September 2009 Artist of the Month: Matt Damon

Submitted by Rafe Telsch on Tue, 09/01/2009 - 23:23
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Our artist of the month for September is a bit of a departure for what I had planned this feature of the website to be. Instead of picking an actor or filmmaker with a solid filmography, with a fair amount of work that might be unfamiliar to the masses, we’re picking a relatively solid box office performer: Matt Damon. Not only have most of his movies had wide commercial appeal, but the 38-year-old actor is still fairly early in his career, having found his way as a leading man only within the past few years.

So why pick Matt Damon as our artist of the month for September? Well, partially it’s because that’s who Margaret wanted, and September is her birthday month. After forgetting her birthday for over a month last year, the least I can do is let her chime in on our artist of the month selection this year, right?

The primary reason to select Damon as our Artist this month is the same reason we select any artist - to take a deeper and more focused look at their work. Many of Damon’s earlier pictures are underappreciated or relatively unknown. It’s also interesting to watch films throughout his career and watch his evolution from smaller playter to sidekick to leading man, which is the aspect we’ll be looking at each week as part of our Weekly Blend Audio Show, looking first as his introductory roles, then his smaller comedic parts, and finally his ascention into leading man.

Of course, if you find this a particularly troublesome selection for our September Artist, blame Margaret. No doubt she’ll still have fun talking about Damon’s movies this month, no matter how quickly we all tire of herTeam America inspired “Matt Damon” cheer on the podcast.


Matt Damon Filmography Highlights:

  • Courage Under Fire (1996)
  • The Rainmaker (1997)
  • Good Will Hunting (1997)
  • Saving Private Ryan (1998)
  • Rounders (1998)
  • Dogma (1999)
  • The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
  • Finding Forester (2000)
  • Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
  • Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
  • The Bourne Identity (2002)
  • Stuck On You (2003)
  • The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
  • Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
  • The Brothers Grimm (2005)
  • Syriana (2005)
  • The Departed (2006)
  • The Good Shepherd (2006)
  • Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
  • The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
  • Ponyo (2009)
  • The Informant! (2009)

    Full filmography available at IMDb