Domhnall Gleeson (yep, son of Brendon, BOOM) is starring as a man who has the ability to travel through time, and probably some exceedingly British romance happens along the multiple bits of way. Adams would take on the role of his romantic interest, joining a cast of supporting actors which includes Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie, Lydia Wilson and Vanessa Kirby. As we’ve told you before, this will in fact only be Curtis’ third directing effort (the other two being Pirate Radio and Love, Actually) and let’s be honest, there are far worse sources of cheerfully fluffy rom-coms in the world. Aren’t there, Garry Marshall?

I was to be disappointed however, because the film didn’t give me the grounds I needed to destroy it. Yes, Tatum has as much personality as a block of clay with small eyes and a mouth carved into it, and yes it’s melodramatic, but the interesting premise throws up some worthwhile themes, good comical moments, and even a few twists along the way. The Vow is about a happily married young couple, Leo (Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams), whose idyllic life is shattered when they’re in a car accident. Paige suffers from amnesia, eradicating the last few years of her life. With Leo still in love with her, and Paige having no clue as to who he is, he tries to make her remember their relationship and win back her heart.

The film wastes no time in setting the scene. After some early moments of them giggling stupidly together and laughing at each other’s farts, the accident happens and the drama begins. Complicating Leo’s determination to get Paige back is her traditional parents’ desire to rekindle their relationship with their daughter and get her back to Law School. Top this off with the fact that the last man Paige remembers loving is her rich-boy ex-fiancée Jeremy (Scott Speedman), and Leo has a bit of an uphill task.

The amnesia scenario makes for some golden opportunities for comedy, though these aren’t fully exploited. Leo’s understandable instincts to be naked around Paige, or to kiss and tickle her when times are tough, are amusingly thrown back in his face. McAdams, for her part, does a good job of being constantly off-set by reminders that she’s now a vegetarian artist, rather than the carnivorous law student she once was. The missing link however is Tatum, who has all the charisma and versatility of an oversized off-cut of beef. His voice (which, unfortunately, also narrates the film) sounds like an adolescent Sylvester Stallone, and his acting is stiff in both his face and his cumbersomely muscular body. Tatum simply lacks the ability to make any scene – whether funny or sad – have its desired impact.

Thankfully for Tatum, McAdams is there to carry him on her figurative shoulders throughout the film. With a couple of years blacked out, the change between her pre- and post-accident character was always going to be subtle, and she picks up on these nuances well. She weeps when she’s meant to weep, is lovey-dovey when she’s supposed to be, and strips down to her bra and panties at one point, which is nice.

The Vow is a well-paced film that avoids slipping into some of the clichés you might expect it to. It treats the affliction of amnesia with respect, emphasising throughout that there is no fast-track to solving the problem. Rather than take the predictable path of ‘love cures everything,’ The Vow approaches the issue with surprising realism. As such, the plot is believable rather than lovey-drivelly nonsense, making the film partly  justify its vague ‘Based on True Events’ claim.

Fighting against Leo’s desire to help Paige through are her family and ex, who attempt to exploit her memory loss to cover up their own past mistakes. In fact, the film appears to have a vaguely political motive by siding selfishness and deceit with Paige’s Republican background, while her positive ‘current’ life sees her pursuing a career in art surrounded by trendy liberal types. Just in case that was too subtle, Leo even reminds Paige that she voted for Obama in the last election, nudging YOU, dear voters, to do the same.

Pseudo-propaganda aside, The Vow is a perfectly watchable love story which treats the subject of amnesia with surprising sensitivity. It moves along at a brisk pace to a conclusion that manages to be touching without falling into a mushy pool of sentimentality. For a love story however, it lacks the key ingredient of on-screen chemistry between the leading pair, but then how is poor Rachel supposed to connect with a clay-faced clump like Tatum?

The film, which is being made on a $20m shoestring, is a loose remake of Alain Corneau’s last film Crime d’amour. The original starred Kristin Scott-Thomas as a sadistic boss who is murdered by her put-upon employee (Ludivine Sagnier), whilst Passion will apparently feature a woman who “turns murderess when her boss steals her idea”. Sounds less traumatic, but we’re generally down with minimal trauma.

