Rating: 
Summary: Hectic Life of Hollywood Wheeling & Dealing
Review: This film has the most unique opening scene (which lasts about 8 or 9 minutes in a single frame!) I have ever seen in a movie! Tim Robbins plays the role of a producer who "just does his job", which includes brushing off hopeful screen writers and being nasty to his assistants. Little does he know, that others are good at back-stabbing too, and that his name is about to be dropped. All depends on his next project; if it stinks, he sinks! -- A few clever twists, including black-mail and manslaughter, keep the viewer interested, right up to the surprise ending. Watch for Whoopi Goldberg and Lyle Lovitt as police detectives (I couldn't picture either of them in such a role, but they did surprisingly well!). This is a very good film, but I still have a problem with how everything turns out (which I can't dwell on, or I'd spoil it for those who haven't seen it). See for yourself!
Rating: 
Summary: Joe Gillis calling...
Review: "Players only love you when they're playing." --Stevie NicksGriffin Mill, whose name has a kind of ersatz Hollywood feel to it (cf., D. W. Griffith/Cecil B. De Mille), is not a player with hearts so much as a player with dreams. He is a young and powerful film exec who hears thousands of movie pitches a year, but can only buy twelve. So he must do a lot of dissembling, not to mention outright lying, along with saying "We'll get back to you," etc. This is what he especially must say to writers. And sometimes they hold a grudge. In this case one of the rejected writers begins to stalk Griffin Mill and send him threatening postcards. And so the plot begins. Tim Robbins, in a creative tour de force, plays Griffin Mill with such a delightful, ironic charm that we cannot help but identify with him even as he violates several layers of human trust. The script by Michael Tolkin smoothly combines the best elements of a thriller with a kind of Terry Southern satirical intent that keeps us totally engrossed throughout. The direction by Robert Altman is full of inside Hollywood jokes and remembrances, including cameos by dozens of Hollywood stars, some of whom get to say nasty things about producers. The scenes are well-planned and then infused with witty asides. The tampon scene at police headquarters with Whoopi Goldberg is an hilarious case in point, while the sequence of scenes from Greta Scacchi's character's house to the manslaughter scene outside the Pasadena Rialto, is wonderfully conceived and nicely cut. Also memorable is the all black and white dress dinner scene in which Cher is the only person in red, a kind of mean or silly joke, depending on your perspective. During the same scene Mill gives a little speech in which he avers that "movies are art," a statement that amounts to sardonic irony since, as a greedy producer, he cares nothing at all about art, but only about box office success. His words also form a kind of dramatic irony when one realizes that this movie itself really is a work of art. As Altman observes in a trailing clip, the movie "becomes itself." The Machiavellian ending illustrates this with an almost miraculous dovetailing. This is the kind of script that turns most screen writers Kermit-green with envy. Incidentally, Joe Gillis, the Hollywood writer played by William Holden in Sunset Boulevard--personifying all unsuccessful screen writers--actually does call during the movie, but Mill doesn't recognize the name and has to be told he is being put on, further revealing the narrow confines of his character. In short, this is a wonderfully clever, diabolically cynical satire of Hollywood and the movie industry. This is one of those movies that, if you care anything at all about film, you must see. Period. It is especially delicious if you hate Hollywood. It is also one of the best movies ever made about Hollywood, to be ranked up there with A Star is Born (1937) (Janet Gaynor, Fredric March); Sunset Boulevard (1950); A Star is Born (1954) (Judy Garland, James Mason); and Postcards from the Edge (1990). I must add that in the annals of film, this has to go down as one of the best Hollywood movies not to win a single Academy Award, although it was nominated for three: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. I suspect the Academy felt that the satire hit a little too close to home for comfort.
Rating:
Summary: A Keeper!
Review: This is a great movie! I usually shy away from Tim Robbins' work, ever since "Bull Durham" anyway. His politics are the reason, I cannot stand the sanctimonious "message" movies he and others such as Oliver Stone repeatedly assault the general public with from their pulpits of privelege. All that aside, Mr. Robbins is quite great in this movie, treading the line of being a typical Hollywood ahole yet still evoking sympathy from the audience for his tenuous hold on his studio position. At least that's what I felt. I was glad when he "got away with it". All in all this is a really good movie and it really gives one the sense of being "in the scene" much like a documentary does. My one fault is the way the crowd scenes, such as in restaurants were handled, from a sound standpoint. I'm sure the overlapping dialogue was intentional but it was distracting more than anything. Great Movie...did I say that enough times? And where has Greta Scacchi gone? She is sexy as heck here.
