Best & Worst: Matt Damon

I really like Matt Damon. He looks like an average guy and is down to earth. But when he starts acting, he blows us all away. Damon is talented and has made some great films. Here are my choices for best and worst Matt Damon movies.

 

 

This movie is incredible. Okay, the ending was different from its original, but still it’s a great film. I liked Matt Damon in the bad guy role, the mole, the snitch.

Honorable Mentions: “The Bourne Identity”, “Good Will Hunting”, “Invictus”, “The Bourne Ultimatum”, “True Grit”

 

 

Not even all that bad, but towards the end the movie lost its credibility. It could have been a lot better. Matt Damon doesn’t have a lot of stinkers.

Dishonorable Mentions: “Ocean’s Thirteen”, “The Good Shepherd”

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 64: Promised Land

Director: Gus van Sant

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 106 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski, Rosemarie DeWitt, Scoot McNairy, Titus Welliver, Hal Holbrook

Description: A salesman (Matt Damon) for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.

Review: The story follows Steve Butler and Sue Thomason who travel to a small town in Pennsylvania, on behalf of oil company Global. There is gas under that ground and with the use of fracking they want to get it out. Steve and Sue are trying to convince the locals that they can earn a lot of money when Global can drill there. But when environmentalist Dustin shows up, it changes everything.

“Promised Land” is mostly about the dilemma environment or money? With that given, it’s hard to find the main characters, Steve and Sue, likeable. It’s easier to get on Dustin’s side. It’s not clear which side the director wants you to be on.

The movie is an entertaining light drama, but it isn’t original. I did like Matt Damon, Frances McDormand and John Krasinski in their roles. It’s especially fun to see a different side from Krasinski.

It was an okay movie, until we got to the end. That ruined it for me. It was anything but satisfying. With that, it makes “Promised Land” and easily forgettable film, but not at all bad. Sad, because it had more potential.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (53)

This weeks trailers are about two star-crossed lovers, an art thief, retired opera singers, boy scouts and a big business converging with the strength of small-town community.

Beautiful Creatures
Description: Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich) is a young man longing to escape his small town and falls in love with Lena (Alice Englert), a mysterious new girl. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town.
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson
Trailer: Trailer "Beautiful Creatures"
Comment: Haven't read the book yet, but now I just have to.

Gambit
Description: Harry Deane (Colin Firth) is a London art curator who enlists a Texas Rodeo Queen (Cameron Diaz) in a scheme to con the richest man in England.
Director: Michael Hoffman
Starring: Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci
Trailer: Trailer "Gambit"
Comment: The screenwriters are the Coen brothers, that promisses a lot.

Quartet
Description: Reggie (Courtenay), Wilf (Connolly) and Cissy (Collins) reside in Beecham House, a home for retired opera singers. Each year they stage a concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday, which also raises funds for the home. Reggie's ex-wife Jean (Smith) arrives at the home and creates tension, playing the diva part but refusing to sing in the concert.
Director: Dustin Hoffman
Starring: Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon, Pauline Collins, Tom Courtenay, Sheridan Smith
Trailer: Trailer "Quartet"
Comment: Love Maggie Smith!

Nature Calls
Description: Scoutmaster Randy Stevens (Patton Oswalt) is a dwindling, apathetic troop ditches a scout meeting in favor of a TV-themed slumber party hosted by Randy's brother Kirk (Johnny Knoxville), his polar opposite and arch nemesis. When Randy rounds up the boys in the middle of the night, stealing them for an highly unauthorized/unorganized trip to the woods, all hell breaks loose as Kirk pursues with a pair of gun-toting employees (Rob Riggle and Patrice O'Neal).
Director: Todd Rohal
Starring: Patton Oswalt, Johnny Knoxville, Rob Riggle, Maura Tierny, Patrice O'Neal, Darrell Hammond
Trailer: Trailer "Nature Calls"

Promised Land
Description: Steve Butler (Matt Damon) is an ace corporate salesman who is sent along with his partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), to close a key rural town in his company's expansion plans. With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their company's offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (John Krasinski), as well as the interest of a local woman (Rosemarie DeWitt).
Director: Gus van Sant
Starring: Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Frances McDormand, Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook
Trailer: Trailer "Promised Land"
Comment: My favorite of the week. Really want to see this.