Tuesday

'127 Hours' Star James Franco Slams 'The Social Network'

It seems as if 127 Hours star and Oscar co-host James Franco has taken one from Ricky Gervais' playbook with his unabashed slamming of The Social Network, 3D movies and conventional love stories. In an interview with Elvis Mitchell from Movieline, Franco makes such remarks all while sending praise to Danny Boyle's 127 Hours for its unparalleled innovation. He basically declares that The Social Network is classical filmmaking and not really the generational film that some make it out to be. I have to say that I both agree and disagree with what he's saying here.

For instance, The Social Network contains many thematic similarities to David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross and Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. I'm actually inclined to believe that it borrows ideas that were better executed and more fully realized in those films. I also believe, however, that the idea of social disconnect in a time of social and technological convergence is nicely crafted. But in addition to that, I also feel that its ideas are not as universally resonant as the "generational film" enthusiasts declare it to be.

Like Franco, however, I also contain a certain bias towards 127 Hours and Danny Boyle. I would definitely agree that 127 Hours is a more innovative film than The Social Network, and I basically outlined my reasoning for this previously. However, I don't necessarily agree with Franco's examples of "old, boring stuff", because I love films that are driven by dialogue.

I certainly admire Franco for letting loose and being brutally honest, though it does seem strange coming from the guy who will soon be co-hosting the Oscars, where The Social Network seems destined to reign supreme. Maybe he's just tired of all of the hype, as many people are (including me). For what it's worth, I will ultimately agree that The Social Network is as over-appreciated as 127 Hours is under-appreciated. What say you?

Check out the full video after the jump, and take notice of how strange the tone of this interview is. Elvis Mitchell is clearly amused/baffled by some of Franco's comments...



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