Hollywoodland

[McPeppers]

Gah Mr. Bern youve ruined the entire movie for me...post warnings in red!
j/k
Cant wait to see it...

 

[MrBern]

McPoopoo,
I know where your sig comes from & I will settle this with you in Strongbadia.
-trogdor

 

[McPeppers]

Ah a challenge... Well allow me to leave you with this sir...

-DELETED-

 

[MrBern]

back to the movie

I'm not a big Ben Affleck basher, nor the biggest fan.
He didnt seem entirely comfortable doing Reeves' accent.
But he was a good choice to emulate Reeves' style as a classic big screen actor.
Hey, just think how bad it wouldve been if they'd gone for KEANU REEVES as GeorgeReeves!!

I also enjoyed a comment about Reeves having charm, humor & great screenface, unlike the newer mumbling/squinting crowd. That pretty much says it all about the end of the golden age.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

I just came back from seeing it. It was interesting. The beginning was not catching my attention, but at a certain point in the film, I started watching more closely.
<p>
I felt that for most of it, it's enjoyable. Ben Affleck does a good job as George Reeves, but at times I felt he was too out of hand with his character. Bob Hopkins I think gave the best role. He makes you hate him beyond belief, and plays a studio executive very well. Adrian Brody I feel did better in his character in King Kong. He was a mysterious fellow in the girl's eyes, but here, he does the part well too.
<p>
He gives us a decent detective who doesn't like his personal life to interrupt his profession. Diane Lane, as well as the rest of the cast, all have their share in how the film develops and all have equal importance. They all associated very well, even if they did not speak to each other at all.
<p>
The film is a good image of how Hollywood was, and they don't at all give you an historical effort that you may see in some movies. That is not their focus, but they do a very good job at set and costume design anyways. What they give you is a struggling detective whom is almost obsessed with solving the death of a television star. I saw that some people in the theater were dozing off, which isn't necessarily a bad sign, it just shows some people didn't find it interesting.
<p>
It's a very calm developing story, as to bring more thought than excitement, which is a good thing. You wonder all of the possiblilties of solving the case, following behind Louis Simo. George Reeves was obviously not the focus of the story but his death, along with Louis' obsession. All in all, it's a decent movie to see.

 

[Zemke Fan]

Bern, you hit the nail on the head...

I saw the film tonite. Very nice cast. Fine vehicles, costumes, sets. But I wasnt wowed.

... Helen and I saw this last night and I was underwhelmed. I still don't know what left me feeling that way. Perhaps it was seeing Diane Lane aged so realistically. Or maybe it was just the fundamentally depressing theme of the "kept man." Whatever, although I enjoyed the acting, a movie without a clear point of view simply isn't very good story-telling. (At least in my opinion.) 2-1/2 Stars.

 

[Lincsong]

I have friends in the industry and the word is that this film is too long and it is Ben A's worst performance ever.

Bummer!

Worst than Gigli? But, the reviews from Loungers seem to give it a farily decent nod. Perhaps I'll see it, if just for the cars.

 

[Solid Citizen]

Great Caesar's Ghost

Truth, justice & I'll probably see this film the American way!

SC

 

[Zemke Fan]

Affleck's performance...

... is one of the best things about this film. This DEFINITELY is not his worst.

 

[Feraud]

... is one of the best things about this film. This DEFINITELY is not his worst.

Absolutely! Afflect gives a fine performance in the film. I would say there should have been more of his character and less Brody.

As has been mentioned, this film is not a "feel good" movie. L.A. Confidential is a better film but this one is darker. I think this because it is based on fact and there is no hero driving off with a beautiful woman at the end. It is not a "noir" film but has as its core a somber theme. Unlike true noir or neonnoir films like D.O.A. or Chinatown where you learn who the killer or antagonist is, Hollywoodland offers no such conclusion.
The film begins with a suicide and ends at the same place.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Oh Feraud's recommendation, I saw this film today with Cheryl at The Coolidge Corner theater.

I enjoyed it, though it is flawed. It's biggest flaw, in my opinion, was the quick cuts between George Reeve's past, His final hours, and Louis Simo's present as he unravels the case. They weren't difficult to follow, and it didn't make the film confusing, but it did slow the narrative drive of the film; the disjointed pieces weren't cumulating into a heightened finale, and there was no real overall resolution.

However, Adrian Brody, who I have never liked in any role, shined in this film, with a strong projection of character through a subdued voice and longing facial expressions. His performance reminded me of early performances by Mickey Rourke, back when it seemed that he was going to be a fine actor.

This flim was Brody's "Simo's" story. The scenarios of Reeve's death only matter in the context of a man grasping for a bigger meaning beyond his failed career, family and life; it is not so much what happened, but rather what Simo longs to believe that matters. His deflation at the end of the film is shared by us, but could have been made more powerful in the hands of a more seasoned director.

There were several interesting themes that ran through it: fathers and sons, people exercizing control over another, and most of all the idea of Superman.

