Easy A star Emma Stone is breaking out quickly.  She has been cast as the female lead in the upcoming Spider-Man movie reboot, which already is starring Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) as Peter Parker.  The fact that Stone has been cast is not entirely surprising considering recent speculation, but her role is a bit of a surprise. She will not be stepping into the role vacated be Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson but instead she will be playing Gwen Stacy.

What makes matters even more intriguing is that Stone, whom we’ve regularly seen sporting red hair in roles like Zombieland, is a natural blonde, which is what she will be wearing for the role of Stacy who is blonde as well.  HVB drops a few other gems in their write-up, mostly praising the chemistry between Stone and Garfield, but also noting that it is larfely rumored that Mary Jane will not be making an appearance in the first film of the franchise reboot and that Philip Seymour Hoffman is on the short list to play the Green Goblin.

I find the news refreshing overall.  I’m not a big fan of the original franchise and even more bothered by the idea of an almost immediate reboot. However, the recasting, the addition of the talented and charismatic Stone, the fact that her character is different from Watson are all positive signs. Add in Hoffman and you really have some potential to take things in a better direction than the original. Garfield is a tall Parker/Spider-Man though, so I hope they won’t be too awkward when he and Stone appear on-screen together. The movie is set to hit theaters on July 3rd, 2012, so don’t get too excited for the project yet.

In a city as vast and populated as New York, the new film Jack Goes Boating is a small story centered around four locals. Adapted from a play of the same name, the film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as the titular Jack, a single man who keeps to himself in the basement of his Uncle’s house.  It’s apparent that Jack struggles to connect with people (a potential social disorder of some sort?), but he maintains one close friendship with his co-worker Clyde.

Jack and Clyde are limousine drivers mired in the routine of their work for years. While Jack comforts himself with the positive vibes of reggae music, Clyde is the self-medicating type who has a wife to go home to.

The story begins with Clyde and his wife attempting to set-up their respective co-workers Jack and Connie on a blind date. Both potential date partners seem ambivalent but acquiesce just the same.  There are hints at likely trauma in both Connie and Jack’s pasts, and they carry that forth into their odd but endearing interactions with one another.  Still, their relationship is only half the story.

Clyde’s burgeoning friendship with Jack is approached with a mentor and pupil mentality of sorts with Clyde leading Jack in an adult version of the birds and bees. This is emphasized while Clyde is attempting to hold together a tenuous marriage at home.  What unfolds is an interesting story about friendship, a tender love story, betrayal, and even strength where you sometimes least expect it. This also shows the growth of a man when he is encouraged to engage.

Hate to disappoint you, but 'Jack Goes Boating' not "motor-boating."

There are several laughs throughout, but the brilliance of Hoffman’s directorial debut is that the laughs are often in the awkward pauses between the characters rather than in the bizarre things that they sometimes say or the peculiar ways they express themselves.  Sometimes you suppose that Jack and Connie simply are afraid to say what they feel, and then one (usually Connie) will say something that floors you.  Good stuff.  The only drawback here is that you can see the story unfolding with the inevitable ending developing from a mile away.

The mini-dreadlocked Jack is the lead character but really equal time is devoted to the four main actors who carry virtually every frame of film. TV veteran John Ortiz’s Clyde makes an impression as a charismatic man with issues that are hidden beneath a harder, jovial exterior. Hoffman and Ortiz are co-founders of the LAByrinth Theater in New York and their easy real-life friendship leads to an uncommon chemistry on the big screen. I anticipate Ortiz’s work will steadily increase from such valued screen time in this role.

Amy Ryan continues to show she deserves more work by tackling the challenging role of Connie and convincing us that she exists on every level.  Part paranoid and tortured, the other part gentle and loving; you waste no time believing that Connie and Jack couldn’t share a relationship despite their obvious deficiencies.

This is a mature work that is definitely not mainstream but completely worthy of an audience, particularly for fans of independent cinema or quirky relationship comedies.  While the drama of how it all turns out is rarely in doubt, its still an enjoyable journey to get there, and that is what matters most here.

We as Americans, love the comedies of our home country, England. In recent years, many films from across the pond have found success in America. Films like Love Actually, Bridget Jones and Notting Hill have all enjoyed success with audiences in the U.K. as well as here in the states. Is it our love of their dry humor and accents? Or is it our love for that oh so dashing Hugh Grant that these movies are hits here?  I can’t be certain, but besides the Hugh Grant factor, these movies share another common trait. All of them have been written by writer/director Richard Curtis.

Pirate Radio is set in 1966 Britain, when the BBC was only playing a few hours a week of any form of music. As we all know, the kids of the 60s would not stand for this. They wanted their rock music played constantly. In the movie, this is exactly what they get, as a band of rebel DJ’s begin broadcasting rock n’ roll music twenty four hours a day. They are broadcasting this music from a ship off the British coast in international waters. The British government doesn’t take too kindly to the idea of these “pirates” defying their rules, and begins to try and shut the pirate radio station down.

Lookalikes from Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

The cast for Pirate Radio is a who’s who of British actors, that includes Bill Nighy (Underworld), Rhys Ifans (Enduring Love), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) and Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee). The movie also stars Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt). This film has a top notch cast, every actor in this is watchable in just about everything they are in. For me, this is especially true of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who I’ve been a huge fan of since seeing him in Boogie Nights.

The film’s director, Richard Curtis came to prominence after he received an Oscar nod for writing the screenplay for 1994′s massive hit Four Weddings and a Funeral. Since then, Curtis has written a number of hit British comedies, mostly of the romantic variety. Pirate Radio marks his second film as writer/director after 2003′s Love Actually.

I'd sure like to get a peek at what they are looking at.

This movie was already released in the U.K. on April 1^st. It was due for release in U.S. Theaters on August 28^th, but has switched distributors from Universal to Focus Features, which handles its smaller independent releases. The film hasn’t fared as well as Curtis’ other films, the budget for Pirate Radio was around $50 million, and so far it has only taken in about half of that internationally. The title was also changed from The Boat That Rocked in the U.K. to Pirate Radio in the U.S.

With the films release date change and a distributor switch, there is also talk of the studio trimming about 20 minutes from the films run time. All of this seems to spell trouble for the film, but it looks like a very fun comedy that boasts a lot of great acting talent and a psychedelic soundtrack of 60s pop hits.

You can tune into Pirate Radio on November 13th.  The trailer is here for your viewing pleasure.

Apparently acting is not enough these days.  Being an Oscar winning actor still fails to satiate.  And so it goes, that actors who reach a certain point in their careers eventually try their hand at directing.  Eastwood successfully has made the transition, Denzel Washington has made his run at it, among countless others, so Philip Seymour Hoffman is next in line.  Variety reports:

Philip Seymour Hoffman has reeled in his directorial debut, signing on to helm Overture Films‘ “Jack Goes Boating,” an adaptation of Bob Glaudini‘s Off Broadway play in which he’ll also star.

Amy Ryan (“Gone Baby Gone”) will co-star opposite Hoffman, while John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega will reprise their roles from the stage production.

Play’s described as an unconventional romantic comedy about two misfits in New York City, laced with cooking classes, swimming lessons and illegal drugs.

I like Hoffman as an actor quite a bit, so I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in what sounds like a somewhat wacky rom-com.  It has to be a bit out there to fit his sensibilities I would suspect, and with Overture handling the film, it should be a smaller production that won’t need big bucks to justify itself.  I am down with this as much as I probably can be about a rom-com.  Any thoughts of yours on the matter?  We’ll let you know how things progress.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a solid psychological crime thriller with a capable Oscar-caliber cast.  The plot revolves around brothers Andy and Hank Hanson’s opportunistic crime, an innocent robbery that hopes to leave them with naturally thicker pockets where nobody is truly victimized.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Andy, who hatches the seemingly perfect scheme to presumably help cure him of some personal demons recruits his hapless brother, Hank (a manic, Ethan Hawke) to do the dirty work. But this seemingly easy Mom and Pop job (a jewelry store) left in Hank’s hands leads to disastrous results.  The ensuing drama is not so much in the robbery plot but the characters desperation as they begin to lose their footing and their lives unspool in a vicious cycle.

Directed by the venerable Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon), Devil is presented in an out of order puzzle, similar to Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, where the viewer has to put the pieces back together into a chronological framework.  This serves as an effective pace setter that keeps the audience off kilter.  For a Director known for shooting primarily in New York, he allows the city to serve as no more than a backdrop here, not like a living, breathing character as has been displayed in some of his past films.

An eager cast brings the story to life.  This one allows the mischievous Hoffman to take advantage of his considerable acting range, his Hank evolving from troubled real estate accountant to self-loathing husband to sadistic son with sometimes less than subtle notes.  Though the robbery serves as the plots centerpiece, it’s Hank’s surprising unraveling that keeps the film rooted in human drama.  This one plays more like Glengarry Glen Ross than Serpico.

All of the characters are tortured though the script leaves a few of them less than fully realized.  Hawke, as the bumbling brother Hank, is great when desperate but perhaps a bit too one note when it comes to his being intimidated by nearly anyone he comes across.  A sad and distant Marisa Tomei is essentially window dressing here but a pretty and revealing one at that, as Hank’s two timing wife, Gina.  Albert Finney rounds out the cast as Charles Hanson, playing both part grieving Father to the boys and part detective in another slightly one-note role.  All give solid performances throughout although they seem sliced from a too familiar pie.

While the actor’s do their best to pull the words from the page to screen, it’s newbie Kelly Masterson’s script that essentially holds them back.  Though he may be one to look out for in the future, these characters are drawn in too predictable a style and Lumet relies on a useful but probably unnecessary editing style that a tighter script wouldn’t fall victim to.  While its an entertaining ride that will leave you guessing the outcome to the very end, it still leaves you a little hollow wondering what could have been with the incredible cast that was here to represent.