Hollywoodland (Coulter, 2006)

[shariqq]

All the praises that Ben Affleck is getting for his performance in this movie are well deserved. His George Reeves is a believably failed actor - one who is so identified in his Red&Blue that he is not able to shed that image to take on any other roles convincingly. The parts where Ben plays the TV Clark Kent/Superman, he comes across as very charming, and yet his decadence is up there for our eyes to see as he goes through the ages. He is ably supported by the beautifully aging Dinae Lane as a lover and wife of MGM chief Bob Hoskins (you gotta love him).

Parallel to the above is the story of Adrien Body's character investigating the dear of George Reeves. He does the whole Californian Swagger and punchlines routine to make his character quite likeable. He's not much to talk about otherwise.

A very confident debut by the director in a pretty decent period movie that does a good job of a "whodunnit" and "biopic" conmbination.

My rating ---> 3.5 of 5

[kaytee]

Was there something wrong with Ben Affleck's nose in the movie. To me for some reason it looked bigger than normal.

Adrien Brody is so underrated. He was excellent in the movie, dont know why is stays so much under the radar.

[ak]

Hollywoodland
(Coulter, 2006)

Hollywood is not a bright sunny place. The stars are fat, they screw up, they work for money, and they kill themselves. The film makes a statement that children are shielded from the ugliness of the business -- they are innocents who get the best deal; no cynicism, no hurt. Ben Affleck is excellent as the somber George Reeves who "was a true star but never became one" -- he manages to portray the big-heartedness of his character, accurate accent et al.

The Adrien Brody segment tries to build a parallel of another young man trying to become more than what he may actually be capable of. It's an understated sub/plot that suffers because of the long running time. But Brody is very compelling in this role. The conspiracy of George Reeves suicide/murder is shown from all possible angles, nothing is definitive as the film takes a cue from JFK. Coulter adds little touches of quirkiness (the strange-looking guy on the terrace working out) and the camerawork is inspired; the look is a mix of browns and oranges capturing the LA feel. Diane Lane was sexy and wonderful (the film makes all the women look desirable, perhaps the retro 50s clothing has something to do with it).

"Hollywoodland" is a biography, an indictment of the Hollywood system and a plain-song of life...bruised dreams, crushed ambitions, what not. It's terrifically acted and well-crafted; but I wish it were more clear about what it wants to be for the audience.