R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014

The blog begins today on a sad not as we lament the tragic loss of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead in his apartment, a victim of an apparent heroine overdose.

 
The world of film is deeply aggrieved as another one of its brightest stars has faded away. Hoffman was undoubtedly one of the best actors of his generation, and tributes have poured in from all over the world paying homage to the wonderful man, whose performance as Truman Capote won him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2005. He will be truly missed, as George Clooney explains 'There are no words ... It's just terrible'. 

We had so much more to see from Hoffman, who had been filming his role as Plutarch Heavensbee in sequel 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay', a role which had garnered him a whole new generation of fans in 'Catching Fire'. We must honour Hoffman's memory by remembering the wonderful legacy he left us - star performances in 'Moneyball', 'The Master', and 'Capote' re-iterate his status as a Hollywood heavyweight, and one that will never be forgotten. We will always have his movies, and we should cherish them. I'll be watching 'Capote' hopefully by the end of this week for the first time, and will try to smile with fondness on a magnificent performance of another silver-screen star who died too young. 

Hoffman as Truman Capote

My condolences go out to his partner Mimi, and their three children, and anyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting the man. I can only imagine what you're going through after such a painful loss and hope that the support from those around you will help you to cope at this difficult time.

RIP Peter O'Toole 1932-2013

My first post begins on a bad note this morning as I discovered late last night that the great British actor Peter O'Toole has sadly passed away, aged 81. 

Although I'm a big film fan I haven't actually seen that many of O'Toole's movies but I remember watching him play King Henry II in the films 'Becket' and 'The Lion in Winter' in history class. He was a formidable presence on screen and brought intense energy and talent to this challenging role.

In a career spanning over 50 years O'Toole is known for several great roles, especially for his turn as T.E.
Lawrence in 'Lawrence of Arabia', which earned him his first of an unprecedented 8 Oscar nominations.  Surprisingly it's one of those films I've never actually seen. I realise it always places high on "Greatest Ever Movies" list so today I'm gonna give it a watch in memory of a great actor, and a man with a sparkling personality off screen also. 

I found a quote of his on the web earlier which I though was brilliant, it was after he turned down his honorary Oscar in 2003, when he declared he was "still in the game and might win the bugger outright" emphasising his fighting spirit and all-round charisma. I'll give you my verdict on the film a little later on but I'm convinced I won't be disappointed.