Kathmandu:

Last week Hollywood celebrated its Oscars, and it was a kind of joyous exorcism of tragedies like the one shown in this year’s almost-Oscar contender Hollywoodland. Like The Departed, Hollywoodland is a thriller, but it’s based on fact.

In 1959 TV star George Reeves, who acted in the Adventures of Superman, was found dead in his home and therein lay the quintessential Hollywood. Reeves played by Ben Affleck with a depth of tragic loneliness and trappedness almost won an Oscar on top of the accolades heaped upon him at Venice.

Writes critic Jeff Shannon, “As written by Paul Bernbaum and directed by Allen Coulter, Hollywoodland, is an intriguing whodunit evoking the tainted atmosphere that surrounded Reeves’ death (officially ruled a suicide but never conclusively solved), and speculates on circumstances to suggest that Reeves may have been murdered. In combining the melancholy course of Reeves’ career with the investigation of a down-and-out private detective played by Adrien Brody into the possible causes of Reeves’ death, the film evolves into an engrossing study of parallels between lives on either side of the Hollywood dream.

“In a critically acclaimed performance, Affleck plays Reeves in moody flashbacks, caught between Superman stardom and financial dependence on his lover Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the somewhat predatory wife of Hollywood ‘fixer’ and MGM honcho Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), whose mob connections suggest foul play as Simo’s investigation progresses.

Reeves’ subsequent lover (played by Robin Tunney) may also be culpable, and as Simo’s own personal life unravels, his empathy for Reeves takes on added significance. In presenting its mystery as a set of plausible scenarios, Hollywoodland holds interest as a mystery that’s refreshingly compassionate toward the fate of its characters.”

Hollywood was enigmatic and larger-than life in The Prestige, a story of obsession and rivalry between two 19th century magicians. Beautifully filmed, the movie was up for an Oscar in cinematography.

Says writer Ellen A Kim, “The Prestige attempts a hat trick by combining a ridiculously good-looking cast, a highly regarded new director, and more than one sleight of hand. Does it pull it off? Sort of. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play rival magicians who were once friends before an on-stage tragedy drove a wedge between them. While Bale’s Alfred Borden is a more skilled illusionist, Jackman’s Rufus Angier is the better showman; much of the film’s interesting first half is their attempts to sabotage — and simultaneously, top — each other’s tricks.

Even with the help of a prop inventor (Michael Caine) and a comely assistant (Scarlett Johansson), Angier can’t match Borden’s ultimate illusion — The Transporting Man. Angier’s obsession with learning Borden’s trick leads him to an encounter with an eccentric inventor David Bowie).

Director Christopher Nolan, reuniting with his Batman Begins star Bale, demonstrates the same dark touch that hued that film; it’s better to sit back and let the sometimes-clunky turns steer themselves than try to draw back the black curtain.

That said, The Prestige still manages to entertain long after the magician has left the stage — a feat in itself.”

Rob James, British writer says, “Like all the best magicians, Nolan shows much but tells very little. The title — and structure — comes from the three basic elements of the classic magic trick: The Pledge (set-up); The Turn (the trick itself) and The Prestige (the reveal). He’s more interested in the deeper, psychological side of magic than its essentially empty visual flair.”

But what a beautiful flair it is, and how fascinating the characters. See it to believe it.