Hollywood

Christopher Golon's 'Hollywood' is the story of a Detective in LA who goes into the world of adult videos to find a woman's missing daughter. The performances all around were solid as each character felt like they belonged to this world. All at once, I could feel the dirt, the grit, the nasty on these people - and everyone fit their character! My problem is the film's ending. What are we to make of it? And further more, what are we to take from it? It seems that Golon wasn't quite sure on how to end it. But while the conclusion might be a bit jumbled, overall the film was both riveting and disturbing and worth a look simply for its premise and performances.

Los Angeles is where the character of Sara came to make it big and to be a star. Instead she's ended up in skin flicks showing the world her goods. We don't know too much on how Sara fell into porn as we spend almost all of our time with the Detective in his quest.

What feels right about Golon's film is who he cast. Sara is a small town girl who gets eaten by the big city (no pun intended). We all know that Los Angeles seems to house thousands upon thousands of teenagers who go there to make it big. But as we know, very few actually do. Most go back from where they came, some remain at smalltime jobs, and some fall into the strange world of adult videos as Golon's film depicts.

The Detective prowls this world and the deeper he gets, the more displaced he seems to be and the more violent he becomes. I liked it, I believed it, and I recommend it.

Interesting concept executed quite well. The acting was very good and the effect that the film leaves on the viewer is one of feeling dirty.

I felt that the cinematography was very, very well done as the film captured LA in a unique way. The set up was quite compelling and the way each character was introduced really helped to convey their personalities.

The use of loud rock music helped propel the story along and the ending was a tad bit strange as it is open for debate - is it a positive one for the Detective or not? Hmm...

Director Christopher Golon did a great job and the cast he selected were all great as each one seemed to fit their parts.

Good job!

My son passed this film along to me since he said it was one of the most interesting shorts he'd ever seen (and because he knew some of those involved). Directed by Christopher L. Golon, 'Hollywood' is so watchable and chock full of zest and life that one can deal with what seems like a forced conclusion. The film is a cautionary tale with a true feel to the world it depicts.

It is the story of a Detective in LA who ventures into the Hollywood underworld to find a woman's missing daughter. To me the film's journey was similar to both 'The Searchers' and 'Hardcore' which both feature a righteous man who's looking for a young girl who has been soiled by miscreants. My problem is the film's ending as if Golon wasn't sure how to end it. But I understand that the theme was tough and the film's design was a tough one that I wouldn't quite be sure how to end either.

The premise and performances are what counts (as well as the awesome visuals, Golon was his own DP and wow, some of the shots are stunning) but there's no question that the strength to the film's acting is Kevin Michael Turner's monumental performance as the Detective. He had me believe his character with such intensity and a ferocity that makes the viewer believe everything from this character.

'Hollywood' works because it is such an effective film, with a theme that was handled very tastefully. While the actors all seem to be very pleasing for the eyes, this film also has a visual sense of style and it makes strong use of it's blacks and blues.

Very good job to all. I recommend this film with a high regard - great acting, great cinematography, and a good story!