Hollywoodland (2006)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Allen Coulter

Writer (WGA):

Paul Bernbaum (written by)

Release Date:

8 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Living in Holly wood can make you famous. Dying in Hollywood can make you a legend.

Plot:

A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, TV's Superman.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Superman | Death | Fame | Ethnic Diversity

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 14

4:50 AM

HBO

Cast

Adrien Brody	...	Louis Simo
Diane Lane	...	Toni Mannix
Ben Affleck	...	George Reeves
Bob Hoskins	...	Eddie Mannix
Robin Tunney	...	Leonore Lemmon
Kathleen Robertson	...	Carol Van Ronkel
Lois Smith	...	Helen Bessolo
Phillip MacKenzie	...	Bill Bliss
Larry Cedar	...	Chester Sinclair
Eric Kaldor	...	Barbell Man (as Eric Kolder)
Caroline Dhavernas	...	Kit Holliday
Kevin Hare	...	Robert Condon
Molly Parker	...	Laurie Simo
Zach Mills	...	Evan Simo
Neil Crone	...	Chuck

Also Known As:

Truth, Justice, and the American Way (USA) (working title)
Untitled George Reeves Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some violence and sexual content.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (edited version) | Finland:K-13 | France:Unrated | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | USA:R (certificate #42223) | Portugal:M/12 | UK:15 | South Korea:15 | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Back Lot Pictures

Trivia:

Ben Affleck wears a pinkie ring and smokes with a cigarette holder in the film, just as George Reeves did in real life.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Louis Simo gives his son an Etch-A-Sketch, even though the toy was not sold in the USA until a year later in 1960.

Quotes:

Louis Simo: Whatever you want to say...
Laurie Simo: Are you going to fight everybody?
Louis Simo: I thought you liked tough guys.

Movie Connections:

References "Queen for a Day" (1956)

Soundtrack:

Sin un amor

Hollywoodland a 'super' display of talent

I recently was lucky enough to get to go to a screening of this film followed by a Q&A with director Allen Coulter, stars Diane Lane and Adrien Brody; each one of which did a fantastic job in their most recent performances. Coulter's first foray into film is a very successful one. His abilities with the camera from his experience like The Sopranos is clear throughout and is very strong from the opening shot of LA as it swoops into the house as police enter the crime scene that is George Reeves home. The cinematography by Jonathan Freeman ("Rescue Me", "Taken") is very strong with a great contrast in shadows and a subtle yet noticeable difference between the two times shown in the film. Coulter also uses music and sound differences to establish the Louis Simo (Adrien Brody) and George Reeves (Ben Affleck) time lines as separated. The acting is all around amazing, Affleck and Brody take their characters and live them, both amazing. Affleck has a few moments where the Reeves voice seems to lapse slightly but it's nearly unnoticeable. Both near perfect performances and as for the rest of the cast, there is not a poor performance to be found in this film. Expect a SAG ensemble nomination here. The overall style of the film is very interesting. Coulter describes the film as a "film noir in the daytime" and a "film about a modern man." The story is beautifully told with a nicely flowing back and forth between George Reeves life up until his death and 'independent investigator' Simo's search for the truth about that fateful night. Overall the film gets a 9/10 from me because it was simply nearly flawless, I left the theater very happy for having seen it because I'm willing to predict that this film will get some mentions come award time.