De Palma fans will doubtless be thrilled to see the legendary director returning to the psychological thriller genre which made his name with films like Obsession. He said: “Not since Dressed to Kill have I been able to combine eroticism, suspense, mystery, and murder into one spell-binding experience. I can’t wait.” This is actually quite exciting, isn’t it?

Malick has already wrapped filming on one project – potentially named The Burial and starring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams. But Hollywood Reporter has managed to get the scoop on the remaining two projects.

The first, titled Lawless, will star man of the moment Ryan Gosling alongside Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Rooney Mara and Haley Bennett (of Music and Lyrics fame duh). The second film, Knight of Cups, will also – curiously – star Blanchett and Bale, but there is no word as of yet on whether the two films are linked in a significant way.

So what’s with all the films all of a sudden, Malick? What do you know that we don’t? Is the world ending or something?? WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING??? In all seriousness, we are very excited.

Name:

Ryan Thomas Gosling

Date of Birth:

20 November 1980

Place of birth:

London, Ontario, Canada

Special moves:

Acting, singing, JAW WORK

Films include:

The Notebook, Half Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl, Blue Valentine, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Drive

What you probably already know:

Irrespective of all the other interesting things Ryan Gosling has been doing since he first joined the ranks of the Mouseketeers (oh yes, he’s another one), you know him from The Notebook. Guaranteed. You may not have seen it (if so, well done), but the extraordinary levels of devotion inspired by Gosling’s dementia-infused cavorting with Rachel McAdams are the stuff of Hollywood legend; the world wept so hard it got a bit of mucus on its shirt, wouldn’t shut up about the bloody thing ever again and created a star. Blimey.

Seemingly resigned to the fact that it might take another twenty years to obliterate that kiss in the rain from his CV, Ryan has simply spent most of his time since 2004 making a series of excellent films. Seriously, there’s nary a bum note – in just two years he was Oscar-nominated for his role as a drug-addicted history teacher in Half Nelson and everything-else-nominated for charging around with a sex doll in Lars and the Real Girl, plus he went toe-to-toe with Anthony Hopkins in courtroom drama Fracture. More recently he starred with Michelle Williams in last year’s largely-improvised Blue Valentine, and this year he’s racking up a series of massive roles in slick comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, tense thriller Drive and George Clooney’s passion project The Ides of March.

What you might not know:

Did you notice that I didn’t mention Ryan doing anything in 2008-9? Well, there’s a reason for that and it’s that HE’S A ROCKSTAR TOO MOTHERFUCKERS! Ryan took two years out from Hollywood to focus on his monsters and ghosts-themed band Dead Man’s Bones (which consists of him and Rachel McAdams’ sister’s ex Zach Shields), recording a debut album and touring North America. Ryan and Zach imposed many rules upon themselves whilst recording, playing every instrument themselves regardless of their experience and only allowing three takes of each song to allow any imperfections to add to the track. Oh, and just in case you’re thinking this is Ryan’s first foray into the music business? It ain’t. Way back when, his mate A. J. McLean (yes, that one) asked Ryan if he fancied joining a little group he was setting up called the Backstreet Boys. Ryan said no, because he’s not into that commercial jive. Lad.

We’ve got two more Gosling facts for you, and they may not be as unrelated as they first appear. First, did you know that Ryan used to date Sandra Bullock? The pair met on the set of the (largely shit) thriller Murder By Numbers and spent a year together, despite the fact that Sandra’s genuinely old enough to be Ryan’s great great grandmother. Fact #2: Ryan owns a Moroccan restaurant (called Tagine, natch) in Beverly Hills. That might seem like an odd thing for him to do, but don’t forget about the fact that SANDRA BULLOCK OWNS A BISTRO! She obviously had more of an impact on him than he’d like to admit…

Ryan Gosling quote:

“I just have my own taste, and I just try and stick with that. I’m just trying to play as many characters as I can for as long as I have an opportunity to.”

