Good: Hollywoodland is an excellent modern film-noir...the dirty underbelly of America is certainly exposed. I believe Billy Wilder would've been proud.Bad: Adrian Brody kept on reminding me of Sean Penn (maybe it's because his hair is just like Sean Penn's in the preview for All The King's Men)
Indifferent: The film is not very emotional, but I think that comes with the film-noir territory.
Good: The story is told in a unique way, but not overly sensational.
Bad: I did look at my watch twice and was slightly confused a few times.
Indifferent: What can you expect from a person (Paul Bernbaum) who's writing credits include writing for the television series "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures".
Good: Ben did a pretty good job, but I don't know if it's enough for an academy award nomination or to salvage his deminishing career. But who knows, by the end of the year, this might pick up the right type of Oscar buzz?
Bad: I definitly had no desire to see Ben Affleck's butt.
Indifferent: Ben's portrayl is somewhat flat, but it also seems to fit the part.
Good:
Robin Tunney (pictured right) and Diane Lane by far have the standout roles in this film. I couldn't figure out why Robin Tunney was familiar, but she's the main hospital person in the pilot to House MD. (Yikes, My 2nd House reference in a week)Bad: Some of the characters in the film seemed to have "interesting potential" and yet were never developed and carried out.
Indifferent: Unsolved mysteries make for interesting movies, for the most part the ending is tasteful but may be unsatisfying for many.
Related Tags: Hollywoodland, Ben Affleck, Robin Tunney, Diane Lane, Adrien Brody, film noir, sean penn, Paul Bernbaum, screenwriting, award buzz, academy awards, House MD, film
13 comments:
I had one of those moments with Robin. She is also one of the principles in Prison Break and, get this, The Craft. (How time flies!)
Thanks for the review. I've been wondering if I would like this film. Perhaps if taken as an experiment with contemporary film noir,it might work.
Affleck just won Best Actor at Venice. WTH?
Affleck is flat, because...well he can't act and we are seeing his personality. Does he cry in this movie, because he likes doing that.
I thought Brody's performance was sensational and right for the role. I think he took what was a blandly written character and turned it into something special that we haven't seen from him since THE PIANIST...
...And what's wrong with being compared to Sean Penn? The man is one of the best film actors out there today (his performances in MYSTIC RIVER, 21 GRAMS, SWEET & LOWDOWN, ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON, and even I AM SAM were exceptional).
I've been looking forward to Hollywoodland. I always have been fascinated by the life and death of George Reeves. Sadly, it looks like the movie could be a disappointment to me.
I love ambiguous endings, and this one was almost ok. I thought the thing that swayed Brody's character to his conclusion was hardly solid. Infact, I wish they had left it a little more open-ended.
But dude, with you on that butt thing. Ew.
That's amazing. Two posts that end up referencing House M.D. in one week.
"I did look at my watch twice and was slightly confused a few times."
That's cause you looked at your watch! All the action happened then! Just kidding.
looking forward to seeing this. Didn't read the review or the comments bc "I like to go in fresh" - Marty Seinfeld.
Jack at Black Coffee Reflections
Oi. It sounds like I may be in for a long hawl tonight. This has been quite high on my list of movies to see but I'm starting to get the distinct feeling that I may not enjoy it as much as I originally hoped I would...
I meant Frank Costanza.
All those old guys look the same to me.
Jack
Alright! Can't wait for it to arrive in the UK. :D
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