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Mr. Beaks Interviews Dustin Hoffman!

dang by ufoclub1977	Dec 19th, 2008 01:10:44 PM
Now I wanna see "Ishtar"....
Though the phrase "romantic dramedy" is woeful by palimpsest	Dec 19th, 2008 01:35:07 PM
this was a good report, Mr Beaks, and kudos to you for the minor geek-out from Hoffman. Hopefully he'll remember you and get you an hour or so next time out. He's made some great movies (THE GRADUATE, LITTLE BIG MAN, MARATHON MAN for starters), a few stinkers, the occasional crowd-pleaser for the money (OUTBREAK is a guilty pleasure of mine), and has has been both sensitive and affecting (TOOTSIE and ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN work) and has show-boated (CONFIDENCE and RAIN MAN spring to mind immediately), and been in some under-appreciated gems (hell, I like SPHERE). All in all, he's had a Hollywood career that, though never quite getting the kudos of a Pacino or De Niro, has got him much respect. More, please!
This is by Flyingcircus	Dec 19th, 2008 01:36:13 PM
the perfect opportunity for a reboot of the franchise.
Great interview! by Tin Snoman	Dec 19th, 2008 01:43:49 PM
Dustin Hoffman is awesome.
I want a sequel to LITTLE BIG MAN by HEADGEEK	Dec 19th, 2008 01:46:50 PM
starting with Hoffman at the age he is now. But that's cuz I'm retarded.
Class act throughout. by AgentArchangel	Dec 19th, 2008 01:49:17 PM
That's Dustin Hoffman in a nutshell. Great interview, Mr. Beaks. Glad to hear his publicist didn't know the Wuxi Finger Grip.
Fantastic. by Nordling	Dec 19th, 2008 01:52:09 PM
I've always heard and read that Hoffman can be a bit of a cold fish in interviews, but that's so obviously wrong based on reading this. Either that, or you brought out something special here. Interviews from the filmgeek perspective are so few and far between, especially with those actors and filmmakers that truly inspired us through the years. Terrific interview, Mr. Beaks!
What a great fucking interview by Smilin'Jack Ruby	Dec 19th, 2008 01:53:40 PM
I really liked what he did in "Last Chance Harvey" - exactly as you say, a really naked, emotionally complex role. Nice to see him talk about in the same way. Sucks about the recorder being off!!
Getting Hoffman to talk about Ishtar is classic by Samuel Fulmer	Dec 19th, 2008 02:11:25 PM
Don't forget his other WB collaboration as Mumbles in Dick Tracy. Hoffman being interogated is the best scene in that film. One question I'd like to hear him answer some day is what exactly was Michael Mann's writing involvement on Straight Time. He's always credited as a ghost writer, but I wonder how much of what he wrote made it on the screen. You can tell from the dialogue that a lot of it sounds like dialogue written by Mann for films like Thief and Heat.
I want Hoffman as The Penguin... by LordPorkington	Dec 19th, 2008 02:15:36 PM
In the next Batman movie by Nolan.
Hoffman being a cold fish in interviews by Samuel Fulmer	Dec 19th, 2008 02:15:37 PM
Probably due to getting the same stupid questions. At least Beaks thought outside the box somewhat. He's probably sick of being asked about the Graduate and Tootsie. I'm going to posit right now that Hoffman was the best actor of his generation in the 70's. Pacino, De Niro, and Nicholson still get most of the praise, but I think Hoffman's run in the 70's was superior to thier output.
Bring me the head of peter pan! by knowthyself	Dec 19th, 2008 02:23:29 PM
Couldn't help but think of the interview Tom Tucket did with Hoffman on Family Guy.
Dustin Hoffman in Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2! by Nasty In The Pasty	Dec 19th, 2008 02:25:56 PM

