Arkansas Times by Arkansas Times

■ moviereview I saw the best actors of my generation doomed by an unimaginative script ‘Howl’ and the myth of Ginsberg. n Given the subjectivity of art, the internal dialogue that only exists within an artist’s head and how boring it is to watch somebody paint a picture, carve a block of marble into a statue or make a film, it’s no surprise that movies about artists are hard to pull off. Encased within that truth is another: Movies about working writers are double, super-duper, rhinestone-encrusted hard to pull off. Though guys like Hemingway and Jack Kerouac have sold the world on the idea that the life of a writer is all about swashbuckling adventure and derring-do, the truth of the matter is this: for the most part, being a professional scribbler is about sitting alone in a quiet place for an extended time, shunning the company of others in order to talk to yourself. Doesn’t that sound glamorous? Whereas a flick like “Pollock” can at least show the act of putting paint to canvas and “Amadeus” can show Mozart in the throes of musical ecstasy, there are only so many interesting ways you can show a man sitting at a typewriter, pecking out words. Given that, I consider it safe to say without even researching the topic that the number of movies (much less successful movies) about novelists and poets can be counted on both your hands, with fingers to spare. Add to that number the interesting new film, “Howl,” about the writer Allen Ginsberg. Though it struck me as a sort of lazy bit of cinema whose material might have been served better with a solid documen-

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Continued from page 25 NLR: Tours of the USS Razorback submarine. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 1-6 p.m. Sun. 371-8320. CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER, Bates and Park: Exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 3741957. CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: Standing exhibits about policies and White House life during the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000. HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Adrienne Cullins: Black Market Kidney Factory,” paintings; “All in the Touch,” sculpture by Diana B. Ashley and multi-media by Scinthya Edwards, through Jan. 30; “Model Trains of Bill Albright,” Eclectic Collector show, through March 14, 2011. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $2.50 adults, $1.50, $1 children for tours of grounds. 324-9351. MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS

tary instead of dramatization, it’s still a lot of fun for lovers of poetry and Ginsberg’s jazz-infused verse. “Howl” jumps around a bit in time, but it focuses mainly on the 1957 obscenity trial of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the owner of City Lights Books in San Francisco, who first published Ginsberg’s sexually, racially and chemically-charged longform poem, “Howl.” Though Ginsberg (played with a good bit of expertise by James Franco, who I had honestly never seen as much of an actor until now), is not present at the trial in the film, the tense courtroom sparring over the meaning of art and the necessity to move the cultural ball forward in verse is interesting, especially in the hands of two of the best

actors working right now: Jon Hamm as defense attorney Jake Ehrlich, and David Strathairn as prosecutor Ralph McIntosh. The rest of the film is built around the core of the trial, with Ginsberg reflecting on the meaning of “Howl,” flashing back and forth in time while giving a sit-down interview with an unseen reporter. These scenes are further juxtaposed by the poem’s first, hot-off-the-typewriter reading in a seedy beatnik coffeehouse, the words often illustrated in a whirl of colorful animation. Though the ensemble cast does some great work here (including brief cameos by Jeff Bridges and Mary-Louise Parker as English department stuffed-shirts who discount the cultural worth of Ginsberg’s

masterpiece), and the animated segments set to the rhythms of the poem are beautifully done, I couldn’t help but think that I was watching a film that didn’t really need to exist. Franco does a fine job capturing Ginsberg’s passion and humor, and may well land some award nominations for his portrayal. But for the most part, he’s either delivering lines from the poem or recreating a 1950s interview with Ginsberg word for word. Even the trial portions of the film are no doubt based on transcripts. Given that, I couldn’t help but think that I’d rather be watching videos of interviews with the actual poet. Why watch a copy of a great artist — even a copy created by a fine actor — when you can hear from the man himself? Instead, we get a film about artistic passion that winds up feeling strangely distant. Even so, films about writers are rare enough that when one comes down the pike, you should probably jump on it if you’re a bookworm like me. Too, the animated portions of “Howl” — in which muted, street-faded colors arch, skip and dance across the screen in response to Ginsberg’s gritty words — are almost worth the price of a ticket in themselves. If only the filmmakers had put more energy into giving us what made Ginsberg tick instead of what he said once a reporter’s tape recorder started rolling, we might be talking about an entirely different movie, and you might be reading an entirely different review. — David Koon

MILITARY HISTORY, MacArthur Park: “In Search of Pancho Villa,” artifacts from soldiers of the period, medals and original sketches of the Mexican Punitive Expedition, the United States retaliatory action in 1916 against the Mexican general who attacked a small border town in New Mexico, through May 2011; “Warrior: Vietnam Portraits by Two Guys from Hall,” photos by Jim Guy Tucker and Bruce Wesson, through April 2011; exhibits on Arkansas’s military history. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun. 376-4602. MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, Ninth and Broadway: “The Fine Art of Jazz,” photographs of Kansas City jazz musicians by Dan White; exhibits on African-Americans in Arkansas, including one on the Ninth Street business district, entrepreneurs, the Mosaic Templars business and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683–3593. MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Illusion Confusion,” optical illusions, through March 2011; “Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World!” through Jan. 9, 2011; interactive science exhibits. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. Admission: $8 adults, $7 children ages 1-12 and seniors 65 and up,

children under 1 free, “Pay What You Can” second Sunday of every month. 396-7050. www. museumofdiscovery.org. OLD STATE HOUSE, 300 W. Markham St.: “Arkansas/Arkansaw: A State and Its Reputation,” the evolution of the state’s hillbilly image; “Badges, Bandits & Bars: Arkansas Law & Justice,” state’s history of crime and punishment, through March 2011. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685. WITT STEPHENS JR. CENTRAL ARKANSAS NATURE CENTER, Riverfront Park: Exhibits on wildlife and the state Game and Fish Commission. n Calico Rock CALICO ROCK MUSEUM, Main Street: Displays on Native American cultures, steamboats, the railroad, and local history. www. calicorockmuseum.com. n England TOLTEC MOUNDS STATE PARK, State Hwy. 165: Major prehistoric Indian site with visitors’ center and museum. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun., closed Mon. $3 for adults, $2 for ages 6-12. 961-9442. n Jacksonville JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: Exhibits on

D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane (“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students. 501-241-1943. n Morrilton MUSEUM OF AUTOMOBILES, Petit Jean Mountain: Permanent exhibit of more than 50 cars from 1904-1967 depicting the evolution of the automobile. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 7 days. 501-7275427. n Scott PLANTATION AGRICULTURE MUSEUM, U.S. 165 S and Hwy. 161: Artifacts and interactive exhibits on farming in the Arkansas Delta. $3 adults, $2 ages 6-12. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 501-961-1409. SCOTT PLANTATION SETTLEMENT: 1840s log cabin, one-room school house, tenant houses, smokehouse and artifacts on plantation life. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thu.-Sat. 351-0300. www. scottconnections.org. n Springdale SHILOH MUSEUM OF OZARK HISTORY, 118 W. Johnson Ave.: “All Dressed Up,” men’s, women’s and children’s fancy clothing, through January. 479-750-8165.

‘HOWL’: Aaron Tveit and James Franco star.