Milk
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Movie Reviews of Milk
Movie Review: Harvey Milk and The Nature of Courage
Summary: 5 Stars
So, Milk was released on DVD yesterday, which prompted a trip to Best Buy and a purchase. This one I didn't have to make her watch; She wanted to see it as badly as I did and our interest was only increased by Sean Penn's Best Actor nod and the win for Best Screenplay to Dustin Lance Black.
I grew up in San Diego and I remember hearing about the slaying of George Moscone and Harvey, but I was only peripherally aware of the story of the man. I knew he was an activist and I knew what he did was important.
This is a fantastically compelling tale and it is well told to boot. The acting is amazing, not just Penn but many others besides. The writing is top notch and the director did a great job of capturing some of the feel of San Francisco (one of my favorite cities, actually. Though I'm more about Chinatown than the Castro. the food, you know.)
Sean Penn deserved Best Actor. Other performances that I feel absolutely have to be pointed out are James Franco as Scott Smith, Lucas Grabeel as Danny Nicoletta (a brave step as an actor, here. Typecasting is always a career danger)and most especially Josh Brolin.
Brolin got some Oscar buzz and deserved it. The man showed some serious cajones choosing roles last year. It could be argued that playing George Bush and Dan White back-to-back opens him up for some major hate mail. Bush pisses many of us off for many reasons, but it must be remembered that a great majority of the people who know Dan White's name view him not just as a villain but as a monster.
Brolin portrayed White as a deeply conflicted man who was horribly uncomfortable and uncertain of his own ethics. White was a fireman and a family man before becoming a politician and eventually a murderer. The character could have been written or played as a cliche and it is to the lasting credit of the film and the actor that he is not. He is shown as a deeply troubled person. His appearance, clearly drunk, at Harvey's birthday party strongly shows this side, as does his uncertainty of how to act when Harvey is the only Supervisor to show at his son's christening.
It is a good movie and one with an important message that will resonate for many in these times of Prop 8. The opening credits will force you to focus on how much we have changed, while the reality of Proposition 8 forces you to remember how far we have yet to journey.
But the message of Milk, the film and the man, is hope. We can change the world. Harvey Milk did, and he paid the ultimate price. The film makes it clear that Harvey knew what he risked. He knew it and confronted it everyday.
He would want you to take up his fallen banner and carry it, even if only in small ways. He was a proud American and he cared about people of all races, genders, backgrounds and orientations. When watching the scene where he brings in his new campaign manager, remember that today's GLBT community did not exist then. Gay and Lesbian were separate worlds, a reality that Harvey refused to acknowledge.
This film is a moving portrayal of a committed and courageous man. Enjoy it, be touched by it, and remember how far we have come and how far we have to go.
(Review by Will Belegon, http://thingsimademygirlfriendwatch.blogspot.com)
Movie Review: The Gay Struggle Personified
Summary: 5 Stars
Gus Van Sant has always been an excellent if somewhat eclectic director. Although I have enjoyed his previous efforts, I was somewhat apprehensive when I heard he was undertaking a film biography of Harvey Milk. A gay figure of this importance, I thought, should be handled by someone a little more mainstream. Like many gay people, I am weary of gay-themed films that reach no one beyond a gay audience, and the message I would want to emerge from a film about Harvey Milk should be heard by everyone.
As if reading my mind, Mr. Van Sant has fashioned a film that is accessible to all, while approaching his subject with sharp focus and a singleness of purpose that is at once definitive and topical. A stunning achievement, MILK manages to make its point without ever being preachy or trite, while remaining as true to the facts as any film bio could ever hope to be.
The film opens with snippets of gay history that many young gay people, let alone a straight audience, may be shocked to discover. During the opening credits, a barrage of vintage film clips remind us that a scant 50 years ago, gay men, lesbians and transsexuals were subjected to violence, harassment, physical abuse, arrest and humiliation by the very people that most citizens look to for protection; i.e. the police and judicial authorities. The newsreel images of gay bar raids that open MILK project a surreal yet somehow eerily familiar atmosphere that seems to alternate between the bizarre and the barbaric. Many people today are not aware that, in the 1940's and 1950's, right here in the USA, gay people were arrested for simply patronizing a gay bar (newspaper headline: "Den of Perverts Busted"). Many of those arrested had their names and employers published in the morning paper (!), and often found themselves unemployed and unemployable, branded with the label of "deviate". It is this chilling fact of social injustice that clears the way for the film's swing into a very important piece of gay history.