excellent interview with the Hoff (no not that Hoff) by sherlock_junior	Dec 19th, 2008 02:28:53 PM
Dustin Rules and this interview is really fresh and exciting! Keep it up!!
I'd go to that screening! by iamnicksaicnsn	Dec 19th, 2008 02:58:26 PM
Sounds awesome. Good interview, wish we could've heard the post-recording stuff
Beaks by Jaws Wayne	Dec 19th, 2008 03:35:29 PM
Great interview man, kudos, hope to read many more in the future.
Hoffman may be the most diverse actor of all time by the beef	Dec 19th, 2008 03:36:43 PM
I'm glad he's passionate enough about acting for us to see him be first-rate at it.
Hoffman was hot shit in the 70's... by Cameron1	Dec 19th, 2008 03:56:10 PM
but Gene Hackman is the greatest actor of that generation. That's a stone cold fact.
Hoffman.. by Harold-Sherbort	Dec 19th, 2008 04:09:34 PM
..is my favorite actor of all time. His Ratso Rizzo is fucking flawless. Hell, they made a muppet based on the character!!
Hoffman is the One True Hoff by Fievel	Dec 19th, 2008 04:55:06 PM

Uh oh fart.... by Darth Macchio	Dec 19th, 2008 04:59:22 PM
Hoffman is a genius. I had heard that Magorium's Wonder Emporium was drool but on the contrary, it's a mad lot of fun and a very touching movie that speaks right to the inner-child hopefully still breathing within us. I love the little things and for a movie I wrote off as a Willy Wonka clone, it's not remotely the same (unless you consider a movie with kids in it the same). Best little thing are the name tags "Not Steve", "Robot" for the robot, etc. Truly a class act and brilliant talent!
A wrongly maligned movie like... by Archive	Dec 19th, 2008 05:01:56 PM
Hudson Hawk?!? Dustion Hoffman and Bruce Willis, and lits and lots of singing? You know you want it!!!
Palimpset by Archive	Dec 19th, 2008 05:05:19 PM
Dustin Hoffman may not have the intensity of Pacino or Deniro, but he's got way more range, and a resonating sense of honesty. He was the best part of Wag the Dog, as well!
Dustin is a gent by m_reporter	Dec 19th, 2008 05:11:53 PM
Im gonna hunt down ISHTAR now. This interview got me more curious about that than Last Chance Harvey.
by MCVamp	Dec 19th, 2008 05:53:23 PM

Oops. by MCVamp	Dec 19th, 2008 05:54:42 PM
Anyway, meant to say that the original cinematic Hoffman is always a pleasure to watch onscreen. "Big Boy did it. Big Boy did it."
Hoffman is a notoriously prickly bugger. by MaxTheSilent	Dec 19th, 2008 06:30:44 PM
It took real balls to go in with the ISHTAR talk.
The Messenger by enderandrew	Dec 19th, 2008 07:17:09 PM
I think his role in The Messenger is brilliant. I love how it is never unexplained and the audience is allowed to come to their own conclusions. I think he did a wonderful job allowing that role to go both ways.
a "wrongly maligned movie" like.... by The Amazing G	Dec 19th, 2008 07:18:11 PM
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL!!!!???? yeah that's right, I went there!
Paul Blart: Mall Cop by The Amazing G	Dec 19th, 2008 07:26:37 PM
I looked that up on imdb and it looks like it MIGHT be funny.....if it came from a better director and was R-rated
Dude! by buffywrestling	Dec 19th, 2008 07:55:29 PM
That was pretty cool. I thought Cap was pulling ahead - he's had some AWESOME fucking interviews lately - but Hoffman is score too.
Blade Runner by markjamesmurphy	Dec 19th, 2008 08:49:54 PM
You should have asked him about his involvement in Blade Runner. He was supposed to be Deckard and there was a bit of pre-production to that end.
Great interview, great talent by Jaka	Dec 19th, 2008 09:19:14 PM
I love that he continues to play challenging characters that are age appropriate. Too many of his contemporaries seem to think they're twenty years younger than they actually are.
Oh yeah! by Jaka	Dec 19th, 2008 09:19:27 PM

