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Hollywoodland (2006)
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All reviews for Hollywoodland
A fair movie on one of Hollywoo ...
by
The_MOW
in
The_MOW Blog
is neutral about it.
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""Louis Simo" (Adrien Brody) is a down on his luck private investigator who has been hired to find out the truth of the death of "George Reeves" (Ben Affleck), lead actor in the classic television series "The Adventures of Superman". It is a case which may make or break his career. The movie switches between "Simo's" private life, which deals with his estranged wife (Molly Parker) and their son (Zachary Mills), and the "Reeves" case, which brings into his life the most likely suspects in what many believe to this day to be the murder of Reeves. Ever since the actor's death, there have been two theories -- Reeves killed himself as his friends partied downstairs and Reeves was murdered. This movie does a fair job at covering both, though "Simo" leans toward the murder theory since his client, Reeves estranged mother, believes Reeves was killed by somebody. One thing I noticed was that the movie lags a lot, and can get boring. I personally had no interest in the "Simo" personal life su ... "
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Hollywoodland
by
JimBell
in
JimBell Blog
liked it.
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"Hollywoodland (R; 2006) is a good movie, and it is not about Hollywood. Ostensibly, it is about the life and death of George Reeves (Ben Affleck), the actor who became famous playing Superman on television in the 1950s. But, appropriately, he is not introduced until quite a few minutes into the film, because the film’s focus is on a desperate and deluded private investigator, Louis Simo (Adrien Brody). The film cuts back and forth between Reeves’ career in the early 1950s and Simo’s investigation of the apparent suicide in 1959. In the process of investigating the case, Simo grows up some. Maybe he sees the parallels between Reeves and himself. Both at one time had things pretty good, but they would not accept the hand that life dealt them, and, consequently, they were both unhappy and making some bad decisions.
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a poor mans LA Confidential
by
Kowalski76
in
Rebellious Celluloid
is neutral about it.
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"2006 (USA) dir Allen Coulter Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck Robin Tunney, Bob Hoskins.On June 16, 1959, 45-year-old actor George Reeves was found dead in his Hollywood Hills home, the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the temple. At least that's what the police report said. His mother refused to believe it. She insisted that her son—a so-so film actor who became typecast playing Superman on television—would not have committed suicide. Did someone else pull the trigger? Hollywoodland surprised me, I didn't excpect much. I saw a good film, but alas a film that is very much over-shadowed by its own ambition. I really like how the film is structured, the way it flashes back and forth from post to pre-murder. The performances are fine particularly the supporting cast. Robin Tunney especially stands out for me. Affleck nailed his role, though Brody I never fully bought. It seemed to me that the film-makers were trying to give us another Chinatown but hit way ... "
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Hollywoodland (2006, USA, Allen ...
by
CinemaRian
in
CinemaRian Blog
hasn't rated it.
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"Strange how Hollywoodland is not a good movie, but it had a stronger affect on me than many films I've given three stars to. I can't quite explain that. The movie is somewhat obviously written, lazily directed, and the lead roles are miscast. But something about it still manages to be deeply effective. The movie tells two stories in parallel action- the rise and career struggles of George Reeves (Ben Affleck), the actor who played Superman on the 50's TV show is contrasted with private detective Louis Simo's (Adrian Brody) investigation of his death on behalf of Reeves' mother (Lois Smith). The death of George Reeves (who was not related to future Superman Christopher Reeve) has been C-level showbiz mythology for years- the police ruled it a suicide, but many believe that he was murdered. Although murder investigation led by Simo would seem to be the film's most interesting aspect, it's really quite boring, tapping into the dark side of Hollywood we've seen in many, many films- inc ... "
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Where's the beef?
by
indieabby88
in
Bloggish review blog
lost interest.
