Will Hollywoodland Charm Viewers?

Posted on September 8, 2006

Hollywoodland opens today in wide release, starring Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins. The film has two story tracks: the life of George Reeves (Affleck), the man who played Superman on Tv and who either committed suicide or was murdered, and the life of an aggressive reporter (Brody) who is investigating the death while his own family life falls apart.

The word is that Ben Affleck has been dropped from all the ads after a negative reaction from a test audience. Apparently, Ben is still a bit overexposed from his Bennifer days.

Hollywoodland is going up against The Covenant, about a bunch of young men (the Sons of Ipswich) who are students at the elite Spencer Academy. They are bound by a vow of silence about their sacred ancestry, but when a student turns up dead it appears that another long-lost sorcerer is still alive. A power struggle ensues. We're thinking The Covenant may edge ahead, as the flick of choice for the younger, moviegoing audience.

Correction: updated to change Steve Reeves to George Reeves. Thanks to alert reader Steven for catching the error and for pointing out that Steve Reeves "was the lead in numerous sword-and-sandal movies of the same period."

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