I never hated Ishtar, either! by Jaka	Dec 19th, 2008 09:19:51 PM
Hah! Nice save, yes?
DUSTIN HOFFMAN IS GREAT by BringingSexyBack	Dec 19th, 2008 10:29:09 PM
Really funny in Meet the Fockers. Appears to be a nice genuine guy.
Hoffman OWNED as Master Shifu by Nasty In The Pasty	Dec 19th, 2008 10:31:39 PM
"There is now...a level zero"
Hoffman OWNED Captain Hook in "HOOK"! by Mike_D	Dec 20th, 2008 12:49:49 AM
admit it!
Hoffman ROCKS by theycallmemrglass	Dec 20th, 2008 06:35:47 AM
TO list just a fraction of his great work, Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Little Big Man, Marathon Man, Hook, and fuck yeah Kung FU Panda. The man is LEGEND. I have now got to check out Ishtar. Shame on me for following the fuckass critics. Oh and hats off to BEAKS for an awesome interview.
ISHTAR / 1941 double bill, please. by King_Knut	Dec 20th, 2008 10:33:30 AM
Not that I'll be there grumble grumble
Hats off, Mr. Beaks. This was a classic interview by YackBacker	Dec 20th, 2008 12:57:39 PM
What a great job. Hoffman sounds pretty fun, and he was obviously digging the ISHTAR love. Greak work, Beaks. This is one of the best interviews I've read on this site.
nice, Beaks. You and Quint have some of the best interviews by m00kiedood	Dec 20th, 2008 02:09:15 PM
It's got to be refreshing for someone like Hoffman to have an intelligent conversation like this in the middle of a long, interview slog in some hotel room -- and you can see it in his responses. And I'm sure that five minutes after you left, he was faced with yet another interviewer asking him "So what was it like working with Emma Thompson? So what was it like playing a loser? So what was it like filming in New York?" (If you admit that you can play the accordion, No one'll hire you in a rock 'n' roll band...)
thought that would be boring but it wasn't by Rupee88	Dec 20th, 2008 06:02:46 PM
thanks to both Hoffman and Beaks...good job to both..
King_Knut by shellfishh	Dec 20th, 2008 06:26:42 PM
EXCELLENT call on 1941. I unashamedly LOVE that fucking movie. But let's pair Ishtar with another movie. I want a 1941/Big Trouble In Little China double bill.
Not to sound trite, but this sounds very by Grammaton Cleric Binks	Dec 21st, 2008 07:22:47 AM
similar to About Schmidt except that he's for the wedding, and may get a happy ending.
Beaks, great interview, and Harry by Grammaton Cleric Binks	Dec 21st, 2008 07:24:15 AM
Little Big Man was ...well how does one put it...a great movie, perhaps one of Hoffman's greatest, and very underrated because it was early in his career. Oh wait, I just realized what it was. It is pre-CGI Forest Gump. Think about it.
A TV Jingle Writer? jeee-zus by SomaShine	Dec 21st, 2008 11:13:38 AM
Notice how in Hollywood no one ever has REAL jobs. Its always either ad firm, book publisher, journalist or Lawyer who have all the problems ..Seriously folks take a fucking que from 40 Year Old Virgin where the fact that it was funny because they where REAL FUCKING PEOPLE. ( well wait..one of them wasnt). When I read stuff like this it automatically makes me lose interest in the film. its like the writer or the studio bends over, smells their own fart and says..."yeeaa..lets make this guy a TV jinglest..yeaaah"
great interview - hoffmann not just giving canned answers by WWBD	Dec 21st, 2008 02:42:24 PM
The problem with these assembly line press junket interviews is that the subject often gets bored halfway through and goes on auto pilot. But Hoffman sounds really engaged. Good work.
Little Big Man by ufoclub1977	Dec 21st, 2008 03:18:04 PM
I wish this was on blu-ray
Hudson Hawk! by David Lazarus Long	Dec 21st, 2008 04:58:17 PM
I freakin' love it. Hadn't seen it in years and years and then it popped on one of the premiums last week. Heard of, but never seen Ishtar. Sounds like a riot. Hoffman's right, there's enough great art in the world that we could stop now and you could still never appreciate it all inside a single lifetime.
The biggest irony with Wonder Emporium by half vader	Dec 21st, 2008 10:24:43 PM
... was that they didn't know how to write a child character that wasn't stereotypical, clichéd and simplistic. Or a story for young audience that wasn't like that either. And the kid they cast was so on-the-nose, acting-kid awful. I sure found it hard to be sympathetic. The ONLY stuff I loved in that misfire was that they actually confronted death. Which was weird because everything ELSE in the movie patronised a young audience. And poor Bateman being saddled with such a 1-dimensional role. Portman and Hoffman did what they could with what they had too. Oh the production design was cool though. And the credits. But story story story.
I missed Ishtar too - but PAUL WILLIAMS? by half vader	Dec 21st, 2008 10:25:43 PM
That settles it. Add a new viewer.
Dustin who? by thebearovingian	Dec 21st, 2008 11:01:43 PM
Though bereft of the histrionics that please the Academy so,... Though brusque with her at first,... Though fight you may want, young Skywalker... Literary genius is among us friends. These are not just the words in a review, friends. They are lyrics of a song!
hook by TheDudeintheShadows	Dec 22nd, 2008 03:26:41 AM
greatest hoffman movie ever
Twenty questions by Chaplins_tache	Dec 22nd, 2008 05:08:19 AM
Excellent interview sir! Hoffman seems to have gotten a bad press over the years, maybe because of lazy interviewers. From his appearances on British TV though, he always comes across as a very thoughtful and funny guy who will not only answer the question asked, but also continue the train of thought that a question may open. Is there any chance of doing the question round with him that was once done with Stallone a while back? Of all the things that AICN has done over the years, those articles still serve as a highlight. If there's any actor who might be game for it, i think Dustin's the man..
I like his movies by ArcadianDS	Dec 22nd, 2008 09:28:57 AM
but the guy is politically off the reservation. He's got some views that make Harry look like a Republican spokesperson.
he's a quality act by mrbong	Dec 22nd, 2008 03:05:18 PM
every interview the man does is rather entertaining. if you get the chance, find the ones he did with Graham Norton for either the BBC or Channel 4. as for his acting & films, well, what could i add? i think the last one i saw him in was Perfume, as good as ever.
Hoffman is a pure genious by Gorgomel	Dec 22nd, 2008 04:23:13 PM
He made me cry in Kramer vs Kramer. He made me laugh AND cry in Tootsie.
Crystal Skull is only "wrongly maligned" on talkbacks by MattmanReturns	Dec 22nd, 2008 05:16:57 PM
It made ridiculous sums of money domestically and worldwide, and then continued to make ridiculous sums on DVD (which would seem to indicate that people liked it enough to buy it). So don't kid yourselves into thinking it's a failure or that it's hated all over the globe. Yes, it had some very stupid parts, but I just saw the Mummy 3 and that really put things into perspective for me. Compare the scene where Brendan Fraser and his son are comparing their gun sizes to the scene where Indy and his son are talking about their pasts (Pancho Villa, not finishing school, etc). The Indy scene is good, naturalistic acting, and the Mummy scene is just horrible.
I had chili for lunch. by Godovhellfire	Dec 22nd, 2008 07:37:40 PM

