Super late with this but you know, Covid-19, blah, blah, blah. Read a bunch of stuff in February and I had thoughts. Check out my Wrap Up below!
Tag Archives: review
February Film Wrap Up
I actually saw some movies in theaters in February (before the world went to hell), so here are my thoughts on them.
January Film Wrap Up
Only saw two new films in theaters in January but I still had opinions on them so here’s a quick wrap up.
January Reading Wrap Up
Trying to get back in the habit of posting a monthly wrap up of everything I’ve been reading recently, so here’s what I read in January, and what I thought of it all.
Autumn | Winter Reading Wrap Up
It has been way too long since I last discussed the books I have been reading. In order to catch up on everything I read at the end of 2019, here is my Autumn/Winter Reading Wrap Up.
Most Disappointing Films of 2019
Since I recently posted my Top Ten Favorite Films of 2019, it only seems fitting to post my least favorites of the year list. Check out which films I found most disappointing.
December Movie Wrap Up
I saw seven films in December. Here is what I thought of them.
November Movie Wrap Up
I saw a bunch of films in November, and I liked most of them. Check out my Wrap Up to see what I thought of everything I saw in theaters last month.
October Movie Wrap Up
I saw four films in October. Here is what I thought of them.
Hollywoodland (2006) Movie Review
Following up my reviews of Shopgirl and Chinatown for Movie Rob’s Genre Guestimation with a look at Hollywoodland. Hollywoodland is a pretty solid 2006 release that attempted to revive the Noir genre, and I don’t feel like it has gotten enough attention over the years, which is why I chose to highlight it today.
The film follows Louis Simo, played by Adrian Brody, as he is investigating the death of George Reeves, played by a pre-Batman Ben Affleck. As he digs deeper into the life of the television star, he is exposed to the ever-corrupt Hollywood movie scene and the greediness of people trying to make it big in the city of dreams. The film demonstrates that in Hollywood, not everyone’s dreams come true. George Reeves was given a starring role on a highly rated television show and yet he wanted more. He could not have more because once he was Superman that is who he would always be. He wanted to star in major motion pictures and he wanted to be a success. He could not have all of that though because the small success he had gained in the end turned into his ruined career.
As is true in Los Angeles and Hollywood, many people come to make it as big stars and few actually get the satisfaction of achieving this dream. Hollywoodland contrats the parties of movie stars and producers with darker sides of the city like police corruption. It suggests Hollywood is where dreamers come and more often than not they are severely disappointed. Reeves has found success but is then restricted by it, and in the end unhappy with the way his life has turned out. This is a true Hollywood story. It happens every day and it happened to Reeves.
The film pits Simo’s own stalling career and unhappy life against that of Reeves. He is a prime example of the classic jaded detective from a Noir film. He drinks too much, has a rough relationship with his loved ones, and struggles to find success. In the end though, Simo might actually have a more hopeful, if not happier ending than most detectives in the genre. It is the ending that makes this film feel very much like a “Hollywood film” in that it can’t quite commit to too harsh a finish for our main character. It has to leave a smidgen of hope for its audience to cling to, and in that respect it is very LA.
