Superman versus the studio system

Upon release, "Hollywoodland" and "The Black Dahlia" had the unfortunate circumstance of squaring off with one another with only a week's separation in theaters -- two major films about two of the biggest deaths in old Hollywood. While "Dahlia" certainly made the bigger buck at the box office, "Hollywoodland" proved to have a better payoff when it comes down to the story and performances.\nThe death of the TV Superman, George Reeves, sparked controversy in the headlines within days of his suicide. There was speculation as to if he was actually murdered, given numerous inconsistencies found at the crime scene and in reports, and this allows for "Hollywoodland" to place one Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), a fictional detective who has grown tired of spying on unfaithful spouses, into a mystery that is way over his head, from the streets of the valley to the corruption running through the Hollywood studio system. \nDespite the occasional snail's pace "Hollywoodland" strolls along at, the film has a fascinating story that takes a very real mystery and digs into it, as opposed to "The Black Dahlia," which used the murder of Elizabeth Short as a backdrop in the storyline rather than an actual investigation into her demise. Simo finds various angles to work with regarding Reeves' death and keeps you interested in hopes one of them sticks. \nThe performances given by Brody, Diane Lane as Reeves' companion and especially Ben Affleck as the Man of Steel are fine all around. Affleck has finally made a career comeback after doing a string of shlocky, crap-filled films for the past five years. Brody continues to impress me as he is one who, after winning his Oscar, hasn't slipped into paycheck-collecting roles -- his performance here would make even Jake Gittes proud. \nUnfortunately, the DVD isn't anything special. Three featurettes totaling almost 20 minutes, most of which are scenes from the film, cover the recreation of old Hollywood and how the media handled the death of George Reeves. There is also five minutes worth of deleted scenes that really add nothing to the film and thankfully were left out. \nThe one strong point though comes from the commentary track with director Allen Coulter. Making his feature film debut after having been an HBO golden boy for directing countless episodes of "The Sopranos, "Six Feet Under" and "Sex in the City," Coulter's commentary is detail-driven and pays attention to each individual scene. Coulter clearly put plenty of effort into this film and he wants you to notice every bit of it no matter how small. \nWhile it lacks "Black Dahlia's" glossy style, "Hollywoodland" proves that substance is almost always the victor.