I don't want to give too much away, so I will stop here. I recommend this film with a caveat: it has a deliberate pacing and if you do not care for the characters, you may not want to take this ride.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I just saw it... I'm still on the fence about how I feel about it.
First let me say that I thought Brody was very good. I'm not a fan of his, at all. So I went into the film with a pre-conceived notion that I wouldn't like him. I was pleasantly surprised. I know many of you liked Affleck, of who I'm not a fan either. I thought he was good too, but I just liked Brody's character better. I liked the comparison of Simo's (Brody's) life to that of Reeve's. Simo was the father that Reeve's father was, this caused a crisis in Simo's life and his relationship with his young son. He didn't want to be that kind of man, and he portrayed this struggle very well. I don't want to give too much of the film away, no more than the reviews have already given. It ended kind of flat, like others have said. I liked how the scenario's played out in Simo's mind, his determination to discover the truth behind Reeve's death was quite evident, a truth that would really only give meaning to himself. In his heart of heart, and what I understood as for his son's sake, he just did not want to believe that Superman could have possibly ended his own life. Well, I liked Brody's character. I would have liked to see more into the crisis in his life that was so paralleled with that of Reeve's. This parallel is, what I believe, what caused him to delve deeper and deeper into the death of Reeve's. As if seeing more of Reeve's life would give some sort of meaning or insight into the path he himself was going down. Some of the scenes reminded me of "The Aviator". At certain points during the film I just wanted to see the next scene. Some parts of the movie were a little too slow, lacked a passion that I was hoping to see, a sense of "ooh, what's going to happen next" was missing. I know this is a murder mystery, being compared to such movies as "LA Confidential" and "Chinatown". Those movies gave more of a sense of thrill and excitement, each scene left me wanting for the next. "HollywoodLand" didn't really have that affect on me. It had a pace to it, I just would have liked it to pick up during certain scenes.
As others have stated, this is not a noir film.

Well, there are a lot of things that I liked about this movie. Diane Lane was rather enjoyable, and portrayed her character quite well. On a costuming note, the clothes were 50's (well, the movie takes place mostly during that era). There is a scene in which Toni Mannox (Diane Lane), is wearing a pink woven top and skirt with a big belt. I have the same exact outfit! I was pleasantly surprised by that. For the ladies: lots of cute 50's circle dresses, a few cute short outfits. I was hoping, that since the film does flashback to the 40's, to see more clothes from that era. But, there weren't really any.

Overall, I did like it. Once again, I thought Adrienne Brody was very good. His performance gave a good description of what Simo was really like, and what he was going through. I think that there are a lot of things going on in the characters lives that are hinted at, but never actually stated. This movie left me wanting a little more of a conclusion. I think that "The Black Dhalia" and "All The Kings Men" will be more enjoyable, they sure do look more exciting. Besides the cast of characters for "All The Kings Men" looks incredible; James Gandolfini, Kate Blanchett, Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law. All people I have enjoyed in past films. I also think I'll like it more because the wardrobes will be more along the lines of the 30's and 40's. This is, of course, one of the most important features of a film!!

Oh, and to add to the vintage feel of this film, I saw it at The Coolidge Corner Playhouse. A recently restored, non-profit, art deco theater which still has it's original seats. The light fixtures, painted ceilings, and art deco accoutremants are incredible. I wish I had a camera. It is the perfect theater, and just a 10 minute walk from my house. Here's the link to their website if you want to see some pictures of it.

 

[johnnydnh]

Thank you for the review Daisy!

I enjoyed the link to the Coolidge Corner Theater as well. We have a neat little art-deco (built in 1915) theater here in Exeter, NH called the "Ioka", which as you may well know is Squamscot Indian for "Playground". They used to show classic movies occasionally but are now strictly first run. I hope that they can get "The Black Dahlia" and/or "All the King's Men".

 

[DancingSweetie]

How sweet that you're moving very soon and you never took me there! :rage:

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Whoops! lol

 

[Solid Citizen]

My Take Hollywoodland

1.Interesting subject for a film

2. Too many subplots with Adrian Brody's character!

3. Costumes/set decoration ok, BUT so much flash back
between early & late 1950's

4. I would rate this a C+/B-, worth seeing, NO DVD buy on this one.

SC[huh]

 

[Feraud]

I would buy this dvd to review the great clothes.

I do wish there had been less of Brody's fictional character. It took away from the potential factual storyline that could have been added.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Jhonnydnh, that is a marvelous looking theater. The playhouse is similar, yet the inside of your theater looks much cleaner. When they restored our theater they chopped the big theater in half. The balcony now is one screen and the downstairs half is another. This makes both the space and the screen smaller than I like. But, the feel is right and the decorations are incredible. They usually don't play first run movies at this theater, so I was happy to find ou that they were playing "Hollywoodland".

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Don't miss this thread on vintage theaters.

 

[MK]

It was ok

I enjoyed it more than the others that were with me....but I was braced for because of what I read here.