S1m0ne

Pros: great one-liners, strong acting, thought-provoking subject matter

Cons: could have been a little shorter

The Bottom Line: An entertaining, witty film that deals with thought-provoking subjects.

Review: I was unsure of whether I was fortunate or unlucky when I won sneak preview passes for Simone. I had heard almost nothing about the movie -–Al Pacino stars, Simone is probably short for SIMulation ONE, Simone is murdered(?) in the film, and conflicting...

Pros: Often intriquing, sometimes funny look at the future of technology and Hollywood.

Cons: Slow at times, ending takes wild turn.

The Bottom Line: In a world where almost everything we see not with our own eyes is digitally enhanced - could our actors one day be bits of 1's and 0's?

Review: In Gattaca, Andrew Niccol took us on a vision of what the future could be like with advances in DNA sequencing. With The Truman Show, he took us on a vision of what the future could be like for reality TV. And, once again, with S1m0ne, he...

Pros: Witty and wise, buoyed by a nimble performance by Al Pacino.

Cons: Loses steam toward the end.

The Bottom Line: A smart and savvy satire of celebrity.

Review: On paper, S1m0ne has many things going against it. After logging considerable time on the studio shelf (it bears an unadjusted 2001 copyright) New Line has given the film a minimally-promoted dead-of-August release date, which doesn't exactly...

Pros: Original satirical concept; Pacino & Keener.

Cons: A few gaping plot holes

The Bottom Line: Despite a few glitches, Simone's one of the most clever satires of Hollywood I've seen in ages. I got my $7 worth, which doesn't happen often enough.

Review: First off, I have to hand it to writer-director Andrew Niccol. It's not easy to come up with a new spin on Hollywood satire, 'cause it's all been done, supposedly. But "S1M0NE" is worthy of a look esp. for those who get a perverse kick out of this...

Pros: Unique concept

Cons: Why does Pacino look like he's strung out in every scene?

The Bottom Line: Unique concept and pretty good ending. See it for its originality.

Review: Without giving away the main sequences, Simone is a movie about a man's last attempt to save his reputation, career, and life. He is in a slump, this famous director, and even his wife has asked him to move out. The teenage daughter is a sweet, young,...

Pros: Funnier than it has any right to be. Pacino is awesome.

Cons: Daughter's character is a bit screwy, the ending is way out there.

The Bottom Line: Simone says!

Review: Oh, fakery. How we adore thee. Simone is a movie all about the wide wide world of fakery, and the people who fall captive to it every day of their lives. It's hard to tell sometimes, when you have a movie about fakery, just how fake ...

Pros: The entire concept is thought-provoking...

Cons: ...but too bad the follow through fell on the flat side.

The Bottom Line: If you liked The Truman Show, you'll probably like this one.

Review: How many times have you dashed on over to The Smoking Gun to read of all of the demands that actors/actresses and pop/rock stars make just to do their craft? You know, there's the Van Halen thing of not having any brown M&M's and the idea...

Pros: I laughed a lot...

Cons: Most of it was not during scenes that were meant to be funny.

The Bottom Line: 2.5 rounded up to three. A solidly average film in all repects.

Review: The idea of a virtual idol certainly has progressed a long way, hasn't it? The first time I remember it being addressed in a major way, it was in the form of Sharon Apple, virtual antagonist from the animated movie Macross Plus.

Then...

Pros: great visual effects, strong performances by keener and pacino

Cons: great concepts, weak follow-through

The Bottom Line: This movie had definite potential. But the follow-through was very poor. While it is enjoyable as a whole, you're left feeling like it could've been so much better.

Review: Simone is a movie about "ideals." The main character Viktor Taransky (subtly portrayed by Pacino) is a little known director who seems almost obsessed with higher morals and concepts. Taransky is dedicated to the idea of the "ideal" actor, one who will...

Pros: Amazing digital effects, Pacino quieter than you've ever seen him

Cons: Second half of the movie is too scattered.

The Bottom Line: The movie starts out promising, the star is amazing, but it starts to lose it in the second half.

Review: Simone

By Greg Ursic

Many people bemoan the loss of the Hollywood mystique, when contract actors were essentially owned by the studios and lived glamorous, carefully tailored lives, and were surrounded by an air of mystery. The...