Hollywoodland (2006) (Includes PUBLIC ENEMIES Sneak Peek for Mobile)

Marriage, Murder, and...The Man Of Steel

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Mar 7, 2007

Pros: The movie is not what one thinks of when one thinks of the Murder/Mystery genre.

Cons: The true message of the movie gets lost in the storyline, up until the very end.

When one thinks of the Murder/Mystery genre of movies, one thinks of Humphrey Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon", or perhaps Alfred Hitchcock's rendition of the classic, "Rebecca." However, one does not think of a movie such as &q...uot;Hollywoodland." It could be argued that this is because of the era being portrayed. Or perhaps it could be some other reason. The fact of the matter is that while this movie is an interesting ride into the past, and perhaps a new story for those who may not know the story of George Reeves' death, it is enjoyable, yet somewhat of a troubling movie. It is a troubling movie in that the real message of this movie is not revealed until the very end, which by the way will not be revealed here to those who peraps have yet to see the movie. The fact is that the true story of the movie gets pushed back so that moviegoers are forced to focus more on the story of how Reeves died (or may have died. To this day it still has not been solved.) And it also seems from time to time that there is a definite issue with the jumps between the past and present while Private Investigator Louis Simo (played impressively by Adrian Brody) investigates Reeves' case after being hired by the late actor's mother. If this was intentional, then it is a wonderful example of one of the qualites of film noir (I.E. lack of definite time) although at least in the present, the time span is certain. That, and the graphic violence are things to point out to both students (English and Communication students) and fans of mysteries. These factors are ones that make it at least a bearable story. It is a good movie, but far from being a highly memorable mystery, crime thriller. The extras are enjoyable...to an extent. It is interesting to hear how Ben Affleck prepared himself for the role of George Reeves, supposedly listening to and watching all of the old Superman shows. And there are at least two deleted scenes, which perhaps would have made the movie a little better, but for whatever reason, were left on the cutting room floor. That is too bad, because sometimes, it is not so much the bigger things, but the smaller ones that make all the difference. Would those deleted scenes have made all the difference? Much like the answer to one of Hollywood's most infamous mysteries, we may never know. But what is known is that this movie is at least worth renting, if not buying and adding to one's personal movie library Read more Less