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""Hollywoodland" is a movie with a good atmosphere, based on an interesting premise: did "Superman" star George Reeves really commit suicide? Or, as circumstances seem to suggest, was there more going on behind the scenes than we thought?The movie sets out to be a kind of hollywood-noir in the style of movies like "L.A. Confidential," and it works, up to a point. We are presented with a likeable, if somewhat troubled hero (Adrien Brody), suitable bad guys, led by Bob Hoskins as a bullying studio chief. But, unfortunately, "Hollywoodland" is a movie that should have stopped about 45 minutes before the actual, wholly unsatisfying ending. There is a point in the movie, and by a strange coincidence, I think it was also at the point where I lost feeling in my hindquarters, that I stopped feeling sympathetic towards Brody's private detective, Louis Simo. Three-quarters of the way through the film, Simo becomes obsessed with the Reeves case, whic ... "
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Not So Super
by
chesterfilms
in
chesterfilms Blog
is neutral about it.
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"A good film, but a bit disappointing overall. It's based on an unsolved murder, so you never get a final outcome and 90% of the film is speculation. A good performance from Affleck, even though he is portraying a bad actor (maybe that's why it woks for me). I love anything old Hollywood, and for that reason alone this film was worth the watch. "
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poor superman
by
wonga
in
wonga's filmblog
liked it.
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"i liked this movie (Hollywoodland). the flashbacks were very distracting and the story went in circles but there was plenty to look at and i thought the acting was really good (when did Diane Lane get old)? Ben Affleck is the perfect fit for the part, maybe because his career has been down the drain as well. the movie is just as much about Adrien Brody's character and for me that was a good thing. he's one of my favorite actors and i will watch him in about anything (although Love The Hard Way was a challenge)! i also appreciate that i didn't have to look at up-close gory crime scenes (i.e. Autofocus). i give it four out of five stars. "
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All Glitz, No Glamour
by
The1TheOnlyJP
in
The Paxton Log
is neutral about it.
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"The evening of June 16, 1959 would prove to be a memorable one for millions of adoring fans of the popular TV show 'The Adventures of Superman' as it's star actor, George Reeves (Ben Affleck), is found dead in his home. Reeves' death is said to be suicide and is quickly closed by the Los Angeles Police Department. But is there more to it than that? Private detective Louis Simo (Adrien Brody) believes so. He seeks out Reeves' mother, Helen Bessolo (Lois Smith), who is also not completely convinced that her son's end isn't simply suicide. After meeting her, Simo is then hired by her to investigate the questionable circumstances. He explores all possibilities of murder and as a result comes up with various suspects. There's the woman Reeves was once obliged to, Toni Mannix (Diane Lane) the wife of Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), the executive of MGM Studios, who also appears on the list, and finally Reeves' finance-to-be, Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney). ... "
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Hollywoodland
by
lipreader
in
lipreader Blog
hasn't rated it.
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"Hollywoodland (2006) I don't like Ben Affleck. I think he is an average actor who made because he had the benefit of having a mediocre script that he wrote with good friend and fellow hack Matt Damon, noticed. The fact that he has a chin doesn't hurt him either (the combination of chin and actually being able to write even a mediocre script is a relative rarity in Hollywood). He reminds me a lot of Rock Hudson. All that being said, I liked Affleck in this one. He didn't strike me as particularly appealing, didn't knock my socks off with brilliant, insightful acting, he just made me forget that I was watching half of the Bennifers. I was able to empathize with the character, a suicidal George Reeves. I empathized a little less with Adrian Lyne's character, a seedy-ish private investigator named Louis Simo, hired by Reeves' mom to investigate his death (Reeves' suicide happens at the start of the story, his life is seen in flashback). The movie moves betwe ... "
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my 2006 movie list
by
wonga
in
wonga's filmblog
liked it.
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"i saw 97 movies last year and it was hard to narrow them down but these are my favorites from 2006 for whatever reasons (i tried for 10 but just couldn't make it)! some are from 2005 and were seen later. i hope 2007 is half as good...TOP 15 LIST FOR 2006 MOVIES Sweet Land The Departed Paradise Now Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada Neil Young: Heart Of Gold The Heart Of The Game Little Miss Sunshine Shopgirl Quinceanara Transamerica Shut Up And Sing The Prestige The Illusionist The History Boys
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