Welcome to the Matt Damon Column,
a forum for sharing news among Matt fans.

• Well, at least it's not a real Matt movie - Titan's box-office performance was less than stellar, in spite of a glowing review from the kingpin of film critics, Roger Ebert.
  From Reuter's:
  Fox's Sherak said he was disappointed by the $9.5 million opening for ``Titan A.E.,'' an intergalactic adventure featuring the voices of Matt Damon and Bill Pullman.
  The studio had hoped for a figure in the $13 million-$14 million area, Sherak said. He noted the film's target audience of teen-aged boys is the most elusive of moviegoers, but he expected the summer holidays might help business. The film averaged a modest $3,476 from 2,733 theaters.
• This being such a quiet time, the following exchanges on a usenet newsgroup alt.movie gives a little cheer - and, go rent "The Talent Mr. Ripley".
  Jude Law vs. Matt Damon
  • Who did a better job in Talented Mr. Ripley? Who had the tougher job? I had a big argument over this with a friend, just wanted to see what you guys thought. Personally, Damon's character was the most complex character in the past 15 years of film. He was amazing, he portrayed all 360 degrees of this character. My vote? Damon.
  • >First of all, Matt Damon's character was one of the most misguided >characters I've ever seen in a movie.
    ...And to be able to pull that off with such complexity, Matt gets my vote. Law played an excellent role but it seemed less challenging than Damon's.
    > Was the guy a spontaneous psychopath >or did he carefully calculate his murders?
    It seemed to me that he was the kind of psychopath that even took himself by surprise. Totally flying by the seat of his pants and only Just getting away with it. It was a well done film but I found this film excruciating to watch.
  • Matt Damon gets my Vote.
  • Damon was very good, but Law's acting abilities were outstanding in the part.
    -- Rev. Jevon den Ridder
  • I think Damon and Law should have switched roles, myself.

• Not a whole lot of news - Felicity is on vacation.
• Titan opened to mixed review, and was 5th in B.O. take on Friday.
• A fan wrote to this site (which is NOT run by Matt Damon, sorry :-)
  WELL I MISSED MY FAVORITE STAR IN NASHVILLE TN LAST WEEK BUT I UNDERSTAND HE KEPT A LOW PROFILE, AND WAS IN THE MUSIC STUDIO WITH THE BILLY BOB THORNTON MOVIE TEAM, AND HE WAS PLAYING TAKE A DARE AND DRESSED IN FULL NASCAR RACE CAR DRIVER OUT- FIT HE WENT TO THE NASCAR CAFE IN DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE, AND SIGNED AUTOGRAPHS FOR FANS, AND POOR ME I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNTIL HE WAS OUT OF TOWN, BUT AT LEAST I HAD PERSONALLY INVITED HIM MONTHS AGO ON ONE OF THE MESSAGE SITE BOARDS TO COME TO NASHVILLE THIS SUMMER FOR SOME GOOD OLD FASHION R&R AND SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY ... SO I GUESS HE TOOK ME UP ON THE OFFER AND I HOPE HE DID ENJOY HIS VISIT TO MUSIC CITY USA GOOD OLD NASHVILLE TN ... MATT NEXT TIME YOUR GOING TO BE IN TOWN EMAIL ME PLEASE DROP ME A NOTE I WOULD LOVE TO MEET YOU .. AFTER ALL I SAW ALL OF YOUR MOVIES AND THE LAST ONE THE TALENTED MR. RIPELY I SAW IT 7 TIMES... IS THIS A TRUE FAN OR WHAT???

• Several readers wrote to report thus (thanks to all!):
  Gossip monger Ted C www.eonline.com says Lucy is hot for Matt and in pursuit.
  Ted Casablanca's column in eonline.com leads off with mention of Lucy Liu chasing Matt since Winona breakup. Although reps deny they're a couple, TC seems to think there's some validity to the story.
  Well. Ted C. is one of the most vicious gossip mongers, and I really shouldn't promote his trashy writing, but if you must read it for yourself - I admit that I did :-), here it is .
• From Felicity:
  From the Chicago Sun-Times with Cindy Pearlman:
  VOCAL HERO: Matt Damon says it was "just plain fun" voicing a space cadet in the animated "Titan A.E.," opening Friday. "I didn't know what went into doing a voice," Damon said. "It is lonely. It's just you, a microphone and the director saying things like, `Earth is gone! Sound a little bit more concerned.' "
  In the movie, the last surviving humans hurl through space to find the "titan" that will help them create a new planet. If he were planetless, what would Damon create? "A few ballparks," says the huge baseball fan. "Hey, you gotta have some fun."
  *** From an EW online story about upcoming book to movie adaptations: MOVIE ''All the Pretty Horses''
  CAST Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz, and Sam Shepard. Directed by Billy Bob Thornton RELEASE DATE Fall 2000
  BOOK'S AUTHOR Cormac McCarthy
  SUMMARY The 1992 National Book Award Winner, ''Horses'' is the coming-of-age story of John Grady Cole, a young Texan who crosses the Rio Grande to find work in Mexico. He lands at an idyllic hacienda, where he falls in love with the landowner's beautiful daughter and ends up in jail and on trial for murder. BUZZ Sony's betting that audiences want to see Matt Damon play a studly rancher after his gig as the effeminate psychopath Tom Ripley. It doesn't hurt that sexy Spanish star Pen�lope Cruz (''All About My Mother'') is his love interest. FUTURE Good, but don't bet the ranch on it. ''Matt's a big name, but audiences might think this is like 'The Horse Whisperer,''' says Bucksbaum. ''A touching and soft film without any real compelling elements.''
  *** Did you see this from yahoo news?
  A golden promotion
  
