Here's my thoughts on Milk by the way. I already posted it in my reviews but figured I would here since most of the talk is in here.
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Milk (2008, Gus Van Sant) 
For the second time in several years we get a homosexuality themed film that features A-list males making out on screen. I reckon that's a good thing. Gus Van Sant tackles this project/biopic based on San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk who was assassinated in 1978. This is not the first time his story's been covered cinematically. In 1984
The Life of Harvey Milk was a documentary that came out and while superior to the non-doc version that Van Sant just release I still wouldn't say that's an insult to Sant.
Homosexuallity seems to be topic Van Sant is versed in, as he too is gay and has made my favorite gay-themed film in
My Own Private Idaho.
Milk is more mainstream and straight-forward than that film. It is good that we have become open minded enough that a film like this can do well critically and commercially.
Now about Sean Penn. Great actor and great performance. No real surprise there. Should he win the Academy Award for best actor? Maybe, though I'd rather see it go to Rourke, a less acceptable and recognized choice. I thought Penn got it right. The look of Harvey Milk and even the way he talks isn't far off. His behavior and mannerisms are good. It's easy to see Penn did his homework in no doubt watching clips of Milk himself.
The pacing of the movie was as good as a biopic can be. I always think it's difficult to cover a lot of ground in two hours and the last eight years of Harvey Milk's life is no exception. They say no bad movie is short enough and no good movie is to long, that's the case here as Milk is a good movie. I would have rather had a three hour long film that took more time to pace itself out, but Van Sant has never really made long pictures.
I think the political angle of the film works well. I understand how the striking down of Proposition 6 was the major contribution of his short public career, but it would have been nice to see Milk presented as a politician who happened to be gay rather than a gay politician. All too often homosexuality is seen as the prominent force in shaping the identity of gays. I'm mostly heterosexual, but it doesn't matter because gay or straight sexuality is the least interesting thing about a person. The more we define ourselves by sex, gay or straight, the more we are bound by silly limitations. I have been around the gay culture and it's a very insecure and youth oriented culture by its own design. Once we get beyond sexuality being a culture we can truely get down to defeating discrimination.
Milk seem to treat its characters as though they were their sexuality instead of simply having a preference.
I do think the relationship between James Franco and Penn was excellent. I would have much rather seen him get the supporting actor nod than film-mate Brolin. I would argue that more of the film's success depends on him than Brolin, but who knows. The film is an actor's tour-de-force.
One thing that did bog the film down was Diego Luna's character because it seemed under-written or focused on. It simply was tacked on and bogged the film down. I did not connect with that relationship the way I did with the others. I almost forgot to give props to Emile Hirsch who was excellent as Cleve Jones and Van Sant's recreation of a 1970's San Francisco.
Grade: B
Reply to Topic
. It reminded me loads of the brilliant ending of Zatoichi (Takeshi Kitano version) ..some people sneered at that but at the fan showing I went to at the London Film Fest everyone cheered.
