Synecdoche, New York (2008)

[Sven]

Oh snap! He's becoming too popular! Ditch the guy!

I think you're being playful, but I can't help but supply the addendum that you know, as well as I, that it's not his popularity that is at issue. Although perhaps it is because he's becoming so ubiquitous that it's been easier to notice why he sucks so much.

[Qrazy]

I think you're being playful, but I can't help but supply the addendum that you know, as well as I, that it's not his popularity that is at issue. Although perhaps it is because he's becoming so ubiquitous that it's been easier to notice why he sucks so much.

Slant is infamous for disliking anything they feel is remotely popular.

---

Did you dislike him in any of these roles? Bear in mind that if you say yes, you're wrong.

Almost Famous (2000) .... Lester Bangs
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) .... Freddie Miles
Magnolia (1999) .... Phil Parma
... aka mag-no'li-a (USA: promotional title)
Happiness (1998) .... Allen
The Big Lebowski (1998) .... Brandt
Boogie Nights (1997) .... Scotty J.

He was also very good in both Capote and MI3.

[Sven]

He was also very good in both Capote and MI3.

An even better gauge would be to say: Did I like him in any of these roles:

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) .... Andrew 'Andy' Hanson
Mission: Impossible III (2006) .... Owen Davian
Capote (2005) .... Truman Capote
Cold Mountain (2003) .... Reverend Veasey
Owning Mahowney (2003) .... Dan Mahowny
25th Hour (2002) .... Jacob Elinsky
Red Dragon (2002) .... Freddy Lounds
Love Liza (2002) .... Wilson Joel
Almost Famous (2000) .... Lester Bangs
State and Main (2000) .... Joseph Turner White
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) .... Freddie Miles
Magnolia (1999) .... Phil Parma
Flawless (1999) .... Rusty
Patch Adams (1998) .... Mitch Roman
Twister (1996) .... Dustin Davis
Sydney (1996) (as Phillip Seymour Hoffman) .... Young Craps Player

The answer then would be an emphatic "no". There are a few performances where I think he gets it right (Punch Drunk Love, Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski), but other than that, no thank you.

[Qrazy]

An even better gauge would be to say: Did I like him in any of these roles:

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) .... Andrew 'Andy' Hanson
Mission: Impossible III (2006) .... Owen Davian
Capote (2005) .... Truman Capote
Cold Mountain (2003) .... Reverend Veasey
Owning Mahowney (2003) .... Dan Mahowny
25th Hour (2002) .... Jacob Elinsky
Red Dragon (2002) .... Freddy Lounds
Love Liza (2002) .... Wilson Joel
Almost Famous (2000) .... Lester Bangs
State and Main (2000) .... Joseph Turner White
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) .... Freddie Miles
Magnolia (1999) .... Phil Parma
Flawless (1999) .... Rusty
Patch Adams (1998) .... Mitch Roman
Twister (1996) .... Dustin Davis
Sydney (1996) (as Phillip Seymour Hoffman) .... Young Craps Player

The answer then would be an emphatic "no". There are a few performances where I think he gets it right (Punch Drunk Love, Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski), but other than that, no thank you.

Whether or not you enjoy his 'presence' as an actor doesn't really say much about his acting abilities though.

[Sven]

Whether or not you enjoy his 'presence' as an actor doesn't really say much about his acting abilities though.

Now you're just assuming my opinion. I trust you're referring to my first post, where I deride his "slovenly presence", but if you read that sentence more carefully, you will notice that I use "presence" in the sense of my not wanting to look at the space he fills up. It has nothing to do with "acting presence", as you assume it does.

[Qrazy]

Now you're just assuming my opinion. I trust you're referring to my first post, where I deride his "slovenly presence", but if you read that sentence more carefully, you will notice that I use "presence" in the sense of my not wanting to look at the space he fills up. It has nothing to do with "acting presence", as you assume it does.

Well I assumed you had to mean his 'slovenly' presence and your rephrasing still inclines me to believe it's his 'personality' that bothers you more than his acting because as an actor he consistently reinvents himself, delves into and develops each new role with intelligence and integrity.

