BURT REYNOLDS IN 'BOOGIE NIGHTS' STARRING MARK WAHLBERG

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQeDkkZXn6ENCiCorQMfu7jfAs3ZQ2xOUPbZODF1FbC3BTeP2j8uy9kOBgFy-mhU1B_1OXfX5NK9TGEUXr_fW-J63ISobUu2JJx42Ud0GeJctkzw4gLCyV6QW2MqC4iBD0uSBhVSupdpD4vpodoawobD3FyXY5sAmBJEVXGDl_MR0lZZzA1UH3Sb88Q/s1173/0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="1173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQeDkkZXn6ENCiCorQMfu7jfAs3ZQ2xOUPbZODF1FbC3BTeP2j8uy9kOBgFy-mhU1B_1OXfX5NK9TGEUXr_fW-J63ISobUu2JJx42Ud0GeJctkzw4gLCyV6QW2MqC4iBD0uSBhVSupdpD4vpodoawobD3FyXY5sAmBJEVXGDl_MR0lZZzA1UH3Sb88Q/s16000/0.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Burt Reynolds & Mark Wahlberg from BOOGIE NIGHTS Year: 1997 Rating: ****1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Basically the GOODFELLAS of the 1970's porn industry, Paul Thomas Anderson's BOOGIE NIGHTS mirrors Martin Scorsese's mob classic from similarities such as wall-to-wall groovy tunes to deliberate homages like an end-of-the-second-act death (Joe Pesci to William H. Macy) that leads to a morbidly cascading downfall of all remaining characters, suddenly thrust and exposed into the bright-lit 1980's...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Of course NIGHTS is a classic all its own — both the celebration of a porn star's life and a cautionary tale of the decadent lifestyle to get and remain there: with budding star Mark Wahlberg as porn climber Dirk Diggler... </p><p><span></span></p>

burt reynolds, don cheadle, heather graham, john c. reilly, julianne moore, mark wahlberg, nineties, paul thomas anderson, philip seymour hoffman, thomas jane

BURT REYNOLDS IN 'BOOGIE NIGHTS' STARRING MARK WAHLBERG

Burt Reynolds & Mark Wahlberg from BOOGIE NIGHTS Year: 1997 Rating: ****1/2 Basically the GOODFELLAS of the 1970's porn industry, Pa...

ALL THE FUSS ABOUT MOCKINGBIRD

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_T5nDTjZOYF9Qak7qd9zqg0x1R9OxAOyUZjGk7cRoGIkkIfH91HySl8Kcli3L15GF1NvC5sJLXyyeyghg7e0Cl-d_46c_xb-zkrB6ooBXN4H98hQ-WhqO81_SUqdJxH-FNGz5XzhFL0/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_T5nDTjZOYF9Qak7qd9zqg0x1R9OxAOyUZjGk7cRoGIkkIfH91HySl8Kcli3L15GF1NvC5sJLXyyeyghg7e0Cl-d_46c_xb-zkrB6ooBXN4H98hQ-WhqO81_SUqdJxH-FNGz5XzhFL0/s1600/11.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <u>Mary Badham struggles with hard times and mean people with father/lawyer/mentor Gregory Peck</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> It's a falsehood what they say about birds. A falsity. What's the right word, Norman? Anyhow, we're not talking stuffed motel birds or real sky birds, but one in particular. Mockingbirds, that's it. And as we learn from one of many lectures, they don't hurt anybody, true; yet those suckers can keep you awake all night.<br>

adaptation, classic, gregpry peck, mary badham, philip seymour hoffman

ALL THE FUSS ABOUT MOCKINGBIRD

  Mary Badham struggles with hard times and mean people with father/lawyer/mentor Gregory Peck It's a falsehood what they say about ...

