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<It's the tale of two 'straight' cowboys working together in some remote area who discover they are attracted to each other.>

As far as I am aware this project is still on hold. According to the Van Sant biography, "Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures had the screen rights, Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana were to coadapt the story, and Gus was announced to possibly direct the vehicle. The tale by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Proulx dealt with two bisexual cowboys who have an occasional but intense sexual relationship over a two-decade period.

Sounds good to me...now if only they'd make the darn thing.

<Ben Affleck... play a challenging non-mainstream role?
(hysterical laughter)>

Let us not forget that it was in indie wonder Kevin Smith's films that Affleck first achieved real notoriety.

I'm seeing the Seattle premiere of Gerry next Tuesday night so I'll post my reaction afterwards. I haven't seen such polarized reviews for a film in a long, long time. For anyone living here in The Emerald City they are also screening Van Sant's rarely shown debut film Mala Noche, a perfect motion picture and great favorite of mine.

As for Casey, he's adorable but aside from bit parts in To Die For and Chasing Amy I really only know him from Good Will Hunting where he played one of Matt Damon's working class buddies. He was very good in that role but I may be a bit biased in favor of him as I think both Chasing Amy and Good Will Hunting two of the best films of the last ten years.

So, has anybody else seen Van Sant's new film Gerry yet? Saw the Seattle preview this evening with a rapt, attentive audience. I liked the film a lot (and some of the dismissive reviews the film has been getting are embarrasing) although whether I consider it a good or great film depends a lot on how I interpret the final scene on the salt bed. For a moment it appears as if Damon is strangling the Affleck character but the only thing that really makes sense is if he is consoling him.

It starts off rather like Rosencrantz and Guilderstern lost in the dessert with the comedic pairing of Casey Affleck and Matt Damon but soon descends into existential anxiousness as the two begin to realize that they may never find either water or their way out of the vast wasteland. Single shots last for minutes at a time such as one of the sun rising real-time as the two, badly dehydrated and barely conscious, shuffle across a vast salt bed to their fate.

There must be no more than a page or two of dialogue in the entire film and I probably haven't seen such a non-verbal movie since Beau Travail. Like that film (which also maddened many people) Gerry isn't for everyone, but for those who appreciate it's qualities...you are in for one of the most memorable films of the year.

Also, for fans of Matt Damon I should add that he has bulked his body weight back up again and looks amazing.