Anyone see Simone yet?

[JonathanLB]

I saw Simone today, by the director who created The Truman Show, and I think Simone is actually one of the best 50 movies I have ever seen!

I would rate it the 3rd best movie of the year, ahead of Spider-Man, Minority Report, Changing Lanes, etc. I actually would rate Simone higher than Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. FOTR is a fantastic epic, but Simone is a more thought-provoking film. It really just is a great study of the media and of Hollywood and of the future (digital actors).

It is a landmark film, quite original. No movie is totally original, that would be impossible today, but no movie has ever been done before about a real digital actor. There have been ones that remind me of Simone quite a bit, though.

I would say that Virtuosity, which explores the idea of a computer simulation coming to life, is somewhat like Simone just because she somewhat becomes real through her popularity, even though the two films are vastly different.

Mrs. Doubtfire is like Simone in some ways because Robin Williams tries to be both Daniel and Mrs. Doubtfire at the same time, which proves very difficult. Same in Simone. Al Pacino has difficulty being himself and being Simone.

Of course, Simone is like The Truman Show in many ways, and what is that movie with John Travolta about the media? I want to say Mad City. Not a very good film at all, but this reminds me of the better parts of that at least.

Most of Simone is not hilarious, nor do I think it should be treated like a comedy. Maybe a dark comedy, but it's not meant as a comedy. It's meant as a satire and social commentary, actually, and it happens to be funny because it is also ironic. There is one particular scene that had me laughing so hard, probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen in a movie, but most of it was just "haha" funny, not "LOL" funny, if that makes sense.

I really am shocked in this particular case that the critics didn't all love this film because it's the type of movie that major movie buffs, film critics, and industry insiders especially should enjoy. There are so many knocks at Hollywood that would surely make anyone in the business chuckle at least. I'd think the critics would really be able to appreciate that.

It's one of the best "industry" movies I have ever seen. Actually, it is the best. Not like it has THAT much competition. Hollywood Ending was pretty good, but not very good, hehe.

I highly recommend Simone. My full review is coming soon, as JLBMovies.com relaunches soon...

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well it is not doing well at the box office I think in part from the trailers and also people just don't make of the film, I am sure I will see it eventually, I always like Pacinio even if the movie isn't great his performance always is.

[JonathanLB]

IMO, the advertising for every film that opened this weekend was terrible.

The trailers?! What trailers?! Where?

I have seen every single movie released this year in theaters except for like Juwanna Mann and Powerpuff Girls, but I have not once seen a trailer for Simone before any other movie. That's a bit of a problem. How would I even know it was coming out or what it was about if I never saw a trailer for it? I don't watch much TV, so if there have been TV ads I haven't seen them either.

I saw a poster. I read the tagline and thought, "Wow, this is going to be really cool!" But I forgot about it by the time it came out this weekend and I only now learned that the director who did it also did The Truman Show.

Shame on the studio for awful marketing and throwing this thing out in late August, like the worst time of the year.

You should really catch this movie in theaters, Carr. If you get the chance, I guarantee it is worth it.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I have seen a few commericials a few of them aren't good though, the best trailer I actually saw was on the show Coming Attractions and that is saying how bad the advertising has been. I might see if I can get some free time soon.

[Darth23]

"Anyone see Simone yet?"


:: Looks at Friday's numbers ::

No, apparently NO ONE has seen Simone yet.

:p

[Master Yoghurt]

:p

Actually, I read some comments at other forums where they comment similar, so obviously it deserved a better, but who said Box Office is fair? It is all about marketing these days. :)

[JonathanLB]

Well L.A. Confidential and Fight Club were wonderful movies, but they had pretty lousy box office runs. They had lousy advertising too. Fox really screwed up with both of those. Fight Club has since become a favorite among movie buffs and L.A. Confidential was already a massive critical favorite. I believe it was one of the best movies of that year, certainly better than Titanic. I suppose it was my 2nd favorite that year, behind The Game.

