Month: February 2014

Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967-2014

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**I wrote this for http://www.film-addict.com on Sunday night after he passed, and I thought it was worth sharing here.**

Philip Seymour Hoffman has died at the age of 46.   He was found dead in his Greenwich Village apartment of an apparent drug overdose.   Dan Buffa takes a brief look atimageedit_1_9290175754 his acting career.

Since we get so caught up in their ability to create, perform and dazzle us with their ability, moviegoers forget that the men and women who have the ability to transform are not invincible.   Sports fans fall under the same spell, forgetting the larger than life athletes can fall prey to the same addictions and hazards that befall many people every year.  Philip Seymour Hoffman had a serious drug and alcohol addiction over 23 years ago in college, and was able to kick the habit before he entered the world of film.  Today, he fell prey to the deadly habit of heroin use and was found dead, hypodermic needle in his arm and fully clothed, in his Manhattan apartment.  He was 46 years old.

Recent film fans remember him guiding young Katniss Everdeen in November’s Catching Fire.   He had finished filming the next installment, Mockingjay: Part 1, but was in the midst of filming Part 2.   Hoffman won an Oscar for Capote in 2005 and was nominated for Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master last year.  More than the awards though, Hoffman was a chameleon.   He slipped into comedy roles early on in his career before becoming a tour de force dramatic actor.   In Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You Are Dead, he was the older brother of Ethan Hawke who had to wrangle out of the most deadliest web of deceit and murder.  When I think of his acting prowness, I think of Hoffman’s conniving brother plotting an escape from hell and vocally slapping around Hawke’s inept brother.

Hoffman convinced you he was a gambler, a cheat, a murderer, a Tornado chaser, a bad basketball player, a musician and a famous writer.  That’s what the greatest actors do.  They convince you they can be completely different people and do it sometimes up to 3 times a year.    In The Master(admittedly a hard film to love), Hoffman played a man condemned by his own religious beliefs and seemed to hit a high that the rest of the film could never reach.   Hoffman could dominate a troubled film, elevate a bad movie and brighten up an already strong film.  He was part of an all star cast including Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener in 2012’s A Late Quartet and gave a heartbreaking performance as a musician stuck in a career trap.  It was another great performance and something we came to expect from the actor.

Look at his small yet pivotal role in Almost Famous as Lester Bangs.   Playing the old rock journalist guiding our young William along his path to not being “uncool”.   Speaking the majority of his part over the phone with Patrick Fugit, Hoffman conveyed a soulful yet preachy older poet, making a last minute attempt to tutor a young mad soul about the depths of which music will drag you down.

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Peyton Manning’s Fight

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There are a lot of ways to build up hype on a Super Bowl and while other writers are trying to wrap their heads around the entire two team matchup and the commercials, I imageedit_1_5426611002am going to tell you about Peyton Manning’s fight and what the chances are of him winning his second Super Bowl.  I like to pick the juiciest topic and spin it for you.

Make no mistake it will not be an easy task, dry or wet weather.   Manning is playing against one of the best defenses in the NFL and their players have their sights set on one man and it’s Peyton.   Stop Peyton is the mantra, and in my eyes he can only be truly stopped if he isn’t on the field.  This goes for all great quarterbacks who don’t throw a lot of interceptions or shoot themselves in the foot.  Let’s break it down.

You can forget about his regular season stats.  Trust me, they are pretty.   In the history of football, there aren’t many quarterbacks who can match his regular season resume.  He gets it done there.  In his career(15 seasons of 16, 1 missed entirely to injury), Manning has only thrown for 64,000 + yards and 491 touchdowns(against 219 interceptions) with a completion percentage of 65 percent and a QB rating of 97.2   Those numbers shine like a brand new penny in any conversation, but these days, it’s all about his performance in the playoffs.   This is where people get ugly and forget the guy hasn’t played for the best defenses or sits here today with a ring in his pocket.

Then again, this is the NFL and the most popular sport in the country and very much so around the world.  That’s why several announcers from different countries storm the Super Bowl press box to live broadcast the game to their own countries, sitting hundreds of thousands of miles away.   Can you win the big one?  How many times can you win the big one?    Peyton got his ring in 2006 and did so by defeating the Chicago Bears mighty defense and inept quarterback Rex Grossman(who is out of football these days).   Rex was bad, but a lot of people forget Manning had to come back in the AFC championship game and beat Tom Brady to get there.   That is where Peyton started turning things around against Brady in the playoffs.  His Colts came back from being down by nearly 20 points and stole the game.  That is why today Brady can afford to very mad about the Manning’s.   The last three times he has gotten close to a Super Bowl, they have slammed the door on him.

Manning got the ring in 2006 but got booted by the Saints in the Super Bowl in February of 2010.   If you are a Peyton fan like myself but can sit back and see a realistic picture, the memory is quite vivid nearly 4 years later.   The game was a seesaw battle for three quarters.  The Colts jumped out to a 10-6 halftime lead but the Saints scored to make it 13-10 in the third quarter.  The Colts grabbed the lead back, 17-13 before the lead eventually sat at 24-17 Saints in the 4th quarter with just over three minutes remaining.   Peyton was driving the Colts down the field, and was on the 26 yard line.   He threw a routine 10-15 yard pass and Tracy Porter stepped in front of a Colts Receiver and took it 74 yards the other way for a touchdown.  A bad pass, good pick and that was it.   Game over.  Manning’s dream shattered in an instant.

