While the world focuses on what Ben Affleck says about his second split from Jennifer Lopez, the star seems more concerned about that January visit from the FBI. Because it turns out the FBI was not at all concerned about him.
FBI agents visiting his house while the Palisades fire burned is yet another episode in the constantly unfolding soap opera that has played out around Affleck since he and Matt Damon won the original screenplay Oscar for “Good Will Hunting” in 1998.
You know the soap opera: The first Jen divorce. The back tattoo. The drinking thing. More drinking. The rebound. The reunion. The second Jen divorce. Sadfleck. And of course, the bit about Affleck’s technically excellent skills in the sack.
“Some people like to follow the soap opera … and you became a character in that soap opera,” the actor-director-producer told GQ in an interview published Tuesday. “You don’t write it, you don’t direct it, you don’t even know you’re in it, but you are.”
Affleck said he is aware that the soap opera is often absurd.
“The FBI did, in fact, visit my house. But this is pretty revealing, right? So I come home and I see there’s a story with sources that say, ‘Hey, the FBI was at your house.’ I’m like, ‘Well, this is strange.’ So I call them and say, ‘Hey, FBI, were you at my house? Do you want to talk to me?’”
We don’t know, the FBI says.
“I get transferred along. Finally, somebody who is actually responsible for what was happening was like, ‘Oh, we had no idea that was your house.’”
FBI agents were simply going door to door ringing the bell and seeing if the people who answered might be down to share anything they might have seen. Except Affleck’s door came with paparazzi lying in wait, and a story was born.
“Whoever wrote the story made up something about how it was related to an investigation about a drone that I guess did crash into one of the helicopters [actually, it was an airplane] two or three miles up Mandeville Canyon. Turns out, no, it wasn’t about that,” he said.
“So it’s like: You’ve seen this event about the FBI at my house. I had no idea,” he added. “My only involvement was to track it down, figure it out.”
In reality, Affleck says he’s just “a middle-aged guy,” or as GQ described it, “a twice-divorced father of three who commutes to an office most days.” Nothing newsworthy about his day-to-day life.
Except — maybe — the causes of the J. Lo divorce.
But Affleck debunks even that. “Yeah, there’s no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue,” Affleck told GQ. “The truth is, when you talk to somebody, ‘Hey, what happened?’ Well, there is no: ‘This is what happened.’ It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do.”
So, nothing to see here. Move along, FBI. You have other doors to knock on.
Movie Name : L2: Empuraan
Release Date : March 27 2025
123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Starring : Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Abhimanyu Singh, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier
Director : Prithviraj Sukumaran
Producers : Antony Perumbavoor,Gokulam Gopalan,Subaskaran Allirajah
Music Director : Deepak Dev
Cinematographer : Sujith Vaassudev
Editors : Akhilesh Mohan
Related Links : Trailer
Mohanlal’s L2: Empuraan, the eagerly awaited sequel to Lucifer (2019), has finally graced the big screens. Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, this political action drama has arrived amid immense expectations. Check out the review to see how it turned out.
Story:
Kerala Chief Minister Jathin Ramdas (Tovino Thomas) boldly decides to break away from his party and form a new one, aligning himself with Baba Bajrangi (Abhimanyu Singh), also known as Balaraj. His sister, Priyadarshini Ramdas (Manju Warrier), strongly opposes this move. Meanwhile, Khureshi Ab’raam, also known as Stephen Nedumpally (Mohanlal), returns to set things right. However, his other issues are his involvement in global affairs and his conflict with the drug cartel Kabooga. How does Stephen’s return impact Kerala’s political landscape? What is his rivalry with Balaraj? How is Balaraj connected to Zayed Masood (Prithviraj Sukumaran)? The film unravels these questions.
Plus Points:
Prithviraj Sukumaran presents L2: Empuraan on an ambitious scale, exceeding expectations in terms of grandeur and execution. The film’s strongest aspects are its visual appeal, large-scale action sequences, and Mohanlal’s commanding screen presence.
Mohanlal once again delivers a powerful performance. His silent yet authoritative portrayal and small yet impactful dialogues will delight his fans. His character is nice, and the forest fight sequence in the second half is a definite highlight.