64 posts by Orcus	Dec 23rd, 2008 01:27:34 PM
Definitely 64 posts
Tidbit of interview from last night's Letterman by skimn	Dec 23rd, 2008 02:57:38 PM
Was in an elevator in Woody Allen's building, visiting while in New York filming Tootsie in full Dorothy make-up. Riding with the AD, the elevator stops, and in walks Jose Ferrer who was also in the building. In character, Hoffman goes on about how Mr. Ferrer is a brilliant actor and how "she" has loved him for years. Not recognizing Hoffman, Ferrer is very gentlemanly, accepting the praise. Hoffman continues, and asks if she could request a favor, something she has wanted to do for years. When questioned, she replied, "I would love to suck your cock." Ferrer paused for a moment or two, then looked thoughtfully before saying.."Not right now.."
Hoffman should talk about selling out by Cruel_Kingdom	Dec 23rd, 2008 11:24:48 PM
Seriously, the dude whores himself out for anything he can make a buck off these days. Sad.
Cruel_Kingdom by skimn	Dec 24th, 2008 09:16:49 AM
You mean unlike his contemporary actors of the early '70s like Al "88 Minutes" Pacino or Robert "Meet The Parents/Rocky & Bullwinkle" DeNiro..? Gene Hackman has retired, and the only one still seemingly remaining true to his standards is Robert Duvall...
ratso rizzo... by bernard	Dec 24th, 2008 02:58:33 PM
...is probably my favorite hoffman performance to date..and maybe i'm crazy, but a little bit of ratso rizzo seems to have seeped into heath ledger's joker.
skimn by Cruel_Kingdom	Dec 25th, 2008 04:37:17 AM
Yes, and they're fucking embarrassments, too. It's always sad when great artists sell out their legacies for a few measly bucks.

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Mr. Beaks Interviews Dustin Hoffman!

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