I might be more sympathetic if you'd point out certain acting choices or lack of choice that he makes in relation to the construction of his roles.

Certainly your dumpy loser classification doesn't say much in the way of acting critique.

[Sven]

Well I assumed you had to mean his 'slovenly' presence and your rephrasing still inclines me to believe it's his 'personality' that bothers you more than his acting because as an actor he consistently reinvents himself, delves into and develops each new role with intelligence and integrity.

I believe that PSH is definitely a personality actor, as opposed to a character actor. Thereby, there may be truth in your assertion, insofar as one can refuse to be taken by Keanu's surfer boy personality, Michael J. Fox's boyish personality, Heston's man's man personality, or George Clooney's GQ personality. Surely there are exceptions among their careers, but as a whole, there're four actors (and many more where that came from) that coast by on the basis of their personal appeal, as opposed to any real capabilities as a thespian. I think PSH falls under that category, and it was hard for me not to furrow my brow in confusion at your comments about his reinventing himself. To me, his persona reeks of placidity and a mild to massive condescension. Every role I've seen him in (including the ones that I liked, save The Big Lebowski, which is, hands down, his crowning moment), he slips into this guttural enunciation and a muted projection that bestows upon him an air of glowering passivity. It's something I translate as "smug" and it's something I notice in nearly every performance of his and it irritates me greatly.

[Ezee E]

My favorite PSH role is in The Talented Mr. Ripley.

[Qrazy]

I believe that PSH is definitely a personality actor, as opposed to a character actor. Thereby, there may be truth in your assertion, insofar as one can refuse to be taken by Keanu's surfer boy personality, Michael J. Fox's boyish personality, Heston's man's man personality, or George Clooney's GQ personality. Surely there are exceptions among their careers, but as a whole, there're four actors (and many more where that came from) that coast by on the basis of their personal appeal, as opposed to any real capabilities as a thespian. I think PSH falls under that category, and it was hard for me not to furrow my brow in confusion at your comments about his reinventing himself. To me, his persona reeks of placidity and a mild to massive condescension. Every role I've seen him in (including the ones that I liked, save The Big Lebowski, which is, hands down, his crowning moment), he slips into this guttural enunciation and a muted projection that bestows upon him an air of glowering passivity. It's something I translate as "smug" and it's something I notice in nearly every performance of his and it irritates me greatly.

I agree with your four examples being 'personality' actors but I don't agree that PSH falls into the category. Contrast his Boogie Nights character with his MI3 villian and there's a world of difference and range of tonal/emotional expression that the other four haven't touched (not to say that Clooney hasn't given some superb performances), just in terms of reinvention I mean.

[Sven]

I agree with your four examples being 'personality' actors but I don't agree that PSH falls into the category. Contrast his Boogie Nights character with his MI3 villian and there's a world of difference and range of tonal/emotional expression that the other four haven't touched (not to say that Clooney hasn't given some superb performances), just in terms of reinvention I mean.

Yeah, but compare his Boogie Nights character with his Love Liza character and compare his MI3 villain with his Punch Drunk Love villain and you will see a negligible difference. And I would not measure the difference of expression there in worlds. I think "reinvention" applies as far as it would when considering Keanu's role as a serial killer in The Watcher. So the guy can play a hard ass as well as a schlemiel. In itself, a rudimentary feat. I think my initial observations still apply.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, but compare his Boogie Nights character with his Love Liza character and compare his MI3 villain with his Punch Drunk Love villain and you will see a negligible difference. And I would not measure the difference of expression there in worlds. I think "reinvention" applies as far as it would when considering Keanu's role as a serial killer in The Watcher. So the guy can play a hard ass as well as a schlemiel. In itself, a rudimentary feat. I think my initial observations still apply.

