Monday, September 11, 2006

Hollywoodland

I enjoyed this noir movie. With a dash of mystery and plenty of old-Hollywood glamour and sophistication, Hollwoodland harkens back to an era where actors and actresses were icons. The women were beautiful, the men were handsome, and a cigarette dangled elegantly from every pair of lips. Much like L.A. Confidential, Hollywoodland depicts 1950s Los Angeles as an alluring but dangerous place.

The movie is based on the life and brief career of George Reeves, the actor who portrayed Superman in the original television series. Ben Affleck (Paycheck, Pearl Harbor) plays Reeves, a charming, charismatic, and naively sincere actor looking to branch out from the character of Superman. As you know, Reeves allegedly committed suicide. The movie explores a variety of competing theories as to Reeves’ cause of death. The story is really told through the perspective of Louis Simo (Adrien Brody of The Jacket), a seedy private investigator looking for a quick buck by selling a sensational cover-up story to the newspapers. While investigating Reeves’ death, Simo realizes that there are many people who had a motive to bump him off, including his mistress Toni Mannix (Diane Lane of Unfaithful), his bitchy fiancĂ©e, and the husband of his mistress--the powerful head of MGM studios.

Adrien Brody is very convincing in his role, as Simo’s quest for the truth begins to erode his life. Diane Lane is good in just about anything she does, and she plays Toni with just the right amount of love, lust and venom. Now for Ben Affleck. I noticed that the commercials for Hollywoodland fail to mention his name in connection with the movie. Three years ago he would have received top billing. Now he’s relegated to third place, billed behind Brody and Lane. Just an observation. I think Affleck did a good job in the role. Say what you will, but he’s charming, tall, and handsome if nothing else. He doesn’t do it for me, but he’s got the movie star thing going, and I think that star quality serves him well, especially in the scene where he first meets Toni. He’s the boy toy to her seductive older woman, and it works well. Hollywoodland is a lot of things rolled into one: drama, mystery, and most importantly: a sad commentary on the ruthlessness of an industry that thrives on the believability of facades and lies. You’ll leave with the same unanswered questions you had at the beginning, but I guess that’s the point.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Crank

Absolute garbage. That's all I can say. Despite starring the super-sexy Jason Statham (The Transporter), the only man ever to look good with a bald spot, Crank was just terrible. The movie's creators seemed to have done a wholesale ripoff of director Tony Scott's (Domino)movie-making style, with much less success.

Statham stars as Chev Chelios, a hitman with one hour to live. He's been injected with a poisonous concoction that inhibits his body's ability to produce adrenaline. He must do any and everything possible to boost his adrenaline, because [paraphrase] "if he stops, he's dead." Okay, I know the plot sounds like it has the potential to make for a good movie, but it's just an excuse to watch Chelios run around half-cocked on a revenge mission. Don't get me wrong, Crank has its perversely entertaining moments. He snorts coke, chops off a guy's hand, and literally screws his girlfriend (Amy Smart of Road Trip, The Butterfly Effect) in the middle of Chinatown, all to increase his adrenaline. This movie was just terrible. I didn't expect much to begin with, but it was worse than I ever imagined. The teenage boys who sat in front of me in the theater thought it was great, but if you don't fall into the 16-19 male demographic, I suggest you take a pass on Crank. It was an hour and a half of my life I can never get back.

The Illusionist

It was a pleasure to watch this enchanting movie, starring Ed Norton (The 25th Hour, The Italian Job) as an early 20th century magician. Norton plays Eisenheim, a quietly charming stage entertainer. His sold out performances feature a mix of both standard slight of hand tricks and supernatural feats. The story opens with a glimpse into Eisenheim's childhood and the forbidden friendship he shares with Sophie (Jessica Biel of Stealth), a member of the royal family. When the two are forced apart as teenagers, Eisenheim flees and travels the world, perfecting his craft. He returns to his home of Vienna 15 years later and is reunited with his lost love at one of his performances. Sophie is planning to marry the Prince, but must confront the feelings she never stopped harboring for Eishenheim. The Prince is ruthless, and the two lovers must devise a plan for Sophie to escape his violent grasp.

One part love story, one part murder mystery, The Illusionist is a captivating movie that shouldn't disappoint. It is clever and well-acted, with very good performances from Norton, Biel, and Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Lady in the Water) as an intelligent but conflicted police chief. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill movie, and worth a look.