Hollywoodland

On paper, Hollywoodland was always going to be a big zero. And the mixed reviews I've heard seem to confirm that. Ben Affleck: check. Tale of long-forgotten actor: check. That big-nosed motherfucker from Summer of Sam and (yawn, probably) The Pianist: check. So far, so unappealing. But, for me at least, it worked.

When Affleck is on top of his game, I think he's pretty good as an actor. Come on, now: cast your minds back to before he became a joke, hanging out with that no-talent cunt J-Lo. Back when he didn't take himself too seriously, despite having an Oscar at such a young age (albeit for writing, not acting). He was good, man. He showed promise.

Well, Hollywoodland is a return to form for Ben, at least. And that Pianist dude was good too. And I'm gonna come right out and say it: I actually quite liked the film, too. I thought it was a nice little mystery, one of those "what if...?" type of tales, à la Agatha back in the day. I ain't rushing to watch it again or to add it to my collection, but I say it's not bad. (Put the wife to sleep, though, so I guess that's a negative point.)

Also, at the end, you kind of feel like the whole thing was a bit of a cheat, which ain't great...

Acting: 14
Story: 13
Direction: 13
Enjoyment: 13
Involvement: 13
Total: 66