  David Brown is, by his own account, Hollywood's oldest active producer at age 84, and he's as busy as ever.
  One reason he continues to be prolific is because of Kit Golden, an exec who joined his Manhattan Project nine years ago right out of NYU Film School. Brown's rewarded her by naming Golden president of his company, and getting her to produce films that she develops with him.
  That begins with the currently in production Lasse Hallstrom-directed fantasy ``Chocolat,'' which stars Johnny Depp, Juliette Binoche and Alfred Molina, and continues with ``Romanoff,'' a Manhattan Project film coming together at Miramax about how restaurateur Mike Romanoff charmed his way into Hollywood in the 1940s by claiming he was part of the Russian royal family. By the time his invention was uncovered, Romanoff found he was still accepted in a town where nobody is who they claim to be. Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, who did the documentary ``Chasen's,'' are writing and directing.
  Golden has been long known in Gotham circles as a strong and tasteful tracker of material like ``Angela's Ashes,'' and her efforts have allowed Brown to be prolific in other avenues. Brown just produced with Joe Wizan the Lee Tamahori-directed ``Kiss the Girls'' sequel ``Along Came A Spider,'' and with former partner Richard Zanuck, Brown is producing the DreamWorks drama ``The Ninth Man,'' which has been offered to director Martin Campbell and Matt Damon.
  After producing for the stage ``A Few Good Men'' and the Truman Capote play ``Tru,'' Brown has several Hollywood-related plays headed for the stage. Nicholas Hytner will direct ``The Sweet Smell of Success,'' which Brown is producing with the original picture's writer, Ernest Lehman. Brown is teamed with Lewis Allen on a one-man play about Sam Goldwyn entitled ``Sam,'' and Brown is also producing a play about bespectacled superagent Swifty Lazar, written and directed by Christopher Hart.
  *** Further confirmation on the Ninth Man project. Martin Campbell has just filmed 'The Vertical Limit' in NZ, hasn't he?? Anything else of importance that he's done? Anything in the latest Premiere or Movieline issues? I can't find them yet in (not very) remote Scotland

6/15/00
News from various sources - thanks to one and all -

• From Army Archerd's Column in the Daily Variety:
  Democrats pull in Hollywood money By Army Archerd, Daily Variety Senior Columnist
  Friday, the night before at Beverly Hills' L'Orangerie dinery, DreamWorks held a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's N.Y. senatorial campaign and she again expressed her strong stand on gun control: ``There are some who think of me as a threat to Western civilization.'' (Heston's name was murmured through the room.) This dinner, at $5,000-$20,000 a couple raised $350,000 with Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg hosting. The group included: Alan Horn, Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Gina Gershon, Rhea Perlman, Salma Hayek, Edward Norton, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Perry and Andy Spahn, Laurie MacDonald and Walter Parkes with Sheryl Crow entertaining on (acoustic) guitar. Crow and Clinton had toured Bosnia together.
• SHOWBIZ ON LINE GIVES TITAN AE A "GO SEE!"
  *TITAN A.E. - Buff cartoons on the Moon Matt Damon lends his pipes to this animated knockout that makes Heavy Metal look like a Viewmaster. ~~Catch it!
• Another mixed review, but here's what he says about the character of Cale:
  Cale is Matt Damon in a sci-fi cartoon, a handsome young blonde guy with great talent but not too willing to get involved: strangely, Damon does a better job of separating himself from his character in live action.
  Not exactly a compliment, but testimony to Matt's undeniable presence on screen. Because this character looks, acts, and of course, talks like him, you really do think, "That's Matt Damon up there!"
• My own note:
  It does seem like every reviewer gives mention to Matt; I guess it's because there's so much of him in this character - rather odd that he wants no part in the promotion - ET showed Drew Barrymore at the premiere, but mentioned nothing of Matt.
6/13/00
• A fan wrote to say that Entertainment Tonight reported on Monday 6/12 broadcast that reps for MD and Penelope Cruz say they are NOT dating.
• A big Matt fan wrote:
  Another mixed review on Aint-it-cool, but quite complimentary toward Matt:
  "And unlike the male leads of certain Disney cartoons I could mention, Matt Damon's Cale is the film's most charismatic vocal presence. He lends an easy confidence to the proceedings, never over-selling a line but always sounding interested in what's going on around him. (Parenthetical testament to the power of animation: Technically, there really isn't any "around him" for "him" to be interested in, is there? Um, cool.)"
  "For Bill Pullman and Matt Damon, Bluth's naturalistic approach to voice work plays more or less beautifully -- humanizing their animated avatars to a degree that animation rarely achieves."
6/12/00
• A fan wrote:
  I am going to the Titan AE premiere tomorrow night in LA. It should be fun. The band "Lit" is playing. A friend and I went to a screening last week and were quite impressed. I thought the mix of CGI and hand drawn animation was brilliant. Matt's character had much of a physical and personality likeness to the real man!!!! We actually get to see a little animated skin and hear a few racy comments intended for the adult viewers. I found Drew's character to be a little bland juxtaposed with Matt's "Cale." All in all I thought it was quite good.
• And Kathryn provided links to two reviews: here and here.
  And a link to Titan A.E. for the Playstation.
• More reviews, compliments of a big Matt fan:
  • Two positive ones at the corona site.
  • Two more at the rotten tomato site.
• The L.A. Times today ran an article on Titan - not on Matt, but it does show a picture from the flick, captioned "Titan's Cale is voiced by Matt Damon ... " In the pic Kale is wearing a sleeveless, all the better to show off his biceps! And holding a gun aimed straight at someone not shown - the expression is a dead-on of Matt.
6/11/00
• Variety gave Titan A.E. a "terrific" review, but had this to say about Matt's voicing:
  But there's some faltering voice work from Damon (who's hardly a vet at this sort of thing) and Barrymore, whose persistent Valley Girl voice has long been her weakest asset.
6/10/00
• Ouch! Not the most complimentary review of Titan, from filmcritic.com and as posted on the newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews -
  

                                 TITAN A.E.
                      A film review by Christopher Null
                        Copyright 2000 filmcritic.com
                               filmcritic.com
  
       Good Will Hunting goes to space in Titan A.E., an ill-conceived and
  overambitious animation blowout (courtesy of 20th Century Fox) that
  makes recent Disney fare look like thinking men's movies.
  
       Matt Damon's voice stars as Cale, an eager-beaver twentysomething
  in the year 3028 who would be just like any other next-millennium Gen
  made of pure energy, natch -- have blown up the earth.
  
