Rating: 
Summary: Simone
Review: Very disappointed.
This movie was as entertaining as paint drying.
Rating: 
Summary: The Wizard of Odd
Review: From the other reviews you will get the gist of the movie. Languishing director gets gifted his salvation which after use and exploitation in the right proportions turns into his poison.The concept, the actors, even the writing is good. But the movie doesn't work. It is neither funny or compelling and leaves us treading the lost-between-drama-and-comedy water. Pacino who is always consistently good - is... good but no more. Technology like money is inherently neutral. You have to make it good or evil or likable or threatening. But Simone never makes us feel one way or the other. So our emotions are always in the gate but the gun never fires. Pacino instead of becoming the wizard of oz becomes the wizard of odd. I don't want to give a way the ending - BUT HOLY COW HOLLYWOOD WRITERS DO PRECOCIOUS TEENS ALWAYS HAVE TO BE THE HEROES OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY? Come on, give us middle aged folks a break. I don't know about you but my kid (and I love him dearly) breaks my computer all the time and shrugs - SHRUGS!!! - when I ask him what he did and if he can undo it. Ah well you learn the importance of backing up your work which I suppose is a good thing.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment from Andrew Niccol
Review: SIMONE [107 minutes / Rated PG-13 for some sensuality] Andrew Niccol is fascinated by the effects of technology on society. He wrote and directed the underrated 1997 film, "Gattaca", which showed how genetic engineering might alter society. It was a chilling and altogether possible vision. He wrote "The Truman Show", a dazzling satire of reality TV and our obsession with the media. I am sad to report that his latest effort, "Simone", falls flat. The premise is clever, but the script fails to deliver either much excitement or a clear message. Victor Taransky [Al Pacino] is a famous director whose recent string of flops has jeopardized his career. When the star of his latest movie [intended to be his comeback] walks off the set, he his devastated. A few weeks later he receives a package from a lawyer representing the estate of a mad computer programmer Victor barely knew. Inside is a series of disks which will allow him to digitally create an actress. He names her Simone and uses her to replace the star who quit. The digitally altered movie becomes a hit, and Simone becomes a phenomenon. There is a media frenzy, and Victor must decide what to do with a star who doesn't exist. Pacino tries hard to breathe some life into his part, but the script doesn't contain enough witty or satirical material for him to succeed. The usually excellent Catherine Keener has problems with her role as Victor's current boss and ex-wife because it is hard to know what it is about the character that would make Victor want her back. Eliminating this overused subplot altogether might have helped the movie by giving the main theme more room. There are still lots of interesting stories to be told about society's battles with its technological creations. If Niccol decides to continue exploring this subject, I wish him better luck next time.
Rating: 
Summary: Really funny movie! Loved it!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! I wasn't expecting to be really entertained by it because I heard it did not do all that well at the box office but I went and bought it anyway to see what it's all about and boy was I surprised! It's a really funny and entertaining movie! I'm glad I bought it! Al Pacino was great and the perfect choice for the role of Victor Taransky. I highly recommend this great movie!
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL MOVIE
Review: I cannot say much more than what anybody else has said already. I avoided the movie in the theatre because it didn't seem like it would be much: A superficial movie with a gimmick. - Upon renting and watching it, I was pleasantly surprised. I liked this movie all the way through. I was very moved. Mesmerized. I found one reviewer that thought this movie was terrible. I disagree - but it only goes to show that everyone sees things differently. I was able to suspend disbelief and go into the movie. Wonderful story; I rarely give any movie five stars. Although technology is not there yet, perhaps it will be some day, that didn't matter to me. To explain this movie is difficult. Yes, I can tell you the plot - but there is something special about it that is very difficult to explain. The one person who didn't like it - and I am sure there are others - seemed to have missed that specialness altogether. I didn't see it as being a comedy - although discussed by others in that vein. Al Pacino was great. I didn't find anyone, including him, flat. The way something artificial becomes a star accepted by everyone as a real person, the way even the movie director Viktor Taransky (Al Pacino) finds himself relating to her (as if he is relating to a part of himself, as if he is having a relationship with his creation), is interesting. It is a kind of a love story: Everyone in love with a fantasy. Although not real, she has taken on a life of her own. I have heard of writers saying that about characters they have created. - And here, that is what happens to Taransky. This is about what happens to Taransky, and to everyone who grows to love a character that no matter what he tries to do - when it comes to a point that she is gaining recognition and not he - they still love her. I am not going to tell you where this all goes and how it ends: That's part of the enjoyment of this film. Will you like this film? If you can allow yourself to become immersed, yes. If you need to look at it and say the dialogue falls short, the acting is this, the storyline is not plausible, no - you probably won't enjoy it as much as I. When it comes to buying movies, I am very particular, and I don't know if I would buy it because I am more likely to buy very old films or special effects movies like Spider-man, Lord of the Rings, etc. So, it really depends on what kind of movies you like. Check it out, though.