What to say at a dinner party:

“Gosling’s increasingly discerning eye for roles has so far steered him clear of explicitly commercial box-office fodder; he really is one of the most versatile young actors Hollywood has to offer.”

What not to say at a dinner party:

“Sorry I’m not eating much; I went to Tagine yesterday and practically haemorrhaged vomit all night.”

Final thought:

Please let The Ides of March be good. Please. If anyone can make it so, Ryan, you can…

Although we generally source the content for these blogs through a combination of prayer, intuition and pharmacology, our very favourite Ryan Gosling fact (clue) came courtesy of the marvellous Katie Khan. You can find her post ‘Would You Go Gay For Gosling?’ here; we didn’t need any persuading, but if you’re still unsure about diving into a warm sea of that slightly daft accent (or just, like, enjoy funny words) then get involved!

Anything else you think the world should know? Drop us a comment below!

Name:

Rachel Hannah Weisz

Date of Birth:

7th March 1970

Place of birth:

London, England

Special moves:

Acting

Films include:

The Mummy, Enemy at the Gates, About a Boy, Constantine, The Fountain, The Constant Gardener

What you probably already know:

Everyone loves Rachel Weisz. Serious. She’s appeared in films which span an extraordinarily wide range of genres, ensuring she’ll be in your DVD collection whether you’re a fan of action (The Mummy), rom-coms (About a Boy), sci-fi (Constantine). war films (Enemy at the Gates) or dramas (The Constant Gardener, for which Weisz won the 2005 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress). Weisz is also a prolific stage actress with several significant Tennessee Williams roles to her credit, and as if that wasn’t enough she’s just married Craig. Daniel Craig.

Before becoming a real life Bond girl Weisz spent several years engaged to Darren Aronofsky, with whom she has a son. Her willingness to fill in for Cate Blanchett opposite Hugh Jackman saved Aronofsky’s ambitious sci-fi film The Fountain, and Weisz went on to make other challenging films including The Lovely Bones (in which she played the mother of Saoirse Ronan’s murdered teenager) and the forthcoming based-on-true-events drama The Whistleblower, which is sadly without a UK distributor at present. Basically, she’s done almost everything you’ve ever wanted to watch.

What you might not know:

Whilst she’s still best known for starring opposite Hugh Grant and Brendan Fraser in About a Boy and The Mummy, Weisz has spent the past few years beavering away on a variety of passion projects and relatively obscure films. She was praised for her performance in Wong Kar-wai’s 2007 road romance My Blueberry Nights, in which Jude Law and Natalie Portman also starred, and starred in Alejandro Amenábar’s Agora as the fourth century Greek astronomer Hypatia of Alexandria. Bet you didn’t see that coming. Weisz’ dedication to the role was such that Amenábar actually made her suppress some aspects of her performance, memorably refusing to include a scene proposed by Weisz in which Hypatia would have had a jolly good wank whilst looking at the stars.

So, what’s next for Rachel Weisz? Assuming The Whistleblower finds a distributor, her next film will be David Hare’s MI5 drama Page Eight. Also on the cusp of release are Dream House, in which she stars with Daniel Craig, and Terence Davies’ adaptation of the Terence Rattigan play The Deep Blue Sea (also starring Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale). And if that weren’t enough, Weisz will soon be seen with Anthony Hopkins and Jude Law in 360, a psychosexual drama from Fernando Meirelles (City of God), AND with Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams in Terrence Malick’s untitled next film. She just won’t stop; it looks like Weisz’ diverse army of fans will be kept happy for some time to come.

Rachel Weisz quote:

“I have absolutely no empathy for camels. I didn’t care for being abused in the Middle East by those horrible, horrible, horrible creatures. They don’t like people. It’s not at all like the relationship between horses and humans.”

What to say at a dinner party:

“With three promising dramas due out this year alone, Weisz has finally shaken the populist stigma of her early blockbuster work to receive the acknowledgement she deserves as a serious – and seriously talented – actress.”

What not to say at a dinner party:

“She’s certainly had some interesting boyfriends…”

Final thought:

We’re not quite sold on Page Eight yet, but if anyone can save it it’s Rachel Weisz. Check out the trailer and make up your own mind…

Anything else you think the world should know? Drop us a comment below!

