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2001 - may it be a very good year for our Matty!
Click here to see more pictures and to read the best of
the reviews.
If you haven't yet, visit
Miramax's ATPH site now to see some wonderful wide-screen photos and
clips from the film,
among other goodies (such as excerpts from the soundtrack).
Daniel Holmes' ATPH site has the Oscar Ads and a photo gallery.
the yahoo.com site for Pretty Horses
All the Pretty Horses computer wallpaper, the Charlotte Observer.
... we have a perfectly coherent, handsomely rendered couple of
hours, animated in particular by Damon's good performance — shrewd,
innocent, angry, wistful and, above all, likable.
Maybe this movie might have been more. But it could easily have been a lot less.
- Time Magazine critics on "All the Pretty Horses".
"It’s the kind of thing where there probably
won’t be a middle-ground reaction. I just have a
really visceral experience with it, and I imagine that other people will,
too — and that other people won’t.
You either get it or you won’t, and it’s
fine either way, but thanks for giving it a shot."
- Matt Damon, on ATPH.
"That Matt Damon is going places", Gregory Peck, 1998.
.
.
On this site's 100K hit milestone:
Sometime yesterday the hit counter for this page went over 100,000.
That's 100 thousand visits since I put a counter in. My correspondents
and I are all mighty proud of it.
This site would have folded a long time ago, but for the
contributions of everyone, Felicity's in particular. When
I first started the site in the wake of GWH's glory days and at
the peak of my infatuation with Mr. Damon, I wanted to write a column
to rhapsodize about this fresh young actor every week. This soon got
out of hand.
Fortunately, by then
Felicity and I have been exchanging really long emails, with hers
full of good finds. It soon dawned on me that I could turn the
site into a venue for Matt news. Speaking from experience, I know
that one of the frustrations of being
a fan is the lack of up-to-date information. And a web site is the
perfect
venue for disseminating news. At the time, there were lots of
Matt sites, most of which featured a lot of photos, and some also
carried news. I decided to make the site information oriented,
nothing but the news, m'am.
With the emails keep coming in, I only need to
stitch the items together, and all Matt fans benefit from it.
Judging from those who have written, this site is reaching Matt fans
all over the globe.
I also know that every time when there's a new Matt film opens, the
number of hits escalates. I am hoping that the site is reaching
the long time Matt fans, as well as helping to inform
(and indoctrinate :)
new recruits.
So, thank ye one and all, and let's try to keep this thing going
for as long as Mr. Damon enriches our lives with his artistry, his
dedication to his work, the sharing of the warmth of his family and
his friends, his congenial personality, and that
heart-melting smile.
What was it like working with Matt Damon? Cruz: He helped me with everything. He's an angel. He's so generous and we've become very close friends. From the beginning, it was very comfortable with him. You can trust him completely. He's so giving. He's so generous as a person and I think that comes out in his work as an actor. By looking at himself, he can really see what he has in front of him. He can look at you and really see you and [he] listens to you. He gives you so much and he's like that as a person. He's so generous and complicated in a great way. He also has a dark side that makes him more interesting than many people even know. But not in a bad way. What makes Matt special? Cruz: It's just because his level of intelligence is like a genius, in a way. He's really a freak in that way. I don't think Matt is normal guy. I think he's ... a level of intelligence like those [smart] kids in school. Do you think he keeps a lot suppressed or repressed? Cruz: No, when you know him, I don't think he has anything repressed. I don't think you've seen the kind of work like [he does] in "All the Pretty Horses." ... When I say complicated, I don't mean that in a bad way. I think his level of intelligence sometimes might be painful for him and he doesn't talk about that because he's so humble. Is he like Will Hunting? Cruz: He will kill me for saying that but he's not normal in that way. Those things will bring him a lot of good things but it's not easy for someone to deal with himself because ... He's very special. He's happy and he has very good values and he respects himself and everyone else. I don't want Matt to get misunderstood but I just think when someone ... like when someone is a genius ... You really like this guy. Cruz: He's one of my best friends. So I think that he's amazing. But everyone who spends time with him thinks that. Compare the experience of working with [Pedro] Almodóvar and Billy Bob [Thornton]. Cruz: They are a very interesting couple. I organized that meeting once. Here was Pedro and here was Billy and I was like in a tennis court. [Her head swivels back and forth] Immediately, I knew that there was going to be connection. They are both strong personalities, [living in a] strong universe -- so different, craziness, they're both geniuses. I took pictures and now, they're always asking about each other. We have a project to put together -- Billy, Angelina [Jolie, Thornton's wife], Pedro, Matt and me. So, that's script is being written now.
