A sorry superlative:
The dullest film I’ve ever seen.
Bad directing. Bad editing. Bad acting. Bad writing. Bad cinematography. Bad black and white. Bad structure of many sections titled “voyages.” Bad complete absence of characters. Bad portrayal of Hart Crane. Bad pretty boy upstaged by his gorgeous younger brother. Bad pacing. Bad poetry reading. Bad epigraphs. Bad repetitions. Bad silences. Bad single blurry color sequence in a cathedral. Bad narrative. Bad no details other than of James Franco’s head. Bad ending. Bad beginning. Bad music.
am·a·teur
1. devotee, admirer
2. one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession
3. one lacking in experience and competence in an art or science
A sudden image:
Franco qua student procrastinates, like students everywhere, and has so little and so poorly wrought material that he can’t afford to cut any of it if he wants to hand in a feature-length film.
A hanging question:
Why make a film when a mirror would suffice?
