I finally got to see Howl this snowy and ceiling-thumping (and perhaps cop-calling) night. Anyone that has talked to me about movies knows that I absolutely love James Franco and think he's basically not only the best-looking actor of his (and my) generation, but also the most talented actor of said generation. However, I can honestly say that it wasn't James Franco's (very excellent) performance alone that made this film great, as the most interesting 'hybrid' style of a documentary/biopic (recreated from a tape-recorded interview, actual photographs, and court transcripts), crossed with an animated poetry reading held my attention quite captive for the entire 80ish minutes. Living with a librarian, I had already been aware of the poem "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg, but I hadn't actually read it myself, nor was I familiar with the details of the court case of 1957 that resulted from the poem's publication. I do believe I will be adding another book of poetry to my bookshelves now, as well as a copy of this film for future viewing. May I suggest that you do the same.