Darth, that was funny :)

It's always a shame when they make lousy trailers for a good film, and it is possible. I consider the Fight Club trailers the worst ever made, worse than ones for AWFUL movies I have seen like Crossroads, but the film itself is one of my 25 favorite movies.

Apparently some other critics really enjoyed Simone, like the Sacramento Bee gave it 4 stars and called it the funniest movie of the year and "brilliant." I agree with that.

I really, really enjoyed it, I just hope I am not alone. Not that I really care that much because what I most care about is that I had a lot of fun and totally loved it, but I always like to see other people enjoy the movies I like too. For instance, I love The Game, but not many other people have seen it apparently and those who have don't always think it is much more than "pretty good," yet I think it is one of the best films I've ever seen. Before Gladiator came out, it was my #1 non-Star Wars film...

Oh, and oops, I realize that Andrew Niccols didn't direct The Truman Show, he just wrote it... He has only ever directed two films, Gattaca and Simone, but he has written three, which includes those two and Gattaca.

I think he is quite talented! Those three films are just awesome...

[Dutchy]

Hmmm... both Roger Ebert and James Berardinelli give Simone 2 stars. Not a good sign.

I'll watch it anyway, though.

It opens here November 7th. Lucky us, we always have to wait ions and ions. :)

[JonathanLB]

Yeah I saw that.

I never know, and we vary on film tastes a lot, but it is my guess that this it the type of film you would at least enjoy to a significant degree, Dutchy. It seems like you would like it too, anyway. You really should see it... Hopefully word of mouth is positive from audiences and it can at least make a tiny bit of money here, haha, because dang, so far so bad. :)

Too bad, it's just another one of those gems that will pass without many people seeing. I hate that. Minority Report wasn't a HUGE success, but it's a well known film nonetheless. I just wish all great movies had that same opportunity, but they never will.

Anyway, I wouldn't take any stock in what Ebert says about anything. He has proven time and again he is a total fool. Gladiator, Spider-Man, and AOTC are all mediocre movies in his mind, yeah ok whatever. One is a best picture winner, the other is considered one of the best Star Wars movies yet, and the other is the highest grossing film of 2002, absolutely one of the most popular films of all time. His taste in movies is terrible. I used to like him, now I just think he is a hack.

If I want to get a good idea about most movies, I look to USA Today, and specifically I want to see what Mike Clark says. I usually am within a half star of his review. With AOTC he said it was 4 stars for fans, maybe 3 for people who know nothing about Star Wars (which is still a fair compliment), and so he "split the difference" and gave it 3.5. But that means if I told him I am a huge Star Wars fan and felt the movie was 4 stars, he would agree with me. That's awesome. His reviews are usually just spot on. I really think he knows what he's talking about and he gives good reasons for liking or not liking any given film.

[Dutchy]

Originally posted by JonathanLB
Yeah I saw that.

I never know, and we vary on film tastes a lot, but it is my guess that this it the type of film you would at least enjoy to a significant degree, Dutchy. It seems like you would like it too, anyway. You really should see it...

Yup, anything thought provoking is my kinda movie. :)


Too bad, it's just another one of those gems that will pass without many people seeing. I hate that. Minority Report wasn't a HUGE success, but it's a well known film nonetheless. I just wish all great movies had that same opportunity, but they never will.

Basically ALL my fave movies pass without many people seeing it. Yeah, too bad, but why bother? It's just their loss. :)

[JonathanLB]

That is true.

It is actually kind of fun to have a number of movies that you really love and that few other people have seen, because it makes them curious to see those movies. Otherwise if your favorite movies are just basically the 10 highest grossing movies ever, umm, everyone has seen them already, doesn't really make your film tastes that unique. Not to say there would be anything exactly WRONG with that, but it would be a bit boring.

Most of my favorite films were successful at the box office, but there are a number of them that were not.

If I listed my top films, there are a fair number of just moderately successful films or outright duds.

