Justin Markert

Movie Trailer: Howl

I’m starting to believe that James Franco can do no wrong. I’ll admit, after Freaks and Geeks was canceled, he took a while to get his footing. Type-cast as a heartthrob, Franco made many movies, some successful (Spiderman) and many, well, not (Flyboys, Annapolis). But it was clear his full potential had not been tapped. It wasn’t until his Golden Globe nominated performance in Pineapple Express that I started to realize there was more to this guy than good looks. 

I really appreciate the different directions he’s gone in. He recently went back to UCLA to finish his undergrad in creative writing. For fear of getting special treatment because of his fame, Franco went above and beyond, taking 62 credits in his final quarter. He’s also been a recurring character on General Hospital* which I think is hilarious. One might think that this would be a bad move, but what he calls “Performance Art” hasn’t seemed to slow him down. After a critically acclaimed role in Milk and a hilarious cameo in Date Night, Franco is taking center stage again by taking on the role of Allen Ginsberg in the film Howl.  Ginsberg, the ridiculously talented, often misunderstood, oddball that he was, just might very well be a great role for James Franco.

*Youtube Franco on General Hospital, awesome. Also, go to funnyordie.com and watch the James Franco acting coach videos.