Promised Land

Promised Land - Dir. Gus Van Sant (2012)

Socially conscious dramas have long been a staple of Hollywood. Promised Land, written by stars Matt Damon and John Krasinski, is certainly attempting to evoke the classic works of Frank Capra along with Bill Forsyth's Local Hero. The movie touches upon several hot button topics, but primarily focuses on hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," the controversial process of mining natural gas from underground rock layers.

Steve Butler (Damon) is a top sales rep for Global Crosspower Solutions and in line for a promotion to VP of Land Management. Before settling into a cushy office gig, Steve's superiors task him with securing the drilling rights in McKinley, a small farming community hit with hard times. Butler feels he is the right man for the job because he grew up on a farm in Iowa, which went into a downward spiral following the closure of the local Caterpillar plant. Butler and his partner Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand) have their entire strategy mapped out, including driving into town in a weathered pick-up truck and dressing in down-to-earth denim. Many of the locals have been anxiously awaiting their arrival others are easily swayed with the promise of lucrative payouts and improved schools.

Everything seems to be in the bag for Global Crosspower until a low-key town meeting at the high school gym. Frank Yates (Hal Holbrook), a former engineer turned high school science teacher, raises his concerns that the fracking could contaminate the town's water and soil. Soon, Dustin Noble (Krasinski), a fervent environmentalist, arrives with evidence that Global caused irreparable damage to his farm in Nebraska.

Though they try their best to be even-handed, it's clear Damon and Krasinski are strongly opposed to fracking. Damon's beliefs were strong enough that he initially planned to direct Promised Land, before handing the reins to his Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant. Van Sant handles the film with a gentle hand and captures the beauty of the rural landscape with a solemn tone. The acoustic folk rock and ethereal score by Danny Elfman add to the old fashioned atmosphere. A montage of life in McKinley acts as a forlorn tribute to the heartland of America, which has been hit hard by the economic crisis. One character bluntly raises the fact that there are no drills in Manhattan and the gas company has arrived solely because they are poor and desperate.

Damon and Krasinski forget a few basic rules of screenwriting. Rather than tell a good story and allow their message to flow forth naturally, they hammer home their ideology on the shaky back of an inconsistent script. Steve Butler is meant to be a confident hotshot, yet he's completely thrown off his game by the sudden opposition of Yates and Noble. You'd think he had enough experience to deal with any arguments in an intelligent manner without throwing a tantrum. A vital twist in the third act is too convenient and hackneyed not to induce eye rolling.

Credit goes to the stellar cast for preventing the film from falling further into ham-handed moralizing. Damon and McDormand turn in fine performances in spite of their underwritten characters. Old pro Hal Holbrook lends an extra layer of gravitas to every one of his scenes. Rosemarie DeWitt is also terrific as an elementary school teacher being romanced by Butler and Noble. She's made a habit of these strong supporting roles in good (My Sister's Sister) or bad (The Watch, The Company Men) flicks. Titus Welliver has a quiet turn as the owner of the wonderfully named "Rob's Guns, Groceries, Guitars, and Gas," who has amorous intentions towards Sue.

The art of cinema can be educating and entertaining, but Promised Land fails on both accounts. Mary Poppins always said a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. In this case, you'll leave with nothing more than a sour taste in your mouth.

Rating: ** (*****)

Get Low

Get Low - Dir. Aaron Schneider (2010)


Robert Duvall and Bill Murray, those two actors together are more than enough reason to check out the folksy, down home drama of Get Low. Loosely based on a true story, Get Low comes to us from first-time director Aaron Schneider and screenwriters Chris Provenzano (Mad Men) and C. Gaby Mitchell (Blood Diamond).

The lead protagonist of the film is an ornery old cuss and who better to real-life ornery old cuss Robert Duvall. He plays Felix Bush, a hermit living in rural Tennessee during the late-1930's. Bush posts a "No Damn Trespassing" sign in front of his property and his only friend is his mule. The folks in town have been spreading rumors and gossip about the old man for decades. It has almost become a rite of passage for the children to throw rocks at his house then flee before he blasts them with his shotgun.