Hits:
The 5 Star Wars movies.
The Truman Show.
Gladiator.
Alien

Duds:
Blade Runner
Fight Club
(Both of these are acclaimed, nonetheless)

Mediocre:
The Game (not acclaimed either)
The Count of Monte Cristo (not acclaimed)

Those are just a few of my top films, but then it would start to be like Simone, Braveheart, Aliens, Raiders of the Lost Ark somewhere up there, Lord of the Rings in the top 25 probably, etc.

[JonathanLB]

Here is my review of Simone, the JLB Movies review, though not entirely edited yet, so it could be slightly changed when it hits the site. I caught a few errors and changed them, but it should be good. No obvious mistakes, haha, of course. :) I just am not easily satisfied with what I write.

Simone (2002)
Jonathan L. Bowen

Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, The Truman Show) wrote, directed, and produced Simone, just as he did Gattaca in 1997. Niccol took a four year break between writing The Truman Show (1998), which he did not direct, and completing Simone, which stars Al Pacino as director Victor Taransky. After his leading actress, A-list star Nicola Anders (Winona Ryder), walks off the set of his newest movie as shooting is nearly finished, the studio under which he has a contract fires him and he has to complete his comeback picture on his own. Almost immediately after the studio dumps him, a desperate computer programmer named Hank, who has a terminal illness and less than a week to live, comes to Taransky and wants to give him the software to create a virtual actress.

Taransky at first brushes off Hank’s offer, but when Hank dies just a few days later, he leaves his computer hard disk and his life’s work to the director, who creates his own actress to star in his nearly completed movie called “Sunrise, Sunset.” Nine months later, he has a finished movie with a virtual star, only she is perfectly realistic and her performance is absolutely captivating. Instead of revealing the truth about his leading actress, Taransky makes the public believe she is real and works at creating excuses as to why she cannot really be seen in public. The program that allows him to create the actress is called “Simulation One,” so the name of his star actress who captivates the media, the public, and the film industry is Simone.

The symbolism, irony, and satire in Simone is great. For instance, after a period of nine months, Taransky creates his virtual actress and finishes his first movie starring her, with nine months being the time between conception and birth for humans. The name “Nicola Anders” is a somewhat skewed inversion of the director’s name. Anders embodies the stubborn actors and actresses of Hollywood who make studios meet their every wish before signing a contract. She demands that seven packs of cigarettes be placed in each room where she is filming, then a Jacuzzi must be within 80 paces of her trailer, her trailer must be tall and very long, and most importantly she hates cherry Mike and Ike’s so they must be removed from the candy dishes placed near the sets for her to use. Although real actresses and actors may not have such ridiculous demands, guaranteed many of them have pretty silly ones nonetheless.

Simone is a serious drama, but it also is a hilarious comedy. The humor actually exists mostly because of the irony of the situations created and the social commentary, which really means audiences are laughing at themselves in a way. For instance, the public is obsessed with Simone, and Taransky’s ex-wife Elaine Christian (Catherine Keener) will not even believe him when he tells her that Simone is his creation; she insists that “she made you,” which is partially true. Before Simone, Taransky is a little-known director whose films have flopped, but after her creation he becomes a spokesman for the world’s most popular, and reclusive celebrity.

In many ways, Simone is not primarily a commentary about the future of acting and the possibility of creating virtual stars, but a commentary about the public’s obsession with celebrities and their desire to become part of their lives in whatever ways possible. To many people, celebrities are superhuman, and although capable of error, somehow should be above sin and above mistakes. Simone is the perfect celebrity and her lack of concern for stardom and the spotlight is all the more appealing to the masses. Taransky creates a myth far greater than his own power to dispel, so Simone becomes practically invincible.

The irony in Simone is seemingly endless. In Taransky’s desire to create an actress who obeys all of his commands and performs exactly as he wishes, much like a slave, he becomes a slave to his creation. He has to manage her publicity, protect his myth from being shattered, and be her spokesman and representative to the press. Instead of his directing being entirely about art, his movies become entirely about Simone, which actually detracts from his artistic integrity. Irony also exists in that children owe gratitude to their parents for creating them, and Taransky is like a father to Simone, yet she is the mother of his success; he owes her for “creating” him.

