Sometimes people really exceed your expectations and do great things....

I watched a movie last night On Demand that I'd been wanting to see for some time:  "Gone Baby, Gone".

I knew nothing about the movie, outside of the obvious; it was filmed in Boston, directed by Ben Affleck, a Dennis Lehane book, and about a missing girl.  I knew it was Academy Award nominated and that Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman were in it -- two of my favorite actors.  (Ed Harris, looks fantastic with facial hair might I add.  But I digress….)  But that is really about as far as it goes regarding what the movie was about.  Normally people tend to give movies "away" or talk about the plot with little or no regard as to whom around them has or has not seen the film.  But this one, interestingly enough was kept relatively quiet.

Warning to those who haven't seen this yet:  This is not a happy, feel good movie.  This is not a "chick flick".  So do not get the girls together for chinese and chit chat and then sit together and watch it.  That being said - it's not a horrible depressing movie either. But it is gritty, and will create conversation - so it's a great choice to watch with someone you enjoy talking about decent subject matter and having engaging conversations with.

While I've enjoyed some movies in the past, very few of them make me feel any real emotions.  Even "Million Dollar Baby", while everyone raved about it - I didn't love.  "Crash" was probably the most recent fictional film that really moved me to the point of feel real emotions.  And then I watched this movie last night.  Ben Affleck - say what you want about him as an actor -- has definitely found his niche with directing.  This was a wonderfully done movie.  Absolutely wonderful.

And believe it or not - I didn't like the ending, at all.  Why?  Truthfully - because it didn't end the way I wanted it to.  Without giving too much of it away - it wasn't the ending it "could've been" which is what I really, really wanted to happen after all of the drama leading to that moment.  And while I get why it ended as it did -- it just had such an impact on me while watching.  Which made me love this movie.  It was all done so well, and then to have the emotional connection to it just really made it a top 10 movie for me.

I think Ben should forget his political aspirations and focus on directing.  What he did with "Gone Baby, Gone" I think far supercedes Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" on all levels.  I'd have liked to seen how he might have done that movie as well. 

But that's just this girl's opinion….