Movie thoughts: Hollywoodland

There is a game we used to play. Well, it isn't a game really, it's more of a...I don't know what to call it. It went like this, we would sit around and offer suggestions for which actor would be best for playing the role of characters in movies. Movies about books, or re-makes of old TV shows, or comics or whatever.

Anyway, the one character I have had the most difficulty with is Mike Hammer. Stacy Keatch was excellent as Hammer on the television shows he did, but he is way too old now.

Mike is your quintessential hard-boiled private eye straight from the pulp dime novels and film noir genre that brought us the likes of Phillip Marlow and Sam Spade. Marlow and Spade were earlier of course, and were translated into films near the height of the film noir genre, both benefiting from the abilities of Humphrey Bogart.

But Mike Hammer never got a good shot at the silver screen. The best Hammer flick I have witnessed to date is "Kiss Me, Deadly" starring Ralph Meeker and a very young, and not to shabby lookin' Cloris Leachman.

Anyway, what I was getting at in the beginning of this whole thing is that I have found a person who could do a justice to the role of Mike Hammer. This actor is one that I would never have thought of on my own in a million years. In fact, I couldn't say that I ever really thought him much of an actor anyway. That guy, is Ben Affleck. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Ben Affleck, you mean that guy from Gigli? That guy from Sum of All Fears? That guy who was almost married to J-Lo? WTF????"

I know, I know, I couldn't believe it either. Not only has ne not really 'looked' the part, he's, I mean come on, he's Ben Affleck for crying out loud. However, I did sit down last night at watched "Hollywoodland". Quick synopsis of the film, George Reeves was a somewhat struggling actor. Had a fairly minor part in Gone With the Wind, and a Saturday morning kiddie show as Sir Galahad. He needed the money, so he auditioned for, and was awarded, the part of Superman on the old TV series.

After several years on the show he is hopelessly typecast as Superman, when the show is canceled, he still cannot find work. Eventually, he ends up on his bed with a bullet hole in his head. The question is, was it suicide as ruled by the police, or murder? Reeves mother hires Louis Simo (played by Adrian Brody), a fairly down on his luck PI to investigate.

Affleck plays Reeves, and did it with so much more talent than anything I have seen him in previous to this. The movie is not a pow-pow bang-bang shoot 'em up action film, but neither is it boring. It moves along slowly and methodically, and uses flashbacks to portray periods on Reeve's life. The flashback sequences are well done and only serve to move the story forward.

I am thoroughly surprised this movie was not nominated for an Oscar. Brody, Affleck and especially Diane Lane (who played Reeve's "sugar momma") deserve more recognition than they received. Well worth a watch.