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Two Rochester Originals

Robert Forster and Philip Seymour Hoffman are two great Rochester-born character actors. Like most character actors, they have a few great roles along with a lot of good turns in some marginal movies.

For my money, Forster's best movies are "Jackie Brown" & "Diamond Men".

"Jackie Brown: is the role that re-started his career, and deservedly so. He has the perfect touch playing Max Cherry, a middle-aged bail bondsman.

What's great about Forster is how much he can convey in a single look. His last scene in "Jackie Brown" is one example of his ability to say a lot while saying nothing at all.

"Diamond Men" is a little indy production that starts Forster and Donnie Wahlberg. Forster delivers a subtle, understated performance that is the linchpin of this movie. Too bad it was a box office failure, but I suppose not everything can be "Spiderman II".

For Hoffman, the two movies that I'd see again are "Love Liza" and "Owning Mahoney". He plays a shambolic failure in both of them, a role that he has perfected over the years.

"Love Liza", written by Hoffman's brother Gordy, is a about a man whose wife has committed suicide. It is also about huffing gasoline and hitting bottom. Hoffman is great, as is his brother's script: "Liza" is a Rochester two-fer.

"Owing Mahoney" is about the biggest bank fraud in Canada, perpetrated by a young bank manager in Toronto. Hoffman captures the strange mix of dullness and obsession of this guy. Minnie Driver is excellent as his wife.

So, there are four movies that showcase the talents of two great Rochester actors. If you have problems finding them behind the 1,000 copies of "Spiderman II" at Blockbuster, you could try Video Barn in Henrietta.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on June 21, 2005 11:10 AM.

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