Rating:
Summary: Very Intelligent and Entertaining Thriller
Review: "The Player" is one of those fascinating comedic thrillers with one defined dramatic plot, and various subplots dealing with the movie industry. Player is not a fast paced thriller, but rather an intelligent and laid back story surrounded by Hollywood and the business of film making. Tim Robbins plays Griffin Mill, a studio executive whose main job is to decide which scripts make it to the big screen. When he starts receiving threatening postcards, he suspects they come from a writer whose script was turned down. Hence, he tries to identify the writer in order to pay him off and stop the blackmail. Apparently he found the writer , apparently not. Murder. Whoopi Goldberg's performance as detective Avery, investigating the murder, is simply wonderful and provides humor with her spicy language. For the rest of the plot, you must see the movie. Directed by Robert Altman (Gosford Park), Player's cast include Greta Scacchi, Peter Gallagher, Fred Ward, Lyle Lovett and numerous cameo appearances by familiar faces such as Lily Tomlin, Bruce Willis, Robert Wagner, Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, Nick Nolte, Andie McDowell, John Cusack, to name a few. Besides the main plot, this is certainly a good perspective of how decisions are made in Hollywood, and the dynamics and politics of movie making . Player views the "film noir" and independent film making alternatives, and flirts with the concepts of dissociation of the big studios with the artistic ("Ars Gratia Artis") philosophies of the old days, those being replaced with the "money-making-happy-ending" driving forces of modern day Hollywood. DVD version.
Rating:
Summary: Hectic Life of Hollywood Wheeling & Dealing
Review: This film has the most unique opening scene (which lasts about 8 or 9 minutes in a single frame!) I have ever seen in a movie! Tim Robbins plays the role of a producer who "just does his job", which includes brushing off hopeful screen writers and being nasty to his assistants. Little does he know, that others are good at back-stabbing too, and that his name is about to be dropped. All depends on his next project; if it stinks, he sinks! -- A few clever twists, including black-mail and manslaughter, keep the viewer interested, right up to the surprise ending. Watch for Whoopi Goldberg and Lyle Lovitt as police detectives (I couldn't picture either of them in such a role, but they did surprisingly well!). This is a very good film, but I still have a problem with how everything turns out (which I can't dwell on, or I'd spoil it for those who haven't seen it). See for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Making a "Killing" in Showbiz (4.5 stars)
Review: Can movies about the movie business actually be exciting and worth watching? "The Player" most certainly is an exciting and worth-while film that has many layers within it. At first glance, this appears only as an odd thriller that's both bizarre and unbelievable--but upon further investigation, you'll find out that this is something that is so much more than your ordinary thriller. Griffin Mill is a studio executive that listens to movie pitches on a daily basis. Some pitches are great while others aren't as fantastic. One of the writers that Griffin never called back seems to have held a grudge against him, as he sends him threatening post-cards telling the exec that his days are numbered. Not knowing what else to do, Griffin decides to confront the suspected writer only to end up being involved in a murder. As he tries to cover his tracks and play it cool, it is clear that Griffin has been thrown into an uncontrollable scenario that could only be found in the movies. I admit that the first time I saw this film, I didn't really know how to react to it. I didn't know if I liked it, but I knew that I didn't hate it. And, I confess that by the end of the movie, I was scratching my head in confusion. It was the second viewing where I really found out what the movie was all about and came to love it. The movie is not your typical thriller. It actually is more of a satire that targets the movie industry and movies in general. And, it's done in such a way that you really don't catch onto that with the first viewing, as you're caught up in the story and are convinced that you're watching nothing more than a thriller. This movie has a number of layers to it--even layers that I probably haven't caught onto yet. You know a film has unquestionable power when you are tricked into believing that it is something else the first time and then come to realize that it is something completely different the next time around. The film is brilliantly directed by Robert Altman. There's no way in heck that the movie would be the success it is had it been under a different director. He knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. The acting from Tim Robbins and company is really a sight to see. It's also a treat to see so many cameos by different famous actors that we all know and love. The DVD has a few goodies to offer for those who enjoy DVD extras. The picture is decent looking--nothing extraordinary, but decent. It says on the back cover that it was remastered in "High Definition," but I think improvements could've been made in certain areas. Extras on the DVD include commentary from the director and writer, a Robert Altman featurette, deleted scenes, the original trailer and more. A pretty nice package that doesn't disappoint with exception towards picture quality in some areas. "The Player" is a superbly executed film that doesn't jump out right away to let you know what it is really all about. On the first viewing, the movie appears to be nothing more than an off-the-wall thriller, but on a second viewing you will come to find that it is something more. It's not a movie that will be loved by everybody, but for those who love odd films with hidden structures and meanings will absolutely love it. If you have an open-mind and want to take a chance by seeing something that isn't so ordinary, "The Player" awaits for you. -Michael Crane
Rating: 
Summary: ALTMAN'S HOLLYWOOD
Review: A dazzling array of mega-celebrities in sometimes silent incidental cameo roles make Robert Altman's "The Player" like an autograph fantasy walk down Hollywood Boulevard. Tim Robbins, possibly America's finest actor is extraordinary as a movie executive seeking revenge on an anonymous writer who's sending him threatening postcards. This plotline unfortunately becomes immediately predictable and contrived and Altman's directional tools seem to lay at his side as this formula suspense angle almost overwhelms the sly humor and excitable performances which keeps this constantly amusing film afloat.
