Doubt (2008)

Compelling drama adapted from the stage play by John Patrick Shanley. 

It’s 1964. At a catholic school, the priest, Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is slandered by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep), who accuses him of an inappropriate relationship with a black student. Meanwhile, a young and impressionable history teacher, Sister James (Amy Adams), is inadvertently drawn into this tangled mess.

Viola Davis plays the child’s mother with depth and empathy. 

It’s fascinating stuff, and you are quickly drawn in by Streep’s intensity as a terrifying, vindictive, almost witch-like fanatic.

I felt slightly disappointed by the ending, although I’m not sure how else it could played out.

Scent of a Woman (1992)

A masterpiece quite unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. It’s the very blackest comedy, an extremely moving drama and a fascinating character study. 

A New England preparatory school student Charlie Simms (Chris O’Donnell) is in trouble, after witnessing a rule-breaking prank, and also in need of money. He takes on a curious job: looking after a retired lieutenant colonel (Al Pacino) while his niece is away for the weekend. The colonel is not only blind but also volatile and difficult, and he takes Charles to New York with a somewhat different plan in mind.

Al Pacino is at his very best as the seemingly deranged colonel. His various outbursts are funny and terrifying at the same time. There are some superb scenes, including a tango in a restaurant and a high-speed test-drive of a Ferrari. 

The film surprises with its structure, too. After one emotional peak regarding the colonel’s death wish, there’s another one as Charlie’s future is addressed. This could all have been terribly uneven, but it’s so well done that it works perfectly. 

The script is spot on. The soundtrack by Thomas Newman is appropriate and matches the narrative. Pacino’s presence is incredible.

The Ides of March (2011)

Political drama adapted from Beau Willimon’s play Farragut North. It’s directed by George Clooney, who plays a liberal-minded governor running for president. Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) is his junior campaign manager, reporting to the skilled but cynical Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman). And Evan Rachel Wood is the young intern whose affair with the governor threatens to bring down the entire campaign. 

It’s a fascinating insight into the politics behind the politics. Because it’s from a play, it’s strong on dialogue and character. There’s an escalating tension that’s brilliantly handled by everyone involved. There’s a theme about idealism being eroded by the cynical realities of the political system, and Gosling is superb as a representation of that conflict. Also at their best are Paul Giamatti as a rival campaign manager, Marisa Tomei as a reporter for the New York Times and Jeffrey Wright as the Democratic Senator from North Carolina.

Cold Mountain (2003)

Truly excellent drama set during the US civil war. It’s a war film, a love story and a historical epic. 

When the war breaks out, the quiet, inarticulate Inman (Jude Law) is one of the young men from North Carolina who has to fight with the Confederate army. But he has just fallen for Ada (Nicole Kidman), the daughter of the preacher (Donald Sutherland), and has to leave her – just as their relationship is beginning. Injured in battle, he attempts to make his way back home to Ada while being hunted for deserting. 

All of the leads are on excellent form. Renée Zellweger plays Ruby, a plucky free spirit who helps Ada salvage her farm and her self-respect. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a crooked preacher. Natalie Portman is a widowed mother. There are also parts for Jack White, Ray Winstone, Brendan Gleeson and Cillian Murphy. 

It’s an emotional and affecting work that avoids cliché, especially since the romance is unconventional to begin with. The couple barely know each other, but their connection is overwhelmingly powerful. As a result, the film is too.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Brilliant adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel, starring Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, an inventive young man who infiltrates and ultimately ruins the lives of a couple played by Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. 

It’s brilliantly plotted, with Ripley somehow staying on top of the absurd twists and turns of the various crises he creates. Matt Damon is superb in this part – charming enough to be credible as someone the couple instantly like and creepy enough to always present a sense of nervy threat. 

Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman are both excellent in supporting roles. 

The Italian scenery looks stunning too.

Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)

Directed by Mike Nichols, this is based on a true story. 

A US congressman takes it upon himself to assist the Afghan troops suffering at the hands of Soviet invaders by raising the funds to equip them with weapons.

Tom Hanks is ideally cast as the charming, heavy-drinking Wilson. Julia Roberts is good as an influential socialite Joanne Herring, but doesn’t have enough scenes to really shine. Better is Amy Adams as Wilson's personal assistant Bonnie Bach. Philip Seymour Hoffman is charismatic as CIA operative Gust Avrakotos. Emily Blunt is weirdly underused in a role that gets very little screen time.

Hanks is deliberately ambiguous and the film steers clear of passing judgement on his character. The story is excellently told, so I’m not quite sure why I didn’t enjoy it more. Perhaps it's because it aims at comedy in places but could have been much funnier.

The Boat That Rocked (2009)

Highly entertaining ensemble comedy written and directed by Richard Curtis.

It focuses on a North Sea pirate radio station, Radio Rock, and the DJs and other characters aboard it. Their adventures are juxtaposed against the government’s attempts to make pirate radio illegal and shut down the whole operation. 

The all-star cast includes Gemma Arterton, Kenneth Branagh, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Katherine Parkinson and Emma Thompson, but the film is told from the perspective of a teenager, Carl (Tom Sturridge), who joins the floating team and gains the sense of family and identity that he’s been missing. There’s also a thread about him seeking his father, who he’s led to believe is on the boat. 

There are plenty of laughs but there are poignant moments too. And each of the characters is extremely well drawn, so you feel you get to know them all. 

The music is fantastic as you might expect for a film set in 1966–1967. Warm yet unsentimental, it works towards a dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)

Meg Ryan plays a mother of two who descends into the horror of alcohol addiction. Andy Garcia plays the loving airline-pilot husband who wants to save her but ends up stifling her in the process.

It’s an extremely well-written drama that avoids cliché. Cleverly, it evolves from a film about a drink problem into a film about a marital problem. And it presents the couple’s situation from multiple angles so that it’s difficult to “take sides”.

The two child roles are brilliantly acted by Tina Majorino and Mae Whitman, revealing real sensitivity in their restrained but heartbreaking performances. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a friend from Alcoholics Anonymous, who oddly drops out of the narrative without explanation – the only real flaw.

The songs on the soundtrack can be a little intrusive, but they don’t spoil the film. I was fearing a simplistic “happy” or “sad” ending, but it wisely avoids that and finds its way to a more satisfying conclusion. It’s emotional and powerful.

Almost Famous (2000)

Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this account of his time as a young journalist on tour with a rock band. It’s a sentimental and sanitised portrait of the music industry, but that makes for a hugely entertaining film. I love it.

Patrick Fugit is perfect as the wide-eyed, 15-year-old writer William, mentored by Creem journalist Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and desperate to follow his dreams as he takes off with the up-and-coming (fictional) rockers Stillwater. Kate Hudson is expressive and sympathetic as Penny Lane, a 16-year-old groupie who also follows the band and learns too late that she’s being used by them. Frances McDormand is amusing and compelling as the overbearing mother who’s convinced her son will be lost to a world of drugs and decadence.

The soundtrack features Led Zeppelin, The Seeds, Simon & Garfunkel, Yes and Neil Young among others. I’m not a fan of Elton John, but the scene in which everyone sings along to his “Tiny Dancer” is warm and touching. The music by Stillwater sounds authentically 1973, if a little generic.

“I have to go home,” says William, at one point.
“You are home,” replies Penny Lane.