#10 – Jake Gyllenhaal

He might have played a video game hero in Prince of Persia, but we reckon Gyllenhaal could handle some proper superpowers and the hefty weight of responsibility that goes with them. He’s got the skills to tackle the vulnerability of any superhero, and the newly discovered muscles to appear as a formidable force for good. If they reboot the Spiderman franchise again after Andrew Garfield (who we’re sure is going to brilliant anyway), they could always give Jake a call. Did we mention the muscles?

#9 – Ryan Gosling

While Ryan Reynolds was crowned People’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2010, and is playing the Green Lantern in the upcoming film adaptation, there is another Canadian Ryan who is quietly working in his shadow. Ryan Gosling is building up an impressive CV in small, critically acclaimed indie films, such as Lars and the Real Girl and Blue Valentine. He may look slightly scrawny now, but that’s the point. How else would he be able to maintain a double identity?

#8 – Rachel McAdams

Every superhero needs a sidekick, and sometimes if it weren’t for these plucky supporting players the superheroes would be in a world of trouble. Fair enough, Lois Lane isn’t faster than a speeding bullet, but she can deliver a snarky line and keep Lex Luthor dancing a merry dance. Rachel McAdams would make a perfect Lois Lane but no one seems to have realised it yet. She’s got snarky down to a fine art, as her performance as the mean-spirited sister in The Family Stone demonstrated. Unfortunately for us, Bryan Singer chose Kate Bosworth as his Lois Lane for Superman Returns, and Zack Snyder has cast Amy Adams as the superhero’s love in his new adaptation Man Of Steel. Don’t worry Rachel, if we ever get the money to finance a new Superman film, you’re our first choice.

#7 – Warwick Davis

Proof to all that size is no obstacle, throughout his career Davis has become a well-respected actor both in the UK and in Hollywood, and is currently busy filming his new show with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Think he couldn’t pull off the role of a mighty superhero? David killed Goliath, lest we forget, and there are plenty of other superheroes with so-called disadvantages – Professor X has wheels and Daredevil is blind. When you’ve got superpowers, however, and a heightened sense of justice, everything is possible.

#6 – Sean Connery

He may have played James Bond, whom some would say is a superhero in his own right (he protects Queen and Country, for goodness sake), but he could have played any number of superheroes. If he can overpower his enemies with a single blow as James Bond, imagine what he could do if he had super strength. Scottish Superman, anyone? Just don’t expect him to save anyone who disagrees with him on devolution. Those people are on their own.

#5 – Laurence Fishburne

Some might consider Morpheus a superhero, but wouldn’t it be great to see Fishburne as The Hulk? He’s revealed his temper at times in his latest role as Raymond ‘Dr. Ray’ Langston in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, but we reckon he could go all the way and turn truly green. The angry green giant (wait, doesn’t he make sweet corn?) hasn’t been having the best of luck on the big screen lately, so what has Fishburne got to lose?

#4 – Paul Gross

Not all superheroes are American, you know. Ever heard of Captain Canuck? Those north of the border need protecting too, and fortunately for them they have Tom Evans, a member of the Canadian International Security Operation who was given super powers by aliens (no, really). Paul Gross would be just the man to take on the job; as Benton Fraser in Due South, he was half way to superhero status, with his willingness to help anyone and everyone and a very nice line jumping off buildings and walking away unscathed. OK, can you tell this writer is a child of the 90s?

#3 – Gregory Peck

He was charming (Roman Holiday), fought for justice (To Kill A Mockingbird), and he was tall; that’s all you need to be a superhero, right? He stood up to the Nazis in The Guns of Navarone, so he could have easily adopted the mantle of Captain America (although he did subsequently play Josef Mengele in The Boys from Brazil… but we won’t mention that). Chris Evans is Marvel’s new Captain America, but we’re sure Gregory Peck would have fought for Uncle Sam just as hard, and looked just as good doing it.