       Talk about a bummer!  Cale's scientist father has vanished along
  with his mysterious "Titan" spaceship project, and Cale seems doomed to
  life on a crummy salvage station.  But in walks renegade space dude
  Korso (Bill Pullman) to rescue Cale from his life of welding, convincing
  the lad to go on a quest to find the Titan before the Drej do... and
  thus save all of humanity!
  
       A bit of Independence Day and a lot of Star Trek 2: The Wrath of
  Khan, Titan A.E. owes so much of its plot to other movies that I'll be
  surprised if a copyright infringement lawsuit isn't slapped down any day
  now.  Not that an "homage" can't be fun, even good from time to time,
  but unfortunately, Titan is so unoriginal and lackluster in its script
  and plotting that it really drags you down.
  
       With animated fare, really crack visuals tend to outweigh asinine
  plots (though they didn't in Disney's recent Dinosaur nor in Fox's last
  big animation attempt, Anastasia).  While Titan's spacescapes are often
  out of this world (no pun intended), the character animation slapped on
  top of them is wretched; an old-style, Scooby Doo-looking bunch of
  people slapped atop the background of a dystopian future is just not a
  good idea.
  
       But while the animated people are only so-so, it's the cast of
  animated creatures that really look pathetic.  As this is a Don Bluth
  production, one expects there to be a talking menagerie.  In Titan, this
  means talking space hyenas, talking space turtles, and a horribly
  ill-conceived talking space kangaroo/vulture inexplicably and
  embarrassingly voiced by Janeane Garofalo.  Altogether, precious few of
  the other voices in this movie match their characters.  While Damon and
  Cale are clearly doppelgangers, the whiny Pullman as the
  rough-and-tumble Korso is laughable, and Drew Barrymore as the vaguely
  Asian Akima is simply perplexing.
  
       In fact, everything about Titan is just plain strange, from the
  80s-ish hard rock/power ballad soundtrack that thumps through the whole
  movie to the fact that the characters can move around in zero-gravity by
  "swimming" through the air.  Rock on, Will.
  
  RATING:  **
  
  |------------------------------|
   \ ***** Perfection             \
    \ **** Good, memorable film    \
     \ *** Average, hits and misses \
      \ ** Sub-par on many levels    \
       \ * Unquestionably awful       \
        |------------------------------|
  
  MPAA Rating: PG
  
  Director: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman
  Producer: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, David Kirschner
  Writer: Ben Edlund, Randall McCormick, Joss Whedon
  Starring: Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman, Nathan Lane, Tone
  Loc, Jim Breuer, Janeane Garofalo, John Leguizamo, Ron Perlman, Alex D.
  Linz
  