Buzzz ... wrong. Wonderful movie, and not just for scenery or Damon’s acting. The theme is honor in all its facets. The most significant criticism you make is that there is no sizzle between Damon and Cruz. First, the relationship is not at the heart of the movie — that would be a distortion of the story, at least as appearing in the book. Too much sizzle and the whole project gets sidetracked. Second, passion and true love are not the purposes of the relationship, but rather the process of discovery, growth, first relationship. The whole thing rang true for me. Yes, some emotional distance, but that was purposeful. You’ve fallen prey to current movie cliché. — Grant Barber
ET: And in 'The Third Wheel' you worked with MATT DAMON and BEN AFFLECK. Denise: Those buddies. I was so fortunate to work with them. They're great.
6. “All the Pretty Horses”
Billy Bob Thornton (director) and Ted Tally (writer) have adapted
Cormac McCarthy’s 1994 novel into a classic Mex-Tex Western, and Matt Damon
comes of age.
Tuesday December 19 2:48 AM ET
Julia Stiles 'Bourne' for Spy Thriller Role
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Julia Stiles (''10 Things I Hate About You'') has
joined Universal's spy thriller ``The Bourne Identity'' The 19-year-old
actress will play a Paris-based officer of a U.S. national security agency.
The picture, directed by Doug Liman (''Go,'' ``Swingers''), is an adaptation
of the Robert Ludlum novel about an amnesia victim (Matt Damon) saved by a
fishing crew only to discover he's being hunted by assassins. Shooting is in
progress in Paris and next moves to Prague.
Stiles, who will be seen in Fine Line's upcoming ``State and Main,'' joins a
cast headed by Damon and Franka Potente (''Run, Lola, Run''). Co-stars
include Chris Cooper (''American Beauty''), Clive Owen (''Croupier''), Brian
Cox (''The Boxer'') and Adewale-Agabaje (''The Mummy Returns'')
Well. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a happy new year. I spent the Lion's share of my holiday watching ALL 250 TAPES!! Next year I'm going to fight the lawyers so that we can read the top 250 scripts. Too frustrating trying to pick from tapes alone. Matt and I spent the holidays watching these incredible tapes. I must say, you guys (and ladies) did a great job for the most part. i found myself pausing and telling my friends to "get in here, you have to see this" about a number of the entries. There is SO MUCH talent out there. It was truly inspiring to see. Matt and I were particularly impressed with a number of contestants who found amazingly creative and occassionally brilliant ways to communicate their abilities. It was very, very rewarding and any issues of 'mediocrity' were put to bed once and for all after looking at the tapes and reading the application forms. The 250 are amazing people, by and large. Funny, sad, compelling, interesting and fascinating. I congratulate you all. Now, the hard part. Just paring down to 30 will be a challenge, much less trying to get 10, then 1. I can assure you folks who made tapes that all the best will be featured in the series, regardless of the outcome of the contest. You have a great deal to be proud of. I was truly awed by some of you...and pissed. You made my job very, very hard. Thank you Ben
Here's one that I thought of when perusing all the angry posts over not making the 250. It's from one of my favorites--always comes to mind when I read a review i think is way off base (like EW's of ATPH): something like this: Half close your eyelids, loosen your hair, And dream about the great and their pride; They have spoken against you everywhere, But weigh this song with the great and their pride; I made it out of a mouthful of air, Their children's children shall say they have lied I think it's called "To those who have spoken ill of his beloved" but I'm not sure. W.B. Yeats
Gus Van Sant in Neon magazine (British) March 98?
