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Reviews of Milk
Got Milk?
Posted : 1 month, 2 weeks ago on 7 November 2009 09:50
(A review of Milk)Milk funciona assim: tipos que o cara era beecha, aí encontra um outro beecha no metrô e aí começa uma louca paixão onde ele se dá conta de que já tem 40 anos e não fez nada da vida. Até aí nada demais, acho que todo mundo aqui tá na mesma situação, exceto a parte de encontrar um grande amor no metrô e, QUEM SABE, ser beecha. Mas Harvey Milk vai além na sua inoperância de 40 anos fétidos e inúteis e se torna o primeiro politico abertamente [ui! delícia!] gay da história e se você for ver que, oi, é um filme baseado em fatos reais, até que é uma história batuta afudê. Mas eu não achay o filme aquela coisa toda, achei até bem chato. Só vale a pena prá ver o Sean Penn dando uns catos no James Franco e no Diego Luna e prá ver o Emilie Hirsch fazendo a Katylene com espantosa desenvoltura. AHAZÔL!
- Publicado originalmente em 15/07/09, no blog Respeite Meus Mullets.
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The Milky bar kid wants your vote.
Posted : 2 months, 2 weeks ago on 7 October 2009 03:33
(A review of Milk)''Without hope, life's not worth living.''
The story of Harvey Milk, and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.
Sean Penn: Harvey Milk
How miraculous it is how crucial timing is. Released only a few weeks after the passage of Proposition 8 - a measure that took away the rights of same-sex couples to marry in California - Gus Van Sant's Oscar-nominated effort Milk turns back the clock to another point in time, with an all too similar struggle in American civil rights history and to the iconic man who helped to get the ball rolling.
Harvey Milk was the San Francisco supervisor and gay-rights pioneer who, along with Mayor George Moscone, was shot in city hall in November 1978. The perpetrator, Dan White, a disgruntled fellow board member who had recently resigned his seat, was found guilty of manslaughter, sent to prison for a mere five years, then released in 1984, only to take his own life two years later from guilt I suppose.
Dustin Lance Black's Oscar-winning screenplay traces Milk's meteoric rise from an obscure, still largely closeted Republican businessman in the early 1970s to the de facto leader of the gay-rights movement that began to take shape during that period. He became the first openly gay man in the state to be elected to public office and, in 1978, he was instrumental in helping to defeat Proposition 6, which, if passed, would have made it illegal for homosexuals (and even straight supporters of homosexuals!) to teach in California public schools (was this really only thirty years ago?). Throughout all this, Milk managed to develop a large, highly charged grass roots organization, the purpose of which was not merely to combat bigotry wherever it reared its ugly head but to win over the hearts and minds of the people in their community and the nation as a whole.
''My name is Harvey Milk and I'm here to recruit you!''
There has been some arguments and complaints leveled against the movie that it is too reverential in its treatment of Milk, that it paints him too much as a saint and not enough as an ordinary human being being with the requisite number of weaknesses and flaws to make him truly viable as a character. Even if one were to accept that charge, it still doesn't take into consideration the very special quality that Sean Penn himself brings to the role. With obviously heightened mannerisms that he is careful never to allow to slide over into caricature or camp, Penn makes Milk both charismatically larger-than-life and recognizably human at one and the same time. Whether he's in front of a crowd rallying the troops with his megaphone or enjoying a tender moment with his longtime boyfriend, Scott Smith, Penn allows us see the many facets of this obviously complex man.
In a movie chock full of outstanding supporting performances, James Franco as Smith, Josh Brolin as Dan White, and Emile Hirsch as Cleve Jones, a rootless young man inspired by Milk to become a lifelong activist, are the obvious standouts.