Manju Warrier impresses with her performance, standing out among the supporting cast. While Tovino Thomas plays his part adequately, his character lacks decisive moments. Prithviraj Sukumaran has limited screen time but is okay in his role.
The film is a spectacle visually. The church fight sequence, Mohanlal’s grand entry, and several other moments are executed with a Hollywood-style richness, making for a visually immersive experience.
Minus Points:
While Empuraan has moments of brilliance, the overall story lacks substance. The film focuses heavily on character elevations rather than a gripping narrative. Murali Gopy’s writing falls short, failing to provide the depth expected from a sequel of Lucifer’s scale.
The slow pacing and excessive runtime work against the film. Even well-crafted scenes lose their impact due to prolonged storytelling. While Mohanlal’s presence adds weight, the lack of a tightly woven plot makes the film feel stretched.
One of the major issues is the inclusion of too many characters, most of whom are underdeveloped. Tovino Thomas’s character does not fit seamlessly into the narrative, and his role is not fleshed out properly. Similarly, Indrajith Sukumaran and several others suffer from inadequate screen presence and development.
The multiple subplots contribute to confusion rather than intrigue. The film’s slow pace, coupled with these scattered storylines, makes it difficult for audiences to stay fully engaged. The transition from the pre-climax to the climax is predictable and lacks the necessary impact, making it enjoyable only to a niche audience.
Technical Aspects:
Prithviraj Sukumaran’s direction is decent, but his focus on elevating characters, especially Mohanlal, comes at the expense of a strong and engaging narrative. The screenplay needed more refinement to keep the audience invested.
Sujith Vaassudev’s cinematography is outstanding, capturing the film’s grand visuals with finesse. Deepak Dev’s background score is passable, adding energy to some scenes but failing to create an unforgettable impact.
Editing is a significant drawback—had the film been trimmed, the overall experience would have been much more substantial. The production values are excellent, reflecting the film’s high-budget execution. The Telugu dubbing is fine.
Verdict:
On the whole, L2: Empuraan has stunning visuals and a few elevations, but it lacks the depth and gripping storytelling that made the prequel Lucifer a success. Mohanlal’s presence is a highlight, but the slow pace, underdeveloped characters, and lengthy runtime weigh the film down. Unless you are a die-hard Mohanlal fan, the experience may not fully satisfy you. If you choose to watch it, keep your expectations in check.
123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team
Lady Gaga was all about the Mayhem Ball on Wednesday, making the tour announcement a day after she was sued for allegedly infringing on a surf company’s “Mayhem” logo.
“I wasn’t planning to tour this year after my shows in Singapore but the incredible response to the new album inspired me to keep things going,” the singer said on social media. “It came together super quickly … and honestly, I can’t wait. This show is designed to be the kind of theatrical and electrifying experience that brings MAYHEM to life exactly how I envision it.”
The Mayhem Ball, which Gaga said was planned with Live Nation in “just a few weeks,” will hit arenas instead of stadiums. That’s because she wanted “to control the details of the show in a way you simply can’t in stadiums.” Intriguing.
The tour will hit only major cities, and at the moment, there are no Los Angeles shows on the docket — perhaps because the “Joker: Folie à Deux” actor is already playing two headliner dates in April at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio.
Planned stops include Las Vegas, Seattle, New York City, Miami, Toronto, Chicago, London and Manchester in England, Stockholm, Milan, Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Lyon and Paris in France. The Mayhem Ball part of the tour begins July 16 in Vegas and closes with three shows in Paris between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20.
Regarding the legal mayhem, Lost International LLC filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Stefani Germanotta in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The nine allegations include, among other things, trademark infringement, false advertising, trademark dilution and unfair business practices.
Team Gaga attorney Orin Snyder seemed to take the lawsuit in stride. “Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM soared to No. 1 and shattered records, a testament to her unmatched talent and global impact,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s disappointing — but hardly surprising — that someone is now attempting to capitalize on her success with a baseless lawsuit over the name MAYHEM. This is nothing more than an opportunistic and meritless abuse of the legal system.”
