Actor in Focus: Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman is definitely one of my favorite actors. Why you ask? Over the years, I've seen him play a variety of characters, and with each new role, he seems to transform into that character; this is what makes him an incredible actor. His taste in choosing the right roles is impeccable, as well. He has won one Academy Award and been nominated for another.

Movie Reel: A quick synopsis and review of the films I've seen in which he's had a leading role. Click on the title for a link to the Netflix Page.

Happiness:

This film is about a bunch of intertwined weirdoes trying to find happiness in their lives. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a man who likes to phone random people and tricking them into phone sex. This movie was a little too creepy for me. The plotlines themselves weren't bad; I liked the plotline about Joy and found the others pretty interesting. However, there was just too much child molestation and masturbation for me to find this movie enjoyable.

Punch-Drunk Love:

Barry Egan, a loner with an anxiety disorder, meets a woman and they feel a connection between each other. But Barry has to deal with the troubles in his life including his anxiety problem, harassment from his sisters, and his credit card number being used by a phone sex number he called. This movie is strange, but that’s what I like about it. There’s a lot of symbolism, so be sure to look for it. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, the man behind the phone sex scandal, definitely delivered my favorite line, “Shut the f - - - up!” Paul Thomas Anderson directs.

Capote:

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the title character of Truman Capote. The plot follows
Capote as he writes his book In Cold Blood, a book about the gruesome murder of a family in Kansas. This movie comes together as a fascinating look at his interaction with the criminals who committed the crime. This movie will easily captivate your attention and keep it until the end. Catherine Keener co-stars as Lee Harper. Hoffman won an Academy Award for Best Actor, Catherine Keener was nominated for Best Supporting Actress; other Academy Award nominations for the film include Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Savages:

This is another slice of life film. Hoffman stars alongside Laura Linney as a brother and sister who have to deal with putting their father with increasingly worsening dementia in a nursing home while simultaneously dealing with the issues in their own lives and reconnecting with one another. This film is incredibly realistic. Not only are the characters relatable, but the plot is, too. Laura Linney received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and the film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead:

Hoffman and Ethan Hawk play brothers Andy and Hank Hanson. They are both so desperate for money that they decide to rob their parents' jewelry store. However, their plan goes horribly wrong. The premise to this movie seemed a lot more interesting to me than what it turned out to be. It wasn't a bad film, just a bit of a letdown for me.

Charlie Wilson's War:

This movie is based on the true story of Congressman Charlie Wilson(Tom Hanks). Wilson uses his efforts as a Congressman to help supply weapons to the Mujadein of Afghanistan so the people can protect themselves against the Soviet invasion, the largest covert operation in history. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Gust, a worker at the CIA who partners with Wilson. I enjoyed this movie because I can't say I knew much (ok, anything) about this subject. Hoffman was hilarious in his role and worked nicely with Hanks. My only complaint is that it seemed to end abruptly, which left me kind of unsatisfied.


Upcoming Movies: The previews for these movies have been released and these films look like they’re going to be good. So hit save on the Netflix page or check them out in the theater. (Warning: You may not want to read the reviews on the Netflix page since sometime reviews give away important parts in the plot. I’ve had movies spoiled for me that way so be careful!)

Synecdoche, New York
Theatrical release date: October 24, 2008(limited)
IMDB Page
Netflix Page
After his wife (Catherine Keener) leaves him, theater director Caden Cotard(Hoffman) decides to build life-size replica of Manhattan inside a warehouse for his new autobiographical play. As time goes on, new struggles arise in his life and the line between reality and his play blur.

Doubt
Theatrical release date: December 12, 2008 (limited)
IMDB Page
Netflix Page
Meryl Streep plays a strict nun who wants to rid the church of the new friendly priest(Hoffman). She uses his closeness to a boy to try to incriminate him and get him kicked out of the school. Amy Adams also stars. My brief synopsis doesn’t sound nearly as exciting and intense as the trailer looks, so be sure to check it out.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 112 minutes

Genre: Comedy, Romantic Comedy

I wasn’t quite sure when I saw this movie. This movie hadn’t been quite as hyped as every other Judd Apatow film I’ve seen. But don’t let that fool you; this movie is as hilarious as every other Apatow film.

This film is about Peter(Jason Segel) and his breakup with his TV star girlfriend Sarah Marshall(Kristen Bell). After they break up, Peter decides he needs to get away and decides to travel to Hawaii. Low and behold, who is staying at the same resort? Sarah Marshall and her new boyfriend Aldous Snow(Russell Brand), lead singer of the popular band Infant Sorrow. Now Peter must find a way to get over the breakup with Sarah Marshall .

