Frances McDormand

The environmental battle over natural gas drilling may not seem like the material that crowd-pleasing movies are built on, but Promised Land overcomes its potentially bland fracking setup to be a genuinely entertaining movie. In fact, this movie isn't really about fracking as much as it is the moral dilemma faced by its main character, portrayed by Matt Damon. He and John Krasinski square off in the Gus Van Sant-directed film as combating forces on either side of the fracking debate. They handily influence a small town (and the audience), though both campaigns are as compelling as they are dubious.

Damon plays Steve Butler, a slick but likable salesman, with familiar ease. He represents Global, a megacorporate natural-gas company that buys the drilling rights to citizens' land. Steve's got one last town (the fictional McKinley) to win over with his partner Sue (Frances McDormand, a pleasure to watch, as always) before he's promoted up the corporate ranks. They think they've got it in the bag until Dustin (Krasinski), an environmentalist with some bold claims about the detrimental effects of fracking and a whole lot of photos of dead cows, comes into town. Watching the tug of war that ensues to win the favor of the small population gets a little tedious, but the competitive dynamic between Steve and Dustin is one of the strengths of the film. Find out what else I thought of Promised Land when you read more.

We've gotten used to seeing Matt Damon play the hero and all-around good guy, but his megawatt smile comes with an ulterior motive in the trailer for Promised Land. Damon plays salesman Steve Butler, who is sent to a rural town with intention to convince the residents that they should allow their land to be exploited for natural resources in exchange for money. It's all going swimmingly until one of the residents (John Krasinski) stands up to Steve and rallies the community to protect their land.

Gus Van Sant's upcoming film seems like a predictable underdog story (the inspiring music in the preview only adds to that), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I love that Krasinski and Damon cowrote the script together, and the supporting cast includes Frances McDormand, Hal Holbrook, and Rosemarie Dewitt (who, apparently, is in every movie these days). The film comes out Jan. 11, but take a look at the trailer when you read more

Get ready for another film from the loopy mind of Wes Anderson! The writer/director is at work on his next project Moon Rise Kingdom, and he's attracting the likes of Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, and old favorite Bill Murray.

Set in the 1960s, Moon Rise Kingdom centers on young paramours who run away together and the aftermath of their disappearance. Willis is in talks to play the local sheriff who is having an affair with the girl's mother (McDormand); Murray will play the girl's father. As for Norton, he's a scout leader who enlists his troop to search for the couple. No word yet on Swinton's role, though I'm sure it'll be just as delightfully oddball as the rest of them. Although I loved last year's stop-motion Fantastic Mr. Fox, I'm pleased as punch to see Anderson direct actors again. The real question is: who will play the young couple in question?

Hi there! Editor L. here again, and I'm ready to discuss the next entry in my Frances McDormand movie marathon. Last time, I shared my thoughts on Friends With Money, but after seeing the excellent The Kids Are All Right, I moved director Lisa Cholodenko's Laurel Canyon to the top of my list.

McDormand plays Jane, the strung out and stoned music producer mother to Sam (Christian Bale). After Sam gets a job near LA, he and his girlfriend Alex (Kate Beckinsale) pack their bags to stay in his mom's house while she's away for work. But unfortunately for Sam, Jane hasn't left; she's still holed up in the house slaving away on a band's latest album. To hear about the rest, read more

Hey there, it's Editor L., and I know what you're thinking — Frances McDormand? So random! That may be true, but allow me to explain. While brainstorming my own Summer Netflix Challenge, I realized that two of the movies that have been on my list of must-sees — Friends With Money and Wonder Boys — both include the brilliant McDormand; hence, she's become my subject of choice. So, over the weekend, I dove into Friends With Money.

The film is by director Nicole Holofcener, who completely wooed me with the recent Please Give. While I don't think Friends With Money is quite as good, there are a few common attributes. For one, you have Holofcener's female leads — all flawed and unlikeable, yet incredibly interesting. There's Franny (Joan Cusack), the rich pal with tons of money; Christine (Catherine Keener), the friend who has nice things, but a terrible marriage; Jane (Frances McDormand), the successful but argumentative designer; and Olivia (Jennifer Aniston), the mess of the bunch who works as a maid. Ready to hear my thoughts? Just read more

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