I wasn't a fan of his Capote - I much preferred Toby Jones in Infamous.
My top ten PSH performances:
1. Happiness
2. Owning Mahowny
3. Synecdoche, New York
4. The Master
5. The Talented Mr. Ripley
6. The Ides of March
7. The Savages
8. Boogie Nights
9. Magnolia
10. Almost Famous
I'm a big fan of his but he was very slobby in his films. My favourite is probably The Boat that Rocked (Pirate Radio) because he seemed minimally slob-like in it.
shareMine was when he got strapped in a wheelchair in Red Dragon and sent down the street lit up like a roman torch.
shareI wouldn't consider it a favorite but I thought his performance in A Most Wanted Man was interesting and realistic.
shareLoved him in Flawless. Very underrated performance.
shareHE WAS GREAT IN EVERYTHING.THE BIG LEBOWSKI WAS A GOOD ROLE...MY FAVORITE HANDS DOWN THOUGH IS....LOVE LIZA.
holy cow, i came to this thread to say that love liza is my favourite too. that is one of my favourite underappreciated & bleakly funny movies.
shareI HAVE WATCHED MY DVD AT LEAST 10 TIMES OVER THE YEARS...ITS STARK,DEPRESSING,IT HAS NO REAL RESOLUTION TO ANYTHING...YET ITS AMAZING AND REWATCHABLE AS ALL HELL.
sharei haven't seen it in ages.
but i just checked & it is streaming on tubitv!
i am 100% watching this tomorrow night.
https://tubitv.com/movies/547498?utm_source=justwatch-feed&tracking=justwatch-feed
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
shareExplain. I know the movie.
shareHere's what I wrote in my review:
The story is akin to 1998's "A Simple Plan" in regards to a money-making scheme gone awry. The difference is that the loot in "A Simple Plan" was drug money from a crashed plane, which was basically up for grabs. Consequently, the characters are never viewed as criminals by viewers; they're just regular folks taking advantage of a pot of gold thrown into their laps. It's their lust for lucre that is their downfall.
By contrast, the scheme in "Before the Devil" is a clear-cut crime right out of the gate, even though Hoffman justifies it as "victimless." With the possible exception of the whimpering Hawke character none of the people win the viewer's sympathy. They're getting exactly what they deserve.
Some complain about the mixing of chronology, but I found the story structure well done, interesting and easy-to-follow.
Perhaps the main negative is that the film revels in the worst in humanity. Take, for instance, Hawke's ex-wife who can't say one word to him without cussing and sheer antagonism. Or how about a peripheral character's brother who seeks to extort money from Hawke, an obnoxious tough guy who evidently thinks he's immortal (Michael Shannon)? Or what about the father, Albert Finney: Can the tragic events in the story be an opportunity for him to search his own heart and work toward positive changes, investigate the "sins of the fathers", discuss things, etc.? Forget it. With the possible exception of one character these people are too far gone.
So what's the point? Don't commit crimes to make fast cash? Don't develop an expensive drug habit? Don't marry a selfish, unfaithful, materialistic woman? Don't marry a witch with a capital 'B'? The sins of the father will pass on and multiply? Arrogant tough guys must die? Some people live off the evil of others? All the above?
It offers wisdom to stay on the straight and narrow and, best of all, lingers with you.
Nice review.
shareI thought he nailed L. Ron Hubbard in the Master without doing an impersonation.
The grandiosity and pomposity. The fake erudition. Just about perfect.
He was usually great in everything he did, though.
Other favorites:
Capote
Scotty - Boogie Nights
Brandt - the Big Lebowski
Oklahoma, sit down and let the Men talk.
share