BuzzSugar

Allen Ginsberg Biopic, Howl, Gets Stellar Cast and Crew

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:46:29 -0700

When I was in high school, I discovered Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl and it astounded me. Ever since, it's been that book on my bookshelf that consistently beckons me to pick it up and read it again, and decades later, it's just as relevant to our times as it was in the 1960s. At the time of its publication, however, some folks were not so enamored with Ginsberg's words.

To commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the publication of Howl, there's a biopic in the works, focusing on "the obscenity trial launched to censor Ginsberg's groundbreaking book-length poem." James Franco will play Ginsberg, and the cast just expanded to include David Strathairn, Alan Alda, Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker and Paul Rudd. For more details, read more.

The Hollywood Reporter continues:

Among the real-life characters featured in the film are prosecuting attorney Ralph McIntosh (Strathairn), Judge Clayton Horn (Alda), prosecution witness Professor David Kirk (Daniels), radio personality and prosecution witness Gail Potter (Parker) and literary critic and defense witness Luther Nichols (Rudd).

"Fifty years later, Ginsberg's vision is as relevant as the year he wrote it," [one of the film's writers/directors, Jeffrey] Friedman said. "It resonates with issues of free speech, government censorship, militaristic empire building, fear-mongering, sexual conformity and the co-opting of religion."

A documentarian, Jeffrey Friedman is making his feature directorial debut alongside Rob Epstein. The part that intrigues me is that this is the duo, Friedman and Epstein, behind the stunning and Oscar-winning 1984 documentary The Life and Times of Harvey Milk. Director Gus Van Sant, whose biopic about Harvey Milk, Milk, is coming out in October, will executive produce this Ginsberg biopic.

I'm going to be following this production closely. What do you think of this? Have you read Howl or anything else by Ginsberg?

Sundance Snapshot: Howl

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:30:39 -0800

Before Jon Hamm was in NY gearing up for SNL, he made an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival for the world premiere of Howl. I was lucky enough to catch a screening of the film, which centers around Allen Ginsberg's life during the beatnik era and his controversial poem.

Who's behind it? Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman teamed up to write and direct the film, with James Franco, Jon Hamm, Bob Balaban, and David Strathairn as the major players.
What's it about? The film takes its title from Ginsburg's four-part poem, Howl, and goes back and forth between the year it was written (1955) and the year it became a lawsuit (1957). The movie is cut together into four very distinct parts: we see an interview with Ginsberg (Franco) as he discusses his life and work in 1957, as well as Ginsberg reading his poem to an audience for the first time in 1955. When Franco's not on camera, we see some trippy animation portraying the poem in a literal sense or scenes inside the courtroom debate regarding the poem's obscenities and literary worth.

To see whether or not the pieces all fit together for me, just read more.

What did I think? Overall, I really enjoyed the film. The components came together nicely and seamlessly, as a perfect blend of biopic, courtroom drama, and artistic indie flick. Franco gives an impressive performance as Ginsberg, showing two sides of the poet: quietly introspective and incredibly passionate. Though the animation got to be a bit much for me by the end of the film, I appreciated the stark contrast it provided to the lawsuit. The animated version of Howl turns Ginsberg's so-called obscenities into beautiful imagery as we listen to lawyers and witnesses contemplate whether or not the poem is crude and derogatory.

It's another great move for Franco's blooming career (especially since the film pulled him off of Sympathy for Delicious), and I have a feeling it will be a big stepping stone toward even more acclaim for the actor.

Don't forget to check out all of my reviews from the Sundance Film Festival!

A Tale of Two Ginsbergs: Franco and Eisenberg

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:30:02 -0700

Another Allen Ginsberg movie, you say? Why yes, in fact, in addition to the Ginsberg biopic Howl starring James Franco as the legendary poet (check out some new pics from the set here), now Jesse Eisenberg (of The Squid and the Whale and the upcoming Adventureland) will play Ginsberg in the feature film Kill Your Darlings.

In Howl, the focus is on the obscenity trial launched to censor Ginsberg's long poem "Howl." Kill Your Darlings is not solely about Ginsberg but will tell the story of "the murder that helped spawn the Beat Generation. . . . [Ben] Whishaw will play Lucien Carr, the Columbia U. undergrad who brought together Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac ([Chris] Evans), and William S. Burroughs."

I'll be curious to see how Eisenberg and Franco's portrayals of Ginsberg differ - or match up - in these simultaneous projects. After so much remake and "rebooting" movie news, I can't express how refreshing I find these projects about a real man who genuinely influenced American culture with his art. I say, bring on the Ginsbergs.

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Buzz In: Which Author's Life Would You Like to See as a Movie?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:30:45 -0700

It seems that Hollywood has been long obsessed with turning the biographies of musicians into films. A couple of years ago, we had a spate of them that included Ray and Walk the Line, and just a handful of months ago Cadillac Records jumped into the game.

Now with this news of not one but two movies about Allen Ginsberg's life in the works, I'm thinking a wave of author biopics may be upon us. That's fine by me: Talented writers fascinate me. Even though she is somewhat represented in both of the Truman Capote movies that came out a while back, I think Harper Lee (pictured left) deserves her own movie, and I have a feeling there is probably an interesting character study to be made of Flannery O'Connor (pictured right) based on a new biography of her that's receiving good critical buzz.

I'm curious which authors' lives you'd like to see on the big screen, so your turn! What author's biopic would get you to the movies?

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Buzz News Roundup, 3/25

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:30:49 -0700

Freida Pinto has joined the cast of Miral, written by The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's Julian Schnabel. - Variety
George Lopez will have a late-night talk show on TBS starting in the Fall. - AP
Speaking of late-night, Chelsea Handler has signed a deal to stay at E! through 2012. - The Hollywood Reporter
Kelly Clarkson is still topping the Billboard chart this week, and the Twilight soundtrack is back up to No. 3. - Billboard
Jon Hamm has joined the cast of Howl, the Allen Ginsberg biopic starring James Franco. - Variety
A crossover episode between Bones and Family Guy - yes, really - will air May 7. - TV Guide
Conflicts with Big Love have forced Amanda Seyfried to drop out of Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch. - Entertainment Weekly
Jennifer Hudson will perform after tonight's American Idol taping, with the performance to be broadcast at a later date.

- TV.com

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First Look: Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There"

Molly — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:30:01 -0700

When I first heard that Cate Blanchett was going to be one of the actors portraying Bob Dylan in a new biopic about the singer, I'm Not There, I was intrigued.

When I first saw this photo of Cate as Bob Dylan, I was impressed.

But when I saw this first clip from the movie, all my hopes were dashed. I'm certainly not trying to knock Cate's acting chops - if any woman could pull it off, it would be her - but this is downright ridiculous. I mean, unless I was under the wrong impression and this is supposed to be a comedy...but I don't think that is the case.

David Cross is playing Allen Ginsberg? And driving around in a zany golf cart-ish mobile? Uh, okay!

Honestly, it's a little painful, but maybe it will be better in context? Let's hope. To see the clip just read more

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