| The Week of October 28, 2008 |
The Incredible... Failure?
Marvel learned from the mistakes of director Ang Lee's 2003 film, Hulk and created... an even bigger disappointment.
by Chris Neumer
THE QUESTION: I saw Hollywoodland recently and realized that the title of the movie was a reference to the original Hollywood sign. What happened to the last four letters of that famous sign? - Justin H. via e-mail
THE ANSWER: The Hollywood sign is the most famous landmark in Los Angeles. It’s one of the few groupings of letters anywhere in the world that actually has its own web-site, www.hollywoodsign.org… not that you can find any noteworthy information on said site, but I digress. The Hollywoodland sign was originally constructed in 1923 as an advertisement for the Hollywoodland housing development. No one really figured that the sign would be around for that long and it was not built to last.  The initial sign had thousands of light bulbs on it so that it could be seen at night. In 1939, the real estate developers who had erected the sign sixteen years earlier decided to stop maintenance on it. Roughly two years later, a drunk driver ran into the ‘H’ and it came crashing down. By 1949, the once glamorous sign was run down and ready to be sold as scrap. This was when the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (HCC) decided to step up to the plate and take control of the sign. The HCC agreed to take financial responsibility of the sign and repair it, but under one condition. In order to keep their costs more manageable, the Chamber wanted to remove the last four letters of the sign. And like that, the L-A-N-D of the Hollywoodland was gone.
Since very few people are aware of this bit of Hollywood trivia, filmmakers have occasionally offered their own interpretation of the removal of the L-A-N-D. Steven Spielberg had John Belushi’s Wild Bill Kelso crash into the last four letters in 1941 and Joe Johnston had flaming debris from a blimp explosion knock them down in his movie, The Rocketeer. Given the timeline of the Hollywoodland sign—namely that it no longer existed in 1949—it’s strange to consider that Universal titled their film about events taking place in 1959, Hollywoodland. |
"A woman's mind is cleaner than a man's. She changes it more often."- Winston Churchill
The Happening
THE PLOT: M Night’s latest effort to twist the reality of an unsuspecting family who must from an inexplicable crisis that’s afflicted humanity. THE SKINNY:
+ M. Night is certainly due…
- … so are the Chicago Cubs.
+ John Leguizamo livens any story, regardless of genre.
- A little too Lady in the Water, and not enough Unbreakable
+ Perhaps his first R-rating could reinvigorate his flare for riveting suspense!
- Has been rumored as another giant step back for a once promising filmmakers.
YES, IT'S TRUE: Leto lost the 62 pounds he gained for the film be adhering to a liquid diet consisting of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water.
Kill Switch
THE PLOT: The story of a hard-noses detective with a past, and his plight to seek out a serial killer in the heart of Memphis. THE SKINNY:
- Couldn’t they have just called this Under Siege 3?
+ Seagal’s fans love him very much.
+ Isaac Hayes brings cool…
- … Down to Seagal’s one-note level.
- They still haven't teamed Van Damme and Seagal together onscreen. That scenario could have saved this picture.
YES, IT'S TRUE: Segel is actually the chief puppeteer in the Vampire Rock Opera scenes.
The Visitor
THE PLOT: A heightened story about a well-to-do college professor who comes to find a couple of illegal aliens squatting in his New York City pad.
THE SKINNY:
+ Richard Jenkins is a career-long character actor who holds his own as a featured player.
+ Points the finger at President Bush’s lack of sympathy for foreigners.
- They always find a way to make even the most heartwarming films too political.
+ Films about aging men finding themselves are often (albeit inexplicably) well-received.
+ Tom McCarthy’s last film was The Station Agent. YES, IT'S TRUE: Downey Jr. wore lifts throughout filming in order to resemble a more formidable Tony Stark... And he no longer smokes crack between takes.
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan
THE PLOT: Adam Sandler stars in the story of an Israeli solider who fakes his death only to surface as a sleazy New York City hair stylist whose secret may well be out.
THE SKINNY:
- Another one of Adam Sandler’s attempts to reinvigorate stereotypes.
+ At least this keeps him from taking serious leading roles from capable actors.
- He’s better playing is straight than he his at making us laugh as Zohan.
+ Despite his recent remedial-level comedy ventures, Sandler still has his moments.
-The movie poster says it all.YES, IT'S TRUE: Cortese was a walk-on member of the football team at the University of North Carolina, and made the trip to the Aloha Bowl his senior season. |
