review | Beth Weese

Written in 2012 for Sooner yearbook online.

Do you love theater but don’t have time to actually go see a play? Then I have something for you. Just in time for Halloween (four years ago), a dark comedy from writer/director Travis Betz—it’s Lo! He may be a demon, but he is still loveable—and gross, sarcastic and a wee bit evil.

The film takes place on a stage with two different sets and relies heavily on lighting to help tell the story. It goes a bit like this: Justin (Ward Roberts) summons Lo (Jeremiah Birkett) to help him find his girlfriend, April (Sarah Lassez), who has been taken by another demon that goes by the name of Jeez (Devin Barry). And then the fairytale story begins…
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Written in 2010.

In his third film-writing venture, Ben Affleck takes on federal crimes in Charlestown with the drama, “The Town”. Although Boston may not actually be “the bank robbery capital of America”, director Affleck creates a fascinating and seedy underbelly for the town.

Based on Chuck Hogan’s book “Prince of Thieves”, the two-hour film tells the troubled tale of bank robbers Doug MacRay (Affleck), the mastermind, and his out-of-control but loyal friend, James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner). Their lives are only made more complicated by the women, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) and Krista Coughlin (Blake Lively). Jon Hamm plays FBI Special Agent Adam Frawley, a man who seems to have a severe vendetta against the robbers.

Affleck balances the cunning, cutthroat quality of a bank robber with the gentle nature that slowly reveals itself throughout the film. As calm MacRay, Affleck plays a man who is facing a challenging decision: staying faithful to a life of corruption or making an admirable change with an innocent woman. Renner powerfully portrays Coughlin, MacRay’s unstable friend who is quick to choose violence over rationality.
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