Today, we're celebrating the 34th birthday of Academy Award-nominated actor James Franco. He got his acting start in made-for-TV movies in the late 1990s, but it wasn't until 1999's Never Been Kissed that he managed to score a role in a feature film. In 2002, Franco took on a career-making role in Sam Raimi's Spider-man, propelling him into mass public consciousness. From there, he's appeared in films like 2005's The Great Raid and 2008's Pineapple Express, and he has reprised his Spider-man role twice since the first film was released. In 2010, Franco nabbed his sole Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Aron Ralston in 127 Hours. Most recently, audiences have seen him in 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and they'll next be able to see him in the 2012 films Cherry, Maladies, Tar and Lovelace. And so, to celebrate his birthday, I've created a list of my five favorite of Franco's performances. I hope you enjoy the list! Once again, happy birthday, James!
"Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" -- Dodge Landon
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 sci-fi action film directed by Rupert Wyatt that serves as a prequel to the classic 1968 film, Planet of the Apes. When genetic physicist Will Rodman (James Franco) starts to have success with an experimental drug he hopes will cure Alzheimer's, he pleads with his boss, Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo), to allow him to start human trials. After his prized chimpanzee subject ruins his pitch meeting with the board of supervisors, Will is left with nothing but an infant chimp. Because the company doesn't know of its existence, Will reluctantly takes it home to live with him and his Alzheimer's afflicted father (John Lithgow) in order to save it from being put down; however, he soon learns that the experimental drug that worked in its mother has passed genetically to this offspring, which he affectionately names Caesar. Will secretly starts to observe the animal over the course of a few years, watching it grow and learn and become smarter than he could have ever imagined. However, because Caesar is still a chimpanzee, he still has animalistic impulses that ultimately land him in a rundown ape sanctuary on the outskirts of San Francisco. As Caesar's intelligence continues to grow, he begins to see just how much the humans harm and oppress the apes. He begins to devise a plan to exact revenge...
For those of you who don't know - or haven't already figured out - this film is the next in a long line of films in the Planet of the Apes franchise. Before this, we've seen the original, some sequels, and an often-ridiculed attempt at a remake. We have not, however, seen an attempt at a prequel until this day. I can honestly say that I had my qualms about this film in the past few months. The trailers didn't seem to do the film much justice, and seeing as I didn't find the original film to be overly amazing (it's good, but it's nothing spectacular), I wasn't sure whether this film would be my cup of tea. Add to this the fact that Franco himself came out publicly a few weeks ago saying that he essentially mailed in his performance for this film. After hearing remarks like that, anyone can imagine why I had my doubts heading into opening weekend.
Then something happened. The film started to garner incredibly positive reviews. As of the writing of this post, Rise of the Planet of the Apes holds an 82% approval rating on the online review aggregate Rottentomatoes.com, which offers the following critical consensus: "Led by Rupert Wyatt's stylish direction, some impressive special effects, and a mesmerizing performance by Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes breathes unlikely new life into a long-running franchise." Raise your hand if your jaw has dropped as well. Even with that, I had my reservations about the film, but rest assured, ladies and gents - this one's a legitimate flick with a force that should be reckoned. Maybe Franco made those remarks to lower people's expectations...
Now, the screenplay itself isn't necessarily something to rave about. Yeah, it brings up a lot of questions about ethics and the like, but there really isn't anything truly fantastic about the storyline or the plot. It does enough to keep things moving along, but in a way, this is almost a bit of a character-driven film. Strangely enough, however, the "human" actors aren't the characters that make up the driving force.
Yeah, Franco does a decent job as the film's "lead" (if you can call him that), but it does seem like he's mailing in his performance a bit. Still, he does enough to make us care about his character. Some of the supporting cast does a decent job, including Freida Pinto and the always good Brian Cox. Lithgow delivers a few powerful scenes, but I felt like he was a tad bit under-utilized. We even get an legitimate performance from Tom Felton - famous for playing Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise - who has officially been type-cast as the jerk.
However, the real credit has to go to Andy Serkis, who provided the "acting" for Caesar (and maybe some of the other apes, but I'm not entirely sure). Serkis has become the king of motion capture acting, bringing us such iconic characters as Gollum (from The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Kong (from 2005's King Kong). Chalk up Caesar to that list, who might be the most fascinating of them all. When you have a computer-generated character, a lot of their success comes through the eyes. Look at the titular character from 2008's WALL-E: the eyes told everything about the emotions he was having, and he was a robot. In this film, however, so much emotion is conveyed through the eyes of the apes that it's almost as if they were human actors. The CGI was just that fantastic. You garnered such an emotional connection with Caesar and the other apes that it was impossible not to cheer against your fellow humans. You could feel their pain and their slight, and it conveyed beautifully across the screen. Kudos to the special effects guys - they deserve every compliment and accolade that they receive.
Also, if you're a fan of the original 1968 film, be on the lookout for a couple of nods and references, including the quote at the beginning of this post.
Overall, I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Is it going to be a classic, must-see film? Probably not. However, if you've seen the original 1968 film, then you might want to give this one a go. It's an interesting look at how things might have led to the events of that film, and the special effects are breathtakingly beautiful. That alone should drive you to the movie theater.