After being informed that a rare friend has passed away, Bush hitches his wagon into town to discuss the idea of a living funeral. When the local pastor (Gerald McRaney) turns him down, Felix is approached by Buddy (Lucas Black), an apprentice at the funeral home run by Frank Quinn (Bill Murray). With his business down, Quinn latches onto the idea, especially after Bush offers to give away his land via lottery. Folks from counties far and wide will come to the funeral so that Bush can hear their stories about him. In reality, he's seeking a way to tell all of them his story.

Bill Cobbs plays Rev. Charlie Jackson, a preacher from Illinois who knows Bush's secret, and Sissy Spacek co-stars as Bush's one-time flame, Mattie.

Get Low has a warm, old-fashioned feel to it. Chalk that up to the strong costumes and production design as well as an earthy look to its cinematography. The film looks very similar to the Coen Brothers' Miller's Crossing in its old-timey feel.

Schneider has created a fitting, Great Depression-era atmosphere, but his cast really brings Get Low to life. Duvall is just perfect as Bush. He can play grizzled eccentric then shift right into warm and fuzzy without missing a beat. Bill Murray is excellent as his foil, a slick, big city huckster now downtrodden by small town life. Murray proves that less is more. He's mastered this restrained minimalism that makes each and every line he utters count. Lucas Black, who starred in Sling Blade at a young age, hasn't done much to impress me with recent roles in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Legion. He again plays a bland Southern boy, but his character is thin in comparison to Duvall and Murray.

Get Low has a rich tone and mood though the story isn't as equally rich. It's a foregone conclusion that Bush's gruff exterior will be slowly chipped away and that the scared townsfolk will find a new understanding for the old coot. Still, the performances are strong enough for a recommendation.

Rating: ***

Legion

Legion - Dir. Scott Stewart (2010)


Throw another one onto the apocalyptic bonfire. A week after the release of The Book of Eli comes another end of the world action film. Zombies and vampires have had their turn, now here come the angels.

God has grown tired of mankind and orders his army of winged warriors to wipe them off the face of the Earth. One angel, Michael (Paul Bettany), disobeys his creator. He heads to the mortal realm, cuts off his wings, and loads up with automatic weapons. He makes his way to a diner called Paradise Falls in the middle of nowhere. There, he must protect Charlie, the waitress (Adrianne Palicki), and more importantly, her unborn child who is destined to lead humanity into greatness.

What transpires is a biblical version of John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 with Michael and a ragtag group of humans defending the diner from an onslaught of possessed humans and the vengeful angel Gabriel (Kevin Durand). Among those diners are Bob Hanson (Dennis Quaid), the hardnosed owner; his son Jeep (Lucas Black) who pines away for Charlie; Percy (Charles S. Dutton), the one-handed cook; Howard & Sandra Anderson (Jon Tenney & Kate Walsh) and their daughter Audrey (Willa Holland); and Kyle (Tyrese Gibson), a passer-by who asks for directions.

You’d think a movie about the end of days and angels with machine guns would be pretty exciting. Alas, Legion starts off strong, sags in the middle, and peters out at the very end. The film’s best and most memorable scene comes early when the diners are attacked by a little, old lady (“You’re baby is going to fuckin’ burn!”). Nothing else in Legion lives up to that moment. The movie grinds to a halt with a second act bloated by endless exposition and a half-assed attempt at character development with scene after scene of the diners getting to know each other. While admirable, their backstories are so clichéd that they still remain paper thin which means valuable smashing time is wasted with talk, talk, talk.

In the pantheon of angel movies, Legion is definitely superior to that horrible John Travolta film, but isn’t nearly as good as Wim Wenders’ classic Wings of Desire. Though Wings probably would have been even better if the angels in it had machine guns too.

Rating: * ½