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• MONDAY May 20, 2013 F

Review: 'Promised Land' doesn't dig deep enough

An experience that's alternately amusing and frustrating, full of impassioned earnestness and saggy sections - that is "Promised Land".

Director Gus Van Sant has the challenge of taking the topic of fracking and trying to make it cinematic. Working from a script by co-stars Matt Damon and John Krasinski, based on a story by Dave Eggers, he succeeds in fits and starts. The impoverished small town that's the tale's setting, a place in need of the kind of economic rejuvenation fracking could provide, is full of folksy folks whose interactions with the main characters don't always ring true.

"Promised Land" has its heart is on its sleeve and makes its pro-environment message quite clear, but it's in the looser and more ambiguous places that the film actually works. Damon stars as Steve Butler, a salesman traveling the country on behalf of a bland behemoth of an energy corporation.

Having grown up on an Iowa farm himself and seeing how an economic downturn can devastate a small town, Butler seems to be a true believer in what he's selling. But he's also a pragmatist, as evidenced by the playfully cynical give-and-take he enjoys with his partner, Sue (a sharp Frances McDormand). Famous for his efficiency in persuading rural residents to sell their land for the drilling rights, Steve runs into a major challenge when he and Sue arrive in depressed McKinley, Pa., where an outspoken old-timer (Hal Holbrook) and a flashy, charismatic environmental crusader (Krasinski) dare to question the company's methods.

R for language. 106 minutes. Two stars out of four.

Street Talk - What's happening now

• stararif46 comment on Do You Want to Visit Beautiful Bagan, Myanmar? - 4 days ago

  Do You Want to Visit Beautiful Bagan, Myanmar? Bagan, located in the central region of Myanmar, is home to the largest number of Buddhist temples, stupas, ruins and pagodas in the world. There are many reasons that the city makes a lasting impression on visitors, including the buildings which look romantic after the process of aging, the spire-fringed skyline, exotic cotton trees and horse drawn carriages that lazily carry tourists through the city. The city of Bagan offers a large number of temples for tourists to visit. Some of the most popular ones that are recommended by most tourists, tour guides and tourist maps, although large in number, still don't cover even half of the large collection. Bagan is a city that can be visited any time of the year because of its pleasant weather and no particular rainy season. It is a city that most would not want to miss with beautiful sunsets; beautiful local art including bamboo works and lacquer work and day trips to places like Mount Popa where tourists can visit a monastery that is built on top of a mountain.
  
  Some of them include Ananda Temple, which was built by Kyan-zit-tha, the third king and is considered the holiest temple in the city, Shwesandaw Temple, also known as the sunset temple as tourists especially gather during the evening to watch a spectacular sunset, Shwe Zigon Temple, which is a prototype monument built in the style of Myanmar, Thatbyinnyu Temple, which is the tallest pagoda that was built in the twelfth century, Shwegugyi Temple, a temple that has survived over the ages and stayed the most intact on the site, Manuhar Pagoda, a temple with a story about a king who poured all his emotions into the construction of the temple and Gawdaw Palin Temple, which is constructed by fusing the styles of Myanmarese and Indian. Tourists who still have the energy after visiting the various temples, pagodas and stupas in Bagan can also visit Bagan Archeological Museum, which may be ugly in appearance because of the mixture of the new and old architectural styles, but houses a large number of portable finds from the temples.

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• madcat_1 comment on Stone Wall at 11E Sports Bar - 3 weeks ago

  Come hang out with stone wall at the 11E sports bar in Mosheim, TN 5-3-13 from 8 to midnight.
  
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  Life is a journey, and wherever your journey takes you, you deserve to be comfortable. Life is a journey, and wherever your journey takes you, you deserve to be comfortable. DreamTime's Convertible Companion Wonder Pillow is your ideal personal travel companion for both on-the-road and at-home comfort and relaxation. It features a patented, two-way design that ensures tranquil time-outs anytime, anywhere. Your Wonder Pillow converts from a neck-cradling crescent to a restful rectangle with ease – just unzip, rearrange the fill, re-zip, and your off to a relaxing and comfortable journey. Remove cover and machine wash in cold water on delicate cycle. Tumble dry on low and remove promptly. Do not allow hull-filled insert pillow to get wet.
  
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  Filled with natural, hypo allergenic buckwheat hull, DreamTime's Wonder Pillow provides adjustable support to your head and neck, allowing the muscles to relax and release stress and tension. The Wonder Pillow soothes sore, achy neck muscles while sleeping, resting or reading. Buckwheat hull doesn't compress, so your neck never gets strained, and buckwheat hulls natural properties allow air to circulate, so your pillow will stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Pillow's inner zipper provides easy access to the fill. If a less firm pillow is desired, fill can be removed and adjusted to achieve optimal comfort. You may seal and store excess buckwheat in a freezer for later use.
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• madcat_1 comment on Stone Wall at 11E Sports Bar - 4 weeks ago

  Stone Wall Will be performing at the 11E Sports Bar in Mosheim,Tn May 3rd from 8 - 12. Come on down and we will dance the night away
  
  http://tricities.craigslist.org/muc/3757423018.html

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