2006年VOA标准英语-Movie Review: 'Hollywoodland' Looks at Death of

By Penelope Poulou
Washington, DC
21 September 2006
 
watch Hollywoodland report

The mystery drama "Hollywoodland" is in American theaters. Alan Coulter, director of legendary¹ TV series such as 'Sopranos,' 'Six Feet Under' and 'Sex and the City' explores the death of 1950s actor George Reeves -- the star of the TV series "The Adventures of Superman."  VOA's Penelope Poulou has a review.

 
The Adventures of Superman
A web of mystery surrounds the death of George Reeves. The actor who rose to fame with the hit TV show "The Adventures of Superman" seems to have committed suicide. But appearances can be deceiving.

Private investigator² Louis Simo gets hired by Reeves' mother to uncover the truth about her son's death. 

The story unfolds on two timelines. One recounts Reeves' life leading up to his untimely end. The other follows detective Simo after the actor's death. Simo is an unsavory character who tries to keep the Reeves case open to get his name in the newspapers.

 
Adrien Brody plays detective Simo
The more Simo investigates Reeves' life and death, the more he realizes that the actor was on a slippery slide, both personally and professionally. Tragedy abounds³ behind the actor's glamorous⁴ life. Reeves had been typecast as Superman and could not get another acting⁵ job.

In his effort to redefine himself, he leaves his nurturing⁶ older lover for a ditsy starlet who could have killed him. The deeper Simo digs into Reeves's psyche⁷ the more he empathizes with the TV star. Because, like him, the private eye is grappling with personal failure and disappointment.

 
Director Alan Coulter
With "Hollywoodland," director Alan Coulter pays homage⁸ to film noir  [a type of highly stylish⁹ crime film featuring malevolent¹⁰ characters, shot in black and white.] Coulter, who is no stranger to sinister¹¹ plots and shady personalities¹², creates a wonderful character drama accentuated¹³ by a superb cast.

Oscar winner Adrien Brody offers a sexy, charged and complex interpretation¹⁴ of Louis Simo. Academy Award winner 
Ben Affleck plays George Reeves
.

British actor Bob Hoskins transforms himself into the ominous¹⁵ and street-smart MGM studios manager Eddie Mannix.

Alan Coulter says his fictionalized drama "Hollywoodland" does not offer answers to one of Tinseltown's greatest unsolved mysteries.  "The debate goes on. There is no definitive¹⁶ answer about what happened on the night of June 16th, 1959."

But this in no way diminishes the edginess¹⁷ of the film. Director Coulter shows there may be many sides to a crime and many facets¹⁸ of the human soul.

1 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

2 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

3 abounds   

v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The place abounds with fruit, especially pears and peaches. 此地盛产水果，尤以梨桃著称。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• This country abounds with fruit. 这个国家盛产水果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

7 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。

8 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

9 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

10 malevolent   

adj.有恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Why are they so malevolent to me?他们为什么对我如此恶毒？
• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。

11 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

12 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

13 accentuated   

v.重读( accentuate的过去式和过去分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于

参考例句：

• The problem is accentuated by a shortage of water and electricity. 缺乏水电使问题愈加严重。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her black hair accentuated the delicateness of her skin. 她那乌黑的头发更衬托出她洁嫩的皮肤。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

15 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

16 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

17 edginess   

n.刀口锐利，急躁

参考例句：

18 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》