• From roughcut.com:
  4. Brand New: The Wall Street Journal's Tom King's weekly column, Hollywood Journal, often seems to go from the ridiculous to the sublime. And so it was this week, as Tom explains that studios are into repeat business. WOW!!!! What a revelation! And they want repeat business during the summer! Oh gosh, how did he ever find that out? On the other hand, King got wind of a letter from Miramax's Harvey Weinstein to DreamWorks' Jeffrey Katzenberg accusing DreamWorks of kneecapping All The Pretty Horses, now set for December, by putting The Legend of Bagger Vance in the November 3 slot as of a few weeks ago. Interesting stuff. However, King doesn't seem to get the real joke of it all. Both films were originally slotted into this summer, with Horses preceding Bagger Vance by two months. Horses has since changed slots more often than Dennis Rodman and the idea that DreamWorks was programming against it is a big fat joke.
6/9/00
• Tomorrow (Saturday 6/10) is supposed to be the premiere of Titan A.E. in Los Angeles.
• Conflicting reports on Matt's new project:
  • Cindy Adams' NY Post column of 6/9/2000 (seems to confirm that) Matt Damon will star in The Bourne Identity for Universal.
  • but then ...
    From SHOWBIZ SCOOP:
    Triple Tinseltown Minute.
    ... *Planet Welcomes Matt.
    Director Tim Burton is close to signing Matt Damon to star in his big screen "re-envisioning "of PLANET OF THE APES.
6/8/00
• From today's Hollywood Reporter (via a big Matt fan):
  To Star or Not to Star
  Matt Damon is figuring out which project to tackle next. He has an offer from Universal Pictures to star in the Doug Liman-directed "Bourne Identity," but he met with director Tim Burton on Monday about starring in 20th Century Fox's remake of "Planet of the Apes." Damon won't make any decisions until he sees the most recent draft of the "Apes" script, due in a couple of weeks. Both projects are set to roll in the fall. Burton is also toying with the idea of bringing Danny DeVito into the project to play on of the apes. The duo has not worked together since 1992's "Batman Returns." DeVito and Damon aren't strangers either, having co-starred in "John Grisham's The Rainmaker." (Zorianna Kit)
• From Felicity:
  • And more interesting stuff here. Also, I found in some sci-fi mag today (possibly Starlog), a major story in Titan AE, and in it director Don Bluth says of Matt something like: "He's absolutely wonderful to work with. He took the fragments of a character and gave it a voice". It also said that Cale was definitely modelled to a significant degree on Matt because it is the central character. Drew Barrymore's Akira is supposedly Asian, so they didn't try too much with her.
  • From PR Newswire
    MTV Teams Up With Entertainment Weekly for MTV'S First Ever Movie Trendsetter Survey Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Top The List of Today's 'Movie Stars' Movie-Going is Considered an Event for Young People; Majority of Those Surveyed Would Not Take $1,000,000 to Give Up Movies Forever
    NEW YORK, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Young people today are looking for stars that are real people with no attitude and are not perfect according to a movie trendsetters survey from MTV and Entertainment Weekly in conjunction with Youth Intelligence. MTV and Entertainment Weekly's Movie Trendsetters Survey is a study of young trendsetters' attitudes and interests around movies and pop culture. The Survey is the result of interviews with 300 young people between the ages of 14-25-years-old who are identified as "progressive" with "experimental attitudes" and forward thinking. These in-person interviews were conducted in New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX.
    MTV and Entertainment Weekly's Movie Trendsetter Survey is designed to reveal emerging trends around the film industry which have already begun to or will soon begin to be integrated into the mainstream. Two key categories emerged from the Movie Trendsetter Survey -- "Today's Star Qualities" and "Movie as Mecca."
    "Our study shows that gone are the days of movie stars who are seemingly flawless and untouchable or bigger than life and exist only as icons and not people," commented Todd Cunningham, Senior Vice President, Research and Planning, MTV. "Today's stars need to be real individuals, who trendsetters feel they can relate to and have a connection with. Additionally, based on the study, movie-going is an event for trendsetters and has become one of the few shared experiences young people have left."
    The results of the Movie Trendsetters Survey illustrates that trendsetters want today's stars to reflect their new version of values. They want to know stars as people and don't necessarily expect them to be perfect.
    Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were among the top list of stars for trendsetters. Trendsetters have watched Drew Barrymore suffer and survive. She has admitted to making mistakes and has moved on. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon seem real, like the guys next door. Their friendship with each other is one of the things that defines them.
    "Movie is Mecca" to trendsetters.
    Trendsetters are really passionate about movies -- 55% said they would not give up movies forever, even for $1,000,000. And 86% of the young people surveyed would go and see a movie even if it was badly reviewed.
    Going to the movies is more of an experience for trendsetters. When asked about the biggest improvement, most cited something about the seats or the sound as being the biggest improvement. 33% consider stadium seating the biggest recent improvement in movies, followed by 22% who believe seating has become more comfortable. 21% believe the surround sound has added to the improvement, while 8% believe Moviefone has added to the improvement in movies. 8% prefer the larger screens, 7% believe the leg room has improved and 3% enjoy the reserved seating.
    Where trendsetters go, how and with whom, is becoming just as important as the movie itself. Interactivity may also increasingly become an attractive component of movie going. 65% of trendsetters prefer a huge cineplex with a major sound system and big screen. 83% of the trendsetters said they'd go to a dinner theatre where you sit at a table and have dinner/drinks served while they watched the movie. 55% would be interested to stay after a movie to discuss the film with other audience members, and 85% would go to a double feature movie, while 90% would go to a drive-in movie given the opportunity.
    Interestingly, 33% of those surveyed said they must see a movie on the big screen when it comes out, while another 33% said they could wait until it was available on rental.
    However, the movie experience at home is just as important to trendsetters.
    In the past month, 95% of the trendsetters said they have gone to a video store and 39% have used pay-per-view/direct tv.
    Trendsetters want to bring the elements of the movie theatre into their home.
    22% of the trendsetters currently own a DVD player and 32% are planning to buy one within the next year.
    Additional findings from the MTV/Entertainment Weekly Movie Trendsetter survey include:
    37% say a little fooling around at the movie theatre is ok, 35% believe when the mood strikes anything goes, 19% say never, and 9% say that's why they go to the movies "American Pie" was the movie which best defined the generation for 14-18 year olds and 19-24 year olds while "The Matrix" was the movie that best defined the generation for 25-30 year olds The best 3 movies seen in 1999 according to trendsetters are "American Beauty," "Being John Malkovitch," and "The Matrix" The movies that least lived up to their hype include " Blair Witch Project," "Star Wars: Phantom Menace," and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" 77% of the trendsetters surveyed said if they have to go to the bathroom during an exciting movie, they will hold it in, while 23% said they would go to the bathroom MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc., owns and operates five cable television programming services -- MTV: Music Television, MTV 2, VH1, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, and TV Land -- all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. Information about MTV and MTV 2 is available on MTV Online, on America Online (Keyword: MTV) and the World Wide Web (http://mtv.com).