Interviewer: Did you get on with Matt and Ben?
GVS: They're a team - they're like a married couple - but they're certainly
not threatening...
Neon: You've spoken very highly of both, Matt in particular.
GVS: Matt's just a very caring person. If one of his friends is having
trouble in Boston he'll stop what he's doing and go and be with his friend
in their time of trouble - as opposed to saying, "I wish I could come up,
but I'm too busy now." But he has a lot of friends and a lot of trouble at
all given times. Sometimes he reminds me of River [Phoenix], actually, the
way he used to be. Very caring and compassionate.
Film Review Special 1998
"It's bizarre" he says, referring to his recent introduction to fame and
fortune. "I feel like I'm living somebody else's life - I don't know whose,
but I'd sure like to meet him!"
Empire magazine - SPR release
"I've worked with all these people I could learn from. I felt somewhat out
of place even being in the same room as them. To work with them is
something I think I'd like to do for as long as I can until people figure
out that I'm a charlatan."
Interview magazine Dec 97
(question about college experiences)
Matt: Ben's too modest to tell you this, but he's the most well-read person
I know. He's certainly a lot smarter than I am.
Ben: That's why we stayed friends: because we lie for each other in crucial
moments.
Matt: We're constantly accused by people who come in an out of our circle of
friends that we're the most boring people ever. There are people who go, "I
got tickets to see so-and-so, and why don't you guys come? We're like,
"Yeah, whatever," and end up at the same bar every night with the same
people telling the same old jokes. We've always been that way.
Ben: Matt's just better at being diplomatic about these things.
Matt: The warrior and the clown thing again. {Ben had previously said they
were the warrior and the clown}
Matt: My engagement hadn't worked out, so I was living with our other buddy,
Soren. {{I didn't know or forgot that he was actually engaged to Skylar}}
The best-selling book All the Pretty Horses is only the latest chapter in the Oscar-winning It Boy's flourishing film career. By Stephen Schaefer Toothy grin, plain black T-shirt, Caterpillar work boots, and khakis — in a milder season and a warmer clime, Matt Damon would have been ready to hop on a Harley and motor on down to the beach. Faced with the prospect of a gray, wintry afternoon in midtown Manhattan, N.Y., where he'd alighted from Paris for two days of press and the premiere of his oft-delayed, long-awaited All the Pretty Horses, the young star was content simply to sit — minus an entourage or any of that Hollywood stuff — drag on a couple of Camel Lights, and chat. Recent history has been kind to Damon. After bouncing around in a variety of movie and television bit parts, entering and exiting Harvard (sans degree), and making a striking impression as a traumatized Army medic in the Meg Ryan-Denzel Washington vehicle Courage Under Fire, fate called his number in 1997. That's the year he went from struggling actor to rising matinee idol nearly overnight with the wham-bam, one-two punch of starring roles in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of The Rainmaker and Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting. (The latter film, of course, famously netted Damon a screenwriting Oscar, which he shared with buddy Ben Affleck.) Three years later, the fellow who couldn't catch a break (of the star-making variety) is the man who's not likely to get one (of the relaxing, lazy afternoon kind) any time soon: The Park Avenue Hotel suite where he spoke with Mr. Showbiz wasn't empty. Three sizable and stuffed black tweed suitcases sat in a corner by the foyer, jammed to bursting, Damon revealed, with wardrobe selections for Ocean's Eleven. The in-demand actor, who just turned 30, will begin work on that project for red-hot director Steven Soderbergh as soon as he completes Doug Liman's The Bourne Identity, based on the Robert Ludlum potboiler. With typically high energy and positive spirits, Damon talked straight about why Horses was held up for a year, the rumors of an affair with Spanish starlet Penélope Cruz, and the box-office bogey tallied by his fantastical golf flick, The Legend of Bagger Vance, earlier this year. Both you and your All the Pretty Horses co-star Penélope Cruz have emphasized that you're just friends and are not dating. Why the hell not? Unfortunately, I never see her. She's busy. It's like I see her once every six months, very briefly. She's a great, great friend and a special person, and I came away from this movie with really close ties with a lot of the people in it, and a lot of the crew that worked on it. With everything else, I have these abiding friendships, and it feels great. What's your reaction to the here-today-gone-tomorrow