There are so many hilarious scenes in this movie, it’s hard to pick out a favorite. One of my favorite scenes about 5 seconds of a flashback –the “you shall not pass!” moment(you’ll know when you see it)...I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. The music in the film is also funny, but actually quite catchy at the same time. I’m not going to like, Inside You was stuck in my head after I saw this movie.

Everyone in this movie was hilarious. I never expected Kristen Bell to be as funny as she was in this movie. I thought Jason Segel was absolutely perfect in the part of Peter; he definitely knows how to pull off the sad guy thing without it being too depressing(it is a comedy after all). I had never heard of Russell Brand before this movie, but wow, casting could not have chosen someone better. He’s outrageous in real life so he fit really well with the character. Some of the best laughs came from the ridiculous things he said. Other members of the Apatow crew(Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd) are also in the film.

I would highly recommend this film if you’re looking for a good laugh. Sure, it’s a predictable romantic comedy, but even if you don’t like them, you’ll be laughing too hard to notice.

Netflix Page for Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Good Bye, Lenin.

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 112 minutes

Genre: Foreign, Comedy, Drama

I don’t know about you, but I never learned about, or perhaps even thought about, the transition from socialism to democracy for the people for East Germany. Even though this film is about an unrealistic(but highly entertaining) story of one family, it still captures the heart of the transition.

Good Bye, Lenin! is the story of Alex Kerner and his family. When Alex’s mother sees him at an anti-communist rally, she has a heart attack and goes into a coma. When she wakes up, her doctor tells Alex and his sister that their mother’s heart can’t handle too much excitement or surprise. The problem is, she doesn’t know that the wall has fallen. Worried that her roommate at the hospital would tell her about it, Alex decides to take her home and tries to recreate the world as it was before the wall fell. But how far is he willing to go to keep his mother from finding out?

Even though all of the references don’t necessarily make sense to me(being that I live in the United States) but the main ideas transfer over easily. Change is hard, especially one as major as this. One of my favorite parts of this movie was seeing how East Germany from its own perspective. I feel like I’ve only seen films that express the negatives of socialism. I felt that this film wasn’t completely biased towards that prospective and that it was a nice change to see. As far as the actual changing away from socialism, it felt realistic. Not everyone was happy with the change, and there were moments where people missed the way things used to be.

This movie is definitely worth your time. It's funny and touching and really does make you think about how we take everyday things such as Coca Cola and Burger King for granted.

Netflix Page for Good Bye, Lenin.

Waitress.

My Rating
(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 104 minutes
Genre: Indie, Romantic Comedy, Drama

A word to the wise: don’t watch this film when you’re hungry. You’ll be craving pie by the end of it. Waitress really is the definition of a chick flick. At times, this film will make you crack up, other times you’ll just want to go “Awww,” and other times you’ll want to cry.

Waitress is a cute little story about Jenna(Keri Russel), a waitress at Joe’s Pie Diner. She works there with her quirky friends Becky(Cheryl Hines) and Dawn(Adrienne Shelly). Jenna’s one passion is pie, and she expresses her life through them. One day, she finds she is pregnant with her obsessive jackass of a husband Earl. Now she has to figure out what to do.
However, I had a few problems with this movie. I thought the fake southern accents were pretty bad and hard to listen to for over an hour and a half. The plot of this movie is really unrealistic, too.

But there were good things too. There were a lot of “aww” moments in the movie as well as hilarious moments. And that’s what makes a good romantic comedy I suppose. For me, the scenes between Jenna and her doctor were both hilarious and aww moments. As a bonus the pies in this movie looked absolutely delectable(they have recipes online here).

Overall, I’d say that if you’re craving a girl-power romantic comedy, this would definitely satisfy your craving (was that meant as a bad pie pun? Either way, sorry!).

Netflix Page for Waitress

The King Of Kong.

My Rating
(out of 5 envelopes):


MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 79 minutes
Genre: Documentary

Remember the good old classic arcade game sof the 80s? Well, have you ever wondered what happened to the nerds who obsessed over them? Well even if you haven’t, see this documentary.

The King of Kong is about Steve Wiebe(pronouned wee-bee), a downtrodden school teacher who has always been good but not good enough. After being laid off, he decides to try to beat Billy Mitchell’s unbeaten high score of 874,300 on Donkey Kong set in 1982.

