The Urbane Urbanite

James Franco is stuck between a rock and a hard place in 127 Hours , a gripping film adaptation of Aron Ralston's real-life harrowing five-day experience trapped by a boulder in a canyon at a national park in Utah. Danny Boyle, the director of the Oscar winning smash hit Slumdog Millionaire , delivers a modern Castaway , using split screens, sharp editing, exaggerated sound effects and a rocking soundtrack to delve into the effect the tragedy has on Franco's psyche and his incessant will to live. Franco gives an Oscar worthy gut-wrenching visceral performance that awakens the senses and leaves you celebrating the human spirit. 127 Hours is currently playing nationwide.

I've been working as a freelance writer for two years.  The more I do it, the more I love it.  Not the freelance part, but the writing part. To those outside of the business, freelancing sounds glamorous: working in your pajamas from the comfort of your own home; being your own boss; making your own schedule.  Sure, it's great.  But don't forget to add to that: stalking chasing down folks to pay you your money; not having a steady guaranteed pay check or health insurance; having to constantly hustle, pitch and network to get that next assignment.  It takes a lot of work and everybody ain't cut out for it. I'm fortunate enough to have a steady 9to5, which means that I do the majority of my freelance work on the side.  I'm ready to change that. I'd like to have a steady 9to5 writing job.  It doesn't necessarily have to be with a magazine, but could also be with XYZ organization as long as it's a writing position of some sort...

A while back, I let you all into my horrendous walk-in closet. In case you missed it, you can check out the post here . But after months of procrastinating (and not being able to find things), I finally rolled up my sleeves and got my beloved wardrobe room into tip top shape. So. Without further ado, sit back, relax and enjoy The Big Reveal!

SPOILER ALERT! There's a moment in The Kids Are All Right , a moment when Nic (played by Annette Bening) discovers that her long time partner Jules (played by Julianne Moore) is cheating on her with their children's sperm donor Paul (played by Mark Ruffalo).  Bening's face is frozen in fear, confusion, anger and hurt as she stoically processes her discovery while sitting at the table where they all have converged for dinner in an attempt to welcome Paul into the family.  It's tragic. It's heartbreaking. It's brilliant. As is The Kids Are All Right. The film has so much going for it - stellar performances, subtle writing, simplicity - but what it does best is not use the whole "lesbian thing" as a crutch to tell its story.  Twenty minutes in, and you'll forget that this modern family has two moms and two children that were conceived through artificial insemination.  But what you will remember are the missed connections that each of these peopl...

James Franco I met James Franco, 32, two years ago at a Screen Actors Guild nominating screening of Milk .  After the screening, he did a Q&A where he talked about what attracted him to Milk and what it was like to work with (and kiss) Sean Penn.  He's a great guy who's smart, talented - and really comes off as stoned when he talks. Flash-forward to the long holiday weekend where I'm curled up with the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (my favorite entertainment and pop culture glossy) and inside was an interview with Franco. He's receiving a lot of press these days for his astounding performance in 127 Hours .  But he also is: an author ( Palo Alto , his collection of short stories was published in October 2010) an Ivy-league graduate currently enrolled in graduate programs in film, English and digital media hosting the Oscars this year directing his ninth film And currently filming another Franco is doing all of that and I can barely write th...