RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman

I remember the first time I ever saw Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  He portrayed a storm chaser with Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt in a little blockbuster film called  “Twister”.  I thought, “Wow…this guy is really interesting” and I couldn’t tell if he had a crazy, natural acting ability or the director pulled someone off the street.

In fact, Hoffman was an NYU Tisch School of the Arts graduate armed with so much talent that one couldn’t ignore him if they wanted to.

This is why his death this past Sunday was such a blow to the industry, friends and family.  One would have no idea that such a brilliant artist would have been covering up such a dark addiction of epic proportions—heroin.  As I write this column, it was reported that four men hade been arrested regarding contributing to the actors demise.

However, instead of focusing on the tragedy of his career, let’s celebrate him instead…Attached is one of my favorite Hoffman films…THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY.  R.I.P. Phillip…hope you are giving a hell of an angelic master class with the best of them.

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY