DVD : Hollywoodland (Full-Screen Edition)

Buy Now!

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0025193008121
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: February 06, 2007
Running Time: 127 minutes
Sales Rank: 25106
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: September 08, 2006

Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
The fact-based mystery of Hollywoodland takes place in 1959, when the death of Adventures of Superman TV star George Reeves cast a pall over the waning days of golden-age Hollywood. As written by Paul Bernbaum, this intriguing whodunit effectively evokes the tainted atmosphere that surrounded Reeves' death (officially ruled a suicide but never conclusively solved), and speculates on circumstances to suggest that Reeves may have been murdered. In combining the melancholy course of Reeves' career with the investigation of a down-and-out private detective into the possible causes of Reeves' death, the film evolves into an engrossing study of parallels between lives on either side of the Hollywood dream. Building upon a distinguished career in TV including episodes of HBO's The Sopranos, Rome and Six Feet Under, director Allen Coulter finds a satisfying balance between the tragic overtones of the Reeves case and the time-honored elements of the gumshoe genre, with Adrien Brody doing fine work as private eye Louis Simo, a fictional composite character who is our conduit to the desperate yearnings of Reeves' final months.

In a critically acclaimed performance, Ben Affleck plays Reeves in moody flashbacks, caught between Superman stardom and financial dependence on his lover Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the somewhat predatory wife of Hollywood "fixer" and MGM honcho Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), whose mob connections suggest foul play as Simo's investigation progresses. Reeves' subsequent lover (played by Robin Tunney) may also be culpable, and as Simo's own personal life unravels, his empathy for Reeves takes on added significance. In presenting its mystery as a set of plausible scenarios, Hollywoodland holds interest as a mystery that's refreshingly compassionate toward the fate of its characters. Warts and all, they're likable dreamers in a town where dreams don't always come true. --Jeff Shannon

Average Rating:

Rating: - Great Visual Experience and Story
The story was very good and the HD visuals were great. Of course this is a Combo format so it plays on both HD and any other DVD player.

Rating: - IT'S ONLY ME , BUT:
NOT ONE OF THE YEARS BEST. A INVSTIGATION INTO ACTOR GEORGE REEVES DEATH BY A REPORTER. JM

---

Rating: - The Darkened Screen
I found this Hollywood semi-biopic absorbing from beginning to end. It recalled that bygone era when entering a movie theater was more than making a stop at the outrageously priced popcorn concession on the way into a tacky multiplex cubicle. Movie theaters themselves, whether they purported to be dimly-lit frescoed Egyptian temples or dusk-enshrouded palaces with glittering stars implanted in the ceilings, provided magical settings for the flickering images that transported audiences wherever the ... Read More

---

Rating: - Super enough to hold your attention
Hollywoodland is a nice period piece with interesting performances by Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody, Bob Hoskins, and Diane Lane.

Based on actual events, the movie tells the story of George Reeves' death. (Reeves was the television actor who portrayed Superman in the 1950s television series.) According to what I know of the real-life story, the movie is fairly accurate in its depiction of events and relationships.

Reeves (played well by Affleck) is a small-time actor looking for ... Read More

---

Rating: - Very under rated movie
This is a very under rated movie. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this. I thought Ben Affleck played the part of George Reeve very well.