http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/broken-tower-film-review-203701

A stone-skipping account of the life trajectory of poet Hart Crane as opposed to a well developed biographical drama, James Franco's “The Broken Tower” is something of a companion piece to “Howl,” in which Franco starred last year, in its unconventional treatment of a gay renegade twentieth century American writer. The definition of what most people would consider arty, this rarified slice of indie esoterica was shot in rather striking black-and-white, features huge slabs of very difficult verse being read aloud as well as long scenes of the subject just walking around and includes one entirely gratuitous shot of what may or may not actually be the first former host of an Oscar telecast performing an explicit sexual act on another man, the uncertainty stemming from the deliberate darkness in which it was filmed.

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/james-francos-new-movie-tough-poetry-graphic-sex-28435

The second is an oral sex scene between Crane and another man that at one point gets so explicit as to all but guarantee an NC-17 rating. (Though the scene is dimly lit, it clearly shows Franco performing oral sex on what is reportedly a prosthetic penis.)

It's interesting no one can say for sure what it was they witnessed in his new art house movie "Broken Tower"

I saw this with a friend in a one-op run at a little theater. franco is clearly really doing it, but if it is a real or fake penis i do not know.

Its an... odd movie. But interesting.

I've got to add this film to my "what to watch" list. I, personally just love that James Franco could give a crap about what's "perfect" for his professional resume. If he's at all intrigued by a subject or topic, he's going to try and be apart of it. He's not afraid to take a risk and he still aware that in order to pay for all of his adventures in film/theatre/tv, he's got to do one or two traditional Hollywood projects/films a year.