James Franco – NZ Film Freak

Eat Pray Love

Director: Ryan Murphy
Writer: Ryan Murphy Jennifer Salt (screenplay), Elizabeth Gilbert (novel)
Released: August 2010
Starring: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup, Javier Bardem
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I have avoided writing this review for years because the thought of it exhausts me, as did the film.

Eat Pray Love is about Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts) who has a large home, a husband and a great job, but she feels empty and without an ‘appetite’ for life. She soon instigates a divorce from her husband (Billy Crudup) whom she feels no connection to, before having a rebound relationship with David (James Franco).

Elizabeth: Hadn’t I wanted this? I had actively participated in every moment of the creation of this life. So why didn’t I see myself in any of it? The only thing more impossible than staying… was leaving. I didn’t want to hurt anybody, I wanted to slip quietly out the back door and not stop running until I reached Greenland.

A comment in the early part of the film that sticks in my head is by Elizabeth’s best friend Delia (Viola Davis). She says that Elizabeth used to look like Steven (her ex-husband), and now she looked like David (her rebound boyfriend).

As in, she was trying to find herself in others and consequently copying the way they dressed. I thought that was insightful and very relatable because when you don’t know who you are, you pretend to be someone else.

So Elizabeth decides to go travelling for a year to Italy to find her appetite again (eat), then India to experience peace (pray), and then Bali for balance, which turns into love.

Elizabeth: I used to have this appetite for my life, and now it’s gone! …I want to go somewhere where I can marvel at something.

Julia Roberts was the perfect choice because she plays a down-to-earth, complicated and romantic character. Her character is also quite inspirational as she does exactly what she tells everyone she’s going to do; travel!

She’s especially inspirational in comparison to her rebound actor boyfriend David who talks a lot about what he’s going to do but never actually does it.

Elizabeth: If you’re brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey… then the truth will not be withheld from you.

Eat Love Pray does have a particularly ‘privileged, rich, skinny, white woman is feeling sad’ kind of vibe. So I can imagine this detracts from the message significantly. Especially when the slim characters supposedly get ‘muffin tops’ from eating too much pizza and pasta. Like, girl, there’s nothing to you!

Nevertheless, there are a lot of philosophical lessons that are learnt by Elizabeth along the way, which I enjoy. It truly is a very personal discovery that she goes through, with her self-reflection and life lessons being relatable and aspirational.

In Italy, she learns to enjoy herself and not worry about her waistline. She learns to taste, enjoy, not feel guilty and to not deny herself of feeling good.

Luca Spaghetti: Americans! You work too hard. …you don’t know pleasure. You have to be told you’ve earned it. You see a commercial that says, “It’s Miller time”… and you say, “That’s right. Now I will go to buy a six-pack”. And drink the whole thing and wake up the next morning and you feel terrible.
But an Italian doesn’t need to be told. He walks by a sign that says, “You deserve a break today”… and he says, “Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m planning on taking a break at noon… to go over to your house and sleep with your wife”.

In India, she learns to block out the noise and to live in the moment. She learns to make peace with her past and let resentment go.

Richard from Texas: Big deal. So you fell in love with someone
Elizabeth: But I miss him.
Richard from Texas: So Miss him! Send him light and love when you think of him and then drop it!

Finally, in Bali, she discovers true love.

Filipe: You don’t need a man, Liz. You need a champion.

While in theory this should be a film I absolutely adore, unfortunately it is simply far too long (two and a half hours) with too many complicated internal conflicts to digest.

But I do appreciate that a lot of people can relate to running away from a ‘perfect’ life to search for themselves across the world.

Overall, it’s got strong messages but by the end I felt like I had travelled the world myself. I was exhausted.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

Top 5: Favourite On-Screen Duos

I was thinking about Ant and Dec, and the unfortunate circumstances that led to Dec having to do the Saturday Night Take Away on his own. I thought, without taking away from their obvious talent, how one can’t do much without the other. You always see them together, and they are at their best together.

It’s the same with the Australian equivalent – Hamish and Andy. They bounce off each other and their energy is great together. But something’s missing when they’re on their own.

I guess these television duos are contractually obliged to stay together now for the good of their careers and pay-packet, but I get the feeling that they love being with each other off the screen too.

That got me thinking about film duos – the actors we always see together on-screen, but get the feeling they hang out off-screen too.

Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller

Good-guy Wilson and funnyman Stiller are always working together! Ever since the 1990s actually. It almost seems weird seeing one but not the other in movies. Sometimes they include their third wheel Vince Vaughn, which is cute.
The Cable Guy
Permanent Midnight
Meet the Parents
The Royal Tenenbaums
Zoolander
Starsky & Hutch
Meet the Fockers
Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Little Fockers
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Zoolander 2

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon

I feel like these two were the smart-cool guys at school. Like, if Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller were the ones who screwed around in class, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were the ones who knuckled down in class, getting good grades, while winning American football games on the weekends. If they’ve written the movie (i.e.: Good Will Hunting), it’s definitely going to be a good one!
School Ties
Glory Daze
Good Will Hunting
Chasing Amy
Dogma
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
The Third Wheel
Jersey Girl