Niccol is a genius for being able to write such a brilliant screenplay, direct it, and put together a cast that makes his words a reality. Pacino is excellent, just after another fantastic performance in Insomnia earlier in the summer. Rachel Roberts plays Simone, and while she is actually a model, her acting is very good and she is totally convincing. Having a model play the role of Simone makes more sense than an actress because of the number of still shots of Simone in the film and the fact that her beauty is a selling point in the plot. She is supposed to be incredibly beautiful, which is part of her appeal to the public in the movie, and Roberts is also absolutely gorgeous.

Although quite original, Simone shares many similarities with various other films. Most notably, it is reminiscent of Niccol’s The Truman Show as it explores the same public fascination with a celebrity figure, although in Simone the situation is somewhat reversed. Simone is not real, but her life is almost just as real as any other celebrity. Truman is a real person, but his life is not real, it is carefully controlled and manipulated. Simone is even like Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) in that Taransky must be both himself and Simone, often at nearly the same time, which creates a lot of humorous excuses and near misses. Mad City (1997) also shares similarities with Simone, but is a vastly inferior movie with many flaws. Still, it also attempts to explore the media’s lust for sensationalism and new stories.

While exploring the public fascination with celebrities, which the media promotes even further, and creating a story about a virtual actress in Hollywood, Niccol has created one of the most brilliant masterpieces of the year. Unique, original, captivating, and very humorous, Simone is one of the best movies ever made about the film industry and is relevant to recent events, notably the creation of nearly photo-realistic characters in 2001’s Final Fantasy movie, which tanked at the box office, but its technology still proved remarkable. Simone is an instant classic and a landmark film.

****

[ReaperFett]

Oh yeah, BO means nothing. Boondock Saints and Way of the Gun hardly set the world alight (Although BDS is classed as a major hit now).


I want to see the film, but may wait until the DVD

[JonathanLB]

It's not the type of film you MUST see on the big screen, though I'd recommend it only because it is such a great movie. But you won't miss out on seeing it on the big screen like you would for Star Wars or Minority Report or something.

I only saw part of Boondock Saints, but it seemed really good to me. Long story short, I was drunk that night, spent about 45 minutes in the bathroom, couldn't focus on the rest of the movie either, haha. Just from what I saw, I liked it. :)

[ReaperFett]

AT least you tried :)

[JonathanLB]

That is true, I did try.

Hehe, I haven't been drunk now for a while. Ok, not that long, but a few weeks anyway. I have too much work to do to grab a few beers or anything.

Plus, for some reason it seemed more appropriate to drink when I was depressed, and now that not being the case, it seems out of place. :)

[CMJ]

I'm sorta interested in this one. Seeing as I have a lack of free time at the moment I'm wondering when/if I'll fit it in anytime soon. :\

[Admiral Lebron]

CMJ, send me 8.5 American and I'll see it for you. :)

[CMJ]

Yeah whatever. :p I've actually had "free time" the last few days because I've been home sick.

I think I'd rather be at work and healthy. Well...maybe not...it is a hellish shoot. ;)

[JonathanLB]

I got a bit sicker today unfortunately, but I feel better now. It's just when I first wake up I feel like crap...

Despite being sick yesterday, though, I wrote 10 reviews and watched one movie, Birthday Girl, which I also reviewed, including its DVD. That was about 15 double spaced pages of writing, maybe a bit more. Not bad!

Today I am at 5 reviews, not great so far, but I'll make sure to reach above 10 again.

I am coming fairly close to being caught up, which means I will be relaunching JLB Movies soon, hopefully for good this time.

I have a really nice opportunity here because the Online Film Critics Society is taking new applications, which means that I can apply as I meet all of their criteria. That will definitely add credibility to my site, but that's not the most important part. The best of all is that if I become a member of the OFCS, then RottenTomatoes.com is accepting new critics who are part of established critics circles or organizations, the OFCS being one of the acceptable groups. So my reviews could count towards the Tomato Meter here pretty soon if all goes well!!! I will be really excited if that works out...