A STAR STOPS SHINING
I’m sure everyone knows by now that Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away last weekend at the heartbreakingly young age of forty-six. Still, I had to acknowledge his passing, as he has long been one of my favorites. He gave life and emotion to every character he played, and as often as not his acting transcended the movie in which he appeared.
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty in Twister.
Given my unabashed penchant for disaster films (give me an erupting volcano or an approaching meteor any day), I loved Hoffman’s minor—but outrageous—role in the 1996 thriller, Twister. As storm chaser Dusty Davis he stole some of the scenes with his wild outfit and his hilarious lines. Deadpan, sipping on a beverage, he explains tornados to a wide-eyed novice thusly: “The ‘Suck Zone’. It’s the point basically when the twister…sucks you up. That’s not the technical term for it, obviously.”
When Dusty spots the film’s star, Bill Paxton, who has been AWOL from the storm chasers for some time, he shouts, “The Extreme! It’s the Extreme!” Later on, referring to his fiancé, Paxton tells Dusty, “Why don’t you explain to Melissa why you are the way you are?”
With one glaring exception, I’m glad Philip Seymour Hoffman was the way he was. He will be missed.
Lovely tribute to an incredible artist. I think I’m going to have to watch TWISTER again.
I probably watch it twice a year. A fun movie, and in big part thanks to “Dusty.”
I greatly admire the wide body of work that Hoffman produced over the course of his career. He was an extremely talented actor who could do either drama, or comedy, with equal flair. As Dusty, he was even more fun in “Twister” than flying cows! His sad loss will be felt by so many people.
Something I find thought-provoking, however, is the assertion that you substituted this well-deserved tribute to Hoffman in place of a post about Stephen King…because you “always strive to avoid controversy”. And this from the author of “Freedom’s Hand”?
That aside, have you missed the flap created by those who scathingly blame Hoffman for his own demise? According to them, having people like you writing positive things about Hoffman is tantamount to condoning his drug abuse. Fortunately, most of us have come to recognize addicts as victims of an illness and feel comfortable about openly writing such tributes.
Unfortunately, the same is demonstrably untrue about victims of rape and sexual abuse, who suffer inexcusably in both our courts of law and public opinion. I have no position with regards to whether Dylan Farrow’s accusations are true, because I wasn’t there. However, Stephen King’s remarks accurately portray the penchant of so many to freely disparage the (frequently) female victims in an insensitive, and often misogynistic, manner.
You said, “…the old horror-meister is not high on many folks’ “like” list at present, so I think that post will be reserved for a future date.” I would imagine that you don’t think too highly of his words, either, but you did not explicitly state your position. And we all know what can happen when otherwise good people stay silent about something that isn’t right.
It is my sincere hope that, someday soon, people won’t feel that openly saying that Stephen King’s derogatory words are wrong is any more “controversial” than writing a tribute to the illustrious career of a recently deceased drug addict who died at his own hand.
Thoughtful comments, Kate. I focused on PSH’s career, and the pleasure that he brought people, rather than spend text on what I knew a gazillion folks would be writing about re his addiction. I did say that “with one glaring exception” I’m glad he was the way he way he was…maybe that’s as “controversial” as I’d like to get.
As for SK, I hope he understands that he messed up royally.