I ask "What was your favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman film?"

Nearly a week has passed since the sudden death of respected actor &director Philip Seymour Hoffman.
So much outpour of love from the Hollywood community and the media who reports it.
Fans have also shown love throughout the web, from Facebook, to Twitter, blogs and online forums.
It is no secret that Philip Seymour Hoffman has always been one of my favorite actors and directors.
His addiction was well known and his death, although untimely, was almost somewhat expected.
It is very sad indeed, as is any untimely death.
What has surprised me more than his passing is the odd outpour of fans who say that Hoffman was one of their favorite actors.
Why odd you ask?
Well Philip Seymour Hoffman, although a highly respected actor, has seldom been in major Hollywood blockbusters, limiting his exposure to a somewhat select few.
The question that I ask while conversing with anyone about the death of Hoffman seems harmless; "What was your favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman film?"
After hearing everyone say how much they loved Hoffman, I would expect them to spew a long list of favorites...
However all I hear is emptiness, nothing, no clear cut answers for an actor who was decorated and been honored multiple times by his fellow actors.

Hoffman may be remembered, sadly by many, as being "the fat kid from Boogie Nights" (according to Seth Macfarlane)
For someone who has over 60 film credits under his belt, 4 Academy Award nominations & 1 win, being remembered as being the fat kid from Boogie Nights is sad.

Hoffman stirs echoes of a mature Brando, often steeling scenes away from his top billing actors.
Make no mistakes, he was no dashing lead actor, nor was he the Hollywood prototype star.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was, in every sense of the word, a character actor.

If you are  to watch but a few Philip Seymour Hoffman films, here is a very short list of the ones I recommend

• Punch Drunk Love
• Red Dragon
• The Talented Mr Ripley
• Capote
• Happiness
• The Master (one of my favorites of 2013)

Philip Seymour Hoffman dead at 46, reports say

CBC Reports

Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment in New York City on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a law-enforcement official.
The New York Police Department is investigating, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is to determine the exact cause of death, the newspaper reported.
Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 2005 biographical film Capote, and received three Academy Award nominations as Best Supporting Actor.

More to come

Review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Dystopian romance and totalitarian Olympics


It is extremely hard for me to review a film that I believe is simply a blatant rip off of other popular films and/or books.
What upsets me the most is that paid critics and fans of the book/or film, seem to key in on the fact that it's a controversial and an original story when in fact it clearly isn't.
If you want controversy, let me see some blood and some heads flying off of children's neck, if you want originality than you must separate yourself from a cinematic journey that looks like a cross between a Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam film.
If I can remove thoughts of piracy, story thievery and cinematic unoriginality out of my head and focus on subject A) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire  for what it is,  I will say that as a stand alone film it is decent and entertaining.
Again, I must try hard now not to somehow view Catching Fire as a rip off to the original Rollerball or  The Running Man...but that is hard to do since I am a big fan of the originals.

I love me some Woody Harrelson but he felt slightly out of place throughout the film and somehow I doubt he has ever read the books...in a sober state at least.
Stanley Tucci and Philip Seymour Hoffman are fantastic actors, and even with a thin script and underwhelming dialogue, they manage to remain professionally good.
As for title character Katniss Everdeen., played by the young and marginally talented Jennifer Lawrence, I will say that Jennifer Lawrence simply doesn't command the screen as other young(er) actress have done in the past with such high profile roles. She doesn't disappoint, but doesn't steel the show either.

Their is clearly and effort to entertain the masses with big colorful and pleasant visual affects and a few action packed twist and turns throughout the film. I will not say that you will be at the edge of your seat while watching this, but you feel uneasy because we never quite get a good feeling that the good guys will come on top over the twisted and sinister game wardens...and this to me is the films saving grace.
The appeal to tweens is there with teenage love affairs which is pushed on to the audience in a way that feels unnecessary and dull.

Catching Fire is currently a box office hit, it appeals to the masses due to the popularity of its teen-focused books, the hype around Jennifer Lawrence and actually all supporting actors as well as the big budget it carries for it's special effects and it's action packed-love (sigh) themed storyline.

While the film is long, it may not appear so to fans who probably wish it would of lasted 4 hours instead of it's 2 and a half hours.
The script is awful but this is unnoticeable because honestly, Tucci, Harrelson, PSHoffman and Sutherland are just that good. They are working with a lemon of a script but can still produce lemonade.
The visuals are good but very a-la Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam.
Overall, as a stand alone film, it is palatable, but I can see that the romantic aspect of the movie could turn off many adults. As for fans of the books, I'm sure this may be the greatest film ever since ...Twilight.
If you are bored and looking for something decent  to watch Catching Fire can do the trick, but please do not expect a cinematic marvel or a creatively original story.
A deterrent to watching this film may be that you should probably have watched the first film and then expect to sit through a total of 5 hours of movie watching.

As a stand alone film, not considering all the hype, I will give it a 6/10