Mondo Hollywoodland (2021) – Film Review

Hollywood, the land of Titans, Weirdos, and Dreamers; at least according to Janek Ambros. What drives people to do what they do in Hollywood? You could say that Hollywood is a city, but it’s more of a culture that seems to evolve over time. Mondo Hollywoodland is about a being from the fifth dimension who lands in Hollywood and aims to wonder the meaning of “mondo.” The movie starts with a psychedelic mushroom dealer named Boyle (Chris Blim) who aims to give us the answer as to what “mondo” is, as we explore Hollywood and the people he knows around town.

I really liked the way it’s filmed, and how the story seems to be connected in a way. I won’t talk a lot about the film as it’s a bit more of an experience, but the story is a bit creative. Some of it can be lost in translation in the beginning, but as the movie proceeds further, you get more of an idea of what it is. The film is divided into three categories: Titans, Weirdos, and Dreamers. The ‘Titans‘ are people in Hollywood who are in the industry and pull the strings regarding entertainment. You don’t really feel the need to cheer for some of these characters; at least that was my experience. Some of them are a bit annoying, but the standout was Alex Loynaz as Ted.

Next up are the Weirdos and Dreamers. Boyle is part of the Weirdos, and though the film is not shot particularly from his perspective, it feels more like a documentary style of filmmaking. I really liked the experimental vibe some of the shots had. This movie was inspired by the 1960s era of Mondo genre of films, specifically Mondo Hollywood from 1967. Mondo Hollywoodland is a more updated approach of the style and culture of Hollywood, and while some of the story and structure elements seem out of place at times, you can certainly have some good times in certain scenes of the movie.

The movie’s second and third act make up for the entire feature length. I also want to mention that the standouts were Blim and Ambros. Their characters seemed to be the most entertaining parts of the film. While the movie has some good elements that work in the experimental side of indie cinema, it does have some faults story wise. I appreciate the work Ambros had for this project, and he certainly should feel proud. It’s a decent entry in the independent cinema scene, and while the film does have some issues, overall it’s somewhat entertaining and interesting.

Final score: 3.5/5