  • Very scary story here...
    Damon, DeVito Orbiting Burton's Planet
    By Kasia Anderson
    Tim Burton is gearing up to begin work on his Planet of the Apes remake at 20th Century Fox, and he's currently zeroing in on candidates for his human and simian stars. Cinescape says Apes scribe Bill Broyles has "youthified" this version vis-�-vis the original 1968 Charlton Heston starrer, and Burton's rumored negotiations with a certain young A-lister by the name of Matt Damon certainly support this claim. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the Sleepy Hollow director met with Damon on Monday to discuss Burton's update of the sci-fi cult classic about a planet where civilized apes reign supreme over their pre-lingual human kin. Burton is also eyeing Damon's Rainmaker partner Danny DeVito for of the main primate parts, which would reunite the eccentric helmer with his Batman Returns star.
    Damon, who's also considering Universal's offer to star in their Bourne Identity spy thriller, won't make a final commitment before reading Broyles' latest draft, which THR says is due in the next couple weeks. Both Apes and Doug Liman's Bourne are scheduled to shoot in the fall. Damon rides into theaters on October 20 in Billy Bob Thornton's All the Pretty Horses, followed by Robert Redford's golf drama The Legend of Bagger Vance, due out November 3.
    Commented Felicity thus: Mmm, career-killer anyone? Let's hope sense reigns and Bourne Identity wins out. That other movie is just laughably bad! Even if working with Tim Burton might be fun.. A separate story reported that filming would occur later this year in Hawaii (just close to Ben if he's still filming).
    And I agree. Truth be told, neither project sounds top-notch. But it's time for Matt to get back to work.
  • From the Honolulu Star:
    Burton already has scouted the Big island, Lanai, Maui, and Kauai; Oahu is not being considered for the film, he said.
    "The stage we're in right now with this film is to think and dream and look," he said. "Once you get going on a film you don't get a chance ever to sit and appreciate a place, even a toxic waste dump."
    Burton also is considering other locations for "Planet" but declined to say where or what the budget will be because, "I'm not sure yet."
    But he is sure that he's not taking on "Planet" to do just another remake of the franchise.
    "It was a movie that had impact on me as a kid," he said. "It's like a fairy tale, a folk tale to me. I had a feeling that there is a way to do it differently, exploring thematically similar things but in a different way.
    "I think it can be revisited and re-imagined to a whole new generation and to people like me who are interested in other aspects of what the film said."
    Filming will begin sometime this year.
    "But I have to say," Burton said glancing toward the star-filled sky. "This would be a perfect place to do it."
    Wait and see on that one...
  • A fan wrote:
    I was wondering if I could ask you a favour or if you knew of anyone who could help me out. I am on the Titan AE mailing list and since Earth Day (of which Leonardo DiCaprio was spokesperson) was a little while back, I received a Flash movie in my mailbox celebrating Earth Day from the "Drej" of Titan AE. I have the ability through my browser to view Flash-enhanced websites on the Net, but I don't have the actual Flash program to make and view my own movies. I'm thinking that because the movie I received isn't on the Net, I need access to the Flash program in order to see it (since I'm unable to view it at present) and I've already used up my 30-day free trial. I don't suppose you have Flash? Or if anyone reading this has Flash, is on the Titan AE mailing list and has received/seen the movie, and perhaps wouldn't mind telling us what it's like? Or perhaps a contributor to the Column has Flash on their home computer and wouldn't mind taking a look at it if I were to forward it to them via email? I was curious about the movie since it was to do with a film Matt's involved in, thinking it might have a clip from the film itself or a special sequence; something along those lines.
    If you can help this fan, please drop me a note.
6/8/00
• NY Post has Winona and Chris Noth smooching at the MTV Movie Awards in Santa Monica, with Matt "feverishly trying to ignore the couple by chatting up a little blonde bombshell." See here.
• A big Matt fan sent this in - from Jeannette Walls at msnbc.com.
  The case of the groggy-eyed Damon
  June 7 � Is Matt Damon appearing in Talk magazine because he�s mad at rival Vanity Fair? The star of �Good Will Hunting� and �The Talented Mr. Ripley� got furious with Vanity Fair after the magazine ran a photo of him that he was promised wouldn�t be used, sources say.
  MATT DAMON WAS visiting his friend Ben Affleck late last year, according to one source, when he walked into a room where photographer Annie Leibowitz was taking pictures for a Vanity Fair cover story on Affleck. �He was all groggy and didn�t want Annie to take his picture, but she insisted it would never appear in print and that it was just for her personal collection,� says the insider. �So he relented. He was absolutely furious when Vanity Fair ran the picture. He was very, very upset about being lied to.� Miramax, the studio most closely linked with both Damon and Affleck, was also furious, says the source.
  Every magazine in the business was eager to get Damon for its cover for his �All the Pretty Horses,� which Miramax and Columbia are releasing this fall. Some media insiders are saying that after the alleged betrayal, Damon decided to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair�s less successful arch rival Talk magazine in retaliation. Talk is partially owned by Miramax and is edited by former VF editor Tina Brown.
  Another source says animosity between Vanity Fair and Miramax is one reason the magazine is running embarrassing details about Miramax head Harvey Weinstein. In its July issue, Vanity Fair is running an article that describes the abusive behavior of some Hollywood bosses, and describes Weinstein�s dirty laundry (literally) and says that Weinstein had one assistant repeat �Mantra-like, �I�m a dildo Harvey. I�m a dildo Harvey. I�M A DILDO HARVEY.� Advertisement
  Neither Leibowitz nor Damon�s spokesman had a comment. A VF spokeswoman insists there�s no feud, pointing out that Weinstein is only a small part of a larger story and that he �is legendary for being a tough boss.� She adds, �If Matt Damon was upset, he wasn�t upset for long. He was partying long and hard at a Vanity Fair party.�
• And the same big Matt fan was at a screening of TITAN AE today, and reported thus:
  1) The lead character, Cale, really does bear a remarkable resemblance to Matt. It's delightfully easy to imagine that it's him on the screen, especially when the character goes barechested (more than once, and more than just his chest!). Matt voices the role with a lot of charm and energy, and as a fan, I couldn't help but swoon a bit during the romantic moments. (Sigh)
  2) The alien environments really are breathtaking. In some ways, the worlds created by the animators in this film are far more exotic and jaw-droppingly awe inspiring than those in PHANTOM MENACE and other recent sci-fi films. These settings, combined with the impressively designed pure-energy alien villains, made this film feel less like a cartoon and more like a live-action sci-fi film.
