Review by Gary Tooze

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Description: When he is thrown off his latest effort (a deodorant commercial being filmed in the frozen north), he desperately seeks a real movie project. Out of the blue, Val receives an offer to direct a big-budget blockbuster movie to be set in New York City. However, the offer comes from his former wife (Tea Leoni) and her current boyfriend (Treat Williams), the studio head who stole Val's wife from him. Pushed by his agent (Mark Rydell), Val agrees to the project, but a psychosomatic ailment strikes him blind just before production is to begin. The movie plays out with an aging director struggling to regain his vision, both metaphorically and literally a... Hollywood Ending.

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Val Waxman (Allen) is a one-time prestigious film director lately reduced to overseeing cheesy television commercials in order to pay his bills and support his current live-in girlfriend (Debra Messing). Woody Allen stars as Val Waxman, a two-time Oscar winner turned washed-up, neurotic director in desperate need of a comeback. When it comes, Waxman finds himself backed into a corner: Work for his ex-wife Ellie (Tea Leoni) or forfeit his last shot. Is Val blinded by love when he opts for the reconnect? Is love blind when it comes to Ellie's staunch support? Literally and figuratively, the proof is the picture.

 

 

The Film:

Excerpt from SusanGranger located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

In our FB group we posted some of our favorite Woody Allen films. There was lots of support for the expected; Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, Broadway Danny Rose, Stardust Memories etc. - I continue to appreciate Match Point, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Mighty Aphrodite, Love and Death, Small Time Crooks and many others. However, I was the only one that included Hollywood Ending on their list! I think it's hilarious but I see critics were lukewarm on it, too. What.Ever. This 1.78:1 Blu-ray from Scandinavia is the only one I could find for the film. The 1080P image quality shows bright colors, some depth and is superior to SD with decent detail. It's a single-layered disc with a reasonable bitrate. It probably will never look significantly superior to this.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio is unfortunately lossy - via a simply Dolby stereo track. As per Woody's penchant there is a lot of vintage music in the film from Bing Crosby, Gene Krupa & Benny Goodman, plus Dick Powell, Frances Langford, Johnnie Davis (as Johnny "Scat" Davis) singing Hooray for Hollywood, two numbers performed by Jackie Gleason etc.. There are optional Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or Finnish subtitles (and a 'none' option) and my Oppo has identified it as being region FREE playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

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BOTTOM LINE:
Hollywood Ending never gets stale for me. It always amuses me and has some of the hottest babes in a Woody Allen film with Téa Leoni, Debra Messing and a ridiculously sexy Tiffani Thiessen. This Scandinavian, bare-bones, Blu-ray is far from ideal but gives a superior video presentation than SD. It's not worth the double-dip if you have the DVD but is the best way to see the film until another 1080P release, hopefully, surfaces soon. I fully endorse the film - especially to film fans who may get some of the more subtle nuances of filmmaking humor. Ex. the quote regarding Haley Joel Osment's "Lifetime Achievement Award" (who would have been 14 at the time of Hollywood Ending), was a mocking reference by Woody of his personal distaste and perceived silliness and absurdity over the extensive, self-congratulatory, award shows. I also loved the line "I love you, Scumbag." Such is moi.

Gary Tooze

December 16th, 2016