Your Highness is a 2011 action comedy directed by David Gordon Green that follows the story of two princes as they venture on a quest to save the eldest brother's bride-to-be. When Prince Fabious (James Franco) returns from a quest with a young maiden named Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), he tells the kingdom that he intends to marry her immediately. This causes quite a stir with Fabious's younger brother, Prince Thadeous (Danny McBride) who believes that Fabious has always stolen the spotlight from him. On the day of the wedding, the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux) kidnaps Belladonna in order to use her in a sacrificial ceremony that will grant him power over an unstoppable dragon. Fabious immediately sets after the wizard, and he drags a reluctant Thadeus alongside him. Joined by Thadeus's man-servant Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker) and teaming forces with a mysterious young warrior named Isabel (Natalie Portman), the two princes set out to rescue the distressed damsel and save the entire kingdom.
I originally heard about Your Highness last summer after a friend was able to see an advance screening of the film, and I had anxiously awaited its release from that point forward. When you have a film that stars now Oscar-nominee James Franco and now Oscar-winner Natalie Portman, you can be sure that expectations may be a little bit high. Unfortunately, I felt as though Your Highness fell a little bit flat, but it has nothing to do with either aforementioned Oscar-nominated star.
No, there's a couple of issues with this film that stand strikingly strong above anything that resembles "goodness." For starters, there's some serious issues with the screenplay. While the storyline is a tad predictable, it services well and proves to be rather inventive, even if we know exactly where it's headed all throughout. However, "inventive" doesn't necessarily save a film from being convoluted; it almost seemed as though the plot moved from one instance to the next without having any real segue between scenes. There's enough cohesion between the story's parts to make it understandable, but at times, I was scratching my head in wonder of why a particular scene needed to be in the film. The biggest problem with the screenplay, however, is the issue of dialogue. A lot of this has to do with the fact that Danny McBride is our lead - more on that in a moment - because we get the necessary drivel accompanied by many of his on-screen characters. The filmmakers could have had a soaring action comedy, but they chose instead to weigh it down with over-sexualized dialogue that would appeal mostly to teenage boys. Beneath all the raunchy jokes and necessity for on-screen nudity, there's a good film hidden; unfortunately, there's just no way anyone could ever dig it all out.
On with the acting. As previously stated, I have no real issue with either Franco or Portman's performances. Franco brings a boyish whimsy to his role, and you get the sense that despite Fabious's many accolades, he has yet to truly grow into manhood. Isabel is a stone-cold killer for most of the film, and Portman brings a strong masculinity to the role that plays rather effectively. Some of the supporting characters, such as Hardiker's Courtney and Theroux's Leezar, are good for a couple of laughs here and there, but they're mostly expendable. No, the real issue here is McBride himself. Being that he co-wrote the screenplay, I can only think that he wrote it mostly with himself in mind to play the lead. As I explained in my review of 2011's The Green Hornet, where Seth Rogen proved to be similarly guilty, writing a role specifically for oneself may not always be the best way to go. McBride stands out too conflictingly in his role, and in my opinion, it brings the film down a notch or two... or ten.
I do have to say that Steve Jablonsky, who has scored films like 2005's The Island and the Transformers franchise, provides some very good musical accompaniment for this film. The sweeping orchestral forms provide an epic-like backdrop for the movie, and in this case, it wholly succeeds.
Overall, Your Highness is probably a movie that you can miss, but I'm sure plenty of people will venture to theaters to see it. It's going to ride on the fact that it's by the guys who brought us 2008's Pineapple Express, but Your Highness doesn't come close to reaching that movie's potential. If you're interested in some big, stupid fun, then this movie might be right up your alley, but if you're looking for something slightly more credible than potty humor, please steer clear.
The Green Hornet is a 2011 action film directed by Michel Gondry that follows a young and wild man named Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) who has wasted his life partying and living his lavish lifestyle to its unfulfilling fullest. His father (Tom Wilkinson), the chief editor of a major newspaper called The Daily Sentinel, despises his son’s state of living. Upon his father’s untimely death, Britt is forced into his shoes and realizes that he has never done anything with his life. He meets Kato (Jay Chou) who was his father’s mechanic and coffee maker. Britt quickly learns that Kato is a martial arts expert and a genius with machinery, and the two decide to join forces in order to bring justice to the streets. Their guise, however, relies on the fact that they will pose as villains in order to get close to the real bad guys and bring them down from within. They soon butt heads with the local gangster Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) who already runs all the crime in the city. With the unwitting help of secretary Lenore (Cameron Diaz), Britt and Kato delve into their plan at full-speed, never truly questioning the morality behind it all.
I’m going to start with acting this time around (you’ll see why in a moment). Now, there’s no one that terrible in The Green Hornet – no one except Seth Rogen, that is. He’s absolutely dreadful. I’m sure he went for outright comedy, which is his niche market, but he’s one of the last people that should’ve had a crack at this role. It just doesn’t fit the tone of the film at all. Considering he’s the lead character and the person we see for most of the flick, there’s a little bit of an issue.
