Zeroville

source: Zeroville

I feel obliged to say something with all the hate the movie is getting. I could go into the many reasons some may have for hating it but I won't bother because for too many I would just be wasting yours and my time. I enjoyed the focus of editor being the voice of any movie. Producers and Directors matter of course but if you have a bad editor it can destroy any movie project. I do take issue on how he could have learned the editing craft so quickly but ignoring that the fact that it was a woman that helped mentor him was a plus. The movie also shows how dependent Hollywood is on who you know and becoming the 'new' talent wanted by others in the industry can create a hype around you. Knowing the early history of how many of the directors that shaped American film culture in the 80s and 90s and to learn that many of them were friends or even schoolmates early in their careers was a treat to be seen in the movie as well. I do feel the homage taken to earlier movies and directors, and how it showed actors, specifically actresses could have a harder time getting their careers to be taken seriously was also another point I liked. I do wish it also gave recognition to the other people who can make a movie magical from the Sound, Production, Costume, and other artists involved but would it have served the artistic vision of the movie? I do feel it was worth the time to see.

What a complete mess! The story and the direction was all over the place. Just a paycheck for Franco and his friends. Don't think they ever intended to make a real movie. It's complete trash!

Dark look at depression, loneliness, mental illness, living life through the fantasy lens of movies. Strange casting because all these folks usually make comedies together but interesting to see them in different material.

My surprise of the year was seeing this movie being on screens for like a week here in Tallinn, Estonia, in one of our popcorn multiplex cinemas which usually only shows mainstream big budget Hollywood stuff ... no idea how it got into the program there. Judging by the amount of votes here on IMDB it was barely screened in USA. It was actually a really good movie too!

Ranco's reinterpretation of Erickson 's 2007 novel, "Zeroville" is good entry for an art-house film festival! It tries to follow the novel's initial story of Vikar, played by Franco as a young architect, turned film editor in the late 1960s. Hollywood turning its head to 1970s movie production, funny performances by Jackie Weaver, Seth Rogan and Will Ferell as its industry community! Vikar, obsessed with Elizabeth Taylor, afixes his disillusion onto Soledad, a struggling actor/mother, played by Megan Fox. She is Vikar's lookalike to Taylor and the rest of the film tries to reflect late 60s subcultures. Although many scenes feature a catchy techno, somewhat 80s synth-sounding tracks that only break that suspension of belief. But Franco's delivery of Viker's descent into madness is quite fun... his performance almost makes Vikar like an out of time, or even a kind of multidimensional character. Some of the film's imagery is somewhat surreal using archived footage, split-screen shots, it seemed like an art project. Overall it is not a classic (has several weak spots) but for die-hard fans of Franco's talents as an actor and director should get a kick out of it! Maybe this was a warm up exercise for Franco to start working on the biopic of the cult film, "The Room" since this film 's production was in between 2014-2015.

This film has meaning a depth and meaning to someone, but that someone just isn't me. Maybe that someone is you? If you're a big fan of cinema history, you might have a chance of understanding this film. And I think any comparisons to "Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood" aren't straight. This film is a passion project, and to some could become a cult classic. But to me, I just wanted to Rogen/Robinson/Franco laugh out loud. That's what I expect from this cast, but hey! they've earned they're stripes, so can make what they want, for themselves andd industry insiders. I wish I got this film, but I just don't

This movie is weird, but if you love weird, you'll love this. It's a good film in my opinion and I think that it is very arthouse and I love arthouse.

Greetings again from the darkness. In this age of comic book movies and remakes, creative and artistic filmmakers are to be commended for sticking to their vision, no matter how cloudy. James Franco has put together a most unusual career as both actor and director. Here he takes on both in this adaptation of Steve Erickson's novel, with a screenplay by Paul Felten and Ian Olds. It's a movie seemingly made for movie nerds, but this particular movie nerd, while enjoying some of the homages, mostly found this to be too messy to recommend. James Franco plays Vikar, a socially inept loner with a shaved head and permanent scowl. On that head is a tattoo of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift from A PLACE IN THE SUN, the first movie the sheltered Vikar ever saw (11 months ago), and the one that initiated his obsession with movies. Vikar finagles his way into the industry - first as a set builder, and then under the tutelage of veteran film editor Dotty (Jacki Weaver) - reaching award winning status as a filmmaker. Along the way, the character of Vikar recalls Chauncey Gardner in BEING THERE. Is he a genius, or so simple-minded that his thoughts are accepted as brilliant? It's 1969, and in an early scene, Vikar is interrogated by police regarding the murder of Sharon Tate. This is our first indication that fact and fiction will be blended here to make whatever points the film is trying to make. Vikar befriends Viking Man on the set of LOVE STORY, and we soon realize John Ford wannabe Viking Man (played by Seth Rogen) is a stand-in for John Milius ... a Hollywood legend worthy of his own film. The two new friends attend a beach house party where a group of up-and-coming filmmakers are brainstorming in the living room. Represented are Steven Spielberg, spit-balling a shark movie; George Lucas, yammering about robots; and a young Scorsese and Coppola. Vikar is soon attracted to and dreaming of a beautiful actress named Soledad Paladin (Megan Fox). This shift of gears to romance from industry commentary does the film no favors. The film is at its best when Vikar is navigating the waters of a Hollywood in transition, including an old school power producer played by Will Ferrell. One of his scenes has him singing "Lum-de-lum-de-lai" in an odd show of power as he attempts to win the girl. Others making an appearance include Danny McBride, Dave Franco, and Craig Robinson - as a burglar who educates Vikar on the nuances of SUNSET BOULEVARD, Erich Von Stroheim, and MY DARLING CLEMENTINE. Joey King has a key role as Soledad's daughter Zazi, and she even sings on stage. There are so many nods to Hollywood, that the film plays more like an experimental art project or trivia game than an actual story. The famed Roosevelt Hotel is featured, as is Frances Ford Coppola's (played by Horatio Sanz) out-of-control film set of APOCALYPSE NOW. A quite colorful description of John Wayne is offered up, and the silent classic THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST takes center stage. We even get Iggy Pop and The Stooges at CBGB, and the first song we hear is "It's My Life" by Eric Burdon and The Animals. A key note here is that this was filmed in 2014, and has been caught up in a quagmire of bankrupt distributors ever since. That could explain the questionable flow and editing, but we can assume the wild camera angles were all part of Franco's plan. It really plays like an experimental film and it covers a few years, though we are never really sure how many. The twist at the end is pretty easy to predict, and unfortunately, it leaves us wondering where an obsession with cinema is likely to lead us.

Im so surprised at the IMDb rating. And it actually....can give u hope. I liked all the actors and went into the movie not know anything about it. It was interesting I stayed with it. Then...it became more interesting. Then towards the end I was enthralled and even got chills one moment when I realized that there was whole other level achieved and done so sneaky that it makes u almost want to rewatch it again. But the psych level achieved was just enough to make this movie one to remember and even rewatch. Maybe not right away. But it's worth a rewatch for sure. Great movie.