WEAVING THROUGH BOTH IN COLD BLOOD & CAPOTE

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOlyGKoJsoi8QmRcII6jDZSvMXhxFBINwWvJCFud6JzsRwxJURVD2nLvasZryLsyJ6Q1iFa1oCKrwT-mr988Re_SQqETyndoSIt8txJwl7YZ6rE6EtpM5Nlud3noIbKJclbBbetIoXh0/s1600/file_537824_capote2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOlyGKoJsoi8QmRcII6jDZSvMXhxFBINwWvJCFud6JzsRwxJURVD2nLvasZryLsyJ6Q1iFa1oCKrwT-mr988Re_SQqETyndoSIt8txJwl7YZ6rE6EtpM5Nlud3noIbKJclbBbetIoXh0/s400/file_537824_capote2.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Philip Seymour Hoffman as controversial author Truman Capote Year: 2004</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Truman Capote, after writing what was considered to be the best book of its genre... a genre that he himself created with IN COLD BLOOD... basically retired and became famous for being famous, partying through two partying-decades until his slowdown and eventual death, caused by alcoholism, in 1984. And that genre is what can be considered a "true crime novel" that, based on a real life event, seems fictional in how the story flows in an otherwise page-turning, thriller fashion.<br>

2005, biopic, catherine keener, chris cooper, jazz score, philip seymour hoffman, true crime, truman capote

WEAVING THROUGH BOTH IN COLD BLOOD & CAPOTE

Philip Seymour Hoffman as controversial author Truman Capote Year: 2004 Truman Capote, after writing what was considered to be the best ...

REVIEW OF THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQGmbmcblwdHKeXMpN2i5ZFsOjJ1-ywqv16u4dfBGt6fQq4iY300hwY8FJbu4KJxcHuNXbxG31Y1kKYXlonnYXY9uo5ccioYf4fcFM6_zrEwJVTIP5rHUogqOb-NXkvs_1Mgli_Q356E/s1600/hunger_games__mockingjay_part_1_movie_poster_by_triggerhappy039-d7iav0c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQGmbmcblwdHKeXMpN2i5ZFsOjJ1-ywqv16u4dfBGt6fQq4iY300hwY8FJbu4KJxcHuNXbxG31Y1kKYXlonnYXY9uo5ccioYf4fcFM6_zrEwJVTIP5rHUogqOb-NXkvs_1Mgli_Q356E/s320/hunger_games__mockingjay_part_1_movie_poster_by_triggerhappy039-d7iav0c.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> Once again, Woody Harrelson receives most of the giggles, but it was nice hearing the late Philip Seymour Hoffman get the first real laugh… <br /> <br /> When Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen erupts with angry passion about her captive soulmate, Peeta... who spends most of the film <i>being</i> filmed far away from the underground compound where the rebellion resides... Hoffman’s Plutarch Heavensbee points at Katniss and shouts something like “That’s it” with genuine heartfelt emotion: for now they’ve found the perfect commercial girl for propaganda…<br /> <br /> Propos, for short, are broadcasts to inform districts that still aren't aware of President Snow’s villainy, thus catapulting the masses into hopeful revolution. To explain the backstory would be a waste of time: if you haven’t seen THE HUNGER GAMES or CATCHING FIRE, maybe you should. And despite being a means to an end, this is the most fulfilling episode for a reason...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr2cS1xb8XTg2ZypGZCXFKyIeahOh0OPi7szYztrdUTWw210r_DTWddcI6umNol4co1aJHUGQlhBi9SLJjYK_32HLT1yIMPlVglxKS_9k7OI5LGckAX_c-cEwJG_yCpbQioJ1OCX4q7w/s1600/mockingjay.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr2cS1xb8XTg2ZypGZCXFKyIeahOh0OPi7szYztrdUTWw210r_DTWddcI6umNol4co1aJHUGQlhBi9SLJjYK_32HLT1yIMPlVglxKS_9k7OI5LGckAX_c-cEwJG_yCpbQioJ1OCX4q7w/s1600/mockingjay.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A posthumous Hoffman</td></tr> </tbody></table> From covert operations to code breaking to air raids to city ruins to dams being blown to bits, MOCKINGJAY PART 1 is a bonafide 100% good old fashion war movie. Taking a while to get rolling, the pace is intentionally slow until, as Katniss finds true motivation in battle, the action scenes occur but never without reason.  <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> Winning an Oscar isn’t the only proof of Jennifer Lawrence’s talent as an actress... The fact she pulls off being a terrible one during the first of several propos auditions is something that takes an experienced performer to achieve… Check out an intentionally monotone Julianne Moore in one BOOGIE NIGHTS scene and you’ll get the idea...<br /> <br /> Speaking of whom, Moore is cast as the underground leader bringing the eclectic lot together. And the only real downer is exactly what the teenage target audience needs most… Romance!<br /> <br /> During weepy moments where Katniss has second thoughts while brooding over Peeta, grownup viewers may wish they’d leave Romeo and Juliet for the last (upcoming) installment... Which, gladly enough, <i>is</i> the case here... And not without a strange last-minute twist that could blast PART 2 into melodrama overdrive. But that's another bridge to cross. Let's hope it doesn't go <i>too far!</i>

2014, action, franchise, jennifer lawrence, julianne moore, philip seymour hoffman, sequel, war, woody harrelson

REVIEW OF THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1

year: 2014 rating: ***1/2 Once again, Woody Harrelson receives most of the giggles, but it was nice hearing the late Philip Seymour Hoff...

