BEN AFFLECK

If indeed “Argo” beats the odds and the history and the stats and manages to take the Best Picture Oscar in a few weeks, Ben Affleck, in lieu of recognition as a director, will be able to take the stage at the Dolby Theatre and hold an Academy Award aloft. But as we all know, it wouldn’t be his first time clutching the little golden guy. That moment came on March 23, 1998.

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Oscar Talk: Ep. 105 — Affleck wins another and the nominees do lunch

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:00 am · February 8th, 2013

In this week’s podcast, Kris and Anne discuss Ben Affleck’s DGA victory, the annual nominees luncheon and the recently held Annie and Visual Effects Society Awards and analyze the Best Animated Short category.

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Ben Affleck, Lena Dunham, Rian Johnson win Directors Guild awards

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:32 pm · February 2nd, 2013

Check off one more box on the “Argo” industry tour of awards season goodies. The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has crowned Ben Affleck with the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, this just a week removed from big wins from the Producers and Screen Actors Guilds.

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Oscar Talk: Ep. 104 — 'Argo' steamroller

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:19 am · February 1st, 2013

In this week’s podcast, Kris and Anne discuss the “Argo” guild sweep so far. Will that stretch into the DGA Awards this weekend?

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Off the Carpet: Ang Lee's position in all of this

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:31 am · January 28th, 2013

Lately I’ve been curious about the Best Director race. With an “Argo” win would obviously come a split director decision (unless that write-in stuff finds traction). My instinct has been Steven Spielberg, because “Lincoln” is a hell of an accomplishment and even if I’m betting “Argo” will reap the benefits of the preferential ballot system (born out by its victory Saturday), it still makes sense for Spielberg to get some love. But what about Ang Lee?

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Ben Affleck speaks to a career transitioned at Santa Barbara Film Festival tribute

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:54 am · January 26th, 2013

As “Argo” star and director Ben Affleck took the stage of the Arlington Theatre last night to begin a two-hour Modern Master Award fete at the 28th annual Santa Barbara Film Festival, he settled into that on-going self-effacing tone immediately. “Ben Affleck, career retrospective,” he said. “That could go one of two ways.”

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Oscar Talk: Ep. 103 — Sundance reflections, PGA and SAG Awards preview

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:39 pm · January 25th, 2013

In this week’s podcast, Kris and Anne discuss this year’s Sundance Film Festival and preview the upcoming PGA and SAG Awards.

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Roundup: A write-in vote for Ben Affleck?

Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:05 am · January 18th, 2013

Also: Cinema in the Obama era, and the dark side of the festival circuit.

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Off the Carpet: Why I want to see 'Argo' win Best Picture at the Oscars

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:51 am · January 14th, 2013

The last 100 hours or so in Hollywood has been intriguing, to say the least. The Oscar nominations on Thursday sent a series of shockwaves throughout the industry and were marvelously reflective of a tightly contended, stellar year of filmmaking. And of course, two names have been on everyone’s lips since the Thursday morning bombshell: Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow.

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Big moments for Bill Clinton, Jodie Foster and Ben Affleck at the 70th annual Golden Globes

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:43 am · January 14th, 2013

It was all smiles at the Warner Bros./In Style party Sunday night as team “Argo” had grabbed yet another one-two Best Picture/Best Director punch after the film’s director Ben Affleck was unceremoniously snubbed from the Oscars’ Best Director line-up late last week.

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Oscar Talk: Ep. 102 — Oscar nominations and the BFCA Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:40 am · January 11th, 2013

In today’s podcast, Kris and Anne discuss last night’s Critics’ Choice Movie Awards as well as the nominations for the 85th annual Academy Awards.

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The critics choose embarrassment

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:43 pm · January 10th, 2013

I apologized to BFCA president Joey Berlin after this evening’s Critics’ Choice Movie Awards for being frank about it, but I couldn’t tell a lie: this year’s show was an embarrassment. Appalling, I’d go so far to say.

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