Am I Missing Something?

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The different parts of C.K. Williams' life told through his poems. His childhood, his teens, college years, to when he meets and marries his wife, Catherine (Mila Kunis) and the birth of his children. The film is narrated by different versions of Williams (Franco, Hopper, March, Unger), depicting the different aspects of Williams through the years.Williams is not a household name, and probably not even well-known to many academics. Although he has won the Pulitzer Prize and countless other awards for his poetry and translations of classic literature, his field of study earns accolades but little notice. Maybe this is proper, or maybe it says something about the appreciation of the arts.Anyway, "Color of Time" (which has also been shown under the titles "Tar" and "Forever Love") was written and directed by twelve New York University film students. Much like the poetry it brings to life, there are numerous segments from the various writers and directors, and not all of them necessarily go together as a coherent narrative.This film is bound to get bad reviews. Not because it is a bad film, but because it may not be evident to viewers what to expect. A casual viewer will walk through Family Video and see James Franco, Mila Kunis and Jessica Chastain, perhaps assuming this is some sort of romantic comedy. It is not. At all. This is poetry put to film, a moving form of art. Judging it by any other standard would be wrong, though inevitably it will be judged by its entertainment value -- something it does not claim to have.Franco is, of course, very appropriately cast. One suspects that when he was asked to play Williams, he jumped at the chance. His career is littered with portrayals of great writers, making him something of a go-to guy in that niche market. Bruce Campbell has a nice cameo as, appropriately enough, a Detroit native. Not sure how he got involved...Anyway, this is a great film if watched by the right people, those who love art and poetry. This is, in the end, an "art film" in the best sense of the (often derided) term. See it to understand a poet as told by a poet... and perhaps while you are at it, go pick up one of Williams' books from your local library.

Greetings again from the darkness. It's either a most unusual biopic on Pulitzer Prize winning poet CK Williams, an example of how director Terrence Malick has influenced the next wave of filmmakers, or a self-congratulatory exercise disguised as a class project. Regardless of your final take, most cinephiles will muster at least a modicum of interest in a film with 11 directors and 12 writers … each NYU film students during James Franco's time on campus as an adjunct professor.We see the life of CK Williams through the flashbacks and memories of James Franco (as an adult Williams prepping for a reading of "Tar"). Williams as a child, as an adolescent, and as a college student (played by Henry Hopper, son of Dennis) offer a glimpse into the girls and events that helped shape his poetry. The sequence of Williams as a child is so similar to Malick's Tree of Life, that we viewers experience our own flashbacks … right down to Jessica Chastain recreating her scenes from that movie (this time as Williams' mother).Mila Kunis plays Catherine, Williams' second and current wife, and it's clear – in a modern expressionist kind of way – that they are very happy together. There are a couple of disjointed sequences that come across as created simply to provide an outlet for Zach Braff and Bruce Campbell. However, when dealing with poetry, rules don't apply … at least that seems to be what this group of young filmmakers would have us believe. The washed out colors, fuzzy focus, shots of nature, and muted emotions dotted with monotone dialogue are all elements of artsy films. Whether these are the foundations of artsy films is a separate topic. Interspersed throughout are a couple of clips of CK Williams with his own readings. Experimental filmmaking is always a risk and should not be discouraged. It's given us every advance in the medium for a century. It is a bit worrisome, however, when experimental film appears so similar to the work of a current master. Let's hope that's just the first step in the process of developing filmmakers. This one also acts as a reminder that turning poetry into actual images often defeats the purpose of the written words.

Review: This film was totally boring! All the way through the movie, James Franco is quoting his own poetry, which sounded like complete gibberish to me and there isn't any talking at all. Kunis is only in a couple of scenes and the movie goes back and forth in time which makes it even more confusing. After looking at the cover for the film, it looked really promising, but what I didn't know was that there wasn't any script and its totally based on poetry. Personally, I lost interest after the first few minutes and the annoying music really got on my nerves. Maybe I didn't get the point of the project but I don't think that I missed much. Awful!Round-Up: What is James Franco and Mila Kunis doing in this movie? Franco is known for doing some quirky movies, but this one was really bad. I honestly thought that it was going to be a Rom-com or something in that type of genre, but its a deep drama about a man who starts thinking about his past and he begins to question his love for his girlfriend. Thats the only part of the film that made sense to me but it started to go down other avenues which were strange. Anyway, I think that you can tell that I didn't enjoy this movie at all and I found it a complete waste of time. I recommend this movie to people who are into there deep dramas about a poet who has flashbacks of his past. 1/10

Often times when I decide on a movie to watch, I only look to see who is in it and look at the poster since I fear all the good bits will be in the trailer. After all, most movies nowadays do feel a bit oversold due to how good their trailers are. But with James Franco, Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain and Zach Braff, my hopes were high to the point I didn't even read the synopsis. I jumped in expecting a quirky tale and a fun ride.Characters & StoryImagine you are in college and your slightly accomplished "Introduction to Poetry" teacher had the lesson plan based off all his work. And rather than lead the class through a spirited journey filled with discussion and awe, instead he decides to focus on stroking his own ego as he speaks in a monotone voice. That is the general feel as we follow C.K. Williams (James Franco) through his life. PraiseHonestly, outside of watching C.K. Williams with wife Catherine (Mila Kunis), or his younger self with Irene (Danika Yarosh), in which we are presented these cute romantic little stories, there isn't much to praise.CriticismTo start off, the use of C.K. Williams' poetry for the narrative I think was a bad move since, for me, his poetry is that boring stuff you are force fed throughout your academic career. It is the type of writing people with doctorates in English find deep and amazing, or something which touched them on some deep level, and yet as you sit in class and listen to them read, you simply don't get it.What doesn't help though is that we go back and forth from the older Williams (Franco) to his younger versions and the film's tone very much reminded me of the feeling you would have if you were tipsy or high. Everything feels muddled and lacking of any type of excitement and, while you can recognize something is happening, nothing is said or done to snap you out of this daze. This is despite the sounds of children laughing, Kunis and Franco portraying what looks like a cute relationship, and surely being part of a film of someone who perhaps might actually be interesting. Though you would never guess watching this.Overall: Skip ItSomehow, despite barely being over an hour, this movie felt so long. Which truly is a testament to how bad this movie is. And I don't really fault the actors involved, per se, but just looking at the plethora of writers and directors involved on IMDb, you can definitely tell that there may have been too many cooks in the kitchen with this one. Though this film making me sleepier than drinking all night is the main reason this is being labeled "Skip It." For unless you are the type who likes background noise while you sleep, I don't see why you would waste your time on this film.