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Author: Jonah Koslofsky

P.S.H. I Love You: Avoid the trip to “Cold Mountain”

Cold Mountain
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Philip Seymour Hoffman does his level best to elevate Anthony Minghella’s Oscar-friendly Miramax Western, but even he can’t save it.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on October 6, 2020October 6, 2020

NYFF58: “Small Axe” takes racism to the grindstone

Small Axe
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Steve McQueen’s new anthology series is an impassioned, insightful look at anti-Black discrimination in 20th-century London.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on October 5, 2020October 5, 2020

NYFF58: “The Human Voice” turns the empty into intimate

The Human Voice
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Pedro Almodóvar’s adaptation of Jean Cocteau’s one-act play is an expansive, carefully constructed half-hour.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on September 30, 2020September 30, 2020

P.S.H. I Love You: Stealing every scene in “Mission Impossible III”

Philip Seymour Hoffman Mission Impossible III
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Philp Seymour Hoffman takes a rote villain role and goes toe-to-toe with megastar Tom Cruise in J.J. Abrams’ Mission: Impossible III.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on September 28, 2020September 28, 2020

NYFF58: “MLK/FBI” is a damning look at the U.S. government

MLK/FBI
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Sam Pollard’s latest documentary is a dense look at Martin Luther King Jr. and the Hoover administration’s attempts to silence him.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on September 22, 2020September 22, 2020

“Almost Famous” is still even-keeled escapism

Almost Famous
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Cameron Crowe’s rock and roll dramedy may not be the most realistic tale, but it’s a keen mix of chaotic and crowd-pleasing.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on September 21, 2020September 19, 2020

“The Babysitter: Killer Queen” proves that 2020 won’t stop punishing us

THE BABYSITTER: KILLER QUEEN
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Add McG’s execrable slasher sequel to the pile of tragedies 2020 has foisted upon us.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on September 13, 2020September 13, 2020

P.S.H. I Love You: “25th Hour” grapples with our fragile lives

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Philip Seymour Hoffman lends remarkable texture to Spike Lee’s 25th Hour, a film in mourning over New York and the fleeting nature of being.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on September 8, 2020September 8, 2020

“Synecdoche, New York” is an excruciating, exciting trip to nowhere

Synecdoche, New York
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Charlie Kaufman’s minimalist meditation on mortality is as hard to get through as it is oddly rewarding.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on August 31, 2020August 31, 2020

P.S.H. I Love You: Enter the suck zone of 1996’s “Twister”

Twister Philip Seymour Hoffman
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Philip Seymour Hoffman livened up Jan de Bont’s 1996 blockbuster — and probably made Jack Black’s career possible.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on August 24, 2020August 20, 2020

P.S.H. I Love You: Beware “The Ides of March”, if you can remember it

The Ides of March
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Try as he might, not even Philip Seymour Hoffman can’t quite spice up George Clooney’s warmed-over political drama.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on August 17, 2020August 16, 2020

P.S.H. I Love You: “Happiness” is only real when its mood is shared

Happiness Philip Seymour Hoffman
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Todd Solondz’s “Happiness” is a grimly comic film that swings for the fences, and is buoyed by Philip Seymour Hoffman’s compellingly repressed figure.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on August 10, 2020August 10, 2020

“I Used to Go Here” offers a charming trip to the not-so-distant past

I Used to Go Here
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Kris Rey directs Gillian Jacobs in a lighthearted comedy about reliving the supposedly carefree college years.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on August 6, 2020August 6, 2020

The “Moneyball” we got delivers a baseball movie for Ben Shapiro

Moneyball
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Bennett Miller’s adaptation of Michael Lewis’ book is an overlong, overcrowded sports biopic partially redeemed by its cast.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on August 3, 2020September 11, 2020

“Charlie Wilson’s War” wins some of its battles

Charlie Wilson's War
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A token of the aughts and a swan song for Mike Nichols, this 2007 drama runs on more hermetically sealed Aaron Sorkin writing to okay results.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on July 27, 2020July 27, 2020

“Scent of a Woman” proves a putrid example of early ’90s Oscar bait

PSH I Love You Scent of a Woman
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1991’s Scent of a Woman remains one of the most baffling recipients of Oscar gold, a prep-school drama lifted only by an early Philip Seymour Hoffman turn.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on July 20, 2020July 14, 2020

“Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” remains a skillful sum of its parts

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
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A puzzle of a thriller, Sidney Lumet’s final film slides its script and performances together with ease.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on July 13, 2020July 7, 2020

“The Talented Mr. Ripley” benefits from Hoffman’s skill

The Talented Mr. Ripley
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It’s good, but Anthony Minghella’s 1999 adaptation really comes alive when Philip Seymour Hoffman’s scumbag enters the picture.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on July 6, 2020July 3, 2020

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