Clark Kent says: Ben Affleck made a re-believer out of Hollywood after his flick ‘Gone Baby Gone’ amazed audiences. Has ‘The Town’ surpassed everyone’s expectations? Click the jump to find out if you should save your money or not!
GOOD: Returning to his native Boston, Ben Affleck, creates a film with a harrowing story that breathes and bleeds the essence of Beantown. As the director and co-writer of the screenplay, Affleck distinguishes an air of authenticity to the movie that cannot be faked. Similar to ‘The Departed’ — Affleck’s project mirrors the crime-movie subgenre marked by the flavored accents, real world atmosphere, and grim ending. It’s attention to detail will make audiences feel like a resident or create a yearning to release that inner hard-bitten criminal in the theaters. Jeremy Renner (Jem) is explosive as the hair-trigger-happy best friend. Rebecca Hall (Claire Keesey) is amorous as the object of affection and disdain. Director Ben Affleck makes you keenly aware of his character and Rebecca Hall’s internal struggle as they seek the answers to the big questions proposed in the film.

BAD: Unfortunately ‘The Town’ bogs down as the cast’s thick accents sometimes come across as mumbled or muffled by microphones that fail to drown out the background noises. Conversations between the characters that are understood come off as inconsequential and just add padding to a runtime that seems longer than two hours. The two other partners in this heist crime are barely even mentioned by name and come off as human props in ‘The Town.’

UGLY: The action in ‘The Town’ is pulse-pounding from the beginning. Ben Affleck’s attention to detail shines both on-and-off camera and because of his directorial duties the cast stands out, displaying real emotions. Jeremy Renner leads the pack with his toughness and spontaneous qualities of his role. Jon Hamm (Adam Frawley) displays some real emotion as the “always-a-step-behind” FBI agent. Pete Postlethwaite, captures the intelligences of his character in 1995′s ‘The Usual Suspects,’ is casted perfectly as Fergus Colm — with little screen time — and full of menace. The cinematography by Robert Elswit (‘Salt’) captures the film’s tone, place, and era — while Rebecca Hall works elegantly in the role of Claire — but never outshines her co-star. Clichéd car chases, bloody shoot-outs, and the muffled dialogue aside, the script — co-written by Ben Affleck, Peter Craig, and Aaron Stockard — makes ‘The Town’ a solid effort enhanced by excellent cinematography and casting.

Clark Kent says: In other words… See It! After you see ‘The Town’ share your feelings about the flick in our comments section below. Check out the trailer below:

Warner Bros. Pictures has brought online a clip from director Ben Affleck’s The Town, hitting theaters on September 17th.

Clark Kent says: You can read the plot and check out the clip after the jump…

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The crime drama stars Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper.

See the plot below:

In the film, Doug MacRay (Affleck) is an unrepentant criminal, the de facto leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers who pride themselves in stealing what they want and getting out clean. With no real attachments, Doug never has to fear losing anyone close to him. But that all changed on the gang’s latest job, when they briefly took a hostage–bank manager, Claire Keesey (Hall). Though they let her go unharmed, Claire is nervously aware that the robbers know her name…and where she lives. But she lets her guard down when she meets an unassuming and rather charming man named Doug…not realizing that he is the same man who only days earlier had terrorized her. The instant attraction between them gradually turns into a passionate romance that threatens to take them both down a dangerous, and potentially deadly, path.

Clark Kent says: Will you be going to see ‘The Town’ once it hits your town? Share your thoughts in the comments section below:

Ben Affleck’s first effort as director, Gone Baby Gone, was so good that we forgave him for Gigli.

Clark Kent says: I didn’t forgive you for that, Ben. Never have I seen love make a man do such a crazy thing… SMH.

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His second film, The Town, looks like it might be even better, telling the story of a Boston bank robbery who falls for one of his victims.

Ben Affleck stars as well as directing this time, as Doug MacRay, a thief from Charlestown. Rebecca Hall plays bank manager Claire Keesey, who’s the victim of his latest raid. After taking her hostage to complete the raid, he sets about meeting her, unmasked, once she’s returned to normal life. Meanwhile, however, FBI Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) is on Doug’s tail.

Clark Kent says: The film also stars the beautiful Blake Lively, “Pistol” Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper, and one of my favorite actors — Jeremy Renner. The film will be in theaters on September 24th.

Clark Kent says: Michael J. Bassett adapts legendary Robert E. Howard’s ‘Solomon Kane’ for a film that manages to capture the ‘Conan’ creator’s essence and gives Jame Purefoy a huge spotlight. But does all that constitute a good movie? Click the jump to find out.

GOOD: You may not be familiar with Kane, but Robert E. Howard’s other, more famous creation, Conan the Barbarian has similar ties to the pissed off pirate. Played by James Purefoy, Kane is unremittingly dark. His persona is reflective of the world he managed to thrive within. A man of pure evil, Purefoy’s ‘Kane’ kills and steals whatever he likes, and when the Devil comes to lay claim to his soul that’s when the fun truly begins. Sword fights and bloodshed is aplenty. The style of ‘Solomon Kane’ is reminiscent of John Milus’ ‘Conan the Barbarian’ starring the Governator — which if that’s your thing — you’ll enjoy.

BAD: If you’re looking for something innovative and new… look elsewhere. Director Michael J. Bassett doesn’t offer anything that we haven’t seen before. While ‘Solomon Kane’ may signal the revival of the fantasy-adventure genre (which explains the ‘Conan’ remake) — this is the kind of movie that tries to cram everything and the kitchen sink into 104 minutes. Tortured hero? Check. Seemingly dead brother who comes back as a psycho? Check. Bad father who shows up just in time to make amends? Check. List complete. Bassett’s ‘Kane’ is predictable. It would be impossible to not know what was going to happen next.

UGLY: Would Robert E. Howard be proud of this film? ‘Solomon Kane’ built upon Howard’s Puritan pirate and James Purefoy was an excellent casting choice. Full of action and swashbuckling adventure this movie does lift subtly from ‘Lord of the Rings’ with rampaging mercenaries looking much like Peter Jackson’s Orcs. There’s even a Balrog-fire-like monster that appears in the third act. Pete Postelthwaite and Rachel Hurd-Wood add some splash to the grim 1500′s English countryside (brilliantly beautiful, too), but unfortunately the story comes off as contrived and predictable, undermining all the positive factors of ‘Solomon Kane’.

Clark Kent says: The film was released in the UK last year in December. It still doesn’t have a firm U.S. release date yet. But if the copy that I saw is floating around you can see it for yourself and save the money you’d spend by going to the theater. In other words — See It! Enjoy the trailer below:

The teaser trailer for next year’s remake of the sword ‘n’ sorcery epic Clash Of The Titans has been released online.

Clark Kent says: Sam Worthington is an A-list actor and if you guys hate that, then you need to take a slow fall of a cliff.

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Terminator Salvation’s Sam Worthington slips into Harry Hamlin’s sandals as the hero Perseus, son of Liam Neeson’s Zeus.

Perseus is amgry at his father’s plans for him and determined thwart them and rescue princess Andromeda, played by Alexa Davalos who’s going to be sacrificed to the Kraken a ferocious sea monster.

Like the 1981 original, the remake boasts a wealth of big-name talent (Neeson aside, the cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Pete Postlethwaite, Danny Huston, Jason Flemyng and Nicholas Hoult).

Unlike the 1981 original, this remake is aimed squarely at the MTV generation. It’s be high-octane, all-action stuff, with the latest big-bang CGI effects and a soundtrack partly composed by Matt Bellamy of Muse.

No doubt a fuller trailer will be shortly forthcoming, but this will have whet your appetite for now.