Philip Seymour Hoffman

Synecdoche, New York, is a haunting film. In the weeks since I saw it, I'm not sure a day has gone by that I haven't thought about it. It's also a humongous, confusing mess. But I'm willing to forgive Charlie Kaufman that; the high points are too high not to.

As the writer of such films as Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kaufman has become known for his surreal — and, yet, ultimately, very real — explorations of humanity. Synecdoche, New York, his directorial debut, is maybe his most precise work on that theme, tracing his main character through years of middle age, declining health, and the potent desire to do something while there's still time. Kaufman may be suffering from a bit of that desire himself, as he tosses all kinds of twists into his story, some of which lead it astray. But that doesn't keep it from being a moving mood piece of a film.

Synecdoche, New York actually has a mostly logical main story: Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Caden Cotard, a local theater director producing a lowish-rent production of Death of a Salesman and struggling to maintain his marriage with his more-famous wife, Adele (Catherine Keener). When she takes off for Germany with their daughter and Caden receives a MacArthur grant, he decides to stage a giant-scale theater piece about life (yes, just that: life), setting it inside a towering replica of New York. Everything else spins off from there, so just read more

• Blake Lively is being sued by a Brooklyn tailor who says Blake never paid the $500 she owed after the tailor fixed her Teen Choice Awards dress. Blake's rep said the tailor messed up her work and Blake agreed to pay half. — TMZ
Brooke Mueller and Charlie Sheen are expecting twins, and according to his rep, they're both boys. — Us Weekly
• Lil Wayne's new baby son, named Dwayne Carter III, was born on Wednesday at the Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. — Us Weekly
• Zac Efron said that although he wishes he would be cast in the Pirates of the Caribbean 4 movie, for now it is just a rumor. — On-Air with Ryan Seacrest
• Philip Seymour Hoffman and his girlfriend, Mimi O'Donnell, welcomed a third baby daughter to their family on Friday night. — Daily Intel
• A man is suing Oprah for $180 million over false statements he says were made leading up to his arrest two years ago for wiretapping a Harpo employee and trying to sell the tapes to the press. — TMZ

Source

Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York, has been generating positive buzz ever since it premiered at Cannes this year. Time Magazine calls it "A miracle movie," while Variety claims it is "a wildly ambitious and gravely serious contemplation of life. The picture exerts power and artistic mystery." If this new trailer is any indication, I am starting to see what all the fuss is about.

Philip Seymour Hoffman leads a hugely talented cast (including Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, Catherine Keener, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis and many more) in this story in which "[a] theater director (Hoffman) struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play."

Synecdoche, New York will start with a limited release on Oct. 24. To check out the trailer, read more

Um, we're not in Mamma Mia! anymore. The trailer for the Pulitzer Prize-winning-play-turned-movie, Doubt, has hit the Web and it's dark — and bubbling with Oscar potential. The adaptation was written and directed by Doubt's playwright, John Patrick Shanley.

The story focuses on a Catholic school in 1964 where a nun (Meryl Streep) suspects a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of abusing a young student. Amy Adams plays the pious young nun trying to make sense of it all within the grander scheme of her faith.

Meryl Streep is so focused and immersed in every role she plays, and this — a difficult and complex role, to say the least — is no different. And Philip Seymour Hoffman is equally impressive as a man who must appear trustworthy and calm, though with an edge of darkness.

Having seen the play I can say that audiences are in for a highly provocative story. Have you seen the play? If so, do you feel like that was enough, or are you intrigued to see it played out onscreen by some of our greatest film actors?

Doubt opens in limited release Dec. 12. To see the trailer, read more

• The Hollywood Reporter has the news that Martin Scorsese is in talks with HBO to direct a dramatic pilot titled Boardwalk Empire. Scorsese is already a producer for the upcoming show about Atlantic City gamblers in the 1920s.
• According to Variety, Pineapple Express had the best Wednesday opening ever for August. The comedy took in $12.1 million.
• Regis Philbin is following in the footsteps of Britney Spears and is set to appear on the second episode of the upcoming season of How I Met Your Mother, Entertainment Weekly says.
• The reunited Police closed its tour, the last live show ever for the band, last night in New York, reports Billboard.
• The AP reports that Philip Seymour Hoffman is slated to direct a play in London later this year. The play, Riflemind, is about a rock band reuniting after a 20-year split. Sounds a lot like The Police!
• Reuters reports that Hollywood producer Bernie Brillstein died last night of lung disease at the age of 77. He was best known for his work on The Blues Brothers and Happy Gilmore fame.
• Pitchfork has the scoop on the soundtrack for the upcoming Michael Cera film Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Vampire Weekend is collaborating with a member of Devo for the project. Awesome.

Source

According to Real Estalker, Philip Seymour Hoffman and his costume- designer girlfriend and mother of their two children, Mimi O'Donnel, are under contract to purchase a 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath Pre-War co-op in Manhattan's West Village for $4.4 million. The listing for the property reads:

A one of a kind three bedroom, 2.5 bath apartment in the best location in the West Village. High ceilings, beautiful wood floors, authentic doors from Provence, and a wood burning fireplace. The living room is one of the largest single spaces in the West Village. The bathrooms are finished to perfection, and the entire apartment is a quintessential West Village oasis.

I love its exposed brick walls and how open it looks. Seems like the perfect size for a family of four.

Source and Source

Yesterday Michelle Williams lit up the red carpet at the premiere of Adoration at Cannes and today she was promoting her own film, Synecdoche, New York with co-stars Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman by her side. (Buzz has a couple of movie clips here) Michelle went casual for the photocall before slipping into another gown for the big premiere. It's great to see her out at events again, and while she's only in town for a quick two days, she's looking to make a few memories. She said, "[It's] something you can look back on at the end of your life and think, 'That was a cool thing I did when I was 27.'" Considering how much film festival fun the celebrities have been having, we can't argue with Michelle on that one.

To see a lot more images of Michelle and her co-stars, just read more

Did you like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? How you answer this question will probably indicate whether or not you'll be interested in Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York. The movie is premiering at Cannes and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams and Jennifer Jason Leigh, among a ton of others.

IMDB describes the movie's plot like this: "A theater director (Hoffman) struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play." If it's similar to the movies Kaufman has written in the past, Synecdoche, New York will be darkly bizarre and incredibly self-aware (and self-referential). The clips from the movie already indicate this for the most part, and will probably make more sense within the full context of the movie. To check out the clips from Synecdoche, New York, read more