Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Promised Land

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Promised Land – Opening December 28, 2012

There’s nothing like the name Gus Van Sant behind what appears to be a missable human drama to make it worth a second look. The cast helps considerably, as well, and this story of a gas company fighting with local farmers looks rather engaging. Van Sant’s more normative films, like “Milk” and “Good Will Hunting,” have been excellent, and I’m eager to see what he does with this story and these actors. Damon was involved in a project with a slightly similar theme but far different tone, “The Informant,” and here he gets to play a more serious invading force. Joined by Frances McDormand, who hasn’t done all that much lately, they’re sure to be an impressive tour de force. Fortunately, they’ve found their competition in a home field team headed by John Krasinski and Rosemarie DeWitt. I’m very happy to see Krasinski taking on more sophisticated roles like this as he prepares to move on from “The Office,” and DeWitt was simply terrific in “Your Sister’s Sister,” so I’m excited to see more of her. Also in the cast are dependable actors like Hal Holbrook (now 87), Lucas Black, and Titus Welliver. Another fun fact is that the screenplay comes from Dave Eggers, who wrote “Away We Go” and the screenplay for “Where the Wild Things Are,” and from both Krasinski and Damon. This film’s release date assures that it will be one of the most talked-about films of awards season, provided it doesn’t go the way of last year’s Matt Damon starrer from a noted Oscar nominee, “We Bought a Zoo.”