Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Kirpianuscus a film about force of poetry. seductive , honest, cruel, strange. a film about a poem and about the fight for art. a film-homage about a period who impose new perspective about importance, purpose and perception of words. it is not a film about literature but about dreams who are foundations of life. about the courage to be yourself. the animation, the trial, the words and looks of public, the emotion who gives to the viewer status of part of film are admirable. a film who could be a challenge. in fact, it is only a strange gem. not only for artistic virtues- each of them is not enough to do a blockbuster or masterpiece - but for the return to questions, flavor of books, dreams of the youth, open windows and a poem who remains manifesto after few decades.

John Johnson The film starts with the interesting claim that every word spoken was actually spoken.The film isn't a documentary, though it is very similar to one. It centers on several key events so that no dialog needs to be added beyond the historical. A reading of "Howl", the obscenity trial, and two interviews. Each is shown in parts to create a narrative with the suspense being the outcome of the trial. We see the courtroom, the defendant's lawyer, Jake Ehrlich (Jon Hamm) and prosecutor Ralph McIntosh (David Strathairn), Judge Clayton Horn (Bob Balaban) and several of the expert witnesses. Here the debate was whether "Howl" was obscene and thus the book store owner was guilty of selling "obscene" literature. We also hear interviews of Ginsberg as he gives background information on himself and his poem. Eventually, of course, the poem is not ruled as obscene and the bookstore owner is let go. Several more intimate moments about Ginsberg's life, particularly his relationship with his mom are seen. It's nice to see Franco portray Ginsberg and attempt to imitate his distinct idiolect and mannerisms. Ginsberg always had a unique way of talking, perhaps a product of his New York, Jew upbringing or perhaps because of his experiments with drugs, jazz, and performing arts. The movie is a more intimate portrait of Ginsberg than I was expecting. I felt that they probably put too much emphasis on his relationship with his mother. A lot of lobotomies were performed at the time, and abuses in mental health care continue to this day. I would hardly put the guilt on Ginsberg, an icon of counterculture. Furthermore, I liked how Ginsberg was portrayed as a struggling artist. His success came, but it took some work. I also really liked the cartoons that were used to illustrate the poem. I found they complimented the emotional exploration of the film. I'm not sure I would recommend this to anyone who's not a fan of Beat Literature, but I did enjoy it. Of course, I'm a fan of the Beats.

Armand about freedom, words force, fear, solitude and a subtle form of revolution. a film who seduce not exactly for story itself but for its spirit. because the mixture of animation, performance of James Franco who preserves not only the spirit of the period but the faith of poet as mentor gives special seduction to movie. film of a poetry , it is a chain of doors. and that fact transforms it more in a reflection seed than an artistic success. short - a necessary docudrama. and one of movies who impose a lot of emotions after its end because it reminds the pure essence of word, the need of truth affirmation of basic things who defines the life.

codyameschatman Epstein and Friedman's depiction of Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl is very well developed and although its progression of the message was slow and not to easy to follow at some points, it kept me satisfyingly intrigued throughout. They help you to understand what Howl as a poem truly represents, aside from the message Ginsberg was trying to convey, the most important aspect of the poem is its place in artistic history for the fight of free expression and freedom of speech. But what this film helps you to really grab an understanding for is that that is what the lines of Howl are all about, although many mistake the poem as just Ginsberg's expression of his "coming out" as a homosexual, if you take the time to read it or listen to Ginsberg explain the poem you'll see its more of an expression of expression, a "coming out" for any aspect of life that needed to be shown in such a perspective.