Lost’s “Mayhem” logo, like the logo on Gaga’s “Mayhem” album and other merchandise, arcs slightly, and both feature a scruffy, irregular font suggesting, well, mayhem. The lawsuit alleges Gaga’s logo is “a nearly identical design as used by Lost on its own products.”
“Lost began using the [logo] in 1986, and in January 1992 in interstate commerce. Since then, Lost has used the [logo] in connection with surfboards, surf equipment, clothing, accessories, and surf videos, in over 30 countries worldwide,” the lawsuit says. Lost says it registered the trademark “Mayhem” in the U.S. in 2015.
Mayhem is also the nickname of Lost co-founder Matt Biolos.
“Lady Gaga’s actions are likely to mislead the public into concluding that her goods originate with or are authorized by Lost, which will damage both Lost and the public,” the lawsuit says. “Lost has no control over the quality of goods sold by Lady Gaga and because of the source of confusion caused by Lady Gaga, Lost has lost control over its valuable goodwill.”
That said, tickets for the Mayhem Ball tour come available April 3 through AXS, with several presale options — think fan club, Citi cardholders, luxury seating and more — going live for before that general on-sale date hits.
1 of 5 | Jason Statham is “A Working Man,” in theaters Friday. Photo courtesy of Amazon Content Services LLC
LOS ANGELES, March 25 (UPI) — A Working Man, in theaters Friday, never quite reaches the magnificent heights of last year’s Jason Statham vehicle, The Beekeeper. Nevertheless, it delivers a satisfying action movie with Statham as a new hero.
Statham portrays Levon, a former Royal Marine now working for Joe (Michael Peña) and Carla Garcia’s (Noemi Gonzalez) Chicago construction company. When the Garcias’ daughter, Jenny (Arianna Rivas) is kidnapped, the desperate parents hire Levon to find her.
Adapted from Chuck Dixon’s novel Levon’s Trade by Sylvester Stallone and director David Ayer, the story has familiar but reliable tropes. Levon’s set of skills are as particular as those of Liam Neeson’s character in Taken, enabling him to succeed where basic law enforcement fails, and no matter how many enemies attack him.
The Beekeeper elevated the genre with its cryptic explanations of covert agents and the flamboyant villains Statham’s Beekeeper faced. The baddies ranged from cyber scammers to outrageously high levels of authority, which made it even more fun.
The kidnappers in A Working Man are basic human traffickers funded by the Russian mob. They do their best to add flourishes in costume and demeanor, but no generic Russian villain is as memorable as the rogue Beekeepers who came after one of their own.
Human trafficking is also a much more real and unsettling crime. While cyber scams are real and devastating, The Beekeeper took it to a wonderfully absurd degree.
Still, it is undeniably satisfying to watch Levon shoot rapists and send them flying to the back wall of the room. He employs extraordinary interrogation on equally deserving targets, especially when he scolds them for unrelated but equally unsavory offenses.
There are fewer fights in A Working Man. Levon rescues one of his crew from gangsters as an appetizer, but the plot does not lead to as many scuffles. It still has a big finale with Levon taking on the mob and a biker gang at once.
The supporting characters exhibit maybe 1% more color than their plot functions require. Levon is fighting his late wife’s father (Richard Heap) for custody of his daughter (Isla Gie), so it’s nice to see Levon prove his worth to his father-in-law later in the film.
Jenny misses a piano recital when she’s kidnapped, so when she finds a piano in captivity and plays, it has earned that poignancy. In addition, Levon’s war buddy Gunny (David Harbour) is so lovable as a blind marksman that it is a shame he only babysits, rather than joining in the action.
Even though he’s a working man, the film does get Levon in a suit for one scene. Levon cleans up as well as Statham in The Transporter.
It is clear A Working Man was made by people who know what fans come to see in a Statham movie. Both Ayer and Stallone are frequent collaborators.
Perhaps the source material kept Working Man more grounded, or maybe adding the Statham elements made it far more outrageous than Dixon’s version. Though it’s not the best, it is the Statham movie that’s in theaters right now, and that’s not a bad thing.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
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