A POSTHUMOUS PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN A MOST WANTED MAN

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7pkdXU-e5kCWAJSEhC4cfRYhQbX0Hv_vjOjpLbiZV-NePoRn3g29ra2LdFK0emIEYrw2V9Sceixjyu8JvnQCRZ7aDAOeKTSUeRyQU2JDLsCdwl3YcvZenew7vGKmkbA5tTPBC3_6E1c/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7pkdXU-e5kCWAJSEhC4cfRYhQbX0Hv_vjOjpLbiZV-NePoRn3g29ra2LdFK0emIEYrw2V9Sceixjyu8JvnQCRZ7aDAOeKTSUeRyQU2JDLsCdwl3YcvZenew7vGKmkbA5tTPBC3_6E1c/s320/1.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> The late Philip Seymour Hoffman always did vanish into his roles, and as German anti-terrorist agent Günther Bachmann, becoming someone else is a requirement...<br /> <br /> Being that Hoffman, an American, is playing a German, speaking English with a thick accent and hunkered down in a stuffy office adorned by photos and tacked-on dossiers, providing his life’s work in a claustrophobic office/purgatory where Bachmann takes his job seriously… As seriously, in fact, as Hoffman took his entire cinematic career: And in this case, it’s a sublime yet subtle combination for fans of the actor and the potboiler genre.   <br /> <br /> Based on a spy novel by slowburn espionage guru John le Carré, A MOST WANTED MAN is surprisingly basic and, unlike other movies of this kind, doesn’t expect the audience to follow impossible red herrings while suffering overlong doldrums to get to the good parts. <br /> <br /> Throughout the cat and mouse maze, centering on Bachmann and his associates keeping tight eyes on a Chechen Muslim immigrant who literally washed up on the shore of Hamburg, Germany, we get equal glimpses into the trudging journey of Issa Karpov and those following him, eventually veering into a subliminal romance with Rachel McAdam's Annabel Richter, an idealistic lawyer helping Issa dodge those who may hinder his apparent “cause,” which, set post 911, is highly questionable. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9B8SI7KY5MQgV15p1cNJGH4a7ghqwmQVJJueeB337DnVR1_v3xO-zbY5qEkOT2gznvlnjdkiPOtAoKceMfXJf2z77Zal9yvezME9nK6DKY4MLS6IQrIgjh_vnz_YSR6kedPOdmhOTr5g/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9B8SI7KY5MQgV15p1cNJGH4a7ghqwmQVJJueeB337DnVR1_v3xO-zbY5qEkOT2gznvlnjdkiPOtAoKceMfXJf2z77Zal9yvezME9nK6DKY4MLS6IQrIgjh_vnz_YSR6kedPOdmhOTr5g/s200/2.jpg" width="126" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RIP</td></tr> </tbody></table> There are predictable elements, like the very ending – no shock to anyone familiar with espionage flicks peripherally dealing with the American government – and the fact this wanted man is really a misunderstood victim of circumstance, deleting an important element of suspense had he been more ambiguous. By the young actor’s sheepish countenance alone, we know he’s got nothing to hide but himself.  <br /> <br /> But it's really fun watching Hoffman’s agent slowly crawl out of his brooding shell, becoming more than a mellow observer in a progressively arduous task he’s done many times, which is apparent by his world-weary expressions. Only a great actor could provide a character’s entire history without use of expository flashbacks or back-story, and very little dialogue.<br /> <br /> In Hoffman’s case, it’s all in the eyes. He seems to look through just about anyone to get to what he knows already. Damn shame life had to intrude upon art.

2014, espionage, philip seymour hoffman, rachel mcadams, robin wright, thriller, willem defoe

A POSTHUMOUS PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN A MOST WANTED MAN

year: 2014 rating: ***1/2 The late Philip Seymour Hoffman always did vanish into his roles, and as German anti-terrorist agent Günther B...

