This past weekend, the world said goodbye to Philip Seymour Hoffman, easily one of the most talented actors to grace the screen in the past 20 years. To honour his memory, here is a list of some essential films from the big guy, who grabbed 4 Oscar nominations and one win in his career.
Now, Hoffman starred in such a variety of films that it’s hard to narrow it down to a few. Amongst his greats, there are other fantastic films such as The Ides of March, Mission: Impossible 3, Punch-Drunk Love, Moneyball and Almost Famous.
And then there a few which I have myself haven’t seen but are certainly worth checking out, including Doubt, The Master and Capote, the film that bagged him his Best Actor Oscar
Beautifully acted and savagely underrated, this is the film that essentially introduced me to Hoffman, as he and his brother (Ethan Hawke) plan to stage a robbery at their parent’s jewellery store. Their parents get the insurance, the boys earn the money they need, everyone wins. However, things don’t go to plan, and the brothers find themselves dealing with anger, guilt and depression. This was the last film ever directed by Sidney Lumet, and it was a certainly a fantastic film to go out on. It’s edgy, it’s gripping, and includes fantastic performances, not just from Hoffman but from Hawke, Maris Tomei and best of all, Albert Finney. I never hear anyone talk about this movie, and it’s such a shame because it really is a brilliant piece of cinema
The Boat That Rocked (Or Pirate Radio, if you live in America) is a 2009 comedy directed by Richard Curtis, the genius behind films like Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral. It tells the story of a group of pirate radio DJs (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost, Chris O’Dowd, and Bill Nighy among others) out on a boat in the North Sea back in the 1960s, who throw wild parties and play some rocking tunes. However, politician Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) is out to stop the fun. It may not be as good as Curtis’ other work, but it’s an extremely enjoyable comedy, and there’s a lot of fun to be had with it.
This list wouldn’t be complete without a Paul Thomas Anderson collaboration, and Boogie Nights is a shining example of how a film should be made. It tells the story of rise and fall of the porn industry in the 70s and 80s. Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) is a high school dropout who reaches big fame after being noticed by notable Porn director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), and enter the world of Porn, taking on the best name ever......Dirk Diggler. But it isn’t just Wahlberg’s large penis that steals the show, but has a great supporting cast of Burt Reynolds, John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore and of course Philip Seymour Hoffman as Scotty J., the shy boom operator who falls in love with Dirk. It’s such an understated performance, and done so brilliantly. Not to mention the film itself is utterly fantastic
PTA again, and it’s another masterpiece.
Magnolia boasts a huge cast, including Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Phillip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Alfred Molina, Jason Robards and William H. Macy. It tells the interlocking stories of several different people living in Los Angeles, who are in all some way connected to dying old TV programmer Earl Partridge (Robards), such as Baker Hall as the host of the game show he created, Cruise as his distant son, and Hoffman as his carer. Hoffman is absolutely marvellous in this film, possibly one of his most underrated performances, and should’ve received a Best Actor nomination. However, the finest acting comes from Tom Cruise in an Oscar nominated performance (And should’ve won too) for playing Frank Mackey, a pick up artist peddling a self help course for men. His acting is beautiful. The film itself, whilst very long, is an absolute must see film. Not to mention it includes what it possibly one of the best uses of music in a scene ever, culminating in a haunting and mesmerizing moment that combines all the cast and takes your breath away.
So there we have it. What films will you remember the man best for? Let us know down in the comments!