  3) O.K., the plot. It's fun, albeit in a rather simplistic, easily resolved way. If this had been a regular kids' flick, one might have accepted the story without question, but the sophistication of the animation and the hard rock soundtrack lull you into thinking this is an adult film. However,if you're willing to cast a little skepticism aside, you can enjoy it as the action adventure it is. I liked it, and I'd like to see it again.
  Well, that's my take.
6/7/00
• Lots of Titan news from Felicity:
  'Titan A.E.' to Ride Internet
  From Studio to Theater
  Tuesday, June 6, 2000 By Steve Gorman
  LOS ANGELES
  � Movie history will be made Tuesday when 20th Century Fox premieres the first movie to be beamed over the Internet from a Hollywood studio to a theater across the country, Fox officials said on Monday. The animated sci-fi epic "Titan A.E." will be digitally projected to an audience at the Supercomm trade show in Atlanta after it has been sent from Burbank, California, over a secure Internet-based network.
  The network is owned and run by Qwest Communications International Inc. using equipment built by Cisco Systems. Inc., the world's leading maker of Internet gear.
  The event will showcase a technology that could one day replace a movie distribution system that dates to the birth of the modern motion picture industry, about 80 years ago.
  But with issues of cost and copyright protection yet to be addressed, Internet transmission of movies from studios to exhibitors is years away from becoming commonplace, officials at Fox and Cisco acknowledged on Monday.
  "It's a small step toward looking at the future," said Tom Sherak, chairman of the Fox domestic film group. "To me, it's like being at the World's Fair."
  The digital projector alone costs about $100,000, not to mention the added price of a special screen, sound system and computer equipment needed to download and show "Titan A.E." in digital format.
  Technically, speaking, however, "What we're showcasing tomorrow is available now," Cisco spokeswoman Erica Schroeder said. "It's all the business issues now that have to be resolved."
  A number of films, notably "Star Wars: Episode I � The Phantom Menace" and Disney's "Dinosaur," have been digitally projected by a handful of theaters since last year. But the Atlanta screening of "Titan A.E" marks the first time a studio has distributed its movie to a theater audience via the Internet.
  "Titan A.E.," which mixes traditional cell animation with computer-generated imagery, gets its official premiere on Saturday in Los Angeles and opens June 16.
  The movie, set a thousand years in the future, features the voices of Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore as a pair of teenagers on a quest to save mankind after Earth has been destroyed by alien attack.
  For the Atlanta screening, the 90-minute movie will be projected after it has been downloaded from Burbank rather than shown simultaneously with its transmission over the Internet. "Real-time" projection is effectively prevented by the sheer size of the computer file containing the movie � 50 gigabytes, which is roughly 20,000 times larger than a typical MP3 music file, Schroeder said.
  Even though it will be transmitted at speeds 800 times faster than a standard analog modem connection, it will take about four hours for the movie to be downloaded by the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta from Qwest's CyberCenter in Burbank, she said.
  ******************
  BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Combining a highly anticipated sci-fi animated film and a cherry-flavored soft drink popular with teens and one of the most highly-trafficked entertainment websites, Fox Licensing and Merchandising (Fox L&M), Cherry Coke and IGN.com rocket theatrical cross promotions into the 21st century for the studio's summer event film, TITAN A.E.
  Cherry Coke marks its first theatrical tie-in with TITAN A.E. Starting this week, the promotion features special packaging, instant win/match-and-win prize offerings, and interactive Internet extensions. Nearly 20 million Cherry Coke 12-oz. cans featuring the film's main characters will be available in cities across the country. The collector cans depict the characters Cale and Akima, voiced by Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore respectively, in action scenes lifted directly from the movie.
  Game pieces printed under-the-cap of specially marked Cherry Coke 20 oz., 1 liter and 2 liter bottles, or inside 12-can multi-packs, will reveal one of two ways consumers can win in the TITAN A.E./Cherry Coke/IGN.com promotion. High tech grand prize packs, including a Portable Recordable Mini Disc Player and Global Positioning System, or thousands of other prizes are available to Cherry Coke drinkers whose game pieces contain either an instant win message or a special code that can be matched against winning codes found online at the Cherry Coke website (www.cherrycoke.com ). Hyperlinks from the official TITAN A.E. website (www.afterearth.com ) and IGN.com site (www.ign.com ) also guide consumers to the Cherrycoke.com prize vault.
  Looking to captivate a young, web savvy demographic, Fox L&M and Cherry Coke are joining forces with a top entertainment hot spot on the web, IGN.com. A Snowball.com (Nasdaq: SNOW) network, IGN.com boasts 4.3 million unique visitors a month and ranks highest in traffic among 12-17 year olds on the Internet (Media Metrix, April 2000). An Internet extension enabling websurfers to fully experience TITAN A.E. and Cherry Coke will feature marketing impressions, a co-branded minisite, a downloadable browser as well as links between the TITAN A.E., Cherry Coke and IGN.com websites.
  "We believe we have developed a promotion that best combines the Internet with a packaged good and a theatrical property," said Rita Prosyak, director of national theatrical promotions for Fox L&M. "This promotion enables us to connect with our target audience, using a compelling prize structure, leveraging the power of the theatrical property and communicating it such that we are not beating them over the head with it, but rather allowing the teen and tween consumer to 'discover it.'"
  "Just as TITAN A.E. is not your typical animated film, the Cherry Coke promotion speaks to teens in a different way, encouraging the kind of non- traditional interactions they value," said Katie Sullivan, brand manager, Cherry Coke. "Teens have come to count on Cherry Coke delivering a unique, cutting-edge experience, and we're thrilled to provide it."
  "As the leading entertainment web site for a young men on the Internet, IGN.com is excited to partner with Fox and Cherry Coke," said Simon Whitcombe, vice president of networks, Snowball.com. "These brands are a perfect fit with IGN.com's audience and we are extremely excited to expand the online presence of this unique promotion."
  The TITAN A.E./Cherry Coke/IGN.co-promotion is supported by an extensive on-line advertising campaign, point-of-sale materials that include 3-D cold vault displays and shelf talkers, among others.
  TITAN A.E. is the first animated feature film of its kind. Made for a contemporary audience, it is a roller coaster ride of action and adventure. A journey that begins... 15 years after the Earth ends. Humans are now homeless refugees, struggling to survive in a hostile galaxy dominated by aliens. Fifteen years later, Cale Tucker is a rebellious teenager, stuck on a third- rate asteroid. But not for long. Cale soon learns that his father has left him a ring containing a map to a legendary spacecraft, the Titan, which holds the secret to salvation for the human race. With the aid of the Valkyrie's Captain Joe Korso, his highly skilled and beautiful pilot Akima, and a ragtag crew of assorted aliens, Cale embarks on an adventure through space. With the Drej close behind and betrayal from within, Cale must become a renegade warrior and a new kind of hero as he completes his mission to find a whole new world. TITAN A.E. opens on June 16.
  Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising, along with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, comprise the retail-oriented strategic alliance of Fox Consumer Products. A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines.
• And Val wrote:
  Have seen some pre-TITAN pres; i.e, ACCESS HOLLYWOOD and NATL E. TV. Both pieces discussed the 'likeness' of the the animation main character and Matt himself altho the Drew Barrymore voiced character does not look like her at all. Matt was also shown in the studio voicing Hale. He was wearing that funky hat he wore to the Sundance Festival and was really putting his body into the dialogue! He was looking gorgeous .
  Also the marketing frenzy has begun with the action figures supposedly already in stores. The figure pictured was Hale sitting inside a rocket type vehicle.
6/5/00
Felicity wrote:
• From an article with Nia Long (black actress) in the Chicago Sun-Times: "I'm probably too honest about this, but I think Hollywood loves to go for the safer image," Long says. She muses that the true victory would be pairing her with Matt Damon or Leonardo DiCaprio, and it not being an issue.
• From Bloomberg.com:
  Technology News
  Mon, 05 Jun 2000, 2:22pm EDT
  Cisco, News Corp.'s Fox to Transmit `Titan A.E.' Over Internet
  By Scott Lanman
  Atlanta, June 5 (Bloomberg) -- Cisco Systems Inc. is going into the movie business. Tomorrow the No.1 maker of computer networking equipment will help transmit the first feature film ever downloaded over the Internet and projected in a theater.
  Cisco is providing the data-traffic routers that will speed 20th Century Fox's ``Titan A.E.'' about 2,000 miles from Burbank, California, to computers in an Atlanta theater. The 80-minute movie's trip over Qwest Communications International Inc.'s fiber- optic network will take about two hours, after which the 42- gigabyte data file --- 20,000 times larger than a typical MP3 music file -- will then be viewed with a prototype digital projector.
  Such a system, if widely deployed, would overhaul the way films are distributed to theaters, eliminating bulky film reels and shipping and material costs while offering better picture quality. Digital cinema technology could save studios $100 million a year and endanger the jobs of film projectionists, said Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Dan O'Neill.
  ``This is something that can really revolutionize the way the movie industry is structured,'' said Larry Lang, Cisco's vice president of service provider marketing.
  The demonstration comes after last year's ``Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace'' was screened on digital projectors in some theaters. That film was shipped on disk drives and not downloaded. In addition, Loral Space & Communications Ltd. the second-biggest U.S. satellite-communications company, has shown a way to distribute films via satellite.
  New Equipment
  Obstacles remain, though, before the local multiplex can download every blockbuster and sleeper over the Internet.
  Theaters must have a direct connection to expensive fiber- optic cable to be able to download huge files quickly. They'll also need to buy digital projectors that O'Neill estimates will cost $50,000, as well as other computer equipment, such as Cisco data-traffic routers.
  ``It's always exciting to be on the cutting edge of something,'' said Tom Sherak, chairman of 20th Century Fox's domestic film group. Still, ``there are so many things that still have to be answered'' for the technology to gain wide acceptance.
  If the structural and economic issues of digital cinema are resolved, ``We would expect to see a rapid rollout beginning perhaps as early as 2002,'' First Boston's O'Neill wrote in an April research report.
  Qwest said hackers wouldn't be able to pirate the film because the movie is being transmitted over a closed network that's separate from the larger Internet.
  News Corp.'s ``Titan A.E.,'' which opens nationwide on June 16, is an outer-space adventure that combines computer and hand- drawn animation and features the voices of Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore.
  The film is being screened at the Woodruff Arts Center, a 1,800-seat symphony hall that's being converted to a movie theater for the exhibition. A prototype Texas Instruments Inc. digital projector will be used
• Dogma is now out in London video stores, and I found a huge in-store promotion for Ripley in my local store (large mounted poster). Ripley was only in cinemas here late February, but I was told it will be on video here later in the month.
• Take a look at this cartoon found by Kathryn in Edinburgh - thanks Kathryn.
  I don't think it's complimentary about Matt - seemingly trying to say that Matt doesn't have what it takes to play the role of a cowboy. Ah well, we heard people say the same about Matt playing Ripley - they may be surprised once again by the acting ability of our Matty.
• And from a big Matt fan:
  Just came across this rather negative script review of MINORITY REPORT, the Spielberg/Cruise sci-fi film that could involve Matt. If the reviewer's opinion is accurate and worthwhile, we should rejoice in the delay and perhaps even pray for abandonment. The story seems unimpressive, and worse, Matt's presumed role as the villain seems slimy and one dimensional. If this is the current version of the script, it's no wonder Spielberg has put it on the back burner and that Matt's uncommitted. As described, this film is very much a Cruise vehicle with nothing substantial for Matt.
  Of course, it's entirely possible that the script review is bogus, or that subsequent drafts have improved the quality of the project. However, if the review is real, Matt would be wise to stay away from this one.
6/4/00
• Thanks to Ally for pointing out that there is now a teaser for Bagger Vance at JoBlo's Movie Emporium.
• And Kathryn of Edinburgh wrote to say that Titan AE is scheduled for a 28 July release over here in the UK. Got this from www.popcorn.co.uk.
• Speaking of which I did catch a quick segment on Entertainmnt Tonight of Matt and others voicing for Titan, A.E. Matt had on a boy-scout cap and was obviously not dressed for a photo-shoot.
• And Felicity wrote:
  There's nothing going on, is there? Very quiet...
  From Foxnews.com in an interview with Robert Duvall: While Duvall is waiting to tango away, he's hoping to make The Notebook, directed by Jim Sheridan and adapted by Jeremy Leven from the novel. Unfortunately, The Notebook does not look like it will ever happen. After several frustrating tries, Leven and Sheridan have returned to the original script, from which they had strayed. "They made it too melodramatic," said Duvall, "and it just didn't work."
  Some big names like Matt Damon have been penciled into The Notebook, only to be erased. But if Sheridan can't pull it together in the next few weeks, the film will have to wait a year. Its shoot depends on a lush autumn look.
  Anthony Minghella was scheduled to direct or produce The Notebook at one stage, so I read it. I thought Ashley Judd was definitely attached to the film, and that it was in the advanced stages to production. So I suppose it's good news for 'This much is true', because it was meant to be the project which was the most developed to be Sheridan's next (between his two prospects). But The Notebook was beautiful, and could be a great film. The amazon summary:
  Somewhere," muses Noah Calhoun, while sitting on his porch in the moonight, "there were people making love." Anyway, head elsewhere for Great Literature, but if you're in the market to get your heartstrings plucked, look no further. The Notebook, a Southern-fried story of love-lost-and-found-again, revolves around a single time-honored romantic dilemma: will beautiful Allison Nelson stay with Mr. Respectability (to whom she happens to be engaged), or will she hook up with Noah, the romantic rascal she left so many years ago? We're not telling, but you have two guesses and the first one doesn't count. Decades later, after Allison develops Alzheimer's, her beau uses "the notebook" to read her the story of the great love she's plumb forgot. The Notebook--film rights already sold, thank you very much--is a little glazed doughnut of a book: sticky- sweet, satisfying, not much nourishment. But who cares? Take an extra vitamin and indulge.