EDWARD NORTON IN 25TH HOUR W/ PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN

<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFl82M_tYWNVCvXXXmKmSKAGAhYzZWA7HTFM1rfqdVwGClK-CAGw9jjE3suttQ1NbmJnDR8bC-Aab5_nKjsWNS-Oa8zi-f7B83OYdXK5fWQTuiHaWagicBUXc4sdQMu9b4yOsw73Jhyk/s1600/bf39967d-4aa1-47fa-bfae-a0892d0b3c13_zps64b73dd0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFl82M_tYWNVCvXXXmKmSKAGAhYzZWA7HTFM1rfqdVwGClK-CAGw9jjE3suttQ1NbmJnDR8bC-Aab5_nKjsWNS-Oa8zi-f7B83OYdXK5fWQTuiHaWagicBUXc4sdQMu9b4yOsw73Jhyk/s1600/bf39967d-4aa1-47fa-bfae-a0892d0b3c13_zps64b73dd0.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2002 rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;"></span></i></b>Blaming director Spike Lee for making a film in which the soundtrack is almost louder than the dialogue, providing a misleading aura that something incredibly intense is about to happen at any given moment, would be like knocking Martin Scorsese for the use of excessive violence: only the latter is far more intriguing and befitting the plot... But let’s give Spike some credit for this particularly edgy joint…   </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /> In 25TH HOUR, Edward Norton’s Monty Brogan is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Even before the opening credits he saves the life of a really angry dog that has been dumped and, bloodied-up and close to death, is all fangs and noisy drama…</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Thus the veil lifts to a post 911 New York, and much like a Spaghetti Western or even a Mad Max venture, Monty is a wandering loner in a city of (partial) ruins… yet he’s not entirely alone...</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> With a newly reformed mutt he visits his friend Jacob, a teacher at the Catholic school he had attended in the past, thus providing the late Philip Seymour Hoffman one of his more subtle, low-key performances. Despite being one man’s odyssey, the movie isn’t really about a singular character, cutting back and forth between three friends also including an intensely unlikable Barry Pepper as Frank, who works in a makeshift office as a Wall Street stockbroker, his fancy apartment shadowing Ground Zero...<br /> <br /> During one scene, while Frank and Jacob are discussing Monty while overlooking the ghost of the World Trade Center… Possible symbolism aside, this conversation is important because their best friend doesn’t exactly play by the rules… </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Monty is a drug dealer who winds up busted by the DEA, and has an entire day and night before being incarcerated for seven years, a melancholy journey in which to say goodbye to friends, family, and especially his lover, Rosario Dawson’s sexy and down home stripper, Naturelle… Yet the story, leading to this pivotal point, may sporadically grate on the nerves…</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> In what’s probably the most memorable scene, Monty stares into a restroom mirror, shouting “f--- you” to everyone he's got it in for: ranging from Italians to blacks to Bush and Chaney to Jesus Christ himself, all being shown in quick visualized snippets...</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDhlvyAtobNJTowx8vD00IGf0lYPKtkl-CHb3Oa4DwHNqEBeYeLMYhCuPLYXCi-BblJOcstidRZIu2dHOlGRuWeYkQP3nrfZxHKIyaCRKy0nTcLv8tsSmO5IRNkL2jEEYx7OHeTBOe5g/s1600/25thhourpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDhlvyAtobNJTowx8vD00IGf0lYPKtkl-CHb3Oa4DwHNqEBeYeLMYhCuPLYXCi-BblJOcstidRZIu2dHOlGRuWeYkQP3nrfZxHKIyaCRKy0nTcLv8tsSmO5IRNkL2jEEYx7OHeTBOe5g/s1600/25thhourpic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pepper, Norton and Hoffman toast</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> One might sense there’s more author intrusion, or perhaps the director trying too hard to be controversial, than a genuinely personal frustration on Monty’s part… It almost seems like he's on the verge of saying, "Are<i> you</i> talkin' to me? I'm the only one standing here..." at any given moment...</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Although, despite being somewhat forced and overboard, this jarring montage delves into the frantic mind of a character that is only likable on the outside.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> The best and most important part has all the characters, including Jacob’s flirtatious jailbait student, banded together at a noisy bar: While Frank, Jacob and Naturelle tie loose ends, Monty... who has mere hours until being locked up... is practically forgotten until an intense scene with a backroom Russian mafia… Here we get to know how tough our man really is: Discovering the moment of truth in more ways than one.</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 25th HOUR has a slow build up that gets more interesting as it goes, leading to a bombastic clash between the main characters... But the ending, although visually stylistic and poetically written, packs too much dialogue for the senses: An ambiguously dream-like sequence where Monty’s father narrates what could happen if his son doesn’t chose jail…</div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> While there’s intrigue to whether the character will do his time or split town, it would be difficult to sit through this part a second or third time. As for the rest of the movie, with so many ingredients constantly being thrown into a boiling pot, it can only get better with each viewing. </div>

barry pepper, crime, drama, edward norton, philip seymour hoffman, rosario dawson, spike lee, zeroes

EDWARD NORTON IN 25TH HOUR W/ PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN

year: 2002 rating: *** Blaming director Spike Lee for making a film in which the soundtrack is almost louder than the dialogue, providi...

HELEN HUNT & BILL PAXTON & PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN TWISTER

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7teHwGtuhsCnsVoipcjh3O3jRvB9ugVhHOLPaQYqngUNRCdQU6ekh4m4aHvd2FyHtDTkNhGcDDRkwKxAexeNl3y1u-QQ4sbq86IuzQ5ankfw8uxa7JhBcdBYdv760u0nqIXaCcSooet0/s1600/t3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7teHwGtuhsCnsVoipcjh3O3jRvB9ugVhHOLPaQYqngUNRCdQU6ekh4m4aHvd2FyHtDTkNhGcDDRkwKxAexeNl3y1u-QQ4sbq86IuzQ5ankfw8uxa7JhBcdBYdv760u0nqIXaCcSooet0/s1600/t3.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">year: 1996 rating: ***1/2</span></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">“It’s really hard to define yourself in this big movie competing with special effects,” actor Scott Thomson, who plays one of several storm chasers, said in a Cult Film Freak interview. “The star of the show is the TWISTER.”</span></i><br /> <br /> And we can’t forget the flying cow that really made a lasting, iconic impression although there are many other great visuals: including an assortment of tornadoes that practically become living/breathing movie monsters...<br /> <br /> The aesthetics aside, TWISTER is a character-driven film, literally. And while there are an assortment of storm riders aboard the dilapidated mobile caravan, the two leads are Bill Paxton’s Bill Harding and his soon-to-be-ex wife Jo, played by Helen Hunt.<br /> <br /> The story begins with Bill seeking one last signature to finalize the divorce. Here we meet the intrepid team, highlighted by Philip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty, an energetic, classic rock blaring hippie slob, randomly goading the uptight Jami Getz as Bill's naïve, tagalong fiancé who is actually quite important: during most of the film, it's through her shocked eyes we experience what the others are completely used to....   <br /> <br /> Especially Helen Hunt’s Jo, who, during the intense childhood prelude, loses her dad to a farmland tornado… Her story goes slightly beyond Bill’s determination to prove his contraption/invention <i>Dorothy</i> can, when whisked up into the sky, learn specific information so that, in the future, people will have more than a two-minute storm warning. In this story Jo has her own revenge angle... Tornado chasing is not only science, it's deeply personal! Then again Bill's idea had been ripped off by his corporate scheming rival (Cary Elwes), adding motivation and dimension to his character.  <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaJGAByW95GUCeyBiNxlxuqf3n-XlryHxSSKKAyVFW-71YQRhGk2HfacGkT9eMbeT5P-NQRwG3w677AL1lZX88eCO2B58aqCRLmw2Wta_AtrS-JCL2rBIDAzu-pZsnQCMb9aOJyZmv_U/s1600/t2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaJGAByW95GUCeyBiNxlxuqf3n-XlryHxSSKKAyVFW-71YQRhGk2HfacGkT9eMbeT5P-NQRwG3w677AL1lZX88eCO2B58aqCRLmw2Wta_AtrS-JCL2rBIDAzu-pZsnQCMb9aOJyZmv_U/s1600/t2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">Philip Seymour Hoffman</span></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> A defining attribute of TWISTER is it's constantly on the go... At the same time, an impending sense of doom lurks throughout… Like when the people are on land in JAWS, we never forget where the real danger exists and what's always waiting for us. Thus this roving, suspenseful yarn – even during brief pockets of downtime – relies on the quirky crew stalking a formidable menace that normal folks hide from... And the audience rides shotgun the entire trip.  <br /> <br /> Thankfully, executive producer Steve Spielberg wasn’t finished with author Michael Crichton after his sublime, successful adaptation of JURASSIC PARK… With TWISTER, SPEED driver Jan de Bont directed something special that, although maligned as corny and far fetched despite a huge box office draw, still holds up today: like an actual storm, the adventure begins with a breezy introduction, slowly escalates into a wind-swept cadence and eventually blasts off into several thrilling crescendos. <br /> <br /> Sure, it's a bit much when the tornado becomes a determined, lone antagonist, chasing our two main characters like the end of a cliché horror flick, and the dialogue gets silly and downright contrived, but that's all part of the escapist fun that should keep you completely entertained from start to finish... if you let it! <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzbppyrEjnJAIyFQuYcp-_U5FIBPGxo0YzXyCwdDUhmV9WSByLtASNI6sSuZal5IQwnx_quhZCDofTE8mMkM8o6-OvJ5Tx0K9HVe4H6ZcRO3JwsdlxKIjuM_PSRBPuIxr1v6HXj_BLAg/s1600/t7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzbppyrEjnJAIyFQuYcp-_U5FIBPGxo0YzXyCwdDUhmV9WSByLtASNI6sSuZal5IQwnx_quhZCDofTE8mMkM8o6-OvJ5Tx0K9HVe4H6ZcRO3JwsdlxKIjuM_PSRBPuIxr1v6HXj_BLAg/s1600/t7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #666666; color: white;">Character Actor SCOTT THOMSON discusses working on the hit film TWISTER</span></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #666666; color: white;">This was a real ensemble... There were a whole lot of you on board...</span></b><br /> <br /> Yeah, we’re kind of divided into two camps… Bill and Helen played the parents of all of us storm chasers… The other, Cary Elwes’ team, is the evil team with all the technology.<br /> <br /> We’re the affectionate, scrappy, <i>we’ll do anything including risking your lives in the name of science</i> group, and the adrenaline rush of throwing yourself into a tornado… And yeah, that was a very tricky situation in which all of us on Helen’s team were kind of like, I don’t know... What’s that Greek mythology creature? The one body with the… oh, it’s the Hydra… We were kind of like a Hydra… We were all joined at the shoulders. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF4OjuyhGx6KYBKtvHyNz7jz5pMK4ITo9YNBewuDgdtKa5EPc-pF0tb_LBYD2-tbdvUrEDuj6HONckYg8MISG_1GT7SFB4LaTfEW9X2wNDgU3TbQVCJgxwoPekiTyiqCTOHvQPy1_MMY/s1600/336513_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF4OjuyhGx6KYBKtvHyNz7jz5pMK4ITo9YNBewuDgdtKa5EPc-pF0tb_LBYD2-tbdvUrEDuj6HONckYg8MISG_1GT7SFB4LaTfEW9X2wNDgU3TbQVCJgxwoPekiTyiqCTOHvQPy1_MMY/s1600/336513_full.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #666666; color: white;">Philip Seymour Hoffman with Scott Thomson</span></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> When I read the script, I thought, if I ever played Dusty, that’s the part to have because there’s something there to play… Philip Seymour Hoffman came in and did a bang-up job... We were kind of envying him because he had all the… You know, he had a lot of fun. <br /> <br /> <b><span style="background-color: #666666; color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">Your character is nicknamed The Preacher... What's the reason for that?</span> </span></b><br /> <br /> It was never really defined, to my frustration… I tried talking to the director, Jan de Bont, a nice guy from Holland… His background is a cinematographer, basically, and he’d come out with SPEED and everyone had embraced him because that was an amazing action film, so he was recruited for TWISTER… <br /> <br /> But he wasn’t really interested in getting into the minutia of our characters. I tried to get some time with him... I’d say: “I’m called The Preacher… So this is my take… I feel like I’m a preacher’s son who went over to the <i>dark side</i> of science and yet still had my roots in my Baptist Evangelist background.” But there was no time to explore that… And I tried, but, what are you gonna do?