Philip Baker Hall, RIP
By 
One of the truly great character actors of the last half-century is gone. When I think of Hall, I think of his great work in Hard Eight, Paul Thomas Anderson’s first film. That face. What a face. And then there’s the role that first got him major attention–as Nixon in the one-man performance in Secret Honor that Robert Altman directed. I don’t think this is a great film per se, but Hall’s performance is absolutely riveting.