June 6th, 2009 / 12:50 pm
Snippets

The Dave Eggers directed short film with James Franco on the new Wholphin is some of the best video art I’ve seen in a while. Dude goes at it for almost thirty minutes.

26 Comments

  1. Adam Robinson
  2. Adam Robinson
  3. drew

      james franco has a book of stories coming out in 2010. that’s interesting.

  4. drew

      james franco has a book of stories coming out in 2010. that’s interesting.

  5. HTMLGIAN

      Dear Dave and James,
      Michael and Luca Will Smash You. Theirs even looks better and it’s not “FOCUS”

  6. HTMLGIAN

      Dear Dave and James,
      Michael and Luca Will Smash You. Theirs even looks better and it’s not “FOCUS”

  7. Gene Morgan

      In its entirety the video is good art.

      It’s less about Franco just destroying things and more about his interaction with the room. At one point he puts a “JERK” t-shirt on a ram head and stuffs a trophy up its ass. He also cuts the mattress open like a vagina and buries his head in it. He pulls a lamp out of his pants when he gets tired, like twenty minutes in.

      The FOCUS thing is just because it’s on the FOCUS website.

  8. Gene Morgan

      In its entirety the video is good art.

      It’s less about Franco just destroying things and more about his interaction with the room. At one point he puts a “JERK” t-shirt on a ram head and stuffs a trophy up its ass. He also cuts the mattress open like a vagina and buries his head in it. He pulls a lamp out of his pants when he gets tired, like twenty minutes in.

      The FOCUS thing is just because it’s on the FOCUS website.

  9. HTMLGIAN

      I know. It’s a cool video.

  10. HTMLGIAN

      I know. It’s a cool video.

  11. Gene

      You’re a cool video.

  12. Gene

      You’re a cool video.

  13. HTMLGIAN

      httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LMvp-gNDFc

  14. HTMLGIAN

      httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LMvp-gNDFc

  15. P2P

      Hmmm…it is kind of a bite off of Michael’s film. But it’s like…OOH, let’s get heart-throb James Franco to do it. I wonder how long until McPeeney’s publishes one of his books. At least in Kimball’s thing, there is something personal involved with the objects and the destroyers, not just a room (well, I might like to destroy Topher Eggers room, too). And come on, honestly, how original is destroying a room??? Can we please become a bit more Hollywoody and cliche, please?? But, hey, that’s just me. And I’m a simp. The video does look kind of cool. I wish I could see the whole thing. Why doesn’t someone be an American and post it as a torrent??

  16. P2P

      Hmmm…it is kind of a bite off of Michael’s film. But it’s like…OOH, let’s get heart-throb James Franco to do it. I wonder how long until McPeeney’s publishes one of his books. At least in Kimball’s thing, there is something personal involved with the objects and the destroyers, not just a room (well, I might like to destroy Topher Eggers room, too). And come on, honestly, how original is destroying a room??? Can we please become a bit more Hollywoody and cliche, please?? But, hey, that’s just me. And I’m a simp. The video does look kind of cool. I wish I could see the whole thing. Why doesn’t someone be an American and post it as a torrent??

  17. ayankus

      who gives a fuck if heart throb james franco is in it or not? gene thought it was a cool video and so he posted it. word is that that franco is dedicated to his shit and actually already has an mfa in poetry and went to ucla for his undergrad in creative writing. is it weird him getting a book deal before he’s even done w/ his shit? sure, but who gives a fuck? i hope that motherfucker is the best writer of our generation only because it would piss so many people off. calm the fuck down and go get yours.

  18. ayankus

      who gives a fuck if heart throb james franco is in it or not? gene thought it was a cool video and so he posted it. word is that that franco is dedicated to his shit and actually already has an mfa in poetry and went to ucla for his undergrad in creative writing. is it weird him getting a book deal before he’s even done w/ his shit? sure, but who gives a fuck? i hope that motherfucker is the best writer of our generation only because it would piss so many people off. calm the fuck down and go get yours.

  19. P2P

      Hold on a second. “Who gives a fuck if James Franco is in it???”??? I think the point is it wouldn’t have gotten made or garnered any attention if James Franco was NOT in it. How about putting an unknown person in there to destroy the room and see if anyone gives a fuck. You know?? Like, let’s use movie stars to sell our shit!! It’s bullshit and you should know that. It’s just kind of a cop out from doing something actually interesting and good rather than let’s use a loved and familiar face to vehicle our pretty lame idea. I’m sure it’s a cool video and I really wanna see it. Wow. When did this site go so fucking knotsie where people can’t speak their minds a little without being yelled at?? But I guess its healthy. Bring it. And regarding Franco publishing: I hope his writing is great. I can’t wait to read it. I am not joking at all. It better be good after all the cool people he’s gotten to study with. But, you know, if it isn’t good (and chances are against it), then it’s just another case of people publishing books for bullshit reasons rather than genuine ones.