#2 – Queen Latifah

Granted, she may be nothing like her on-screen roles, but you certainly wouldn’t want to mess with either Motormouth Maybelle (Hairspray) or Matron Mama Morton (Chicago), or even her role as Penny Escher, literary assistant in Stranger Than Fiction. Too much alliteration with the ‘M’s perhaps, but all formidable ladies who would clear up any mess in which you found yourself. Just give her wings and see what she can do.

#1 – John Wayne

Admit it, you would have loved to see the ultimate cowboy adopt some colourful, skin-hugging tights and fly into the air defending the world against evil villains. The great American West would have been an even safer place if someone had seen fit to grant The Duke some superpowers. Fastest horse-rider in the world? A Stetson with magical powers? The ability to play a character other than ‘John Wayne’? Fine, that last one was harsh, but given the recent outing of Jonah Hex on the big screen, we’re sure Wayne couldn’t have fared any worse.

Who would you most like to see in a unitard? Let us know below!

I could – and probably should – spend the first few paragraphs of this review comparing Midnight in Paris to any number of Allen’s other works, only I haven’t actually seen any. With only Match Point as a measure, I was surprised to find myself investing entirely in the director’s latest offering; part dramedy, part timey-wimey Twilight episode, Midnight in Paris is a wonderfully electric cross stitch of celebrity cameos and creative conjecture that places this oddity somewhere between Hot Tub Time Machine and the director’s own Vicky Cristina Barcelona (or so I have been lead to believe).

Boasting a career-best performance from a surprisingly capable Owen Wilson, and letting Rachel McAdams get her bitch on for the first time since Mean Girls, our fable finds a strong emotional centre in Wilson’s ex-Hollywood screen-writer before his struggling nomance inevitably hits the TARDIS for act 2. With Sheen dispensing meddlesome factoids with entertaining glee, Allen ensures that his audience remains invested in both timelines simultaneously, his eye for comedy ensuring that the tone remains delightfully whimsical throughout.

It is when the narrative relocates to the 1920s, however, that Midnight in Paris comes to life. Corey Stoll and Adrien Brody lead the way as Ernest Hemingway and Salvador Dali respectively, making way for the likes of Kathy Bates, Tom Hiddleston and Allison Pill to work wonders as Gertrude Stein and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, even giventheir admittedly limited screen-time. Even charisma vacuum Marion Cotillard can’t throw proceedings off course as perennially damp love interest Adriana, although what is otherwise smooth sailing does hit turbulence in a last act plot development that smacks uncomfortably of Inception‘s Russian Doll approach to dreaming.

Where Midnight in Paris runs aground, if it does at all, is in the sheer contrivance of its set up. While initial talk of psychological defence mechanisms and Golden Age Syndrome hint at a psychological complexity in the vein of Black Swan, any extra dimensionality is quickly stripped from the narrative in Allen’s haste to colour within the lines and outline the narrative with unfortunate precision. What at first feels like a quirky tale of wish fulfilment is soon robbed of all ambiguity, leaving the sheer volume of celebrity encounters to take on a farcical air of incredulity.

Nevertheless, Midnight in Paris tells its story with a verve and emotionality that handles the rampant nostalgia with expert precision. While it will unlikely appeal to all, Midnight in Paris boasts enough wit, charm and cameos to keep even the stubbornest Francophile entertained, quickly atoning for the bloated pictorial prologue that precedes it. And, if nothing else, it’s much, much better than Match Point.

Richard Curtis has magical powers, we’ve already established this – when Notting Hill came out it single-handedly established Hugh Grant as the epitome of foppish and bumbling English chivalry, despite the fact that four years earlier Grant had been shopped for soliciting a nosh on Sunset Boulevard. Imagine what that sort of pop-cultural clout could do for Arnie (serial groper) and Austrian men as a whole! We refer you to Hitler and Fritzl, because we don’t know any other Austrians. Neither do you. This film needs to be made.

Frost/Nixon

“Ooh look, I’m Michael Sheen! I’m universally acclaimed for my consistently spot-on portrayals of well-known twentieth-century figures in film! Look at me being David Frost!” Shut up, Michael, you dick. Have you ever been Mister Universe? No? Funny, that. Arnie could clearly have won the Oscar you weren’t even nominated for (ooh, sick burn) – and after that he’d go on to play Tony Blair, George W Bush AND Vladimir Putin like some sort of mad masturbatory political celluloid Cerberus. Whilst pumping iron. Eat it, Brian Clough.

