The best James Franco’s documentary movies
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s. Franco landed a lead part on the short-lived cult hit television program Freaks and Geeks and later achieved recognition for playing the titular character in the TV biopic James Dean (2001), for which he was awarded a Golden Globe Award. He achieved international fame with his portrayals of Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
Franco has appeared in an eclectic range of projects since the 2000s. Ranging from period to contemporary pieces, and from major Hollywood productions to less publicized indie films, as well as fantasy movies to biopics and soap operas. Other notable films include Pineapple Express, a stoner comedy that earned him his second Golden Globes nomination, the Harvey Milk-biopic Milk (both 2008) as well as Danny Boyle's 2010 movie 127 Hours, about real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston's struggle to free his hand from a boulder. His performance in 127 Hours earned him nominations for many high-profile awards, including the Academy Awards, Golden Globe and SAG Awards (None of which he won)
Franco has hosted the skit comedy Saturday Night Live twice as well as the 83rd Academy Awards with Anne Hathaway. He volunteers for the Art of Elysium charity and is in a relationship with actress Ahna O'Reilly.
Description above from the Wikipedia article James Franco, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present
7.8/10
Performance artist Marina Abramovic prepares for a major retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee
5.9/10
In 1973, martial arts great Bruce Lee died, his final film, Game of Death, left unfinished. With the public hungry for more Lee, movie execs decide to find a replacement. This outrageous satire looks at the entire process, from the oddball candidates to the greed and racial motivations that drive the final decision. There's big business in the movies, and Finishing the Game skewers it with an eye for '70s detail.
Mademoiselle C
5.6/10
A documentary focused on former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief and fashion stylist Carine Roitfeld.
Saturday Night
7.1/10
With unprecedented access to the behind the scenes process of the writers, actors and producers, Franco and his crew document what it takes to create one full episode of Saturday Night Live.
With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story
7.1/10
At 89 years old, Stan Lee's name appears on more than one BILLION comics in 75 countries in 25 languages. Arguably the most recognized name in comics, Stan Lee has co-created over 500 legendary pop culture characters including Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor and The Hulk. Stan continues to create new material and entertain fans of all ages with fantastic stories and characters in all areas of entertainment. With Great Power: the Stan Lee Story, explores the vivid life and imagination of Stan Lee, from the early days of his Depression-era upbringing through the Marvel Age of Comics and beyond! The film uncovers original transcripts, illustrations, photographs and stories of Lee's fascinating journey from his early years at Timely Comics and World War Two, the comic book industry's censorship battle of the 1950's led by Dr. Fredric Wertham, the dawn of Marvel Comics and the legendary characters Stan co-created, to his current company POW! Entertainment.
A Fuller Life
7/10
Friends and admirers of iconoclastic film director Sam Fuller read from his memoirs in this unconventional documentary directed by Fuller's only child, Samantha.
Call Me Lucky
7.5/10
An inspiring, triumphant and wickedly funny portrait of one of comedy’s most enigmatic and important figures, CALL ME LUCKY tells the story of Barry Crimmins, a beer-swilling, politically outspoken and whip-smart comic whose efforts in the 70s and 80s fostered the talents of the next generation of standup comedians. But beneath Crimmins’ gruff, hard-drinking, curmudgeonly persona lay an undercurrent of rage stemming from his long-suppressed and horrific abuse as a child – a rage that eventually found its way out of the comedy clubs and television shows and into the political arena.
Killers Kill, Dead Men Die
4.9/10
The most ambitious portfolio in the 13-year history of Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue, this year's homage to noir had its own dramatic imperatives.
Obituaries
7.6/10
A chronicle of lives lost in a school shooting. In the wake of another tragedy, we get a glimpse of each victim and see who they were, who they loved, who they hurt, and who they wanted to be.
Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary
8.2/10
The creators and actors from the TV show 'Freaks and Geeks' share their untold stories and pivotal moments from the making of the series that only aired for one season.
What is Cinema?
6.1/10
Using the words and ideas of great filmmakers, from archival interviews with Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Bresson to new interviews with Mike Leigh, David Lynch, and Jonas Mekas, Oscar-winning filmmaker Chuck Workman shows what these filmmakers and others do that can't be expressed in words - but only in cinema.
Eames: The Architect and the Painter
7.1/10
The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames were America's most influential and important industrial designers. Admired for their creations and fascinating as individuals, they have risen to iconic status in American culture. Eames: The Architect and the Painter draws from a treasure trove of archival material, as well as new interviews with friends, colleague, and experts to capture the personal story of Charles and Ray while placing them firmly in the context of their fascinating times.
Behind the Scenes of Palo Alto
Jacqui Getty's behind-the-scenes look at Gia Coppola's directorial debut Palo Alto, starring Emma Roberts, James Franco, Jack Kilmer, Nat Wolff, and Val Kilmer.
Master Class: Ridley Scott
6.9/10
An in-depth look at the making of the film and broken into four parts that can be watched separately (i.e Story, Characters, Setting and Creatures). This piece features a host of cast and crew interviews interspersed with tons of BTS footage, viewers can learn a great deal on the director's creative style and approach to the plot, the characters, the visual effects and the shooting location.
