those who have escaped the hostage situation out safely. They talk through several ideas but eventually come up with the one mentioned in the plot summary. The idea is met with pushback from those that will be involved but they eventually decide to go through with it. The next hour or so is spent putting the plan together, putting the pieces in place and then executing the plan. Tension seems to just build and build throughout the final half of the movie with everyone hoping Mendez can pull off the plan. This sets up for a dramatic climax for the movie. I'll leave it there since I've given a little of the movie away already and don't want to spoil the ending.
My rating:
I don't want to just go around and hand out 10's to every movie, but this one is well deserving of the 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and the 10 cushions it gets from me. The story, the buildup, the suspense, the payoff, the acting, and chemistry of the actors make this one you can't miss. If you haven't yet, give Argo a watch.
Don't waste your time with this Movie/TV Show:
Gigli (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 6%
IMDB rating: 2.5/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, HBO MAX
The plot per IMDB: "Larry Gigli is assigned by a crime boss to kidnap the brother of a prominent district attorney. A beautiful woman known only as Ricki is sent to stay with him to make sure he doesn't mess up the job."
I have to be honest its been a very long time since I've seen this one so I don't remember much if anything about it. Or maybe it was just an easily forgettable movie. I just remember the story wasn't great, the chemistry between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez just wasn't working, and it was just a generally bad movie. If you've already seen this one, fine, but don't waste your time if you haven't.
My rating:
Movie/TV Show I haven't seen but would like to:
This one was tough for me because I'm a Ben Affleck fan and I feel like I've seen just about everything of his that I want to see. So instead of mentioning one that I would like to see, I'm just going to give more movies that I enjoyed. Some of these just missed the cut for my favorite Affleck movie of all time.
Good Will Hunting
Dogma
Reindeer Games
Changing Lanes
The Sum of All Fears
Paycheck
Smokin' Aces
Gone Girl
The Accountant
Let me know what you think about the movies that I mentioned and be sure to check out Argo if you haven't seen it already.
radar to me, but may not have to everyone. I should also point out that for best movie/tv show they have been in I'm only going to choose ones where the actor is at least the supporting character. Anyways, here we go.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
I REPEAT, SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
My favorite Movie/TV Show he has been in:
Armageddon (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 38%
IMDB rating: 6.7/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
The plot per IMDB: "After discovering that an asteroid the size of Texas is going to impact Earth in less than a month, NASA recruits a misfit team of deep-core drillers to save the planet."
First of all, how does this movie only have a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes? Am I the crazy one? I'm sure I will get some crap for this one, and I know there are some other great ones, but my favorite Ben Affleck movie is Armageddon. I get the action and sci-fi is very, very over-the-top. And some might even say the acting is forced or just too much, but I still love this movie. The story itself is a good one, although a little bit far-fetched. And I feel like the cast alone is enough to make this one of the greatest movies ever. Affleck stars alongside Bruce Willis, possibly the greatest action movie star of all time. The supporting cast is amazing and too long to mention everyone, but some highlights are Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Will Patton, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Owen Wilson. Affleck teams with Willis, among other characters, as worlds best deep sea oil drillers as they are sent into space to drill into an asteroid and plant a nuclear bomb, to hopefully destroy it before it impacts Earth. Even if the story is almost unbelievable, it is hard not to cry at the end of this one when Bruce Willis makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the asteroid is destroyed and Earth is saved. This movie definitely chooses action and drama at the expense of accurate science, but even with that still manages to overcome the inaccuracies to create a great cinematic experience. I love science fiction, and I do like when movies are able to be somewhat accurate with science, but with this movie I am able to look past it. If you can't watch something where science is taken for granted then this one might not be for you, but if you are able to look past that then one is a quite enjoyable movie.
My rating:
I love this movie and would give it 9.5/10, becauseA I do think I have to take away at least a couple points for some of the inaccuracies.
My favorite Movie/TV Show he has been in that you may not have seen:
Argo (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%
IMDB rating: 7.7
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, HBO MAX
The plot per IMDB: "Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979."
Unlike Armageddon, this movie has a nearly perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a decent 7.7 on IMDB. And yet, it was even close to as mainstream as Armageddon. Now, I'm sure there is a significant number of people who have seen it, but I do feel like it was one that was definitely under the radar. Even still, it is a great movie. The film is based on a book by former CIA operative Tony Mendez , "The Master of Disguise", in which he tells about how he led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, under the guise of filming a science fiction film during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis. Affleck plays the role of Mendez, and just like Armageddon, another star studded cast joins him. Legends such as Alan Arkin, John Goodman and Bryan Cranston star in this one alongside many other talented actors. I won't give away too much of this one in case you want to check it out, but it definitely has all the stuff you expect in a spy movie; fake identities, hostages, suspense and more. Much of the first 20-25 minutes show the hostage situation unfolding and then Mendez (Affleck) and other members of the CIA trying to come up with a strategy to get those who have escaped the hostage situation out safely. They talk through several ideas but eventually come up with the one mentioned in the plot summary. The idea is met with pushback from those that will be involved but they eventually decide to go through with it. The next hour or so is spent putting the plan together, putting the pieces in place and then executing the plan. Tension seems to just build and build throughout the final half of the movie with everyone hoping Mendez can pull off the plan. This sets up for a dramatic climax for the movie. I'll leave it there since I've given a little of the movie away already and don't want to spoil the ending.
My rating:
I don't want to just go around and hand out 10's to every movie, but this one is well deserving of the 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and the 10 cushions it gets from me. The story, the buildup, the suspense, the payoff, the acting, and chemistry of the actors make this one you can't miss. If you haven't yet, give Argo a watch.
Don't waste your time with this Movie/TV Show:
Gigli (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 6%
IMDB rating: 2.5/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, HBO MAX
The plot per IMDB: "Larry Gigli is assigned by a crime boss to kidnap the brother of a prominent district attorney. A beautiful woman known only as Ricki is sent to stay with him to make sure he doesn't mess up the job."
I have to be honest its been a very long time since I've seen this one so I don't remember much if anything about it. Or maybe it was just an easily forgettable movie. I just remember the story wasn't great, the chemistry between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez just wasn't working, and it was just a generally bad movie. If you've already seen this one, fine, but don't waste your time if you haven't.
My rating:
Movie/TV Show I haven't seen but would like to:
This one was tough for me because I'm a Ben Affleck fan and I feel like I've seen just about everything of his that I want to see. So instead of mentioning one that I would like to see, I'm just going to give more movies that I enjoyed. Some of these just missed the cut for my favorite Affleck movie of all time.
Good Will Hunting
Dogma
Reindeer Games
Changing Lanes
The Sum of All Fears
Paycheck
Smokin' Aces
Gone Girl
The Accountant
Let me know what you think about the movies that I mentioned and be sure to check out Argo if you haven't seen it already.