The world of competitive arcade gaming is still alive and thriving. And you get a pretty good glimpse of it from this film. Twin Galaxies is the organization that is featured in the documentary. The organization tracks video game records and is the official record keeper for the Guiness Book of World Records (you can check out there site here). In order to validate a gaming record, you have to submit a tape to them and then they carefully inspect and scrutinize everything about it, including the machine you played on. It’s an extremely difficult process, as you can see in the film.

The great thing about this movie is that even if you aren’t necessarily into arcade games even close to the degree of the games in the film, you can still get into the film. When the film begins, you’ll think “Wow, how can these people be so obsessed with these games after all these years?” Even though the premise of this movie seems simple, but it plays out incredibly well. The movie has both heroes and villians, and you will cheer for the good guys and root against the bad. You’ll see why these nerds still love video games as much as they used to.

Be sure to fast forward through the credits to the end(or I suppose you can watch them) to find out what has happened since the film with some of the people featured. If you have time, there are some interesting bonus features on the dvd that are worth checking out.




Netflix Page for The King of Kong
This movie is also available on Watch Instantly.

Run, Fat Boy, Run.

My Rating
(out of 5 envelopes):



MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 100 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Romantic Comedy

If you’re like me, you saw this because you loved Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. I wasn’t expecting this film to be amazing, but it was surprisingly better than I thought it would be.

It’s been five years since Dennis (Pegg) left his pregnant girlfriend Libby (Thandie Newton) right before their wedding. Now he wants her back, but her new beau Whit (Hank Azaria), a successful American businessman and running enthusiast, stands in the way. In order to win her back, he decides to run a marathon for charity to show her how much he’s changed since then.

Sure, the plot was predictable, but that’s true for most romantic comedies. I thought that it could have been a lot worse had they not executed it the way they did. However, Run, Fat Boy, Run was lacking a bit in the comedy department. This movie wasn’t as funny as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, but it did provide some good laughs. I’d say a lot of jokes were geared more towards the immature side, though. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. I have to admit, I loved the scene where he attends a spin class with Whit. Absolutely hilarious.

I thought the performances of Dylan Moran (who plays Dennis’s best friend in the film and is also in Shaun of the Dead), Simon Pegg, and Hank Azaria were all pretty good. I can’t really picture anyone else playing the main character but Pegg.

Overall, this movie is a romantic comedy, light on the romance. This movie would make a great date night movie. Especially if you’re guy (or girl) isn’t a big fan of the romantic side of movies. It’s surprisingly cute, while remaining funny enough to keep you watching until the end.





Netflix Page for Run, Fat Boy, Run

The Band's Visit

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 87 minutes

Genre: Foreign, Comedy, Drama

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen very many Israeli films, if any. Both touching and funny, this one certainly makes a good first impression.

The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra takes a trip from Egypt to Israel in order to play at the opening of an Arabic cultural center. However, the arranged transportation fails to show. So instead they must find their own way there. The band boards a bus to a town with a similar-sounding name, and becomes stranded there. The town is in the middle of the desert and there is nowhere for the band to stay. However, the woman who owns the restaurant and then two men who occupy the tables out front of the restaurant take them in for the night.

Keep in mind, this is one of those slice of life movies, so don’t expect too much action in this one. The movies tagline says it all, “Once-not long ago-a small Egyptian police band arrived in Israel. Not many remember this...It wasn't that important.” It’s just people of one culture interacting with people of another. It’s simple, yet it shows that in every culture there is loneliness, love, loss, and joy. The characters are all realistic, complex human beings, who you get to know more of as the film goes on.

Comedy-wise, my favorite scene is when Haled, the young ladies-man of the band, accompanies one of the men he met at the restaurant, who happens to be quite awful with the ladies, to the local roller rink. His date begins to cry and he has no idea what to do. Haled decides to help him which results in a really cute and funny scene in the movie.

As far as serious moments goes, the one that stuck in my mind the most is when the band member who wrote an unfinished concerto is sitting a room with the man who he’s staying with and his child. He then gives him solemn advice on how to finish his concerto after all of these years (I don’t want to spoil it).

The music in the film was beautiful. I loved the hauntingly beautiful unfinished concerto. It went perfectly with the shots of scenery shown while it was playing. The song in the last scene was the perfect end to the film. I just wish there was more music in the film since it was so magnificent.

Netflix Page for The Band's Visit