Tag Archives: Philip Seymour Hoffman

A Brief History of Spy Movies: Part Three

THE LE CARRÉ ADAPTATIONS In the past two posts I review Harry Palmer movies and a dozen spy pictures from 1966 to 2006. This post is devoted to the film adaptations of the godfather of spy novels. Roger Ebert described John Le Carré’s novels as “chess problems in which one solution is elegant and all… Read More

Mission: Impossible series review

My mother loved the 1960s TV series, created by Bruce Gellar. I remember that much about it, and that it starred, at one time or another, Leonard Nimoy, Sam Elliot, Greg Morris, Barbara Bain and Martin Landau—who I knew better as a kid from Space: 1999—and Peter Graves as Jim Phelps, the guy calling the… Read More

A Most Wanted Man review

Directed by Anton Corbijn, written by Andrew Bovell from a John Le Carré novel. As Gunther, a heavy drinking, heavy smoking, cynical and burnt-out German spymaster, Philip Seymour Hoffman has left us yet another character unlike anything else he played. As if his legacy wasn't already solid. Gunther feels at least 20 years older than… Read More

Blockbuster Blues 2014: The Good and The Grim Prospects for This Season at The Movies

This summer's blockbuster selection looks pretty dire, I gotta say. In April we had Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Transcendence. This month we've got The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past. These are big-budget science fiction and fantasy films, highly anticipated, which make all in the Nerd Nation very happy—and me too. But the first three are… Read More

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire review

Directed by Francis LawrenceWritten by Simon Beaufoy and Michael Ardnt, from the novel by Suzanne CollinsOne of those rare sequels that genuinely extends the territory claimed in the original, Catching Fire has just a touch of The Empire Strikes Back about it, which is a compliment in almost every way but one: as the middle… Read More

The Master review

Written and directed by Paul Thomas AndersonThe release of a PT Anderson movie is an event, every single time. Every one since his first, Hard Eight; Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood. With this collection, Anderson can stake a claim as the finest American filmmaker working today.So, what to make of his… Read More