To be fair, the actors didn’t have much of a script with which to work. There’s a little bit of intrigue to the story, but the dialogue is so horrendous that it’s hard to take any of it seriously. Case and point: Christoph Waltz’s character has lines that are so bad that it reduces the recent Academy Award-winner to a tiny slice of what he could have possibly been. His lines are so bad that I wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to jump at the first paycheck that came his way post-Oscar. A lot of the blame here also lies with Rogen, who co-wrote the script. I’m sure in his mind, it was hilarious and captivating, but it’s really just a bit of drivel.
If anybody stands out, it’s Jay Chou as Kato, stepping into a role made famous by Bruce Lee in the original T.V. series (if you see the movie, pay attention for a Lee homage; it’s pretty blatant, but if you’re not paying attention, you could easily miss it). He brings a bit of comedy as well as the fighting prowess needed for the role, and it’s nice to have him opposite the dreadful Rogen to bring something positive to the screen.
We do have a couple of interesting cameos in the film. One of them comes from Edward Furlong – the boy from Terminator 2: Judgment Day – and you may not even recognize him. I had to look closely because he doesn’t even look like he used to. But it’s him. However, the real cameo cake needs to go to none other than James Franco. My God, this man is everywhere right now! But it’s definitely a pleasant surprise to see him grace the screen in an extremely funny role.
Seriously though, I’d say this movie isn’t worth watching. I usually like to highlight a couple of positive attributes at the end of these posts, but I really don’t think you should waste your time with The Green Hornet. If it does poorly, it won’t get a sequel (yes, the ending leaves it open to such). Please don’t pad Seth Rogen’s ego any further.
I first saw 127 Hours about two months ago at an early screening. Due to a confidentiality agreement, I was unable to blog about the film until its official release on November 5th; however, I wanted to see the movie one more time before applying any opinion towards it. Ladies and gentlemen, that moment has finally arrived.
The film tells the true (and it seriously is true) story of Aron Ralston, backpacker and mountaineer extraordinaire. During a backpacking trip through Blue John Canyon in Utah in 2003, Ralston (played by James Franco) missteps and finds his arm trapped beneath a boulder at the bottom of a crevasse. Over the course of the next - you guessed it - 127 hours, Ralston does everything he can to survive, and ultimately escape, from his trap.
It's rare to have a film that just absolutely clicks. Everything in the movie is just about pitch-perfect, and that couldn't have been easy to do considering the subject matter. Let's start with the screenplay. Upon my first viewing, I felt like the screenplay was a little scattered and strange as it delved into the hallucinations associated with Ralston's dehydration. It all seemed a little out of place. However, I've since had time to think about the storyline, and after tonight's viewing, I've definitely come around. It's one of the best views of increasing insanity as a result of such a horrific event. It's so well-written and concise that it's hard not to get drawn in and stay hooked. Danny Boyle, the Oscar-winning director of Slumdog Millionaire, directs the film in a way that only he could.
However, the screenplay would be nothing if our lead can't hold his weight. Franco had to bring his A-game considering he's on the screen for at least ninety percent of the film. And boy, does he deliver. This is the defining role of Franco's young career. I had seen bits and pieces in the past of his acting range (see: 2005's The Great Raid and 2008's Milk), but he has never delivered a performance quite like this. He perfectly conveys the character arc that Ralston goes through from hour one to hour 127. We see his ups; we see his downs. In a word, Franco is absolutely perfect. That's right: PERFECT. If he does not garner an Academy Award nomination, I will be absolutely devastated. It would be a crime against humanity.
Some of you may have heard about the people who needed medical attention while seeing 127 Hours, and the movie is pretty intense (especially our climactic escape). However, it's also emotionally trying; it packs quite the punch. However, I think this movie is a necessary film that needed to be made. You have to remember that it's a true story and that the real Aron Ralston actually suffered the way we see Franco suffer. My friend Sara, with whom I saw the film tonight, first mentioned this sentiment to me. She said that it's a movie that today's generation needs to see because so many people have no idea what a real struggle is. We move from moment to moment, attached to our phones or to Facebook or to other pieces of the 21st century that make us forget about living. Aron Ralston went through five days of hell to have the chance to live. Maybe we all need to be woken up.
Drop what you do and go watch 127 Hours.
Movie Review Summary: Grade: A Current All-Time Rank: Best - #81 Thumb... Up Addition to Awards
Today, we're celebrating the 34th birthday of Academy Award-nominated actor James Franco. He got his acting start in made-for-TV movies in the late 1990s, but it wasn't until 1999's Never Been Kissed that he managed to score a role in a feature film. In 2002, Franco took on a career-making role in Sam Raimi's Spider-man, propelling him into mass public consciousness. From there, he's appeared in films like 2005's The Great Raid and 2008's Pineapple Express, and he has reprised his Spider-man role twice since the first film was released. In 2010, Franco nabbed his sole Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Aron Ralston in 127 Hours. Most recently, audiences have seen him in 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and they'll next be able to see him in the 2012 films Cherry, Maladies, Tar and Lovelace. And so, to celebrate his birthday, I've created a list of my five favorite of Franco's performances. I hope you enjoy the list! Once again, happy birthday, James!
