Review of Hollywood Sign, The

Introduction

Hollywood Sign is a movie about washed up actors struggling at the tail ends of their careers, which ironically stars washed up actors struggling at the tail ends of careers!

The story centres on three actors who decide to steal $10,000,000 to finance a comeback movie, but must deliver the best performances of their lives to get away with it.

The film stars Burt Reynolds, Tom Berenger and Rod Steiger (who died earlier this year).

Video

The video comes in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and is of above average quality. The image is stable, there is no sign of dirt and negligible grain. The picture looks over exposed at times, giving a couple of scenes an almost surreal look; conversely, other scenes are a little dark, resulting in a lack of consistency throughout the movie.

The visuals are competent but unexciting, offering little in the way of memorable scenes, but looking the part throughout.

Audio

The soundtrack comes in Dolby Digital 5.1, but only makes limited use of the rear channels, with the sound focussed on the front three speakers. The rear channels are used occasionally, and when they fire into life, the sound is well reproduced and has good dynamic range.

The overall sound level of the movie is very low, and I had to turn up my amplifier way beyond my normal listening point. However, the sound levels across the speakers are normal, so when you`ve got the overall volume to the right level, the dialogue is clear and understandable.

Irritatingly, the volume level in the menus is normal, so when you jump back to them it`s very loud!

Features

The only extra on the disc is the trailer.

The menus are well animated and easy to navigate.

Conclusion

A rather un-original plot and a general lack of direction make Hollywood Sign a bit tedious at times, and overall it is only an average movie. The main problem with the film is that it looks tired on most fronts, offering nothing not already done (better) elsewhere. Despite problems with the plot and a dull script, there is some good banter between Reynolds, Berenger and Stieger which put the occasional smile on my face.

The video and sound are both above average and the extras very minimal.

Given the above, I`d recommend waiting for the Region 2 version to appear in your local rental shop or library instead of buying this Region 1 edition.