CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

double_yoker right.read some of the other reviews and joined this site specifically to put my oar in.basically this film is what u understand. if you can empathise with other humans' emotions and the intimidating world of showbusiness which is dominated by ego, beauty and cerebral brutality then you should get a lot from this film.it opens with a long foreboding shot of a door shutting in what appears to be a hospital. a pre-emptive eulogy if you will. a mood setting shot if ever i saw one. but somehow i think those of you more inclined to rent 'xxx' than 'city of god' are going to miss the impact of such a shot. it lays down a feeling of intimidation and regret that, juxtaposed against the Hollywood career-scape evokes a sympathy for any character not on top of their game as you feel they will be swallowed up. progression through the film demonstrates the directors skill at switching between the glamorous and the seedy.this is a very intelligent film that can only really be appreciated through understanding. if anything it is a study of power and how destructive it can be.peter weller plays a tom cruise-esquire Hollywood bigwig obsessed with belittling those who allow him to. And most do because he is so enormously famous. One particularly affecting scene involves him, his agent and a room full of buxom women and cocaine. his typical chat is littered with non-specific put-downs and you realise the main character here is this ogre's agent. To work for a man like this...you have to have balls. and the film indirectly preaches about the dangers of such a great LOOKING lifestyle. conceptually great, but physically annihilating, his agent does what he does while hiding a terrible secret.and thats where the perfection lies. epic like a shakespearian drama, the film leaves you with too many issues to put down on paper etc and i for one felt privileged to have witnessed such a work of art. truthful, arresting, affecting and flamboyant, this film is one of the best i saw last year.frankly if u think its rubbish u don't understand it. simple as that. try renting 'the punisher' next time.

TheLastMan81 I liked the storyline when a saw this movie at the bottom shelves, a behind-the-scenes look at the life in Hollywood, based on an old Tolstoy novel. But this must be one of the most crappy movies ever made, with it´s pretentious tone but total lack of talent. It tries to be ultra-realistic but fails totally on this point. If you want to make a movie as realistic and documentary-looking as possible, you should´nt use softening lenses and overdramatic music. It fails to be consistent and therefore it looks more like a porno flick then a serious drama. Speaking of porn, the acting is awful. The only one who really pulls through is Danny Huston as Ivan who really puts his soul out there. That´s about the only positive thing there is to say about this mess because the dialogue is terrible and the cinematography does´nt even exist. My hope in finding a brilliant exception at the bottom shelves in the videostore has been demolished.

distraido First thing: try not to bring a lot of hang-ups and prejudices when you see this. I've noticed that those who do so can end up disappointed. If you're even slightly open-minded you will see the beauty of this film- as many have, including the nominating committee for the Independent Spirit Awards. Because of the Tolstoy writing credit, I was expecting a historical or period piece. What Ivansxtc does, as does the Paul Thomas Anderson neo-classic Boogie Nights, is to show human beings being very naughty and very nice. Ivans, however, leaves us in darker territory. I suggest reading little about this film before you see it. Check out the comments afterward and you'll see what I mean. Suffice it to say that this is risk-taking, well-acted, under-$500,000(shot on DV) filmmaking with gorgeous photography.

simonveksner Rare to find a film with this much heart and integrity, especially one about the 'insider' world of Hollywood.Brilliant performances too. And humour.The death of Ivan Beckman is the most moving death I've ever seen on celluloid. And the guy's a Hollywood agent!Some really fresh touches in the way it's directed as well.