fate of November's The Legend of Bagger Vance, a conundrum compounded by hostile reviews? I guess, in retrospect, people were waiting with loaded rifles for [director Robert] Redford's next movie. [Laughs] I had no idea. The vitriol! Really, for a guy who's just done amazing things, good things with his name and his career — it seemed too hostile to be just about our movie. I was surprised. Were you? Well, yes, actually. Maybe people were offended by the harmonious black-white relationships depicted in what was the Deep South in a segregated era. It was like a fairy tale … But it was a fairy tale. And [Redford] told me at the very beginning, "I'm sure we're going to get killed for this, because it's so optimistic." That's one of the reasons I really wanted to do it. I admired the fact that he went in there knowing that. But to see it borne out the way [Redford predicted] was a little shocking. Because people seemed to take it personally and attacked him personally. I don't think he deserved that. What about being Matt Damon, a bankable star who's in competition with other actors your age? If Horses doesn't kick, will you have nightmares, thinking, "Last year I was on top with The Talented Mr. Ripley, and now I've got two flops in a row. What do I do?" This movie was, for the first time in my life, "I don't care." I want people to really love it, to love it as much as I do. But if they don't, it's OK. We just disagree. I've never felt that way before; I've always felt like, "Well, maybe they know something I don't." But not in this case; we just disagree, and that's fine. I've never been prouder of anything than [All the Pretty Horses]. This was a significant, life-changing experience, making this movie, and I feel I'll be chasing this the rest of my career. In terms of, you know, [box-office success], I'm not ignorant of the effect stringing together a bunch of bombs will have on anybody's career. I'd like to keep working on movies like this and not worry [about grosses]. If I could do a movie like this every few years, I'd be very happy. Horses was held up a year for release and got substantially trimmed from a running time of three hours to under two. Does it have a chance? I really hope so. As far as the [release] baggage, a lot was made of it that shouldn't have been. One of the reasons it didn't come out last Christmas was that Ripley was coming out, and they always wanted to release it at Christmas. Both are Miramax co-productions, and Harvey [Weinstein, top dog at indie distributor Miramax] didn't want to take money out of his own pocket. Billy [Bob Thornton, the movie's director] has final cut at two hours, and this is the movie Billy feels great about. It's the age-old thing between directors and studios; the director will always want it longer. And any time a movie takes a long time to come out, people start speculating. It would really be a shame if that was the rider to every article about the movie. People assume this isn't the cut everyone's proud of. [But] that's just not true. Why was it so special? Billy Bob. He's just a miracle of a director and an amazing human being. The way he worked with all of us and the way he runs a set was bliss. The result — I'm so in awe. And, leaving myself out, the acting in the movie — I'm not counting myself in this — but all those actors are flawless, top to bottom. If we discount the idea that he was eating only orange foods as a ridiculous rumor, is Billy Bob really nuts? The orange food just came out today, and that's pure fantasy. It's kind of fun, being that I'm a good friend of his, to watch the things written about him, because they're so completely off-base and wacky. We laugh about them. He's got his eccentricities, but we all do. He's not nuts. He's someone I trust implicitly. If I could do every single movie with him as the director, that would be ideal for me. That's not bullshit. I haven't felt this way ever, and I don't know if I'll feel this way ever again, so this is my chance to say it. Horses has a naturalness and a low-key sense where things are said without being spoken. Were you playing the subtext a lot? The subtext is what the book's about, and what these guys are about. Whenever they speak, they [actually] have something to say. We're used to a culture where we keep talking no matter what. In preparation for this, it was interesting. I was with a rider, a wrangler — a real cowboy — all day, and I was peppering him with questions, and he turned to me and, not in a mean way, said, "I've said more in the last three days than I have in the last three months." He didn't mind it and it was true, but he wasn't used to talking that much. In the movie you get a wicked scar from a nasty knife slash. Do you have any real scars? I have a couple of scars. When they shaved my head for Saving Private Ryan, [I found