Simone

Rating:
Summary: SeeMoan
Review: Even Al Pacino could not bring this film above number 9 in the top 10 films this weekend. The idea of demonstrating the superficiality of Hollywood and the, "me centered universe", of those that live and work there is fine. It's an idea that has been done before, but there is always the possibility of a clever new angle. This film suffers from having no story, and even the idea of replacing via computer, what the audience expects to be an actor or actress, is a point in time that has already largely passed.

The promotion of the film was also ridiculous. The studio tried to play with the idea of how real, "Simone", was. They would have had a better chance of casting doubt, had this actress not appeared in Sports Illustrated Swimwear Issues, and was not a readily known fashion model.

At least two of the films that took in much more business and one that has passed the $100 million dollar mark, each include the following. A variety of stunt people who perform for the stars, and in post production have their faces removed, and the star's face is digitally attached. The result appears as the star doing the surfing or driving a corvette off a bridge.

George Lucas and his group at Industrial Light And Magic even faked out their most loyal fans with his recent film. There were entire sequences when the only part of the human actor was from the knees down, every other detail existed in a computer only. This was done not just with helmeted figures like Jango Fett, Ewan McGregor one of the stars of the film was digitally replaced as well. In, "Gladiator", one actor died prior to the film's release and completion, computers were used and the audience was none the wiser. Actors and actresses are now touched up after the film is complete, just as a still photograph is retouched to make them appear picture perfect on a magazine cover.

The issue for the real world is that the day is very rapidly approaching when traditional, readily accepted materials will no longer be used in court, they will have no credibility as evidence. And that topic would make for a great film. Still photographs can now be manipulated down to a given pixel; "Star Wars Episode II", was done without a single frame of film, just ones and zeroes. Scenes and actors could be created months apart and then have the scene put together in any manner the director chose.

A picture will soon be worthless, it will be a creation, not a documentation as it has been for over 100 years. This is the issue that has implications on a fundamental level for our legal system, what constitutes proof, and what is manufactured. This topic is well beyond being the subject of a mindless film, it is extremely important, and some filmmaker will hopefully bring it to the screen before the Supreme Court rules on the issue.

Rating:
Summary: You should see Insomnia instead
Review: Al Pacino deserves an Academy Award nomination for his earlier released Insomnia. Alas, Simone is unworthy of his enormous talent. The story line is implausible and banal. I could never for a second buy into the premise that a film director could indefinitely con the public into accepting Simone as a real person. Pacino and the other members of this superb cast desperately try to breathe life into this mess. Unfortunately, Simone barely rates three stars. This movie will not make it past two weeks in the theaters.

Digitized characters that seem lifelike should be created within five to ten years. However, general movie audiences will almost certainly reject these computer generated characters except for scenes requiring bit players and extras. Homo sapiens inherently prefer to relate to others of their own species. Digitally created "people" will only be popular within the auto erotic milieu of those addicted to pornography. The latter could care less about engaging in a genuine relationship with another live human being.

Rating:
Summary: Good idea, bad everything else
Review: When you hear people speak about an idea, whether an advertising idea, a new consumer product, or a movie--

--that got ruined by too many committees (the old "camel" anecdote)--

think of SIMONE.

Very good idea. What is real in life, in Hollywood, in our imagination? Somehow the premise is lost amid the shenanigans till Pacino is forced to restate it near the end to make us realize the drivel we've been watching is really a "thinking person's movie." It ain't!

Pacino, as good an actor as there is, never makes the part come to l ife. Taylor Pruitt Vince, a terrific and idiosyncratic character actor, does not seem to know who his character is (nor did I).

Forget the fact that Pacino, who admits he does not know computers, is a sudden expert.

If you want to see a good Hollywood movie, DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD and ROAD TO PERDITION are the best. The indys are far superior in general this year. Or stay home and watch HBO.

Rating:
Summary: Pacino becoming one- dimensional
Review: I've been thinking that it was only a matter of time before someone created a virtual model that would take the ad world by storm with no one knowing the model isn't real. With that in mind, this seemed like a great premise for a movie. Ufortunately, Andrew Niccol who wrote, produced and directed this film didn't seem to have a clear idea of where to go with this. At times it seemed like the film would make great biting satire of our pop star driven culture, but never went all the way there, at least not believably. Other times the film tried to touch on the egomania that lies at the core of creative people, but only seemed to glorify the shallowness that overcomes all else.
Most problematic for me is Al Pacino and the types of roles he seems to revel in these days. Distraught, disheveled, twisted and tortured seems to be all of the depth he has left. This just didn't seem like the right role for him at all. All of the supporting characters and actors seemed particularly flat, which someone might say was intentional, contrasting them with the computer generated superstar, but if the point was to create another level of satire it didn't work for me.
Another point. If a movie is to be made with computers at the heart of the storyline, could the directors please hire a technical advisor (perhaps a local highschool kid) to point out the glaring errors! Here's a program way beyond any we currently have, and at one point Pacino's character inserts a 5.25" floppy disk in his "super computer"? Computers haven't had those drives in 20 years. The whole program is given to Pacino on a portable hard drive which he inserts into a disk tray to load? He states that he knows nothing about computers, but after he is given this super program (disk only) he loads in into the elaborate set-up with special function keyboards, motion grab, etc...where did all that come from? It's just too much disbelief for me to suspend and only points out even larger plot holes. They even go as far as not crediting the actress so that we think she may truly be a computer composit, yet the day after the movie was released the real actress (Canadian model Rachel Roberts)was doing interviews. Oh well.
I just can't recommend this movie except as very light entertainment with a good concept done poorly.

