Howl Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Finally! A Peek at James Franco's Allen Ginsberg
Filed under: Drama », Images »
As we learned yesterday, Sundance has revealed the first chunk of its lineup, which included Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's Howl. In other words, the film that has James Franco starring as Allen Ginsberg -- when the iconic poet faced an obscenity trial for his poem "Howl." The above picture is one of the first images of the film, released by the Sundance Film Festival, showing Ginsberg and lifelong partner Peter Orlovsky (Aaron Tveit). (Here's a picture for reference.) Pretty darned good, eh? But wait. It's easy to think OMG Perfect! and rush over there with high expectations.
Unfortunately, the above image is definitely the best of the bunch, with the others (see below gallery) looking like Franco in glasses (plus one more image of Jon Hamm in his best court duds). That makes me half excited and half disappointed, but it will all come down to how it works in moving, talking action, and whether Franco can make the poet come to life with inflection and mannerisms. There's still a chance, and it's hard to gripe about the rare wordy projects that make it to the big screen.
What do you think of Franco's Howl look?
Watch This: James Franco's Gucci Outtakes
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
As much as I love James Franco (for reasons both personal and professional) I sometimes worry he's going to wear out his welcome with these shorts that keep popping up wherever you look. So far, we've had acting lessons, re-enactments of The Hills, commencement speeches, and even abstract art ... and now we've got Gucci. Over at Funny or Die, they have the latest comedy short which is presented as outtakes from the actor's turn as a spokesmodel for Gucci, and even though you know what to expect from the moment you hit play, that doesn't mean that it won't make you laugh (in my case there was even a little snorting involved).
But maybe the genius of Franco is that you can never quite guess what he's going to do next (I mean, I don't think anyone saw the General Hospital stint coming). He's still a movie star after all, though, and his upcoming roles in the Steve Carell and Tina Fey comedy Date Night, along with his portrayal of Beat poet Allan Ginsberg in Howl, guarantees that his comedic and dramatic skills won't be going to waste any time soon. But as this short proves, maybe his most memorable attribute will always be that he's never afraid to make a complete ass of himself -- a lovable quality if there ever was one.
After the jump: what Gucci didn't want you to see and another Franco classic....
If Paul Rudd Turned Into Eric Roberts, Would We 'Howl'?
Filed under: Drama », Casting », RumorMonger »
Some of the best moments on the big screen comes from something we'd never expect, but find irresistible -- the sort of occurrences where it seems like someone fed you into a computer and came out with the perfect and inevitable piece of awesome that would appeal. And now I'm wondering if that could be Paul Rudd morphing into Eric Roberts.I've liked both men for a while -- Roberts being my first big Hollywood crush, and Rudd being my dancing King. But the two never met with any common ground in my mind. Nevertheless, the new rumor hitting the mill is that the two might play the same character in the upcoming Allen Ginsberg obscenity trail film, Howl. According to Bad Taste, a source inside the production has confirmed that Roberts is in negotiations to play Luther Nichols in the film -- the man that Paul Rudd is currently playing. This is either a mix-up in who is negotiating, or who is playing who. I can't see a modern film paying two actors to do the same role when there's lots of age makeup around.
But the idea ... I like it. The young, upbeat cherubic quality to Rudd balanced with the aged sneer of Roberts. It would definitely be an interesting way to tackle a character -- not Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan unique, but close enough.
Jon Hamm Puts On Legal Briefs For 'Howl'
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Casting », Newsstand », Politics »
Let's just get the important part out first -- Variety reports that Jon Hamm, the man who looks like a cartoon pilot, has joined the cast of Howl. Commence girly shrieking, gaze at the photo to your left, sink into your chair with a grin on your face. It's cool. I did it too.All right, now that's over with. Howl is already generating a lot of buzz, all of which should keep it from disappearing into indie obscurity. Not only does it center on a notorious moment of literary history, but its collected a heck of an ensemble cast -- James Franco (who is playing Allen Ginsberg), Paul Rudd, Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels, Bob Balaban, Treat Williams and Alessandro Nivola are all on board. (Check out Peter Martin's piece to see who plays whom.)
Hamm has landed a very meaty part in the Ginsberg story -- he'll play the famous defense attorney Jake Ehrlich. Ehrlich was actually the attorney for Lawrence Ferlinghetti who had published Howl stateside as the owner of City Lights Bookstore. He faced a $500 fine and a 6 month sentence for daring to publishing Ginsberg's poem, and gained the services of Ehrlich thanks to the ACLU. Ehrlich took the case pro-bono, and later wrote an account of the trial titled Howl of the Censor, and was the inspiration for the television series "Perry Mason."
All joking and gushing aside, it's wonderful to see Hamm get to use his acting chops outside of Mad Men and Keanu Reeves. Now if some studio executive would watch that Lex Luthor video and make the obvious DC choice ...
Solid Ensemble Coming Together for Beatnik Flick 'Howl'
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Casting », Cinematical Indie »
Obscenity! The '50s! Legal drama! Book-length poems! OK, that last one is part of what distinguishes the upcoming Howl, in which James Franco will star as legendary beatnik writer Allen Ginsberg. The film revolves around the court trial that took place after Howl was published in 1956 -- and promptly banned for obscenity. Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Rudd, Jeff Daniels, David Straithairn, and Alan Alda have just been added to the cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
All will play fictional versions of real-life characters. On the side of the prosecution (boo! hiss!), indie darling / TV star Parker will play radio personality Gail Potter, the reliably venal Daniels will embody Professor David Kirk, and the firm and steady Staithairn will be prosecuting attorney Ralph McIntosh. In behalf of the defense (yay! cheer!), Paul Rudd will play literary critic (?!) Luther Nichols. Calm and fair as always, I'm sure, Alda will play Judge Clayton Horn.
Documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman will make their narrative debut and the film is all theirs: they are writing, producing, and directing. Epstein made the terrific doc The Times of Harvey Milk and the pair made Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt. Gus van Sant is serving as executive producer, and Coen crony Carter Burwell is set to provide an original score. I hope that Epstein and Friedman can pull off the transition to narrative film and give us an incendiary picture; the elements are all in place, and the time is right.
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