Ask Manning critics and they think he was horrible the entire game.  He finished with a touchdown and the one interception, completed 68 percent of his passes and threw for 333 yards.   However, in this game where one game tiebreakers make or break teams in the playoffs, the one mistake is what people remember.  Right or wrong, that is the way it is.

Manning needs this win against Seattle.   In my mind, he needs that 2nd championship ring to get into the talk for best of all time or at least top 3.   Brady will still have 3 Super Bowls but the Spygate factor looms over his achievements in the postseason and what he has done since.  There are other greats for sure, but Manning’s regular season dominance and his proposed 2 rings will put him right up there.  Especially when you take into account his two team success and 4 neck surgeries that had many counting him out before the 2012 season.  Peyton is easily one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.   Sunday may determine how high he sits.   Professional sports can be unforgiving and carry a short attentions span for great players.

Manning’s biggest foe may not be Richard Sherman and that amazing Seattle smashmouth defense.   His biggest obstacle in the race may be Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and his ability to rumble and gain yards and eat up the clock.    If you ask any defensive coordinator, the best way to beat Manning is to keep him off the field.  As long as he watches on the sidelines, he can do no harm.  That’s the way and if you have a guy like Lynch who can collect so many yards after contact, the forecast is good for a Manning defeat.

Sunday has many storylines but none loom larger than Peyton Manning’s reach for true greatness.   Favre won only a single Super Bowl before crumbling to injury also meeting his end via a Saints defeat(same year).   A lot of other great QB’s have one ring and for them that could be enough.   It’s different for Peyton.  He puts himself out there with his commercials and publicity and carries loads of pressure on his shoulders every time he takes a playoff football field.   Will he sink or swim?  Is this the night Peyton achieves greatness or will he come up short again on National Television in front of the biggest audience in the world?

All he has to do is look up at the press box at John Elway for inspiration.  He failed a few times before winning 2 late Super Bowls with the Broncos when he was 38 and 39 years old.   Manning is 37 years old and may or may not return next season.   My money is on him playing a couple more years.   However, as he told the press this past week, the only game he is thinking about right now is Super Bowl 48.   That’s a good mind set because that is the only game history is thinking about right now as well.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the game!

-D.L.B.

Photo Credit-GuardianLV.com

Stan Kroenke: The Shadow Boxing NFL Owner

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St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke waited 15 years to get full control of the team and everybody thinks he is going to ship it back to Los Angeles at first glance.   Think again folks.

This week, Stan bought land in LA and it was the size of a stadium.  Cue the freak out blues!  Oh no, he really is taking the Rams back to LA and St. Louis will be struckla-sp-rams-stan-kroenke-photo-20140130 with grief again.  Well, guess again because is inaccurate.

I don’t have a PHD in real estate or NFL ethics but I can tell you this.   This latest development has no effect on the Rams moving after 2015.  Why?

There are tons of hurdles for Kroenke to hop over even if he wanted to move the team, which I don’t think he does.  He has to get a majority vote from the owners, get permits, get more land for a serviceable parking lot and tailgating, and would endure a ton of heartaches to get this done.

Kroenke isn’t buying this land to move the Rams.  He is buying this land to hold it as leverage against the city of St. Louis to make updates to the Edward Jones Dome or build a new stadium somewhere in the area.  The city rejected a recent 700 million dollar renovation offer and now Stan took the ball back into his court by buying this land, which could turn into the Walmart Super Store it was supposed to become 9 years ago. Leverage folks.

The reason this news gets everyone rolling is due to Stan’s quiet nature.  He doesn’t treat the press like they are a needed valve to his operation and works on his own terms.  He shadow boxes the media and fanbase better than any sports owner in the land.  He is a tricky man and it works to his advantage in these matters.

The NFL doesn’t want the Rams to move back to LA anyway.  Think about it.  An expansion team means more money and a brighter future out west than leftovers from the Midwest.  Los Angeles had the Rams once and they were shipped away.  That large metropolis needs new blood and a new logo and face.  Mark Cuban maybe?

Stan and The Rams are staying put.  By 2015, the Ed Dome has to be in the top 8 of all 32 NFL stadiums or in their words, top tier.  If not, the Rams are free to move or do a year to year lease.  My thought process tells me another renovation deal is struck or a new stadium plan is made before that mark is up.

For 700 million dollars, I would rather see a new open air stadium with real grass and roots out in Earth City instead of brightening up the dead as a door nail North St. Louis Ed Dome.

I am not telling you the Rams will become a Super Bowl team or fill a new stadium anytime soon.  That depends on drafts, schedules, play and coaching which only the future holds dear.  I can tell you based on past dealings and the current smell of gunpowder in the air, that if a new NFL team lands in LA, it will not be the Rams.  Don’t start calling him “Stan Not The Man” just yet.

Then again, I have to applaud the guy for making ripples like this for buying an empty parking lot.  Ramble on Rams Fans!

-DLB

Photo Credit-LA Times