Philip Seymour Hoffman Movies

22 thoughts on “Philip Seymour Hoffman Movies”

1. 1 Until Bruce produced this page I never realised that Philip had made anywhere near 47 movies Wow!. His roles were so complex and off-beat on too many occasions for him to be a top box office star but he was a spellbinding character actor of the first rank.

   2 The Likes of The Master (2012) certainly wasn’t going to get the tills ringing and in that he played a character allegedly based on L Ron Hubbard the Scientology founder famously associated with Travolta/Cruise. It was far from feel-good stuff but I enjoyed it and my favourite Hoffman performances were in Scent of a Woman, Flawless (1999) with DeNiro The Ides of March (2011) in which I enjoyed the combined teaming of Philip, Gosling and Clooney – though Bruce probably would have preferred a duo rather than a trio there !!!.

   3 I was pleased to learn too that Christopher Walken was one of Philip’s acting idols as I have
   long thought that Chris was under-appreciated by audiences and the fact that Paul Newman was also admired by Philip demonstrates that Hoffman wasn’t guided by George C Scott’s opinion of Paul’s acting abilities !!

   4 Citizen Kane has an adjusted gross of around $32 million in the current Cogerson page and precedent suggests that the figure could rise to somewhere in the $40 – 50 mil bracket on update. That’s not a very high gross but low box office has not prevented Kane being regarded as one of THE GREAT films of all time In honouring stars such as Hoffman with a page Cogerson is demonstrating that it too recognises that an actor doesn’t have to be a box office King to attract enormous respect.

   5 Philip has recently been in the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise but Rosemary Clooney’s nephew is on record as saying that HE doesn’t want to be “remembered for just one summer’s blockbuster..” The importance of Philip’s legacy will not depend on the blockbusters.

   PS In para 2 of my earlier Natalie Wood post this morning I mentioned a movie that seemed to have slipped through the cracks in Cogerson but as I didn’t properly attend to my asterisks I might have caused confusion that I apologise for. The film was Natalie’s No Sleep till Dawn.

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   1. Hey Bob.
      1. I was surprised too about his volume of movies….I think he was able to make so many movies I such a short time is due to his supporting roles he took….I think he made Red Dragon in about a week.
      2. Plus The Master being a bad movie did not help….lol. The Master is one of my least liked PSH movies. His role in A Scent of a Woman is small but memorable…as is his role in Twister. I liked The Ides of March too. Even though George C. Is not my favorite I have seen all of his movies.
      3. With the exception of Daniel Day-Lewis he got to work with all of his idols. I imagine he had a blast working with Walken in The Late Quartet. He appeared in every Paul Thomas Anderson movie except There Will Be Blood…I wonder how PSH avoided working with DDL on that film.
      4. Citizen Kane numbers will be upgraded soon…..but as you say it will still not be a big box office hit.
      5. Got it…about the Natalie Wood movie.
      🙂

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      1. BRUCE:

         1 The Master was certainly not an ‘entertaining’ movie but IMDB’s review called it “a fascinating piece of Work” and I liked it for Philip’s performance and for its study of power and influence. as we have to accept that there are gurus in all walks of life.

         2 Among the British theatrical crowd possibly the four most revered thespians in history were Baron Olivier and the three actor knights as they were dubbed when along with Olivier they dominated the British stage -Sir John Gielgud, Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir Noel Coward.

         3 When Sir Maurice Micklewhite was signed up to co-star with Olivier in Sleuth (1972) Sir Maurice was asked in an interview who would be billed first and he replied “Olivier of course.”
         Sir M must have been equally honoured to work with Noel Coward in The Italian Job for
         Coward was so idolised by highly respected British actors like Sir John Mills that they referred to Sir Noel as – “The Master!”

