12 Most Desperate Oscar Grab Movies Of 2016

2016 just wasn’t Ben Affleck’s year. After the disappointment that was Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, his next film The Accountant fared only slightly better. Perhaps hoping for a Christmas miracle, his latest film Live By Night – starring Ben Affleck, directed by Ben Affleck and produced by Ben Affleck – received a limited release on Christmas Day. But if its reception is anything to go by, Affleck must’ve been on Santa’s naughty list last year.

Taking on multiple roles in a film production has worked well for Affleck in the past. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay alongside his bestie Matt Damon for Good Will Hunting back in the late ‘90s and more recently scooped a Best Picture award for his third directorial outing Argo.

But despite all its Oscar grab hallmarks – Prohibition Era setting, adapted from an award-winning novel, Affleck’s previous Academy Award success – Live By Night has so far flopped almightily, earning a rather unimpressive 35% Rotten Tomatoes rating, and has about as much chance of winning an Oscar as Collateral Beauty. Maybe 2017 will be a bit a kinder to Affleck.