By Drew Grant 2/28 9:44pm

Acting with James Franco

Clockwise from top: Franco, Dangeruss and Riff Raff

James Franco Finds Way to Piss Off Rapper After Playing Down Spring Breakers Inspiration

In Spring Breakers, James Franco has made the role of a lifetime: Alien, a gangsta white-boy townie from Florida who seduces (and in turn gets seduced by) the trio of bubble-gum co-eds turned criminals played by Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, and director Harmony Korine’s wife, Rachel Korine. He’s a creepy, status-obsessed wannabe, but Franco managed to take inspiration from outside of himself anyway.

Since the beginning, rapper Riff Raff has been promoting the film, saying the Franco character was based on him. And the similarities are evident: the gold grill, the dreadlocks, the fact that one of his albums was called The Golden Alien and he and Korine appeared on a Sneeze magazine’s cover together.

All was kosher. That is, until James Franco got upset over the idea that his performance could have been done by the From Gs to Gents contestant himself. Read More

By Daniel D'Addario 9/05/12 1:28pm

movies

James Franco

Spring Breakers Screens in Venice: One of James Franco’s ‘More Bizarre Performances’

Ultra-indie auteur Harmony Korine is screening his new film–the teen flick Spring Breakers, starring Disney alumni Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez–at the Venice Film Festival, and initial reviews describe the movie as James Franco’s show. The alternately reclusive and ultra-productive actor, decorated with multiple graduate degrees, “sits poolside at a cheesy white grand piano and sings Read More

By Drew Grant 11/02/11 12:44pm

Celebrities

James Franco. Art. (Photo via Patrick McMullan)

James Franco and Harmony Korine Team Up To Do Something Horrible to Selena Gomez, Emma Roberts, and Vanessa Hudgens

Look, we all love Harmony Korine here. Well, not all of us, but some of us think that Julien Donkey-Boy was pretty good, all things considering. Trash Humpers we didn’t like. And we certainly aren’t fans of Mr. Korine enabling James Franco‘s artitude by making a movie starring him getting pounded on by female bikers for the Venice Biennale where the actor carved Brad Renfro into his arm. What? What.

But even if we allow Mr. Korine and Mr. Franco some leeway into their ideas on what constitutes “art,” we would appreciate it if they didn’t try to work it out using all the Disney princesses. Read More

By Daniel D'Addario 5/17/11 11:30pm

The Eight-Day Week

The Eight-Day Week: May 18-25

Wednesday, May 18

Arty Party

Most creative types have ambivalent memories of recess. While a respite from the strictures of the classroom were nice, the humiliations of dodgeball and other childrens’ “games” were for many the anvil on which a future of creative genius was hammered. But, hey, we’re past that now! Recess Activities Read More

By Irina Aleksander 4/30/08 8:28pm

Five Questions For Harmony Korine

Last night we caught up with Harmony Korine at the TFF premiere of his new film Mister Lonely. And get this—he’s a married man now! The writer of Kids and director of Gummo—and ahem, former Chloe Sevigny dater—arrived with wife Rachel Korine, a soft-spoken young woman of Lolita-esque beauty from his hometown of Nashville, Tenn. Read More

By Andrew Sarris 4/29/08 6:35pm

Not His Worst

MISTER LONELY
Directed by Harmony Korine
Written by Avi Korine and Harmony Korine
 Starring Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Werner Herzog, James Fox

Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely, from a screenplay by Mr. Korine and his brother, Avi, is a more benign if comparatively overlong avant-garde enterprise than we have recently been accustomed Read More

By George Gurley 7/22/02 12:00am

A Naked Star is Born

“It’s beyond X-rated. Beyond anything you’ve ever seen.”

Tiffany Limos was sipping lemonade at a café in Tribeca, talking about the movie she stars in, which is called Ken Park and which will be released in the fall. Sitting next to her was the film’s director, Larry Clark, who shocked audiences with his brutal portrayal Read More