Shrek

In all honesty, we’ve had nothing to live for since the day we accepted that Arnie and Danny Devito would never again star in a riotous star vehicle. Twins was so damn charming! Well, at last there is hope. Scant months before we’re due to take delivery of both Shrek: The Musical and a pumpkin carriage-load of fairytale adaptations, there’s never been a better time for a live-action adaptation of Shrek – one where, at last, the titular ogre’s booming tones aren’t ruined by the knowledge that they’re somehow coming from Mike Myers’ horrible pigeon chest.

Labyrinth

“YOU REMIND ME OF THE BABE.” “What babe?” “SARAH CONNOR, THE BABE WITH THE POWER.” “What power?” “THE POWER TO BRING FORTH INTO THE WORLD A CHILD CAPABLE OF LEADING THE HUMAN RACE IN THE DARK AGE OF MACHINE WHICH WILL FOLLOW JUDGEMENT DAY.” “Who do?” “HASTA LA VISTA, DICKWEED.”

Mrs Doubtfire

Some of Arnie’s best work has been done in odd costumes with a vaguely feminine twist – he gave birth in Junior, for God’s sake, and all that was keeping him warm in that furry G-string was his flowing locks. Plus he’s used to wearing a prosthetic face over his metallic endo-skeleton. If we wait long enough then Robin Williams will go the way of Steve Martin and we’ll be too unhappy to watch any of his non-shit films; much better to get remaking them ahead of time. Mind you, they might have to redub ‘Euphegenia’ in post…

Twilight

As far as we understand, Twilight has two types of male character – sensitive and buff. This is a waste of wages. Arnie can do sensitive – look at Kindergarten Cop! – and he’d look absolutely brilliant with badman pointy teeth. AND he definitely wouldn’t put up with any of that wanky ooh-look-if-I-go-into-the-sunlight-I-sparkle-like-a-pansy nonsense – Arnie would burst into flames, and still get the job done. A flaming man mountain of macho yet sensitive vampwolf Austrian? R-Pattz would take one look and shit himself.

Blade Runner

Nobody’s arguing with Arnie’s wish to return to the epic 80s sci-fi which more or less made his name, but be reasonable – does the world really need another Running Man? And if Joseph McGinty ‘stupid nickname’ Nichol is really onboard to direct the putative fifth and sixth Terminator films then hopefully he’ll have the sense to stay well away. But Blade Runner… God knows Harrison Ford isn’t up to starring in a reboot, but imagine Arnie as a grizzled Runner training someone up à la Morgan Freeman in Se7en – we would genuinely watch that. Rutger Hauer would totally come back as Roy. It’d be ace.

Bound

Since the whole world has hated everything the Wachowskis have touched since V for Vendetta, the time is right for them to revisit their acclaimed debut feature – the trouble is, that lipstick lesbian/spanner-wielding dyke dynamic is frightfully 1996. Conveniently, Larry Wachowski has come up with some intriguing new raw material by BECOMING A WOMAN when nobody was looking; Bound could be given a 21st century twist by rewriting the lead characters as pre-operative transsexuals. Cue Arnie banging the living fuck out of poor delicate Michael Cera, and the Wachowski boys (/girls) are back in town!

The King’s Speech

Much though we love it, it’s a given that The King’s Speech took some fairly hefty liberties with history – most notably by airbrushing out the fact that about half the characters were massive Nazis. So what’s another tiny detail? Geoffrey Rush did a cracking job as Lionel Logue, but his Antipodean burr could never hold up against Arnie’s mighty Teutonic drone. Best For Film is happy to hock its diamonds and rent out its orifices to pay for the reshoot, just for the sake of the first magical time we hear the big man say “Berrrrtie!”

The Notebook

Well, it couldn’t be any more fucking awful, could it?