Skillfully telling us the story of Milk's rise as a leader in the Castro Gay Community of San Francisco, Harvey Milk is seen throughout the film as a living, breathing flesh and blood person. Van Sant adroitly propels Sean Penn through a warts-and-all portrayal of a frail human being with an idealistic bent and a politician's savvy. As with any good film, it is difficult, if not impossible, to discern which is more impressive - the balance of a perfect cast and lovingly detailed direction weave their way through a seamless portrait of an important historical figure, yet we are somberly reminded that many people remember Harvey Milk solely for the "Twinkie" defense of his star-crossed killer. The end result is that gay audiences emerge from seeing this film with a sense of pride and purpose, while straight audiences leave with a better knowledge of who we (gay people) are, what we want, and what we are struggling for. By word of mouth I expected a thrilling cinematic experience; what I got was a surprisingly near-perfect motion picture and some of the best acting I've ever seen. I heartily recommend MILK to any straight person who wants to get a grasp on what the last 30 years of gay history were really all about, and any gay person who wants to feel good about themselves. MILK is a triumph. See it.
Movie Review: "Best Gay-Themed Movie Since "Brokeback Mountain"!"
Summary: 5 Stars
Probably the best thing Sean Penn has ever done in his acting career, "Milk" is a film everyone should see, not just the gay audience. While watching the picture ones get a glimpse as to what gay people went through, back in the 1970's, as far as recognition and respect is concerned. If we think things are tough now, the world was more difficult 30 years ago.
Sean Penn plays Harvery Milk, who was the first openly gay person who held a position in public office in the history of the United States. He was on the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco, and he was determined gay men and women would obtain the same rights as heterosexuals. Harvey was not only a gay hero, but a hero for all those who didn't have a voice. His bravery and determination is something that is rare in mankind. After watching "Milk" we could learn many things as to what makes people want to obtain that status that we all should have as God's people. The message in this film is clear- we homosexuals are no different than anyone, and when it comes to equal rights we will not stop fighting until those rights are obtained by us. Harvery Milk's work is still felt today, as we have come along way, but there is still work to be done, as homosexuals still cannot marry in America.
Again, this movie wasn't made just for the gay audience- straights could learn a lot from watching this film. After viewing it people get a very good understanding of the hatred and bitterness felt towards gays from our heterosexual counterparts.
The movie really works. The best part of the film is how we are actually put back to the late '70s, in which the producers use actual news footage from the American netwoks documenting the events of Harvey's plight as a poltician, and his work for gay rights. Anita Bryant, probably the biggest hater of gays, is seen in newsreels venting her anger and venom against people who are different.
The picture also dramatizes Harvey's love life as well, as we see how he balances his work and personal life, sometimes often ending in tragic results.
The cast is perfect, and Penn was made for this role. Josh Brolin is also impeccable as the man who untilmately destroys Harvery's life. The other roles too are performed by first-rate actors.
"Milk" would go on to receive 8 Academy Awards nominations, winning Best Actor for Sean Penn, and one for cutie Dustin Lance Black for Best Original screenplay. The picture is also a boxoffice hit and sold millions of DVDs in the first few weeks of release.
The DVD comes with a lot of bonuses, including deleted scenes, and documentaries on "Remembering Harvey Milk", "Hollywood Comes To San Francisco", and "Marching for Equality".
There is also an excellent documentary on Harvery Milk, that came out in 2004 called "The Life of Harvey Milk", that is available on DVD. I would suggest watching that DVD first before watching the film, as it gives an insight into what made this man who he was.
Focus Features, who produced and marketed "Brokeback Mountain", also released "Milk", and they should be applauded for the work they have done in releasing not only a well-dramatized film, but a great educational tool.
Movie Review: Politics Counter-Culture Style: Leading the Grass-Roots Gay Rights Movement.
Summary: 5 Stars
Director Gus Van Sant brings the political career of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk to the screen in "Milk", following Milk from his discovery of political activism at age 40 to his murder in 1978, 8 years later. Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) sporadically narrates the film through a recording which was to be played in the event of his death. He begins with the day he picked up Scott Smith (James Franco) on a New York subway platform. The men became lovers and moved to San Francisco, where they became hippies and opened a camera shop in the Castro district. Milk's successful efforts to mobilize the gay community into an economic and political force didn't translate into successful runs for public office -until redistricting and a new campaign manager gave him a better shot.
Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to hold public office in the United States (there was one lesbian who preceded him). His political activism in San Francisco came at a time of violent clashes between police and gay citizens, who could genuinely claim that they were being persecuted and feared for their physical safety. It was also a time of social upheaval and political unrest due, in part, to the stagnant economy of the 1970s. A man could grow a ponytail in middle age, stand on a box on a street corner, and try to make a cohesive community out of a diffuse group of people who normally preferred to hide their identities. Harvey Milk created the "gay community", and his charisma and tireless activism turned them into a political force that spearheaded the campaign against California's Briggs Initiative.
Other powerful gays in San Francisco presented themselves as ordinary citizens who happened to be gay, with the idea that that was a more inclusive image and smarter politics. Milk was more hot-headed and had a feel for the times. He would make the gay community a self-identified socio-political faction. Of course, there is the possibility that emphasizing their differences instead of their commonality with the average San Franciscan would ultimately be alienating. It makes me wonder how Milk, who openly approved of the pick-up culture, would have coped with the AIDS crisis had he lived to see it. Harvey Milk had his own way of doing politics, which "Milk" presents as heroic. That's not indisputable, but it was certainly effective, and Sean Penn's performance really conveys Milk's passion and charm.
The DVD (Universal 2009): Bonus features are 3 featurettes and some deleted scenes. "Remembering Harvey" (13 min) interviews people who knew Milk, many of whom are represented in the film, about their memory of him, his death, and his legacy. In "Hollywood Comes to San Francisco" (14 min), the screenwriter, producers, and cast talk about making the movie and their characters. "Marching for Equality" (8 min) interviews Cleve Jones and others who participated in several real marches in San Francisco that were recreated for the film. Subtitles for the film are available in English SDH, Spanish, and French. Dubbing available in French.
Movie Review: *UPLIFTING* MOVIE!
Summary: 5 Stars
I wasn't going to buy the MILK DVD because I already saw it in the theater. And even though I enjoyed the movie and thought it was really good, I didn't think I would be watching it on repeated showings, not to mention space and money issues.
But I'm glad I did buy it. The movie is even better on the second viewing and was beautifully told, and I'm sure I'll be watching it many more times.
MILK is a bio-pic about San Francisco, City Controller - Harvey Milk. In the 70s, he was the second openly gay person to be elected to public office throughout the country and the first openly gay man elected anywhere. He fought vigorously for gay rights until he was murdered by fellow city controller Dan White (who also killed the mayor of SF George Moscone at the same time).
The film does a pretty good job of showing the personal and private life of this remarkable person, and shows how Harvey Milk may have thought himself to be an "ordinary man," but he did extraordinary things, which still reverberate to this day. Even the portrayal of Dan White was sensitive as the film shows a troubled man and not the homophobic assassin of legend. And despite ending tragically for three people and those around them--Milk, Moscone, and White who committed suicide two years after he was released from prison--the movie does inspire hope.
This is a movie that should be passed down from generation-to-generation because it shows how we are responsible for the young people who are going to take our place. Without Harvey Milk and others like him, today's LGBT people wouldn't have half as many rights as we do nor the feeling that we can accomplish great things.
The bonuses are short but sweet and include:
***DELETED SCENES 3:45/Three scenes that don't make it in the film:
--recurring dream
--jack throws pottery
--harvey the clown
***REMEMBERING HARVEY 13:20
--the actual people represented in the film talk about harvey milk; among them anne kronenberg and cleve jones
***HOLLYWOOD COMES TO SF 14:32
--producers and actors discuss "milk" and the person; writer dustin lance black, james franco and josh brolin among others, but sean penn doesn't appear
***MARCHING FOR EQUALITY 7:57
--cleve jones, gilbert baker and daniel nicoletta among others talk about the re-enactment of the "march through the castro" from the film and how it compares to the reality of that time, with footage of the behind the scenes as filming takes place
Anyway, I recommend MILK DVD even if you've already seen it because like I said the story itself is timeless and the execution was brilliant. And to find out more about the real Harvey Milk check out The Times of Harvey Milk 1984 or The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk.