Thursday, September 30, 2010 6:55PM - By JC
James Franco gives a career-defining performance in this weekend’s limited release, Howl, directed by Oscar winning documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Franco portrays American poet/Beat movement founder Allen Ginsberg, alongside Jon Hamm, Mary Louise-Parker, and Jeff Daniels. Though unlikely to sway commercial audiences due to its funky, unconventional nature, the film provides an innovative spin on contemporary storytelling. Though a slightly premature shot to call, Franco should sweep awards season with this one…
Check out the review below…
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Thursday, April 22, 2010 5:30PM - By Mali Elfman
Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney’s film Paper Man originally premiered last year at LA Film Festival where it was loved, cherished, and left without a home until now. It has finally worked its way to the public and will be released in select theaters April 23rd (yay!).
The film is sweet and charming with a darkly comedic edge. It’s filled with amazing acting and if you’re a film-lover, you’ll appreciate the amazing details that went into making the film. From the lighting to the costumes there were so many good decisions made on this film. To top it off it beautifully balances comedy with drama and treats it’s viewers like they have a brain.
Check out more about the film below…
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Monday, February 1, 2010 12:10AM - By Brendan Walsh
Howl, the film whose premiere opened the 2010 Sundance Festival, is perhaps the most artistic and experimental storytelling displayed at this years festival. It is a presentation and exploration of Allen Ginsberg’s timeless poem of the same title, directed by Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman and starring James Franco, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Bob Balaban, Jeff Daniels. It manages to capture both a moment in time from the beat era of the late 1950s, and reflect on the relevance of the poems message of isolation. It is told through firsthand accounts from different eras, and different visual styles and media. Howl delves into the concept of measuring the value of art, while standing apart from the other films of the festival as a true work of art itself. Read more about this film after the jump…
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Friday, July 24, 2009 7:00AM - By Liana Aghajanian
Written and directed by John Hindman, The Answer Man starring Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham tells the tale of a reclusive best-selling author whose misanthropic tendencies all but rule his life until he meets Elizabeth, a chiropractor who straightens him out in more ways than one. Though first-time director John Hindman deserves credit for putting together a romantic comedy that is gimmick free and thought invoking, it doesn’t help that The Answer Man takes a page (or several) straight out of the magnificence that is As Good As It Gets.
There’s only one mean-spirited, off kilter and down right bigot I can handle, and that’s Melvin Udall. For all its familiarity, The Answer Man is bearable, but not bearable enough to keep me from waiting, and wishing and hoping for plot development that never came.
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Friday, June 19, 2009 7:58AM - By Krystal Clark
Last night I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of Kieran and Michele Mulroney’s Paper Man at the opening night of the Los Angeles Film Festival. The film stars Jeff Daniels, Lisa Kudrow, Emma Stone, Kieran Culkan, Hunter Parrish, and Ryan Reynolds in a pseudo heroic role. Paper Man is a character study with an off beat sense of humor, that has the ability to make you laugh and cry simultaneously.
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