<br /> <br /> I usually just tell people I was the guy in the cow suit. <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoR9rNxgXpcv1RlnpPZDR8ds30SiqCm-8uME8IjEARhnchK8HFbscdPFdC8iagDXZinHkEUDOjLTmlUOmfjO0DRLPfzcw4dyU60p3wYP2ydhroGGoyV7TWYZ6LKnqHVWNhFb6K9oBuLaY/s1600/title00_102852608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoR9rNxgXpcv1RlnpPZDR8ds30SiqCm-8uME8IjEARhnchK8HFbscdPFdC8iagDXZinHkEUDOjLTmlUOmfjO0DRLPfzcw4dyU60p3wYP2ydhroGGoyV7TWYZ6LKnqHVWNhFb6K9oBuLaY/s1600/title00_102852608.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: white;"><b style="background-color: #666666;">"Philip Seymour Hoffman came in and did a bang-up job" Scott Thomson</b></span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqcnOXw89zogpJvvK6_1Zycb6aYDF7IsSBq-TQ10OO5lIUHPz2VWcb76AluhizEl2ZJP3WFUKzTMUAhf-1I4FAc3pmu0Baa7g9zrRNC9SyZB_axXXs1vDeffxA6-z56hlGXdZn2RGvZU/s1600/214689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqcnOXw89zogpJvvK6_1Zycb6aYDF7IsSBq-TQ10OO5lIUHPz2VWcb76AluhizEl2ZJP3WFUKzTMUAhf-1I4FAc3pmu0Baa7g9zrRNC9SyZB_axXXs1vDeffxA6-z56hlGXdZn2RGvZU/s1600/214689.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b>1989 rating: ***</b></span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: white;"><i><b style="background-color: #666666;">And here's a bonus archived review, more of a write-up, actually, of a movie with the same title that probably has its own faithful following...</b></i></span></span><br /> <br /> Let's just say that often, in the cinematic sense, weird has gotten a bad time. When weird is too weird, or weird for the sake of being weird, it's a complete waste of time.<br /> <br /> But in the 1989 independent film, TWISTER, which has little to do with a tornado and nothing to do with the Helen Hunt movie about people chasing them (that came out several years later), gives weird a good name.<br /> <br /> Centering on a dysfunctional, eccentric family in Cleveland living in a mansion: the father played by Harry Dean Stanton who owns a soda pop factory and his two kids: Crispin Glover, who sits around strumming his guitar and acting strange (like he does so well), and the self-involved daughter, Suzy Amis, who hates her life more than her boyfriend, Dylan McDermott, whose tough guy blue collar character gives the movie a firm "normal" base.<br /> <br /> The title is liken to CHINATOWN, having little to do with the plot but everything to do with the unpredictable, spontaneously existential concept. So for fans of weird, this little gem is highly recommended. The dialogue is creative, perfectly suited for the quirky ensemble. And for fans of normal, perhaps it's a good change.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nruMdrb-Syty9Sii__rTCut0M9WxZq4Hl5ah4q7vNH54mpAyQ7BDg5t-0ey3TmoTl57N5kvKFQcR3eTc9FDjXDX3gmMg5PutmQl1G4Ay8xvyHrSoiF7PXcTamNGzQNGysP7tT0EqNqk/s1600/slice_twister_movie_image_helen_hunt_bill_paxton_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nruMdrb-Syty9Sii__rTCut0M9WxZq4Hl5ah4q7vNH54mpAyQ7BDg5t-0ey3TmoTl57N5kvKFQcR3eTc9FDjXDX3gmMg5PutmQl1G4Ay8xvyHrSoiF7PXcTamNGzQNGysP7tT0EqNqk/s1600/slice_twister_movie_image_helen_hunt_bill_paxton_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: white;"><b style="background-color: #666666;">Back to the main TWISTER, here are the stars Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton for good measure...</b></span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=mr0c27-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B003Y5USG4&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=mr0c27-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000W4D94I&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=mr0c27-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000WC3AKI&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=mr0c27-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000002N7W&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=mr0c27-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0000CDLBC&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

