The late Phillip Seymour Hoffman certainly deserves a best-actor nomination for his final picture, "A Most Wanted Man," an intelligence thriller set in Hamburg and Berlin, based on John le Carre‘s book of the same name. Hoffman died Feb. 2 at age 46. He is brilliant in "Wanted Man" as he plays Gunter Bachmann, the overweight, disheveled, heavy-smoking, hard-drinking head of a small, secret German anti-terrorist team trying to develop sources within the Islamic community. His strong supporting cast includes Willem Dafoe, Rachel McAdams and Robin Wright.
Grigoriy Dobrygin portrays Issa Karpov, a half-Chechen, half-Russian who has been tortured in prison and jumps from a ship, swimming to a Hamburg dock. Karpov has a contact in Hamburg who gets a civil rights lawyer (McAdams) to help him. He has millions of euros, dirty money collected by his father and grandfather, that has been left to him in a German bank. The bank, not particular about how depositors acquired their money, is run by Dafoe’s character. Bachmann uses his skills to work things out despite difficulties. It is Hoffman at his best — so good that he just may win the best-actor Oscar …
FRIDAY is the last day for Special Olympics Hawai‘i’s Tip a Cop event, 6 to 9 p.m. at participating Ward Center restaurants. Volunteer law enforcement officers will serve diners, accepting donations for service. Money raised will benefit Special Olympics. Eateries participating include Big City Diner; Dave & Buster’s; Genki Sushi; Kaka‘ako Kitchen; Kincaid’s Fish, Chop and Steak House; Ryan’s Grill; and Wahoo’s Fish Taco … The Hawai‘i Friends of Civil Rights and the Hawaii State Art Museum present a free First Friday show featuring jazz and gospel Friday, 6 to 8 p.m., on the second-floor courtyard of the museum. Performers include Ginai, Starr Kalahiki, Al Harrington, Chris Vandercook, Sherry Graham and the Chuck James Trio. Poetry will be by Kathryn Takara. Call 586-9959 for more info …
ON SUNDAY I read the names of five people I knew in the Star-Advertiser’s obituary page: Teddi Medina, Steve Ozark, Joan Keola‘i Cluney Olds, Joel Kennedy and Bill Bachran. Condolences to their families. Bachran, 87, was a public relations expert who ran the Hawaiian Open/ Sony Open media room for more than 40 years. He made it possible for me and other writers to play three holes with world-class golfer Jim Furyk at Waialae Country Club days before an Open. It was one of my lifetime thrills. Bachran helped promoters Lou Robbins and Tom Moffatt with public relations for big acts they booked here such as the Jackson Five, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, Wayne Newton, the Smothers Brothers and Earth, Wind and Fire, acts I covered for the newspaper. Bill died April 27. His interment service is 11:30 a.m. Friday at Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, with a celebration of his life Sunday at Waialae Country Club, 4 to 7 p.m. …
Medina, 88, a singer, radio personality and writer, died July 17. I had many conversations with her over the years. Her son, John Noland, is a TV and radio personality. … Ozark, 63, died July 24 in Nashville. He was the food caterer for many acts that performed here. … Kennedy, 69, a public relations expert, died June 23 on Hawaii island …
Olds, 81, was a dear friend. We were part of a group that hung out together when we were students at the University of Hawaii in the early 1950s. We were close to students Jimmy Olds, whom she later married, and Eloise Wery Martin. The last time I saw Joan was sometime ago when she, Eloise and I went to the Halekulani’s House Without a Key. Two "Hawaii Calls" vets, Benny Kalama and Sonny Kamahele, along with Alan Akaka were playing music, and Kanoe Miller was dancing hula. They came over to welcome us and spread aloha during a break. It was a wonderful time. Visitation for Joan is 2 p.m. Friday, and services are 3 p.m. at Maunalua Bay, near the Hui Nalu Canoe Club area …
Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things. Email him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.