Rating:
Summary: Smart, not what I thought it was going to be but better
Review: Robbins does a terrific turn in this film about the cliques and backstabbing in the movie business. Over 50 stars make appearances... so many that we often stop the tape to argue over who it is. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Not bad but not the masterpiece it is sometimes said to be..
Review: Tim Robbins is Griffin Mill, a Hollywood executive who spends his working day listening to pitches. He's made it, he's a player, an insider: big starts recognize him in exclusive restaurants (though he has a lively sense of the fragility of these things and is assiduously watching his back.) David Kahane (Vincent d'Onofrio) is none of these things. He is an earnest young chap who wants to make it as writer but hasn't and isn't going to. Like thousands of others he has made his pitch to Mill and drawn a blank and his resentment still burns. Mill meanwhile is getting bitter and threatening postcards evidently from a rejected writer. He figures Kahane must be the man behinds this and they have a difficult confrontation which ends with Mill killing Kahane. The film has suspense, laughter, violence, sex, nudity: all the ingredients Mill lists to Kahane's ex, June (Greta Scacchi) as conducive to a film's being marketable. But it takes a certain ironic distance from all these features. As it does still more from a further ingredient on the list, happy endings. It's certainly an engaging, fairly witty film that is well worth seeing, an interesting study of fame, failure, success, desperation and cynicism. The most natural complaints would be that it suffers from too large a measure of the cynicism it examines and that the knowing self-deprecating irony is overdone - (perhaps to the point of protesting too much). And prehaps a more deeply and uncomfortably subversive film about Hollywood would perhaps not have successfully recruited quite so much of the A-list to do cute cameos as themselves.
Rating:
Summary: The best anti-Hollywood film ever made by Hollywood
Review: Griffin Mill is a young hotshot producer who everyone bows and scrapes to because he has the powers to get a movie made. However he starts getting bugged by a dissatisfied writer which leads to all kinds of deadly intrigue. Just when I thought Altman had gone totally off-the-boil he suddenly jumps back with his most perfectly realised film. While hardly unapplauded on its release (and in short retrospect) this is a movie that will be regarded by future generations as a classic. It is so smart, sassy, funny and has a beginning, a middle and an end. The kind of tragicomedy that gets the best of both worlds. Robbins is perfect as the lead. He doesn't do much or emote much. As Robert De Niro once said "most people don't show their emotions, they hide them." Occasionally we get behind the shield of human indifference, but only occasionally. We don't like him much - nor should we - but he is not so bad that we can't bare him. Indeed he is merely someone whose selfish world gets out of control. Whoopie Goldberg makes the most of her unlikely casting too. The appearance of stars in guest parts adds a bit of icing, but that is all. I loved Altman's directions to the stars who had to play walk-ons (who else could have got that?) "remember, you are responsible for who you are on screen. You are playing yourselves!" The sexy Scacchi plays the love interest with great skill. While just a muse she is a far better actress than most and this shows in her short screen time. Shame she hasn't more involvement in the main plot. Like breaking a car down in to its competent parts, taking The Player apart only leaves an ugly mess of oil and metal. Together it drives a tight little film that has insight, drama and comedy. I would hesitate to call this a masterpiece, but it is a mini-masterpiece that however farfetched never reaches the point of being totally unbelievable. The pay off at the end is one of the best belly-laughs any film buff could ever get. I doubt I will see a better film about modern day Hollywood in my lifetime. Like Pulp Fiction, a film that is as enjoyable the second time of viewing as the first.
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