out] I have scars all over my head. I think they're just "little brother scars," standard "getting smashed into walls by my brother" stuff. But I guess I have more than I remembered, which is all over my head. They're covered by my hair. When they took the clippers to it, they were all laughing, and actually, the lady asked me if I was a little brother. [I said yes] before I knew what she was taking about. Did you want to grow up to be cowboy when you were a kid? Any other childhood dreams? Everyone flirted with the idea of being a cowboy. I wanted to be in the NBA or play major-league baseball, but it became clear that that wasn't a reality. Was it odd for you to play a cowboy after playing so many prep-school characters? Yeah, although in Geronimo, I was a cavalry officer, and in Good Old Boys with Tommy Lee [Jones], a kid from west Texas. I've actually ended up shooting four or five films in Texas, and a good part of my adult life's been spent there. I feel comfortable in Texas. I like it there. Did you get bowlegged from riding a horse? Yeah, but the good thing was we rode horses for a month before the movie and took care of them, so we didn't have to act it. We just walked that way and didn't have to think of it. It's like when I had to be uncomfortable for a scene [in The Rainmaker], Francis Coppola strapped rocks to me, all over my body, these really sharp rocks, and then he said, "Now just try and be comfortable." Instead of having to act uncomfortable or act bowlegged, you just [experience it]. It really helps. How do spurs make you feel? I didn't wear spurs. We had spurs, but they were dulled down. The horses were so good; these horses are like great automobiles. When you're intent on hitting a mark, [you can make] these horses lean, instead of step, by just touching them. They're very sensitive and smart, and trained to be movie horses. They didn't need spurs. But sure, anytime you put on spurs, you feel like a child in the Old West. Have you ever tangoed with tequila? No, but that's only because I haven't tangoed much. I've done just about every other dance with tequila. Would you bite the worm? Sure. Is there a chance you'd return to this character, John Grady Cole, again? After all, All the Pretty Horses is the first of what Cormac McCarthy calls his "border trilogy." There's also The Crossing and Cities of the Plain. The second one, John Grady isn't in it, it's about a character named Billy Parham; and then Billy and John are in the third. If we're to go on, someone else would have to play the character. If Billy Bob wanted to do it, I'd do it. I'd do the phone book with Billy Bob. What's going to be different with Horses on DVD? This version will come out first on DVD, and then down the line, at some point, there [will] be a special edition. Talking to Billy, he said he didn't know how [he'd] do it. Like Good Will Hunting has scenes on the DVD that weren't in the movie. I don't know. What gives you the willies? Snakes. Most any snake. Do you like your taco with hot sauce or mild? Hot. Ever been to Tijuana, Mexico? Yeah, when I was 13, I went with my grandfather, who, at the time, lived in Orange County [in California]. He and my grandmother took my brother and my mom and me; we drove down for the day. Tell me about The Bourne Identity, which you're in the middle of filming right now. Isn't it a big, international thriller? The Bourne Identity is being directed by Doug Liman, who did Swingers and Go. That's Doug's style. His father was [a key] prosecutor in the Iran-Contra proceedings and he's not going to make a "rah-rah, we're good, they're bad" [kind of movie]. He will make one much more ambiguous, morally. And I've never looked at things that way. I know actors who say they need a big movie, and they have a miserable time because they're not connected to it, or [don't] like it, or [don't like] any of the people they're working with. And it comes out and it's terrible, and it's a totally miserable experience all the way around. Then they go back to the drawing board and say, "I've got to strategize somewhere." I say, "Who cares?" Fail or succeed based on your own taste. Isn't The Bourne Identity about a man who wakes up and doesn't know who he is? He's trying to find out who he is, he doesn't remember. And as the movie progresses, he discovers a number of things about himself: He can speak several languages and he's a good fighter. Franka Potente of Run Lola Run is also in it. Doesn't he kill people as well? What have you found out about that? The best way is to shoot them. I can kill you a number of ways. And how many people have you killed so far in The Bourne Identity? Shockingly few. In the movie, I do kill one person — who's trying in kill me. It's self-defense, and not a big "blowing up Paris" and "blowing up everybody" kind of movie. What's the strangest place you've ever woken up in? Man, because I haven't had a home for so long, I haven't woken up in any place that isn't strange. If I visit my brother, I'll wake up with the dog licking my face. Or the kids jumping on me. Usually I wake up and don't have any idea where I am, because I've been traveling so much. Like the thing where you get up and you don't know where the light switch is, because you don't know what room you're in. Or even what country you're in. "OK, I'm in France. I'm in Paris. I'm on the fourth floor. OK, I remember this place." While this has been great, making these movies, and I've been having a wonderful time, I'm looking forward to not having that experience. I'm ready to put my feet up. One critic of Proof of Life worried that Tony Gilroy, who wrote that screenplay, might not be able to make much out of the far more complicated Bourne Identity source novel. I like Tony Gilroy a lot. He did a great job with the script [for The Bourne Identity], or I wouldn't be doing it. Then you're into Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven. It's not a remake, really, it's a revision, isn't it? A whole new scenario? It's contemporary, but it's got its own style, which is very cool. Will your character be cooler than George Clooney's? I don't know many people cooler than George. I'm [just] one of the assembled 11, I'm the last guy they get; I'm a pickpocket. You're famous for researching your characters. Will you learn to be a master pickpocket? What's interesting is [that] I'm thinking of doing this. There are a lot of pickpockets in Paris, on the [subway] trains, and I ride the trains a lot. I thought I could go with one of my friends — have him wear nice clothes with an empty wallet — and do the video camera surreptitiously, and just do it until they pickpocket him and watch how they do it. [Smiles] Maybe I'd put 20 bucks in there for the guy's trouble. I do want to see how it's done. It doesn't mean I'd become adept at it — just watch the technique so [I can make it] look real. What's the status of Greenlight, the contest you and Ben Affleck are sponsoring for aspiring screenwriters? Great. We're down to 250 [scripts] and the [screenwriting] community seems really strong. We can't create that community; it's up to the writers to do it, and they're into it and it seems to be doing exactly what we hoped it would do. It's getting exciting. When it gets down to 30 [finalists], we can start reading them. There are already all these scripts that are posted, but we're not allowed to read them, legally; we can read the reactions to them. "You've got to read this script! You've got to read this script!" There are all these scripts we're dying to read. Legally, it has to be down to 30 and, as was always our hope, not only the guy or girl who gets to make their movie, but [also] the other 29 get a boost. Hopefully, all 250 [finalists] will get some action. Any of your own screenplays in the hopper? Nothing [that's] really fully formed. I know I really want to write something, and Ben does. So hopefully next summer we'll be able to sit down and do that. Do you want to direct? Yes, we both want to direct. Especially after this experience, it would be a great life if I could do that. Have you ever had a fistfight with Ben? No. Arguments, yes. Everyone's got arguments, but we tend to see things in very similar ways. The arguments have never lasted, ever since we were young. We debate more than we argue. Could you kick his ass if it came to fisticuffs? No, he's a pretty big guy. I've got some tussle in me, [but] he's big, 6-foot-3, and I don't know how much he weighs — 200-and-something pounds. I'd have to bring a big stick. What's up with your Finding Forrester cameo? I just did it because Gus called me and asked me to. When Gus says, "Jump!" I say, "How high?" How many movies have you made now? Do I include, like, Mystic Pizza? You were an extra in it? I had one line in Mystic Pizza. But you were an extra too? Extra! I was an extra in Field of Dreams, The Good Mother. I was an extra in a lot of movies. But starting with School Ties, [there's] Rising Sun, Geronimo, Good Old Boys, Courage Under Fire, Rainmaker, Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, Rounders, Dogma, The Talented Mr. Ripley, All the Pretty Horses, and The Legend of Bagger Vance, which is 13. Plus cameos in some of [the] movies [of Kevin Smith, director of Dogma]. Now that you're moving on past the "golden boy" stage of your career, is there less pressure on you? Do you feel established? I don't know if anyone ever feels established. It's a pretty insecure business in general. Again, going back to what I've said before, I'm looking more for that feeling of artistic serenity, which is very elusive and very rare.(Commented Felicity: That sounded pretty cool - I like the search for 'artistic serenity'.