Rating:
Summary: Al Pacino looking young again.
Review: A little bit of the opposite from The Truman Show, instead of the world being unreal watching one man, only a too perfectly beautiful yet false actress is being watched by the entire world. Al Pacino's take on this role was delightful as well as the rest of the cast.

Viktor Taransky (Pacino) comes to a dead end after an actress drops the deal to star in his film production. Being that she was too picky and very demanding on many certain aspects, he had no last resort. His last three films were not highly acclaimed as his previous work. He needed an overnight delivery of an amazing talent, which he indeed did receive unexpectedly.

Simone was everything plus gorgeous, and the little scene with a clip from Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's was adorable. Everyone easily fell in love with this singer, actress, model, but little did they know Viktor was the joke behind all of it.

Eventually, the movie led to guilt. And when living a lie, you're practically dead. All of life then has no meaning now, unless you open up to the truth and start all over. There isn't much clarity in those statements, but if you see the film, you might have a better idea of what is being said. Though Simone was virtually created by Viktor, she may have been a fake, but more real than most people today. It's a mockery of all of us, and a tease for Hollywood and the press. I loved it.

Oh, and Winona Ryder and Jason Schwartzman are both worth mentioning for their amusing talents. Well done.

Rating:
Summary: No Question About It This Is The Best Film Of 2002
Review: I have seen a total of 105 movies this year, and thats just the theatrical releases. Never since last years Memento have I walked out of the theater as satisfied as I was after Simone, and I've seen some quality films too, so its not like 2002 is a bad year. Rarely does a movie impress me as much as Simone did, this is a must see. Make sure you stick around after the credits, theres a very funny scene.

Rating:
Summary: Simone
Review: In some respects, this film is a contemporary satire of Hollywood. If that is all it is, it can stand on it's own as a good comedy. It goes beyond that and explores the nature of reality. The disillusioned director played by Al Pachino has had it with the impossible prima donnas he caters to. He creates a synthetic digitalized actress on a computer. Through technology, he is able to program all the qualities he wants in a star.

When his creation becomes a major success, he is unable to bring himself to reveal the deception. This film explors how images can be substituted for reality. It explors what tangled webs we weave when we attempt to deceive.

I would have given this film five stars if the story line had been a little more credible. It was both entertaining and thought provoking.

Rating:
Summary: Andrew Niccol's Simone. The Truth Comes Out
Review: Andrew Niccol is one of the most original screenwriters in Hollywood. He has previously written The Truman Show, and Gatacca. He is perhaps the best science fiction / fantasy writer of his generation. Now, he has written the light-hearted, satirical Simone.

A producer's film is endangered when his star walks off, so he decides to digitally create an actress to substitute for the star, becoming an overnight sensation that everyone thinks is a real person.

The acting is pretty good. In fact, Simone herself is not credited as an actress. It makes the audience wonder if she is an actress, or a virtual image. Pacino is playing a light role, but very funny. There are some great little moments in the film between Catherine Keener and Al Pacino. Elias Koteas is great in an all too brief scene. It's also refreshing to see Jason Schwartzman in a good role after Rushmore.

Niccol's screenplay has a lot of meat to chew on. Pacino's character serves as the best schitzophrenic since Edward Norton in Fight Club. He talks to Simone, and answers himself as Simone. Simone, is a simulation of Pacino's mind. So doesn't that make it unfair that she becomes the celebrity, and not he? Sure, she is the actress, but Al is the creator. Metaphorically speaking, shouldn't the "creator" be given credit for His creations? Or does one have enough free will to break away from their ultimate fate?

Simone, the character, also functions as a metaphor for actors around the world. How can we be sure what an actor is really like? They are in fact, Actors. If they could do Shakespeare, I'm sure they could do interviews, and come across as however they'd like to. This is another theme in Simone. Everyone sees Simone as a beautiful, kind, caring person.. when in fact, she is just a digital creation. Pacino talks for her, and he serves as her true inside, which is basically... a lowlife.

The end, while a bit predictable, is fitting for this type of film. At the end of the day though, Simone is not supposed to give you that much meat to chew on. It functions as great entertainment. If you have nothing else to do, see this highly intelligent, fun movie. Niccol deserves another Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, because that is what this film is... Original!

Rating:
Summary: Pacino is Back!
Review: For my money Al Pacino is the best actor in the world. All his projects usually seem to hae an artistic angle even the blood drenched SCARFACE. Pacino has been in some great movies from the GODFATHER to HEAT to INSOMNIA but as only ventured into comedy territory twice. First with AUTHOR! AUTHOR! and then in DICK TRACEY. The one person you can paralel with Pacino is Mr. De Niro. Robert De Niro also started on a Godfather film but seemed to go through what Pacino went through faster. De Niro did his (TAXI DRIVER) phycological thriller ten years before Pacino (SCARFACE) did. And if you dont think SCARFACE is phycological think about how much it is like an opera. Anyway my point is Robert De Niro went from serious mob movies to comedies which is why he is more well known, Hes done more family acceptable films. Finally Pacino is going the De Niro way ad doing a comedy. SIMONE has some fresh things to it (especially that it is Pacino's third movie the was not rated R out of about 30) The other two were the comedies I mentioned earlier.

SIMONE follows the stuggles of a producer Viktor something or other (Pacino) who is down on his luck. Using the technology of today he creates a computer generated woman and puts her image in a movie. Her name is, yep you guessed it Simone. Simone becomes famous and very well loved leaving Pacino in the dark. So he tries to destroy her but ends up destroying his image even more. Its like a modern day Frankenstien.

Of course Pacino gives a great performance and what is suprising is how funny Al really is. This is a good movie and funny comedy. This is more of an adult movie since most teenagers overlook the great actors like Pacino. As Pacino ventures into this new territory I will be there to watch him and if you want a good day at the movies you should to on August 23, 2002.

Rating:
Summary: A wealth of riches that should have been so much better
Review: Andrew Niccol, writer of director's Peter Weir's highly entertaining and thought-provoking "The Truman Show" takes the helm by directing what I see as an interesting and recurring theme in his work. In both "Truman" and "Simone," Niccol seems postulate that we accept almost everything in our lives without close examination. He goes further to theorize that sometimes what we tend to believe what we are shown even more that what we see for ourselves even if we take the time for a cursory examination. This perspective is particularly appropriate with regard as to how we are in such awe of celebrities and think that whatever they do is worth reading/talking about.

In my opinion, he's on to something, but although "Simone" begins with an interesting premise, Niccol squanders the opportunity and the end result is neither thought-provoking, sufficiently funny, or ever believable at any level even as satire. Although I generally hate to give anything away about the movies that I review, I will get into the main premise, so if you know nothing about this movie, you may want to skip the rest of the review. The movie starts out with much promise as director Viktor Taransky (played by the always great to watch Al Pacino) is having major issues with his impossible to please leading lady Nicola Anders (played with over the top gusto by Winona Rider). Since Nicola believes that she's not being treated like the star that she is, she walks out of the movie before it is finished due to what will be termed the usual "creative differences," even though it's all about ego.

At this point the movie had me hooked as I started to anticipate a satire/spoof of Hollywood a la "The Player" or the creation of an alternate universe a la "The Truman Show," or even better something that would up the ante on both. Regrettably, what follows is a mess. Due to circumstances that are best left unrevealed, Viktor is able to create "Simone," a computer generated actress who does not act like a diva and winds up charming all of Hollywood. It still sounds like it has potential, does it not?

Well, not when the movie never makes a convincing case that Simone is a good actress (in fact her scenes are not very good, but with only one exception, they don't seem to be intended to be funny) or on the other hand the movie does not make the case that her universal appeal might due to her beauty or any "X" factor that it was computer generated that somehow convinced or hypnotized people overlook her obvious lack of talent.

What follows are many attempts to be "zany" as everyone wants a piece of Simone, but that can't happen since she's not real; notwithstanding Vikotr attempts to give the people what they want in ways thar are not as funny or suspenseful as they could have been. Then the movie totally runs out of the little steam it generated entirely by rounding up the story in such a sappy and absolutely unsatisfying way, that you wind up feeling not only bored but cheated.

The performances are good all across. Catherine Keener plays Viktor's ex-wife with great aplomb and Evan Rachel Wood (a future superstar) plays his daughter. Winona Ryder also appears later in the movie and has a scene with Pacino that simply steals the movie; however in the end the story and its execution are so ridiculous that it's impossible to take the characters or their situations seriously or even laugh with/at them. Accordingly if you don't buy what you are seeing nor care what happens, it is a clear sign that the movie has failed even at a base level. It's a shame to see such an interesting premise with such a talented cast totally wasted.

As it stands Niccol does not do anything to further or make fun of a technological practice that is already with us to different degrees. First came actors doing their thing in front blue screens to enhance action/suspense movies. Then came the ability to create of masses of people via just a few to add magnitude to certain scenes/movies requiring scale. Just recently an integral character in "The Lord of The Rings" trilogy was the result of a marriage of an actor and computer animation, and there was talk of an Oscar nomination for the actor "part" of the character. Simone is already with us, but she would not be receiving double Oscar nominations for her feeble seductions in the real world, nor does the movie create one to make such a premise possible.

I give "Simone" 2 stars only because of Winona Ryder's short but vital scenes and because the cast is top-notch even as the movie falls deeper and deeper into a third rate sitcom. I hope that Niccol's next project is more than just a concept as I am sure that the mind that wrote "The Truman Show" is capable of taking a premise and making it work within its own universe.