James Franco
Aspects of E. M. Forster’s 'Aspects of the Novel'
E. M. Forster opens up 'Aspects of the Novel' stating how difficult it is to classify novels because they are so different from one another. They should be fewer than 50,000 words—but other than that, how do you put such diverse things under the same...
Psycho, Psycho, Psycho
The story of Psycho began with Ed Gein, a real dude who lived in Wisconsin in the 50s. Gein was a sick bastard who liked going to the cemetery and digging up women whom he thought looked like his mother. But what is still vital about Psycho...
All Over the Place in New York
I’ve seen a few things lately—like Paul McCarthy's dark and satirical take on Snow White to James Deen and Lindsay Lohan in the meta-sad film, The Canyons. They’re all mixed up in my mind. So I figured should just try to get them all down on...
Keep Standing by Me
What’s so great about Stand By Me? Everything. The film capitalizes on the fact that kids can say and do anything and it uses the childhood genre is a lens through which it can delve into universal issues of identity, loyalty, and morality—the...
New Orleans Dionysus
We shot this short in New Orleans. It was done in collaboration with Gucci, so of course we had to bring in some influence from Fellini. Our Bacchus was also inspired by Mastroianni Marcello from La Dolce Vida, wandering around New Orleans like...
George Lucas Redux
There is a moment in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy threatens to blow up the ark. His archeological rival, the blue-eyed Belloq, says something like, “You won’t blow it up, Dr. Jones. This [the ark] is history. We are just passing through...
Swim On, Cheever
In honor of all the essays that have been written by ninth graders about Holden Caulfield, here’s a little book report about John Cheever’s best story, “The Swimmer.”
Are You a Nerd?
What is a nerd? Are nerds the new cool? That’s what people have been asking since video games started making more money than movies. The reality of nerds is much different than how the media portrays it, as evidenced by American Nerd: The Story of...
Brand-Funded Films and the Trailer for 'La Passione'
James Franco collaborated with Gucci to bring his mash-up vision of a Theodor Dreyer-style Joan of Arc with high fashion and motifs from the Day of the Dead to life. Check out the inaugural trailer for his crazy new short, La Passione, and read...
'Man of Steel': The Super Movie
Last week I was asked to attend the London Premiere of Man of Steel, so after working on my forthcoming little thriller at Pinewood studios, I went over to Leicester Square to take in the latest filmic take on The Superhero.
The Parallel Structure in 'Strangers on a Train'
In Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train, two men meet riding the railroad and discuss killing people in each other’s lives in order to duck suspicions based on motives. The parallel structure of the book allows Highsmith to jump from one...
‘American Psycho’: Ten Years Later/Twenty Years Later
'American Psycho' is (at least for now) the pinnacle of Bret Easton Ellis's art: the dark-hearted swansong of an era that sums up its subject matter with a perfect balance of breadth and incisiveness. Gross satire delivered with a hyperrealistic...