         BOB

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         1. Hey
            1. I agree the performances were good in The Master…I just found the Phoenix character too unlikable and the story confusing. I read the director showed the film privately to Tom Cruise…who took great exceptions to the movie….but they worked through it in private.
            2. I agree with your British Quartet of Great Brits. Caine used to hang out with Coward in the 1960s….and I think that friendship is what got Coward into the Italian Job.
            3. Caine is such a great story teller….I wonder if his more risque stories will ever see the light. I think the only person I have read that really disliked Sir Michael was Richard Harris…..speaking of Caine…just watched back to back horrible Caine movies….Ashanti and Harry and Walter Go To New York….I did not like them the first time years ago….and can say I did not like them in 2016 either.
            🙂

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            1. BRUCE

               1 I agree that those two Caine movies were dreadful but let’s give him his due as we have had many British movie industry stars who have been very popular at home and have been acclaimed abroad as actors but have failed to set alight world or even US box offices. Dirk Bogarde is a prime example

               2 The two Brits who most immediately spring to my mind as having bucked the trend are Sir Maurice and Sir Sean. The latter was of course helped in his early days by the phenomenal success of the Bond movies but he had the top star potential to capitalise on Bond and branch out.

               3 However Sir Maurice’s elevation – Alfie?- has always been a great mystery to me as whilst largely retaining his cockney accent he was able to break out of the British pack and has established himself as a worldwide box office star for over half a century

               4 And who cares about Harris? as he was not in the same actor/star bracket as Sir Maurice and he was in my view a nuisance who along with his pal Mtichum seemed to have an inclination to look for trouble by antagonising people who were doing them no harm.

               5 There were MANY of Richard’s contemporaries with whom he did not get along including a major co-star who has also been targeted by Steve Lensman. In Unforgiven when Little Bill savages English Bob and ejects him from town I almost stood up in the cinema and cheered !

            2. Hey Bob.
               1. Michael Caine is one of my favorites…but even he thought Harry and Walter Go To New York was a horrible movie.
               2. Good point about Caine branching out to success in the world….I do not think many people in the USA ever mention Dirk Bogarde much….I feel I know a little bit about movies….but Bogarde’s career is pretty much unknown to me….though he did star in A Bridge Too Far with Caine and Connery.
               3. I think Zulu got him noticed…..Alfie made him known to the world….and the Harry Palmer trilogy solidified his status….especially the first two Palmer movies.
               4. Still waiting word on Caine appearing in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk….until I see the movie and do not see Caine in it….I will assume there is some kind of part for Caine in it.
               5. I like Richard Harris too…..but not nearly as much as Caine. I have read many books on Caine and by Caine…and he only briefly mentions Harris. So I have no idea what caused Harris’ thinking.
               6. Poor little English Bobby….gets beat up….losing his biographer….and sent out of town….I can imagine you being happy when all that bad stuff happened to him in Unforgiven.
               🙂

2. Nice addition. Seems like only yesterday that he passed away. That was actually 30 months ago. As one of the other commenters said, it is a shame about his passing .

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   1. Hey Stein. It is amazing how fast time goes. I miss there being a new PSH movie. RIP Mr. Hoffman.

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3. From roles in small, art-house films to blockbuster franchises, he could make any part uniquely his own. We offer up his role in Happiness as proof to our point. Heck you can look at any of his Paul Thomas Anderson role’s and see our point. Nice tribute to one of the best.

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   1. HetReelZChannel…great comment on the greatness of PSH. Wow that is two mentions on Happiness already….surprised it is getting so much attention…though it is a well done movie. Thanks for stopping by.

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4. I wanted to mention my favorite Hoffman movies too. Boogie Nights, Big Lebowski, Jack goes boating, Happiness, Capote & Along came polly

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   1. Hey St. Claire. Thanks for the two comments. I agree with you 100% about PSH….the man had a impressive screen presences for sure….and he made any movie better when he appeared.

      I have seen All 6 of your PSH favorite movies….though I have to admit I have never “gotten” The Big Lebowski. He was awesome in Along Came Polly…without a doubt the best thing in that movie. Happiness is a good movie…but the word happy does not describe that movie at all.

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5. Was a huge fan of Philip S. Hoffman for years. He was the type of actor that made a movie instantly better when he appeared. It is sad to think of the movies he is not going to make. RIP PSH.

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