I tend to not seek out films I feel would most likely be garbage (Love Liza and The Watch) so I can only speak from the ones I've seen. PSH may not be a Gary Oldman when it comes to chameleon-esque transformations but he's certainly talented. You may (hopefully not) take offense to this, but I still feel you're reading your dislike of his personality into his acting. Even De Niro, Pacino and Nicholson (all great actors in my estimation) have had 'similar character' reprisals over the course of their careers. Some fictional character personalities are similar enough to merit similar portrayals. Still I simply don't agree with you that his MI3 villian and his Punch Drunk Love villian are particularly similar. There's much more of an edge and a sense of power in his MI3 villian that is decidedly lacking from his all bark no bite Punch Drunk Love villian. In fact the more I reflect upon and remember both performances the more I respect the subtlety he brings to the portrayal of two distinct villians.

[Dead & Messed Up]

What I meant was that I'm probably wrong.

[Ezee E]

His Talented Mr. Ripley character is different then anything else he's done.

His Owning Mahoney, while wimpy, shows a different side that Boogie Nights and Love Liza. We see him as an addict, and it's a fascinating performance.

[monolith94]

Well, Iosos, you can hardly blame him for State and Main. That film was just a great big ball of suck all the way around.

[Ezee E]

It's looking like this might be the only American film to compete in the Cannes Film Festival.

[Dillard]

Some good press from GreenCine Daily.

Screen Daily's Allan Hunter says:

Charlie Kaufman is a past master of ingenious conceits and wild flights of fantasy as witnessed particularly in Being John Malkovich and Enternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. His talent has always been filtered through the vision of a sympathetic director but with Synecdoche, New York he assumes the director's role for the first time. The result is a film of staggering imagination, more daring in content than form as it explores the unbearable fragility of human existence and the sad inevitability of death.

Flashes of comic genius and melancholy insight into the human condition are woven into an increasingly elaborate canvas in which the boundaries between artifice and reality are slowly erased. Mainstream audiences are likely to find it simply too weird and unfathomable for their viewing pleasure but surely nobody expected Kaufman to make What Happens In Vegas? Fans of his previous work, admirers of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and open-minded curiosity seekers should be enough to give the film a fighting chance of box- office returns on a level with previous Kaufman screenplays.

NY Times's A.O. Scott says:

Mr. Kaufman, the wildly inventive screenwriter of “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” has, in his first film as a director, made those efforts look almost conventional. Like his protagonist, a beleaguered theater director played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, he has created a seamless and complicated alternate reality, unsettling nearly every expectation a moviegoer might have about time, psychology and narrative structure.

Sounds fantastic folks. No release date yet mentioned on IMDB.

[Sycophant]

Exactly what I want to hear. Looking forward to it.

[Silencio]

Trailer

Um. That looks freaking incredible.

[Pop Trash]

Trailer

Um. That looks freaking incredible.

Wow this does look pretty fucking good. This year's Southland Tales!?!?!
I hope so !!@$%^(&)($#@!><{+=

[Boner M]

NOONAN!!! ritch:

Excellent trailer, though I'm less than thrilled by the prospect of seeing what is apparently the Philip Seymour Hoffman performance to end all Philip Seymour Hoffman performances.

[Amnesiac]

How can someone dislike PSH's hilarious cameo in Sydney?

I definitely see nuance and substantial difference in his performances, from, say, Red Dragon ...to his unique approach to his villainous characters in Mission Impossible: 3 and Punch Drunk Love.

[Watashi]

Amazing trailer.

I predict I will hate this.

[DavidSeven]

That was... ambiguous.

[Grouchy]

That trailer does make it look very good. Even though I've always been mixed on Kaufman.

Whoever doesn't recognize Philip Seymour Hoffman has an incredible range is either prejudiced or lying. His physique condemns him to wimp roles, it's true, but he has managed to walk around that fact and produce basically every kind of performance. Every good actor has a recognizable on-screen persona. American audiences are usually like that - they want their tough guys being tough, their funny people behavng funny, etc.

[NickGlass]

What's with the Wheel of Fortune-esque text? Also, two seperate slides for Charlie Kaufman (one touting him as an Oscar nominee and another as a winner?).

Oh, the film? Yeah, sure looks interesting. The visuals are more aligned with Jonze and Gondry than I had been expecting. For some reason, I didn't think the trailer would be visually splendorous, but I dig the dark, fanciful look.