Hollywoodland (DVD-Video + HD-DVD/DVD Combo Format)
Picture:
B-/B+ Sound: B-/B Extras: C Film: C
Originally
entitled “Truth, Justice & The
American Way” before Superman owners Warner Bros. and DC Comics objected,
Allen Coulter’s Hollywoodland (2006)
is supposed to tell us the true story or at least explore whether George Reeves
really committed suicide or might have been somehow murdered. Running over two hours, the film had plenty
of time to do this and deal with any subplots it wished to cover. However, it is so busy overdoing everything
and not sticking to the main subject that nothing is resolved when all is said
and done.
Making
things worse, Ben Affleck is cast as Reeves in a role that was intended to be a
serious comeback vehicle. Unfortunately,
except for a few scenes when he is playing Reeves playing Superman/Clark Kent
when the TV show goes into production, he plays Ben Affleck with the same body
languages, facial expressions and slacker attitude he has played out. Worse, he can really act when he applies
himself, but despite reportedly watching old Reeves footage never comes across
with the physicality or old Hollywood leading man panache. He never even tries. His hair is even Affleck’s same haircut,
making some moments seem like an SNL skit.
Adrien
Brody is the detective who investigates beyond the police, but the subplot with
him is too long, drawn out and ultimately unbelievable when focusing on a
superfluous subplot about his family.
Brody deserves better, but it points to the problem of Paul Bernbaum’s
screenplay of its unwillingness to really dig into the facts and stick to the
subject. The result is as mixed and
unsatisfying as The Black Dahlia, a
film Brian De Palma took over at the last minute and could not save from itself.
Diane
Lane, Bob Hoskins, Lois Smith and Robin Tunney also star and the cast is
appealing. Too bad the film never takes
off. Hollywoodland is one of the year’s biggest disappointments.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image on the stand-alone DVD is a very
slightly bit more colorful than the DVD side of the Combo disc, but they are
virtually the same otherwise in definition and depth. Neither can compare to the 1080p digital High
Definition image, which though stylized and color-manipulated (sometimes to a
fault) to look like yesteryear and even monochromatic, it is very nice, clean,
clear, sharp, has depth and mostly has good detail. However, even that better version cannot
escape a slight digital uniform phoniness the digital internegative has. Johnathan Freeman’s cinematography is solid
for the most part.
The Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix is good for the DVD versions, but the pumped up Dolby Digital
Plus 5.1 is a little better, though this is a dialogue-based film and not a
sonic classic. The mix has a little
character and Marcelo Zarvos’ score is more competent than many name composers
have been lately. The combination for
the HD side is one of Universal’s better showings in the format and another
reason why Blu-ray has not won the format war yet as well as why both will
likely co-exist for good.
Extras in
both releases include a very intelligent feature length audio commentary by
director Coulter, deleted scenes that would not have made a difference in the
outcome of the film’s final cut, and three featurettes (Re-creating Old Hollywood, Hollywood
Then & Now and Behind The
Headlines) that tell the story at least as well as this film, which is the
problem. Coulter should get better with
the next film he does if he gets more ambitious.
- Nicholas Sheffo