action, alan ruck, bill paxton, cary elwes, ensemble, helen hunt, interview, jami gertz, michael crichton, nineties, philip seymour hoffman, scott thomson, steven spielberg, thriller

HELEN HUNT & BILL PAXTON & PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN TWISTER

year: 1996 rating: ***1/2 “It’s really hard to define yourself in this big movie competing with special effects,” actor Scott Thomson, w...

JOAQUIN PHOENIX & PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN THE MASTER

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnskGfz0aoQ7oM5h50HgIij7MuCdYoJPcw26PGzb2hyphenhyphen-t7U6s265Pgf3MjDvHZrRAis1GOcZSotomGLHUYXkqBjUkHUOqbfdDhJcO_degRqhj2ylaAg8Ar0tH5iDhlt4g7Suh_7ylNK5S/s1600/37188921_520218058407375_901784278499590144_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="874" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnskGfz0aoQ7oM5h50HgIij7MuCdYoJPcw26PGzb2hyphenhyphen-t7U6s265Pgf3MjDvHZrRAis1GOcZSotomGLHUYXkqBjUkHUOqbfdDhJcO_degRqhj2ylaAg8Ar0tH5iDhlt4g7Suh_7ylNK5S/s320/37188921_520218058407375_901784278499590144_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>An unseen Master and Joaquin Phoenix YEAR: 2010</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> By the time Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell, a troubled, boisterous, alcoholic Second World War veteran, discovers that “He’s making it up as he goes” about The Master, a writer/guru named Lancaster Dodd played wonderfully by Philip Seymour Hoffman, you’ll wish he didn't realize it so soon – because Dodd can be hypnotizing and his cure seems legit...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_pKLReOkRPrAySWjtBc2zld5mSyMCCUqDS8rX8owlJRr374m0Op-U7RJG_lRIt4HLXKkKvRz3bcWlKCBo9iDgE_49J0Tv-bfWr6TVqUk44WBF0JVztkD8NHiOq_n_4hh_hdTwLcT-gg9/s1600/1796578_10203162700170776_174374727_n.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_pKLReOkRPrAySWjtBc2zld5mSyMCCUqDS8rX8owlJRr374m0Op-U7RJG_lRIt4HLXKkKvRz3bcWlKCBo9iDgE_49J0Tv-bfWr6TVqUk44WBF0JVztkD8NHiOq_n_4hh_hdTwLcT-gg9/s200/1796578_10203162700170776_174374727_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Philip Seymour Hoffman died 2014</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> But that’s only because Quill is so screwed up to begin with, so as we spend the first quarter struggling through his violently meandering post-war life, when Freddie begins to come around we finally get to know the character we’ve been burdened with thus far...<br /> <br /> Gaining flashbacks of a young small town girl Freddie loves, Dodd asks him pointed questions – which need to be answered without hesitation or the blink of an eye (very much like what goes on within an actor's workshop)... This is a pivotal, moving scene bringing two polar opposites together. So what if Dodd’s practice, loosely (or not so loosely) based on Scientology, is really an empty road…<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwzB6psMyAsvQvKQL20oBhNzfBbbVAW13QYF9YuwPWJVcYzVAQph539F1bNlClPzlOIwx9F3y10AgUIJy7ahodfPZaWKZDpVlHAhkfAknTqYCW5mgQ1rf-dZjdgYd8MTk6H9aaH910Jgc/s1600/Picture%252B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwzB6psMyAsvQvKQL20oBhNzfBbbVAW13QYF9YuwPWJVcYzVAQph539F1bNlClPzlOIwx9F3y10AgUIJy7ahodfPZaWKZDpVlHAhkfAknTqYCW5mgQ1rf-dZjdgYd8MTk6H9aaH910Jgc/s320/Picture%252B1.png" width="211" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The Master Score: ****1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> If it can turn a human mess like Quell into more than a mysterious stranger, so be it. He still holds onto his independent strength, only now he has something, or rather someone, to fight for, and it's true that writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, no stranger to big dynamic and overlong productions, takes advantage of the fact he’s created a cult leader who speaks more than he means and doesn't always make sense, giving the script free reign to meander without a structured plot or purpose. <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> Even though Hoffman's mesmerizing, mysterious, and earthy turn as the title-bearing focal point, never showing any obvious signs of being a con artist or an enlightened leader, is what the picture's named after, THE MASTER is really about The Follower...<br /> <br /> And as the audience witnesses the turnaround of a truly lost soul, they’ll either follow or lose faith. But there’s no denying the dynamic performances of the two lead actors. If anything else, it’s one helluva bizarre, and truly unique and original, buddy bromance.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div>

2012, drama, joaquin phoenix, paul thomas anderson, philip seymour hoffman

JOAQUIN PHOENIX & PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN THE MASTER

An unseen Master and Joaquin Phoenix YEAR: 2010 By the time Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell, a troubled, boisterous, alcoholic Second Wo...