Affleck’s choice of film roles through most of the early Noughties didn’t help him either, starring in Pearl Harbor, Jersey Girl and (horror of horrors) Gigli, with the aforementioned Miss Lopez. Affleck’s films regularly made appearances on ‘worst films’ lists. Even Daredevil, his attempt at the superhero genre, failed to hit the heights of Spiderman or X-Men, although it did unite him with another Jennifer – Jennifer Garner – whom he went on to marry in 2005.

‘But when are you going to start defending him?’ I hear you cry. Well, this shall not be a love-letter to Mr. Affleck, nor a mushy piece telling you he’s the best thing since sliced bread. It will merely be a rational response to Affleck’s decriers, those who have failed to notice that in the past few years he has returned to form. It seems that those on the comeback from drug and alcohol addiction get more support than those who have simply made bad career choices. Rather than bursting back into the stratosphere like Robert Downey Jr., Affleck has been quietly working away in front of and behind the camera, slowly winning back the support of critics and fans.

In 2006 Affleck started on the path to redemption in Hollywoodland taking the role of George Reeves, star of The Adventures of Superman. It might have failed to make much of an impression in the public consciousness, but it debuted at number two at the U.S. box office and Affleck won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, as well as earning a Golden Globe nomination.

Aside from his performance in Smokin’ Aces in the same year (we’ll brush that one under the rug) Affleck did not appear on the silver screen again for another 3 years, but he didn’t stop working. Affleck returned to what he knew best – working-class Boston – for his directorial debut Gone Baby Gone (2007), letting little brother Casey take the stage in the lead role. Along with fellow screenwriter Aaron Stockard, the elder Affleck adapted the screenplay from Dennis Lehane’s novel, a writer whose novels have been a valuable source for film directors such as Clint Eastwood (Mystic River) and Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island). Now, admit it, you never expected to see Ben Affleck’s name in a list with Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, but Affleck surprised everyone with his obvious talent in the director’s chair. He assembled an impressive cast, including Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman and Amy Ryan, who went on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, proving that Affleck was a director who could get the best from his cast. The film made a profit at the box office and established Affleck as young director with a lot of potential.

Despite his acting career having been the butt of many jokes over the years, Affleck found himself on the right side of a punch line in 2008 when he appeared in Jimmy Kimmel’s video ‘I’m Fucking Ben Affleck’, a response to a video made by Kimmel’s then-girlfriend Sarah Silverman, ‘I’m Fucking Matt Damon’. Affleck reunited with Kimmel in 2010 for Kimmel’s post-Oscar special, in which they appeared as part of the Handsome Men’s Club (Kimmel even got Damon and Garner to appear as well). People always love celebrities who can laugh at themselves, and Kimmel’s video alone must have only added to the respect Affleck had earned with Gone Baby Gone.

Affleck continued to flex his funny bone when he returned to acting in 2009. He starred alongside Jason Bateman (and who doesn’t love Jason Bateman?) in Extract, as Bateman’s long-haired, pot-smoking best friend, even earning a ‘with Ben Affleck’ credit (having ‘with’ or ‘and’ in front of one’s name is like having a big flashing arrow announcing one’s presence). 2009 was a surprisingly prolific year for Affleck, and although he didn’t completely avoid the bad rom-coms (*cough* He’s Just Not That Into You *cough*), he impressed with a dramatic supporting role in State of Play alongside Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren, and that’s no shoddy cast.

Following a critically-acclaimed directorial debut such as Gone Baby Gone, however, is always tricky. Affleck could well have floundered trying to replicate his success (just look at Richard Kelly). But Affleck is a smart man, and stayed within the working-class Boston neighbourhoods for his second directorial outing The Town (2010), only this time Affleck also took the lead role. Directing oneself is never an easy task, but Affleck’s performance in The Town convinced cinemagoers that he could deliver on both sides of the camera. It seems Affleck can handle action, emotion and tension, all while acting as well. Is there nothing this man can’t do?! Well OK, he probably can’t ride a unicycle, but he’s established himself as a dedicated family man who can direct and act at the highest level, and that’s without even mentioning all of the charity work that he does in the background. Ben Affleck, we salute you!