Buried Howl

Two movies recently released showcase the abilities of two young actors about to hit the next-level. The first one is Buried, where Ryan Reynolds is locked in a coffin for the entire feature.

Despite being in such a confined space, Reynolds is given ample room to deliver a dynamic, strong performance without having to show his abs to keep our attention and hearts pounding for the entire movie. Most credit, though, goes to director Rodrigo Cortés who's able to turn an experimental movie into a bona fide thriller through some amazing editing and lighting work.

(High hopes for Green Lantern.)

Then there's James Franco. Can this man do no wrong? Besides being a muti-tasking academic, movie maker, Gucci model, part-time soap actor, Candy transvestite and Spider-Man's best pal, Franco still found time to turn out one of the best performances of the year in Howl.

Franco as Allen Ginsberg may not sound right on paper, but it works great on screen. His powerful reading of the titular poem captures the spirit of the time. The animated version of the poem, however, leaves a bit to be desired. And damn, that Jon Hamm is handsome!

Franco's next release, 127 Hours -- his collab with director Danny Boyle in which he plays the guy who had to saw off his own arm after an accident in the desert -- is looking pretty good too. Now who'da thunk it that Ryan Reynolds and James Franco would become two of the most promising actors of their generation?