Rating:
Summary: Pacino Has Reached A Low Point In Acting
Review: After The critical sucsess of the the Thriller "Insomia" Pacino
broke ground with some intense action best i've seen from him
in a long time. So after seeing this film "Simone" i thought
it wasn't funny or compelling at all. Pacino plays a director
who's going through a slew of emotional problems when he encounters a computer enhanced model to impersonate an a real life actress. Bogus storyline Hard to imagine a star of Al Pacino's Magnuitude taking part in this considering the awesome
body of work pacino has done in the past why would he take on the
role of a crazed idiot and possibly damange his great carrer? This film is definatly not for the die-hard pacino fans.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable for everyone!
Review: This is a five stars, fun, and very enjoyable movie. It will bring a smile to anyone! Al Pacino plays a downward movie director whose career rebounds after "Hal" (2001 Space Odyssey?) a mysterious fan leaves him a computer that generates the perfect actress. Call her the Bo Derek of this millennium except, Rochel Roberts (Canadian born model as Simone) who is breath taking will quickly make you forget Bo. Simone, a computer-generated blend of Hollywood's greatest starlets predictably becomes an overnight Hollywood sensation. Victor Taransky (Al Pacino) takes advantage of this animation and secretly creates a character that soon wins two Oscars and becomes an international superstar. Victor trying to keep his creation secrete, continues to get pressure for Simone to make public appearances. Victor finally figures out a way to trick the public, the media, and the heads of the studio by using a hologram and special effects (Not as far-fetched as one might think in today's computer world). The movie is very entertaining and fun for the entire family. Pacino's one-liners are especially funny when he realizes he is going to have to kill-off Simone. "She indestructible", he mutters from his prison cell (the police think he killed her) as he sees her on a breaking television news story. The movie is time well spent as well as, a great addition to your DVD collection. It will bring a smile to anyone. Movie note: Rachel Robert's in real life husband Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show) wrote produced and directed this fun, and very enjoyable family movie.
Rating:
Summary: Believe the other reviews at your own risk
Review: This is the first review I have written and I only write it to warn those who, like me, read reviews before buying. This movie is awful! The plot is rehashed stuff from other man-creates-digital-character classics like The Lawnmower Man and Virtuosity. At its best, the acting is two-dimensional. The dialogue sounds like it came with the screenwriting software the script was written on. The only good thing I can say about this film is that it appears to be shot in focus. To quote a great film, 'Get Shorty,' "I've seen better film on teeth." Nothing pains me more than telling you how bad this film is because the writer/director Andrew Niccol is one of my heroes. His first film, Gattaca, is my favorite sci-fi film of all time! And his script for The Truman Show borders on something divine. This guy is a genius. But this film is a dud. Better luck next time, Andrew!
Rating:
Summary: Clever social commentary
Review: Shows us how visually biased we are as a society. Similar theme to Being There, but Simone is superior.
Rating:
Summary: Sharply witty
Review: It's been a long time since I've seen a movie with such wit, beautifully acted. What might have been a one-joke premise carefully plays out sidesplitting variations on its theme. Betrayed by a self-absorbed prima-donna, Pacino resorts to creating a virtual actress via computer. Since no one can meet her, this only fuels a Garbo-esque cult popularity. This fabricated actress is more real to her audience than any flesh and blood woman. When Pacino becomes jealous of the non-existant actress he created, he tries to kill off his creation. Now the complications really compound!
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