      Okay, you can bite my head off now..

  20. P2P

      Hold on a second. “Who gives a fuck if James Franco is in it???”??? I think the point is it wouldn’t have gotten made or garnered any attention if James Franco was NOT in it. How about putting an unknown person in there to destroy the room and see if anyone gives a fuck. You know?? Like, let’s use movie stars to sell our shit!! It’s bullshit and you should know that. It’s just kind of a cop out from doing something actually interesting and good rather than let’s use a loved and familiar face to vehicle our pretty lame idea. I’m sure it’s a cool video and I really wanna see it. Wow. When did this site go so fucking knotsie where people can’t speak their minds a little without being yelled at?? But I guess its healthy. Bring it. And regarding Franco publishing: I hope his writing is great. I can’t wait to read it. I am not joking at all. It better be good after all the cool people he’s gotten to study with. But, you know, if it isn’t good (and chances are against it), then it’s just another case of people publishing books for bullshit reasons rather than genuine ones.

      Okay, you can bite my head off now..

  21. HTMLGIAN

      p2p, I see what you’re saying, but James Franco is a pretty good selling point. Eggers isn’t stupid. If he knows nothing else, he sure knows how to sell shit. I want to see the whole video. And Gene, I wasn’t being sarcastic when I said, “I know. It’s a cool video.” It might have sounded like I was taking the piss, but I wasnt. Ugh, even when I’m not being ironic, I am seen as ironic. (This is the reason I have so many bones to pick with school of sarcasm!! No one can talk straight forward anymore without people reading that shit into it.) I just realized that calling me a cool video in return might be a disparaging comment. First I was like, Aw, that’s a nice thing to say, but then I thought Maybe not. I really wasn’t fucking with you. Sorry for the confusion there, buddy. My fault.

  22. HTMLGIAN

      p2p, I see what you’re saying, but James Franco is a pretty good selling point. Eggers isn’t stupid. If he knows nothing else, he sure knows how to sell shit. I want to see the whole video. And Gene, I wasn’t being sarcastic when I said, “I know. It’s a cool video.” It might have sounded like I was taking the piss, but I wasnt. Ugh, even when I’m not being ironic, I am seen as ironic. (This is the reason I have so many bones to pick with school of sarcasm!! No one can talk straight forward anymore without people reading that shit into it.) I just realized that calling me a cool video in return might be a disparaging comment. First I was like, Aw, that’s a nice thing to say, but then I thought Maybe not. I really wasn’t fucking with you. Sorry for the confusion there, buddy. My fault.

  23. Gene Morgan

      I didn’t think you were being ironic. It felt earnest. I embedded your video for you, and felt good watching it.

      [Fun Fact: Did you know that if you just paste the url of a YouTube video in a comment, and add a “v” after the “http” it will embed the video?]

      For all of the people talking shit about famous people, the video was good in spite of its being made by famous people. That’s part of the reason I felt the need to post.

      My wife is a video artist. I’ve seen a lot of fucking video art. The other two shorts in the series suck, which is why I didn’t mention them. The Franco video, however, is really enjoyable, well done, and almost completely devoid of the preciousness that Eggers often gets shit on for. It’s just a dude getting pretty heavy in the moment. Franco went crazy and completely owned it.

      And yes, some aspects of the idea have been done before. But so what?

      Look up the Dash Snow “Nest” stuff or Paul McCarthy.

  24. Gene Morgan

      I didn’t think you were being ironic. It felt earnest. I embedded your video for you, and felt good watching it.

      [Fun Fact: Did you know that if you just paste the url of a YouTube video in a comment, and add a “v” after the “http” it will embed the video?]

      For all of the people talking shit about famous people, the video was good in spite of its being made by famous people. That’s part of the reason I felt the need to post.

      My wife is a video artist. I’ve seen a lot of fucking video art. The other two shorts in the series suck, which is why I didn’t mention them. The Franco video, however, is really enjoyable, well done, and almost completely devoid of the preciousness that Eggers often gets shit on for. It’s just a dude getting pretty heavy in the moment. Franco went crazy and completely owned it.

      And yes, some aspects of the idea have been done before. But so what?

      Look up the Dash Snow “Nest” stuff or Paul McCarthy.

  25. HTMLGIAN

      Okay. Cool. Just checkin’.

      I really want to watch it in its entirety.

      Thanks for the embedding tip! That’s awesome. I’m kind of “special needs” when it comes to things like this.

  26. HTMLGIAN

      Okay. Cool. Just checkin’.

      I really want to watch it in its entirety.

      Thanks for the embedding tip! That’s awesome. I’m kind of “special needs” when it comes to things like this.