Howl (biopic about Allen Ginsberg)

So, do yall "know about" Allen Ginsberg or what? He's only my favorite poet of all time, as you can tell by my username. I'm not too sure how to feel about this film. My image of him is too inflated; always of a solitary walker in a supermarket speaking only in poetics. I hope this film is going to be good. More than hope really. I need this film to be good. I've never seen anything from this director either. James Franco is in it as Ginsberg, and I couldn't think of a better, cuter actor for the role.

I have been damn eager for thi movie, also mentioned it somewhere over here on another thread.

Also excited to see the animated version of the poem.

You see, this worries me. Is poetry really a visual medium? I've read the poem myself enough times to have memorized it, but is it really suited to be "set to visuals" like a song? I know poems and songs are almost synonyms, but still. Hopefully it won't be too "cute". "Howl" is a devastating poem. I'd much rather see a live-action montage than an animation. Hell, the reason people got upset over it was because it was "too" real.

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"Loves them? They need them, like they need the air."

I agree. Not unless they experiment with some new kind of animation style..
That's exactly what i am eager to see... Keeping my expectations low though.

I remember seeing a video somewhere with John Turturo reciting Howl.
Can't recall where I saw this & what it was.

Youtube doesn't work in my office, else I would have serached for it.

I'll do it, thanks. I always liked Turturo. But there's no one better to recite it than Ginsberg himself. I don't know Franco's skills, but I feel like his voice is to smooth and clear for Ginsberg's nasally back-o-da-through drone.

Found it

Wow I had no idea about this, but I'll be on top of my art theater to get this in asap. I love this man, but never heard of James Franco before

It's not as bad as I though, the Turturo version. I'm just unhealthily obsessed with Ginsberg himself though.

>never heard of James Franco before

JAMES "HARVEY MILK'S BFF" FRANCO.
JAMES "SPIDERMAN'S BFF" FRANCO.
DOESN'T RING A BELL?

yes if I choose to remember spiderman

Not of fan of this guy, the Berkeley events, or any other digger fueled stuff from back then. I used to be a big old rah-rah liberal until about 2001 or so when I slid to the middle and became a libertarian.

That said - the guy was clearly talented, as was 'ol Jack Kerouac in his writings, which I have read a fair amount of in my time. I also tend to like art, which tends to come from the left, so I don't hate at these guys too much! Now look...I've gone and spilled dirty old politics in the film thread again.... booooooo

As for the film, come one, how can this thing come together on screen? I share your trepidation on this one.

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How does libertarian follow middle?

That's an amazing feat of open-mindedness, Mike.

That's like me saying "then I slid to the middle and became a communist".

No. I was already Democratic Socialist like my folks, became rebellious, and then declared myself Communist.

You know you I would like to see do this film? Todd Haynes. Because of his amazing work on that Dylan "biopic" I'm Not Here. Now his multi-portrayal style wouldn't work as good for Ginsberg as it did for Dylan, but I think he could do something cool and bring in Walt Whitman, who, if I believed in reincarnation, is essentially Ginsberg in a past life of his. Hell, Ginsberg was even in I'm Not Here briefly. Oh man, was I excited.

Because Libertarianism (left leaning) falls in the middle is you use Democrat/Republican as a compass. The fact that I am a left-leaning libertarian keeps me from falling too far to the right where some of the "I just say I am a libertarian so people don't rag on my Republican ass" people tend to fall.

Unlike most libertarians (hard core) I do favor some government programs, especially where education is concerned. Also, you ever hear the joke about the Libertarian whose house was on fire?

I do NOT like big government. but I like to smoke a fatty in the privacy of my own home. Of course, I never inhale.

I like art and i hang out with musicians and artists (myself included) but I am getting a bit too old to ride along on the liberal train with my eyes closed and my arms open - I've been punched in the stomach too many times doing that.

I like talking to you because I can speak in metaphor.

Libertarianism is closer to my personal politic (I decide that first then look for a party) than any other party, but I disagree with a fair amount of the platform.

The political "spectrum" is actually more of a 2-D grid with social and economic axis. I tend to view Libertarians as socially liberal and economically ultra-conservative. "Republicans" are economically conservative and socially conservative. Democrats are economically liberal and socially liberal. Socialism is the same thing but even more so. Communists basically transcend the field, since there is zero government and yet it's still not anarchism. Economically liberal/conservative has no meaning here. It's a self-contained system with entire equal distribution, but not in the socialist government sense.

"No thanks, I don't believe in government". But yeah... the U.S.'s education system is very lacking. I'm not complaining, but our test scores generally fall way lower than a lot other countries for some reason.

Right. The exactly definition of a social liberal and economic conservative.

Liking art and music is liberal? But yeah, I get you totally. It's always better to be liberal when you're young and conservative when you're older.

I just feel like it's a little insensitive to how we just had this major recession that was only saved by enormous government intervention. It's not like I believe in the state either, but in times like this, well, we should all be Keynesians.