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg

Carrying on the school student theme, these guys would be late for school because they were staying up all night playing video games and writing their own comic books. Nevertheless, they are involved with some of the best comedy/action films ever.
Shaun of the Dead
Hot Fuzz
Grindhouse
Paul
The Adventures of Tintin
Ice Age: Continental Drift
The World’s End
The Boxtrolls

James Franco and Seth Rogen

At school, these would be the party animals. But probably not the super-cool kind, but the kind who are super funny and get invited because they’re a laugh. I can’t help but think many of their films are based on personal experience?
Knocked Up
Pineapple Express
The Green Hornet
This is the End
The Interview
Neighbours/Bad Neighbours
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising/Bad Neighbours 2
The Sound and the Fury
Zeroville
Sausage Party

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly

The brothers from another mother! These guys are the classic angry man-children that we all love. Strangely, they haven’t been in as many films together as I thought they had. But they seem to stick to together like white on rice. I feel like if they were at school, they’d pretend to be the teacher and be sent home for hitting the other children.
Stepbrothers
Anchorman 2
Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie
Holmes and Watson
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

I know I said ‘top five’, but here is a sixth… But they’re not ‘our favourite’ duo so they don’t really count…

Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter

At school, these guys would be in art class or in a dark drama room somewhere. They don’t tend to do anything without Tim Burton. I used to loved all their movies but I feel I’ve grown out of my gothic phase, and I can’t relate to them as much anymore. Nevertheless, their films are entertaining, if not a tad samey.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Corpse Bride
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Alice in Wonderland
Dark Shadows

Who’s your favourite on-screen bromance? Who would be your best friends at school?

This is the End

Directors: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Writers: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Released: June 2013
Starring: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Rihanna…
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If you enjoyed The Hangover, Ted, 21 Jump Street and Superbad, then you will probably love this movie.

It is about the end of the world and how it affects the stars of Hollywood. In the film, their public image is mocked and they play to their weaknesses. Like, what do you reckon Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are like at a party? Yeah, they play to your assumptions which is quite hilarious.

As the world comes to an end, those who did not get saved and go to heaven have to stay on Earth to fight for their survival.

this-is-the-end-hermione

Pretty much every Hollywood star did not get accepted into heaven, including Emma Watson, Rihanna and Paul Rudd. So as hell opens up, a devil-like creature attempts to hunt them down.

It is a movie that makes fun of every actor’s reputation, with Jonah Hill being the funniest.

The main characters are James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson who are stuck in James’ mansion until they figure out a way to get into heaven, rather than hell.

this-is-the-end-character-posters-jonah-hill

They find ways to survive and pass the time…

…which gets pretty ugly.

But there are some hilarious scenes with frequent film references, which I loved. The only film reference I felt was missing was if they sung ‘Tribute” (Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny) to the beast. That would have been funny…

My favourite scene was when they were bored and tried to make a sequel The Pineapple Express using total am-cam footage, and Jonah Hill dressed up as Woody Harrelson.

Also, the part where Jonah Hill gets possessed and an exorcism takes place. They used the script from The Exorcist, but Jonah’s sarcastic replies were pretty funny.

Their humour is an acquired taste so it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. Including mine. But I can certainly appreciate the good parts – which there are more of than I was expecting.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10
Uh. Yeah, there’s a lot of swearing in the trailer… Just. FYI.

Oz: The Great and Powerful

Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: David Lindsay-Abaire andMitchell Kapner. Based a series by
L. Frank Baum
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs and Joey King
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Oz is a young children’s movie. Something I was quite unaware of until I was sitting bored brainless in the theatre.

It was an okay movie with a fantastical world of colour and mystery. But essentially no surprises or twists at all. The happily-ever-after ending was inevitable and the actions of the characters predictable.

oz_the_great_and_powerful_wicked_witch

Just watch Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland. It’s pretty much the same story but a more mature version closer to the roots of the original fable.

Obvious similarities between the two fantastical tales include:

A fantasy land
Oz
Wonderland

Dark queen versus a white queen fighting for the throne of a land
Theodora/Evanora versus Glinda
The Red Queen versus the White Queen

White Queen not able to harm any living creature

Dark Queen banished from the land

A talking animal and mentor
Finley
Cheshire Cat

Dude with a hat
Oscar Oz
Hatter

Small squeaky character:
China Girl
Dormouse

The beginning is in shot as 4:3 (square) and black and white, then becomes 16:9 (wide screen) and colourful as soon as the Wizard reaches Oz, which was a creative change. Pretty cool.

oz-the-great01

I’m never sure how to rate children’s movies, but considering this film led me to believe that it was entertaining for all ages eventuated as disappointing. For a mystical and fantastical land it required little imagination, especially with the characters being very stereotypical.

The acting was nothing special. I enjoyed Rachel Weisz’ performance, but I always like how she portrays characters. I was looking forward to Mila Kunis’ performance but it was sort of average, so was Michelle Williams’.

Rachel-Mila-oz

Children under 11-years-old will probably enjoy it. Otherwise you’ll just be paying for an afternoon nap in the cinema.

Jodie’s rating: 4/10