Living in L.A. Can Make You Famous...
...Dying in L.A. can make you a Legend.
What a great tagline for a movie, don't you think? It's the tagline for "Hollywoodland" (in theatres now). We'll get to the review in just a moment, but first I want to welcome our new contributor and get something off my chest. Stereotype is a great guy (and a pretty nifty writer, too) that is at least partially responsible for the creation of this site. He approached me about starting a political blog, Apathy as Activism, which has taken off quite nicely. I had just started blogging personally and hadn't really considered specializing. When he suggested Apathy, I almost immediately began thinking of another site, this one. A couple of months later here we are, posting not as often as I would like but we are trying. Look forward to more great stuff, from (now) four guys that love film. Now to "Hollywoodland."
Personality is an interesting thing. Something that we (Americans) prize maybe above anything else. We want our athletes, movie stars, even politicians to be larger-than-life figures. We often call it the "it" factor, and without "it" you won't go far in any of the above named fields. "Hollywoodland" is a film almost permeated with personality. It's subject, the murder/suicide of George Reeves, is dealt with in such an ambiguous way (ie. no stance is taken) that the personalities involved is mostly what you remember walking away. And these are personalities I'm glad I got to meet.
Ben Affleck is someone that I adore. I have no qualms saying that, I also know a lot of you disagree with me. He is, unlike most of his peers, classic Hollywood leading man material, which makes him perfect to play George Reeves. George Reeves should have owned Hollywood. He was good looking, charming, and not a bad actor either. But it didn't work out for George. He got jobs, but could never get a break, until Superman. But as Christopher Reeve (and soon Brandon Routh) could tell you, putting on the tights changes everything. After his turn as the Man of Steel, George couldn't buy himself a job. Here's where the downside of that "it" factor comes in. People with "it" need to use "it." They fester without exposure, and praise. "It," instead of bringing them renown and fame, eats them alive. I don't know how Affleck feels about it, but to me this could be his life story. Except (I'm hoping) his has a happy ending.
The other leading man of "Hollywoodland" is Adrien Brody, whose stock is quickly approaching the stratosphere. Brody is, physically, the opposite of Affleck which makes it that much more interesting to watch their stories simultaneously. Brody plays a private detective looking into the Reeves suicide. His life is taking a bit of a nosedive, and as he discovers more about Reeves he begins to connect his own path to the actor's. Overall, it's for these two performances that I recommend "Hollywoodland." Affleck will receive quite a bit of award buzz (and hopefully an Oscar nomination). Brody is perennially in contention it seems for an Oscar, so why would this year be any different?
Director Allen Coulter (of Sex in the City, and Sopranos fame) debuts with a beautiful film. One wonders how much of that praise to lay at Coulter's feet and how much at the feet of Cinematographer, Jonathan Freeman. The faults of the film (pacing, some structure issues, ambiguous ending) are script issues rather than the director's failings. He showed great promise in his TV work, and I expect even bigger and better things from Coulter in film.
Hollywoodland -- B+ (or as Stereotype would rate it 3 out 4 racks of lamb)
Until next time, I'll be at the movies.
What a great tagline for a movie, don't you think? It's the tagline for "Hollywoodland" (in theatres now). We'll get to the review in just a moment, but first I want to welcome our new contributor and get something off my chest. Stereotype is a great guy (and a pretty nifty writer, too) that is at least partially responsible for the creation of this site. He approached me about starting a political blog, Apathy as Activism, which has taken off quite nicely. I had just started blogging personally and hadn't really considered specializing. When he suggested Apathy, I almost immediately began thinking of another site, this one. A couple of months later here we are, posting not as often as I would like but we are trying. Look forward to more great stuff, from (now) four guys that love film. Now to "Hollywoodland."
Personality is an interesting thing. Something that we (Americans) prize maybe above anything else. We want our athletes, movie stars, even politicians to be larger-than-life figures. We often call it the "it" factor, and without "it" you won't go far in any of the above named fields. "Hollywoodland" is a film almost permeated with personality. It's subject, the murder/suicide of George Reeves, is dealt with in such an ambiguous way (ie. no stance is taken) that the personalities involved is mostly what you remember walking away. And these are personalities I'm glad I got to meet.
Ben Affleck is someone that I adore. I have no qualms saying that, I also know a lot of you disagree with me. He is, unlike most of his peers, classic Hollywood leading man material, which makes him perfect to play George Reeves. George Reeves should have owned Hollywood. He was good looking, charming, and not a bad actor either. But it didn't work out for George. He got jobs, but could never get a break, until Superman. But as Christopher Reeve (and soon Brandon Routh) could tell you, putting on the tights changes everything. After his turn as the Man of Steel, George couldn't buy himself a job. Here's where the downside of that "it" factor comes in. People with "it" need to use "it." They fester without exposure, and praise. "It," instead of bringing them renown and fame, eats them alive. I don't know how Affleck feels about it, but to me this could be his life story. Except (I'm hoping) his has a happy ending.
The other leading man of "Hollywoodland" is Adrien Brody, whose stock is quickly approaching the stratosphere. Brody is, physically, the opposite of Affleck which makes it that much more interesting to watch their stories simultaneously. Brody plays a private detective looking into the Reeves suicide. His life is taking a bit of a nosedive, and as he discovers more about Reeves he begins to connect his own path to the actor's. Overall, it's for these two performances that I recommend "Hollywoodland." Affleck will receive quite a bit of award buzz (and hopefully an Oscar nomination). Brody is perennially in contention it seems for an Oscar, so why would this year be any different?
Director Allen Coulter (of Sex in the City, and Sopranos fame) debuts with a beautiful film. One wonders how much of that praise to lay at Coulter's feet and how much at the feet of Cinematographer, Jonathan Freeman. The faults of the film (pacing, some structure issues, ambiguous ending) are script issues rather than the director's failings. He showed great promise in his TV work, and I expect even bigger and better things from Coulter in film.
Hollywoodland -- B+ (or as Stereotype would rate it 3 out 4 racks of lamb)
Until next time, I'll be at the movies.
posted by Daddy Rogue at 12:12 PM
3 Comments:
i do believe i am on a 5-rack scale.
my bad, I'll adjust (can you call it currency exchange if you're talking about racks of lambs?) 3 1/2 racks of lambs out of five.
thanks for the post Rouge. I haven't seen this movie though I've wanted to. I really enjoyed your views, and I like Brody a whole lot, and I like Affleck a lot.
I enjoyed your description of the "IT" factor as well, "IT" can be a blessing and a curse, and you expounded upon that really well. It makes me even more excited to see this movie. Thanks for the good work.
dre :)
Post a Comment
<< Home