Actors: HOFFMAN, P.S.

Moody, dark and fascinating, this nifty art house film shows us that Adam Sandler is a damn good actor. Unique screenplay and beautiful visuals rank this among the best of 2002.

For some reason, this spectacular film has gone unnoticed by a lot of people. As a director, Anthony Minghella has a keen visual sense - this is an extremely handsome looking movie, fully utilizing the beauty of its locations, sets and actors. The story itself is so engrossing and tense, and structurally the movie works very well to bring about the power of the nerve-jangling climax. Matt Damon is outstanding in the title role, playing his character as understated as needed without ever reaching the realm of detachment. He is surrounded by numerous other talented actors who are all at the top of their game, and the result is a potent piece that I enjoyed through and through.

This is an exercise in important, undeniably emotional filmmaking. Here, Paul Thomas Anderson does something truly great. He weaves an intricate, tragic and very real story about life itself, incorporating everything he knows into an epic of incomparable power. With this film, storytelling as an art is re-invented in some respects. There are no protagonists and antagonists. It is a gorgeous mosaic of pain, love and its many faces and the beauty of true enlightenment. The performances are unanimously phenomenal and Aimee Mann's music is as memorable as it is sorrowful. This is a flat-out masterpiece.

This is what I call drama. This ferociously cold depiction of two ruined men kicking and screaming their way through life is as engaging as it is haunting. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke turn in such jaw-dropping performances that this is required viewing for any actor. Written with a smartly intriguing structure and directed with Lumet's signature finesse, it fits in with some of the greatest crime dramas ever made. Sidney Lumet has been turning out classics for decades, and this one deserves to be a classic too. I'm in awe.

Heavily influenced by Scorsese's Pileggi adaptations, this is a compelling, richly detailed and immaculately written epic. Aided by unanimously fantastic performances and a terrific soundtrack, Paul Thomas Anderson brings us a memorable contemporary classic. Bravura, stylish filmmaking. This is one of my favorites

Yes, this movie will impress open-minded viewers the first time they see it. It may even blow them away. However, I think this is one of the rare films that needs to be seen at least twice in order to assess it accurately. Charlie Kaufman said that his goal with Synecdoche was to replicate, in some senses, the effects of a live theater run. Like live performance, he wanted to craft a piece of work that provides something unpredictable and spontaneous with every viewing. In this sense, he succeeded. I have seen this movie three times to date, and I come to comprehend its mastery with each successive experience. This is a depressing and open-ended analysis of life that, through its subjective and boldly personal approach, forces the audience into a place of reflection. It's not possible to summarize this piece in a brief flixster review. Watch it a few times and decide what it means to you.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is truly one of the most skilled actors I've ever seen. This bizarre, funny and extremely tragic character piece is engaging the whole way through, and most of its power is due to the brilliance of Mr. Hoffman. I really, really liked it.

A complex character study and a very uniquely written biopic. Marvelous acting, especially from Philip Seymour Hoffman. Perhaps the direction isn't anything to marvel at, but it's certainly not weak and the film is held up by the performances and script.

The subjects of this film exist not for the benefit of a moral statement, but for a unified and deeply upsetting portrait of loneliness. Todd Solondz writes his characters like he writes the rest of the script... that is, with disregard for convention. That's what makes this movie work. Its incorporation of several genres is exciting, but it is never at the forefront of its appeal. As a dissertation of relationships between desperate people, this is a powerful and important film. The depravity and moral abyss at the core of it all is what sets it apart from a typical ensemble piece more than anything. Happiness is legitimately shocking, and there are scenes that will make even the most desensitized viewer squirm. I didn't want to turn away, because I never felt that I was in bad hands and I appreciated the film's achievements.

Another ingeniously bizarre success from the Coen brothers.

The movie itself doesn't stand out for excellence in any areas, but Pacino's performance is absolutely remarkable. The man has already proved himself to be among the greatest film actors in history, and Scent of a Woman is just another piece of evidence. Using a combination of difficult physical acting and crushing emotional depth, Pacino leads the film with confidence and ridiculous skill.

This stirring drama moves along seamlessly due to remarkable acting and direction. Edward Norton is ferociously convincing, and the intelligent screenplay brings out some very ugly realities of post-9/11 America.

An effective and consistently entertaining piece, The Savages works so well mostly as a result of Hoffman and Linney. Both actors provide richly detailed performances that hold the solid script up.

Although it gets off to an uneven start, Doubt transitions smoothly into a tensely engaging drama before the second act. As good as all the actors in this film are, Streep steals the show as the clench-jawed, tyrannical nun pitted against the hard-to-read priest played by Hoffman. The straightforward narrative serves well as a building block for strong performances and intense dialogue. Staged bizarrely at times and often feeling like a timid transition from stage to film, Doubt works well overall because its script is so good and the actors performing it are top of the line.

A sharply written political satire melded with the delivering of a very relevant modern message. Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman are both superb, and the story is engaging the whole way through. Very, very good film.

This is a very bare-bones, simple film, but I did enjoy it. Although it's lacking slightly in smooth plot development and character motives, it's filled with terrific dialogue and it's compelling the whole way through. Doesn't contain the depth and brilliance of P.T. Anderson's later work, but it's a good introduction to his career.

One of the main issues I have with this movie is that I can't possibly think of who Schumacher was trying to speak to with his script. It's not completely effective as a comedy or a drama, but it still has solid moments as a picture classified as either genre. De Niro and Hoffman, brilliant as usual, allowed me to take the movie for what it is and enjoy it. Both men provide performances that stretch their physical and emotional limits, making it an interesting view for anyone who enjoys some high quality acting.