Re: Only Movie buffs read this... Flash, you don't consider Matt Damon a great actor but you consider Ice-T a great actor?...To say that Ice-T is a better actor than Matt Damon is like sayin' Master-P is a doper rapper than Kool G. Rap...no, really, I'm not exaggerating. > The original post was who are the "greatest" actors and I don't think > Damon has been around long enough to be the "greatest" - Robin Williams > could stake a better claim to it even though he's a comedian just for > the depth and versatility he's shown in movies like "Dead Poet's Society" > and "Mrs. Doubtfire" - come to think of it why didn't I list him? :P > > I like Matt Damon, just not enough to consider him a "great" yet. > Peace, Flash *** Re: Oscar 2000: Preliminary Nomination Predictions On Tue, 26 Dec 2000 22:04:59 GMT, hwe216@northwestern.edu wrote: >The 2000 Academy Award nominees will be announced on Tuesday, February >13, 2001. Here are my preliminary predictions for nominees in the six >major categories: > >ACTOR >Javier Bardem, BEFORE NIGHT FALLS >Russell Crowe, GLADIATOR >Michael Douglas, WONDER BOYS >Tom Hanks, CAST AWAY >Geoffrey Rush, QUILLS >Alternates: Sean Connery, FINDING FORRESTER; Ed Harris, POLLOCK; Chow >Yun-Fat, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON; Jamie Bell, BILLY ELLIOT; Matt >Damon, ALL THE PRETTY HORSES; Mark Ruffalo, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME; Denzel >Washington, REMEMBER THE TITANS; Ralph Fiennes, SUNSHINE I'd say Matt Damon is a definite. Who to throw out...Bardem or Crowe. **** Re: Got #closes but got played badly (long) >But here is what I did in a very similar situ back in college years back >(and you better be damn sure the laughing was at your expense and also that >the guys are not a couple of 300 pound bikers). I simply walked right up to >them and asked completely earnestly "hey guys, what's so funny" like I had >no clue what the joke was. > >The 2 guys and the girl exchanged puzzled looks like is he serious? Does he >not know we are laughing at him? But no one said anything. So I asked >again, with just a bit less good humor "No really, what is soooo funny?" > >This really caught them off guard! People in groups making fun of a >solitary indivdual DO NOT expect to be called on it. > >At this point there was just uncomfortableness among them. No one wanted to >say anything now. I then stood ramrod straight, looked right into the eye >of one of the guys (you can only stare down one person at a time) and with >my most sincere "If you even blink wrong, your buddy is going to have to tear me off of you" look said > >"Yeah that's what I thought". And then walked away. This sounds like some Matt Damon shit. Good stuff, man.
Coolest Scene: Damon and Thomas break in a bunch of wild horses by themselves over the course of one day. It's all trained horses, editing, and for all I know, CGI, too, but it looks awful real. Nastiest Scene: Beaten until scabby and crusty in a grimy Mexican prison, Damon stabs this mean hombre who's been bumming him out. Cineast Factor: Director Billy Bob Thornton is definitely going for that decline-of-the-West tone from the films of Budd Boetticher and Sam Peckinpah. When to Go Get a Drink/Hit the Restroom/Answer That Page: The Damon/Cruz heavy-breathing scenes. The talented Cruz is given a lotta not much to do in this movie except look beautiful, and she comes off kind of stiff and English as a Second Language-y. Date Movie? Yep. It's got pretty people in love and pretty landscapes for them to love on. You Should Pay Nine Bucks to See This If: You like seeing former child stars firmly establish themselves as interesting and talented adult performers, which E.T.'s Thomas absolutely pulls off. Can't Wait for the DVD/Director's Cut: Tons of plot happens in the last half hour, upsetting a stately, leisurely pace, and making it apparent that Thornton had to slash his running time to appease the dark Miramax overlords.
CNN transcript 25/12 SYDNEY: Next on SHOWBIZ TODAY: He is hot, hot, hot. Matt Damon heads south of the border in his new movie "All the Pretty Horses." (COMMERCIAL BREAK) MORET: Matt Damon is heading into theaters today at a full gallop. SYDNEY: He is the main rancher in "All the Pretty Horses," and by the way, a certified movie hunk. MORET: Lori Blackman talked with the star in New York. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You make bad trouble for yourself. MATT DAMON, ACTOR: Mister, I got trouble you never even heard of. (END VIDEO CLIP) LORI BLACKMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I read that you were such a fan of this book that you committed to making the film within a half hour. Is that true? DAMON: Oh, within 10 seconds. It wasn't a half an hour. BLACKMAN: Why? DAMON: It was this very, very rare kind of occurrence, where you have a great piece of material and a great role and a great director, and to have all those three things is just, I honestly wish I could keep doing this movie forever because this is the first time I felt this way about something, and I think I'll be chasing that feeling for the rest of my career, probably. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAMON: Why'd you buy me out of jail? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think you know why. DAMON: You should have left me there. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You would have died. DAMON: Then I'd have died. (END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKMAN: I've heard you say many a time, this is the one time you've seen yourself on screen and didn't want to throw up. DAMON: Right. It's hard. I think most people are critical of themselves when they see themselves, but I am pretty bad. And there is stuff that I do where I am just, like, oh, man, this is brutal, and why did I do that, and why did I make that choice, and what am I doing? And this time, I just, ah, I don't know, it just seemed pretty honest when I saw it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAMON: And I have to see you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I made a promise. DAMON: Then you should have left me there. (END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKMAN: Your last few choices in film have all been period pieces -- this, "Bagger Vance," "The Talented Mr. Ripley." I'm curious to know, what draws you to these types of films? DAMON: The way I look at them aren't period pieces. I look at Anthony Mighella, Robert Redford, Billy Bob Thornton, you know? And those are just three guys I'd never say no to. BLACKMAN: There is a line in the movie that I found to be very interesting because it came out of your mouth. And the line is... (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAMON: There ain't but one truth. The truth is what happened. It ain't what come out of somebody's mouth. (END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKMAN: Now, what is interesting about to me about this, obviously, is this movie had lots of rumors swirling around it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAMON: I love you. I'm going love you until the day I die. (END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKMAN: One of the rumors was that you had a romantic relationship with your co-star, Penelope Cruz. DAMON: Right. BLACKMAN: And I was wondering, do you live by that credo? DAMON: Yeah, that's a really good way to put it. Those are words to live by: "Truth is what happened, ain't what comes out of somebody's mouth." So I kind of, you know, when I hear rumors or whatever, it's kind of, like, I end up not putting myself in a position to hear them, like, I don't read any of those things. So it's, like, I very rarely will hear them. But I will hear them from people who are kind of laughing. Like, half the time, it's, like, yeah, we heard a rumor that you're dating, you know, and it's always some kind of obscure person, um, and, you know, like, Chelsea Clinton, you know? No, that was Ben recently that got linked to Chelsea Clinton. It was really funny, you know? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAMON: I am going to make it right. I swear to God I will. (END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKMAN: Lori Blackman, CNN Entertainment News, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAMON: I always like "The 12 Days of Christmas" because that was one everyone got involved -- ten percent of the people picked, you know, two turtle doves; and everyone gets your number, and you sing it out as loud as you can. I always thought that was cool.The last bit is where different stars were asked their favourite Christmas song/movie. Even Matt's choice is concerned with family involvement...
12/25/00 - Part 4