  **** As there's nothing on, here's a response from B&M friend Derek, on affleck.com in response to someone who criticised their Harvard appearance.. :However, what do you think that was going to accomplish...a big : multi-millionaire like yourself telling them to raise the pay of Harvard : janitors. What about all the janitor, prison guards, policemen, and : firefighters? Not to mention the public teachers in this country. What will : you do for the janitors that work in the school that I teach? Or, the : millions of universities in this country?
  Is he SUPPOSED to do something for the janitors at the school where you teach? You ARE aware that Harvard University is located in Ben and Matt's hometown, right? They did something because it was an issue that they believe in and they thought they might be able to help. "Think globally. Act locally." Ever heard that? I suggest you buy a bumper sticker and put in on your car.
  : Honest, Ben....really I am all for higher pay for jobs that go unnoticed. : (overworked and underpaid) But really...I commend your sincere thought : behind the idea...but what it looked like was just some big publicity thing : for you and Matty.
  Why did it look like that? Were they wearing t-shirts bearing the name of their new films? Oh...they don't HAVE a new film. Just what on earth did it look like they were publicizing? Either one of them could appear on any national talk show they so chose TONIGHT, yet you think they were stirring up the ol' hype pot in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Brilliant hypothesis.
  (I agree with Felicity.)
6/1/00
News from Bill
- From the Boston Globe:
There's an avalanche of mean-spirited pop allusions in ''Clerks,'' the new animated series adapted by Kevin Smith from his own 1994 movie and his comic book. From ''Stand By Me'' and ''The Phantom Menace'' to ''The People's Court,'' the show is a constant flow of hipper-than-thou jabs at other pieces of entertainment and at celebrities. Steven Spielberg, Pokemon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, the NBA, they all take it square on the chin, which is a few feet higher than they would probably take it on a similarly mocking animated series called ''South Park.'
The TV-ized ''Clerks,'' which premieres at 9:30 p.m. on (WCVB-TV) Channel 5, lacks all the generational authenticity and low-budget charm of the movie. Let's hope it ends up as the butt of some joke about unnecessary entertainment rehashing in the next razor-witted cartoon to come down the turnpike.
5/28/00
• Here's an interesting angle of looking at Matt - his haircuts - it also illustrates just HOW OFTEN Matt spots that black silk sweater that we are all too familiar with. My thanks to Bill for sharing the URL.
• From Felicity:
  Very little news around, but I've got a few more thoughts on The Bourne Identity. I read it yesterday, and it's a good, intelligent thriller, if a little long (over 500 pages).
  The role of Jason Bourne has many similarities to Ripley, in that he's supposed to be a chameleon, always adopting the look and identity of various people. The character in the book is 30-35, with a blank 'everyman' face that has been changed by surgery (all distinctive features removed), and blue/grey eyes.
  It is set in France, but also travels to Zurich and New York (climax). A lot of French is spoken by the characters (Bourne can speak French and Oriental languages fluently), and there's a fair bit of killing and martial-arts style fighting of the baddies.
  Surprisingly, there's a strong lead female (a beauty who's got a PhD in economics, and is fairly central to the plot). She's also supposed to be French-Canadian, and working for the government. I can't really think of any lead actress who is believably intelligent (and she really has to be). Perhaps Mira Sorvino, but she's not star quality, and I'm lost for any others.
  It was printed in 1980, so it is a bit dated, but the main theme of international terrorists is still current. And the character of Bourne is an interesting one: he's seriously injured for most of the book, is constantly in conflict with himself and his memories, and has a dangerous and troubled past (wife and children dead etc). The love affair between Bourne and the woman (Marie St-Jacques!) is also relevant to the plot (she's firstly a hostage and then slowly they fall in love), and could be well developed.
  So, it's apparently got a budget of $75 million (same as BV) and could start filming in about September, if not earlier. Definite possibilities as a blockbuster if the script is good, and the plot is tightened (lots of dealings with the government and the White House could be removed). And there are two more books in the series (there's a very 'incomplete' feel to the ending, as if a sequel is just minutes away).
  Any other thoughts? I was thinking yesterday of who could have been in the original film if it had been made when the book was released, and I guessed Richard Chamberlain. I just checked IMDB and found that Chamberlain was indeed the lead in a TV movie of the film, made in 1988. Jaclyn Smith was the lead female, and Chamberlain looked about 50! Very funny...
  A strange side-note: With BV now being delayed, Winona's new movie 'Autumn in New York' has just been pushed up by two weeks to an August 4 release date. Irony anyone?
5/26/00
Finally, a confirmed new project, via Felicity:
• Universal Says Damon Has 'Identity' for Lead
  By Michael Fleming
  NEW YORK (Variety) - Matt Damon has been offered ``The Bourne Identity'' Universal's adaptation of the Robert Ludlum bestseller that will be directed by Doug Liman.
  While Damon had been considering a number of possible projects, including the DreamWorks picture ``The Ninth Man,'' sources said there is a strong likelihood that he will commit to the film and that it will begin production in the fall.
  In the novel, his character washes up on an island near death from gunshot wounds, with no recollection of what happened, or even who he is. The man finds himself being hunted by a variety of bad guys, and also discovers he's remarkably efficient at killing them. Not knowing whether he is a good guy or a bad one, he struggles to find his identity before the assassins find their mark.
  The adaptation has been one of the highest-profile projects in the Universal arsenal, especially since Liman (''Go'') signed on. The project was strongly considered by Brad Pitt, but availability became a problem when he committed to the Tony Scott-directed ``Spy Game'' for Universal and Beacon. Pitt formally passed Wednesday evening, at which time the offer was made to Damon's reps at Creative Artists Agency.
  Damon is working with director Jim Sheridan on an outline to see if they might team on a Fox 2000 adaptation of ``I Know This Much Is True,'' the best-selling Wally Lamb novel about a painter who cares for his dysfunctional and destructive twin.
  Damon stars in director Robert Redford's ``The Legend of Bagger Vance'' which is set for an August 4 release via DreamWorks.
• The story is also on Mr. ShowBiz

Click on a column

Local boys making 'Good' a Boston Herald article from the GWH days
The Advocate (12/99) interview by Brendan Lemon.
Some of my personal favorite pictures of Matt
The Talented Mr.Ripley page
The All the Pretty Horses page
The Bagger Vance page
Matt at Fenway Park for the 1999 Major League Baseball All Stars
The Details magazine article, as appeared in the London Telegraph.
Janel Maslin's NY Times Review of GWH , in which she called Matt "very much the supernova".
An article about pre-GWH videos of Matt Damon/
Archive of Past Matt Columns

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