Promised Land: Damon, Van Sant, Fracking, Written by a Guy from The Office

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzEcZJSdW-4

I believe there's Abu Dhabi oil money behind this film?

story by dave eggers

http://i.imgur.com/aEKs0.gif

oh man a new Krasinski/Eggers joint

http://www.businessinsider.com/matt-damon-movie-blasts-fracking-backed-by-uae-2012-9

Their next movie sounds good

In February 2012, Participant Media announced that it was partnering with Summit Entertainment, Image Nation (formerly Imagenation Abu Dhabi), Spanish production company Apaches, and Colombian production company Dynamo to produce a supernatural horror film about an American oil company executive who moves his family into a house in a small city in the South American nation of Colombia only to find the home is haunted.

story by dave eggers

― turds (Hungry4Ass), Thursday, December 6, 2012 5:25 PM

lmao

Nothing you haven't seen before, but I liked this. It's got a good feel for bar scenes out of Norma Rae or The China Syndrome, where the city guy tries to ingratiate himself with the locals. I even liked Damon's big scene at the end--guess I must have been in exactly the right frame of mind. (Great song buried in one of those bar scenes: the Vogues' "Five O'Clock World.")

when i skimmed the nyer review, i was surprised they ref'd forsyths 'local hero'. moved this from 'i will ignore and never see this' to 'i will maybe someday watch this on cable or possibly before'

oh man a new Krasinski/Eggers joint

― Number None, Thursday, December 6, 2012 5:26 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this kills me btw

After I posted, I went to IMDB and looked at two or three reviews. Yikes--I appear to be off the reservation on this one. (The comparison to Local Hero is dead-on...a much more imaginative film, but again, I did like this.)

local hero is eggers' fav movie or something

basically looks like local hero 2k13

looks a lot more 'earnest' than LH

This held up well for me--still puzzled that it got so little attention. Hal Holbrook (close to his last film) should have been nominated for a supporting award; his character's maybe a little on the too-noble side, but there's such ease and authenticity in what he does. Don't know that I've ever liked Matt Damon more. When I started watching Mad Men, it felt like the actress who played Midge, Rosemarie DeWitt, was familiar to me, but I never looked her up; I must have been thinking of this, although I see she's in Rachel Getting Married and Margaret, too. The way the plot twist is revealed is a little pat, but the twist itself is credible.

Watched this for I think the fourth time last night. I can't think of another film from the past few years where my own interest is so completely at odds with the world's lack thereof.

You're probably right. Maybe GVS's worst.

Hal Holbrook (close to his last film)

93 and still working, albeit mostly in TV

(xpost) I'd be interested in hearing what you think is so bad about the film. I know it's on the Hollywood side of his yin-yang career, and I know it's self-consciously topical--Stanley Kramer territory, pretty much--but for me, conceding all that, it's as good as that kind of filmmaking gets.

Good to hear about Holbrook.

my only (vague) memory of this is matt damon frazzled-ly waking up on a couch after a nite of drinking w the locals. i took a picture of my tv screen, it was a lovely image

He's a surprisingly great hangover guy--maybe not Nick Nolte great, but pretty frazzled.