Thompson on Hollywood

Review Roundup: Damon & Van Sant Fracking Drama 'Promised Land' Lacks Subtlety

Reviews

"Promised Land" is Matt Damon's third teaming with director Gus Van Sant, who jumped into directing the film at the last minute after Damon decided he couldn't direct the film that he wrote with John Krasinski. We know that Van Sant is a capable director--nothing is wrong with his handling of this material. The fault lies in the script, which is well-intentioned with a strong anti-fracking message.

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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December 5, 2012 3:40 PM
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Matt Damon Boarding Clooney's 'Monuments Men,' Plus What's Next (It's Not 'Bourne')

News

George Clooney's adaptation of "Monuments Men" may add Matt Damon to it's already star-packed cast. The film is based on the true story as documented in Robert M. Edsel's book "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History"...

By Sophia Savage
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December 5, 2012 12:37 PM
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Damon, Foxx, Washington, Gere, Arkin & Hawkes Talk Hollywood, Fame & Craft in THR's Actors Roundtable

Awards

It's that time of year again for The Hollywood Reporter's roundtable discussions, with the actors installment debuting November 8. The six leading and supporting men featured are Matt Damon (who stars in the upcoming "Promised Land"), Jamie Foxx ("Django Unchained"), Denzel Washington ("Flight"), Richard Gere ("Arbitrage"), Alan Arkin ("Argo") and John Hawkes ("The Sessions"). Full video roundtable plus quote highlights below.

By Beth Hanna
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November 9, 2012 11:53 AM
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Watch 'Promised Land' Trailer: 'Not Fighting for Land, Fighting for People' with Damon & Krasinski

Video

Gus Van Sant's "Promised Land" looks to be the feel good fracking drama of the holiday season. The Focus Features film will have a limited release December 28 before expanding nationwide January 11. Matt Damon and John Krasinski wrote the script and star, alongside Rosemarie DeWitt, Frances McDormand and Hal Holbrook. Here are more details. Check out the trailer below.

By Sophia Savage
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September 26, 2012 6:01 PM
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Damon, Krasinski & Van Sant's Fracking Drama 'Promised Land' Hits Theaters December 28 for Oscar-Qualifying Run

News

Focus Features will release Matt Damon and John Krasinski's anti-fracking movie "Promised Land," which the pair co-wrote and star in together, in NY and LA theaters December 28 for an Oscar-qualifying run, followed by a January 2013 expansion.

By Anne Thompson & Sophia Savage
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August 23, 2012 5:05 PM
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Weekend Preview: 'Bourne' Without 'Bourne' And the Latest from Streep, Delpy, Ferrell & Spike Lee

Features

Everything's coming up Fresh this weekend, so it just comes down to taste. If you're in the mood for "Bourne" without Jason Bourne, Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz do a fine job (and have the longest motorcycle chase sequence ever) in "narrative architect" Tony Gilroy's "The Bourne Legacy" (Edward Norton is also worth seeing). By the end of the film, you wish for a sequel that unites Renner's Aaron Cross with Damon's Jason Bourne; otherwise the whole enterprise seems pointless.

By Sophia Savage
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August 9, 2012 6:13 PM
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Review: Gilroy's 'The Bourne Legacy' Delivers, Thanks to Renner

Reviews

I was looking forward to "The Bourne Legacy" more than most studio sequels that have lost their signature director and star. That's because Universal turned to writer-director Tony Gilroy to reinvent the "Bourne" franchise without Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon, who became a movie star playing the title character originated by Robert Ludlum.

By Anne Thompson
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August 6, 2012 1:40 PM
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'Bourne Legacy' Featurette Helps Legitimize Franchise Continuation without Damon; Gilroy Talks

Video

A featurette has landed to essentially help explain how "The Bourne Legacy" can exist sans Matt Damon. In the nearly 3-minute video (below) writer-director Tony Gilroy explains that with "Legacy," they "wanted to create a larger conspiracy. The Treadstone program you saw [in the first three films], was only one program."

By Sophia Savage
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July 27, 2012 7:35 AM
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Comic-Con Flips Over 'Elysium' Footage; Damon, Foster, Copley and Blomkamp Talk (EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS)

Festivals

Ever since indie "District 9" put South African writer-director Neill Blomkamp on the map as an original filmmaker with an extraordinary command over VFX, film fans have eagerly awaited his next. I remember when Sony introduced the now iconic poster-campaign for the low-budget sci-fi thriller at Comic-Con 2009...

By Anne Thompson
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July 14, 2012 1:45 AM
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New Images & Synopses for Del Toro's 'Pacific Rim' and Blomkamp's 'Elysium' at Comic-Con

News

In EW's sneak peak of Comic-Con's offerings, they share new images from two of next year's biggest sci-fi films: Guillermo Del Toro's "Pacific Rim" and Neill Blomkamp's "Elysium." We'll report back from Comic-Con on what we learn from their Hall H presentations...