Worthwhile Rentals

MOVIE REVIEWS:

Hollywoodland: I didn't know what to expect from this movie and I couldn't quite remember how the reviews were. I was afraid it would be another big disappointment like Black Dahlia but thought I'd get it anyway. I was glad I did! I have to admit that had I known Ben Affleck was going to have so much screen time I probably wouldn't have rented this movie. I have to say now that I wish he had more screen time. Affleck plays TV's Superman, George Reeves who in 1959 commits suicide. Big news at the time and an open and shut case. Adrien Brody plays a sleazy private eye who sees the Reeves suicide as a way to grab some headlines and bilk Reeves mother for money as he investigates it as a murder. The movie follows two plot lines at the same time: Reeves as he goes from Superman to not getting work and Brody as he investigates and doesn't like what he sees in the investigation and in himself. Backing up this pair is Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins. You don't have to know anything about Reeves story but if you did...it might help fill in some of the tragic blanks. I am willing to give Affleck a break now that I have seen his performance in this movie. I think it's a breakout role like Val Kilmer in Tombstone and he should take advantage of it. Kilmer didn't. Must rent.
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Stranger Than Fiction: This is another movie that I didn't know much about. I remember the previews and thought it looked funny. Odd but funny. Will Ferrell plays a boring man who works for the IRS. There is a narration by Emma Thompson describing his life up to this point. Then one day while Ferrell is brushing his teeth - he hears the narration. I could think how this could go cheesy but instead the movie stays fresh and fun. Ferrell goes to a psychologist who suggests that if he is not crazy that he see a literature professor. He meets one played by Dustin Hoffman. I won't tell you anymore because this movie is fun to discover on your own. I was pleasantly surprised by all the performances in this movie including Queen Latifah as Thompson's assistant. Watch this movie with an open mind and enjoy!
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