Alan J. Pakula

The idea that Ben Affleck's "Argo" could be one of the biggest Oscar contenders of the year should come as little surprise -- and not just because of that gangbusters trailer or Affleck's growing pedigree as a director. Just look at how Warner Bros. handled the release of the thriller, a true story about how the CIA smuggled six Americans out of Iran under the cover of a Hollywood film production during the hostage crisis. First, the studio moved "Argo" from its Sept. 14 release date to th...

"Because they're building a dam across the Cahulawassee River. They're gonna flood a whole valley, Bobby, that's why. Dammit, they're drownin' the river...Just about the last wild, untamed, unpolluted, unfucked up river in the South. Don't you understand what I'm saying?...They're gonna stop the river up. There ain't gonna be no more river. There's just gonna be a big, dead lake...You just push a little more power into Atlanta, a little more air-conditioners for your smug little s...