As a director, Van Sant keeps things moving at an almost whirlwind pace, beautifully balancing the "big" scenes of rallies and marches with the more intimate moments depicting Milk's relationships with those around him. At times Van Sant brings an almost documentary-style immediacy to the film, seamlessly blending actual footage from that era (much of it of Anita Bryant and her anti-gay crusade) with convincingly staged re-enactments of events at that time. Obviously wanting to end on a positive note, the movie mentions but does not dramatize the White Night Riots which took place in the city following the assassinations, instead focusing on the enormous candlelight march that wended its way through the shocked and devastated city. Thus, the ending, like the movie itself, is a necessary and deeply moving reminder of how the courage of one individual to stand up for what he knows is right can inspire others to follow in his footsteps - and change the world at the same time.
''All men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words.''
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Milk review
Posted : 4 months, 2 weeks ago on 9 August 2009 11:55
(A review of Milk)It's amazing how a movie can touch people. Not only because this is a real story but everything behind it and we can all see ourselves now and feel what they been through in the 70's. Is a great movie about a great group of people who weren't scared of what they were. Is a Gus Van Sant's master piece.
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A biopic of indeliable power...
Posted : 7 months, 1 week ago on 13 May 2009 09:24
(A review of Milk)"My name is Harvey Milk and I'm here to recruit you!"
Gus Van Sant's Milk is an incisive and stirring dramatisation of the heroic life and violent death of 1970's gay activist Harvey Milk. Van Sant's magnificent biopic of indelible power is infused with a masterful and vibrant recreation of a tumultuous era that throbs with heart, humour and anguish. This engrossing, multi-layered history lesson concerning the turbulent political situation of the '70s couldn't have been delivered at a more appropriate time - for it to arrive in cinemas in November 2008, at the time of Barack Obama's successful presidential campaign as well as the passing of Proposition 8, is almost unbearably poignant. Dustin Lance Black's script (which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay at the 2009 ceremony) closely sticks to the facts of Milk's political career, and Van Sant employs plenty of stock footage (as well as still photographs) from the 1970s to effectively amplify the period verisimilitude.
The framework of this biopic consists of Milk sombrely speaking into a tape recorder, preserving his story and his feelings in the probable event of his assassination. The picture covers Milk's tale from his sexual liberation up until his dying breath. Milk is accessible, enthralling and edifying - it's a penetrating chronicle of big-city politics and a touching portrait of a warrior whose passion was equalled only by his generosity and good humour.
Approaching the age of 40, Harvey Milk (Penn) realises he hasn't done anything in his life he can be proud of. To transform his life, he moves to San Francisco with young lover Scott (Franco) to open a camera shop in Castro Street, quickly making countless friends within the burgeoning gay community. Assuming a place of leadership in the neighbourhood, Milk decides to run for office, hoping to secure civil rights for homosexuals in America. In 1977, following several unsuccessful attempts at office, Harvey Milk finally wins a political seat, much to the mortification of fellow supervisor Dan White (Brolin). Achieving a revered place in the history books as the first openly homosexual man in America elected to public office, Milk takes the city by storm, seeking a better world for his gay community while dealing with such people as Anita Bryant as well as her endeavour to outlaw homosexuality across the country. Milk overthrows the iniquitous Proposition 6 and is on his way to achieving civil rights for gays, but this success was not to last... Milk was assassinated, along with San Francisco mayor George Moscone (Garber) by Dan White in 1978. (This can't be considered a spoiler as these deaths are a well-known historical fact, and a news-clip of Diane Feinstein announcing the assassination is presented early in the film.)
Milk is a riveting and important motion picture; it's a story which needed to be told on film, and it has been brought to life with craftsmanship of the highest order. The film's greatest achievement lies in Van Sant's meticulous recreation of San Francisco during the rolling '70s where homosexuality was a focal point in the culture. Throughout the film, Van Sant and expert cinematographer Harris Savides (who also helped director David Fincher encapsulate the same city and general era in Zodiac) employ a free-wheeling and intimate visual style to great effect; skilfully interweaving photos, archival footage, and excellent camerawork to evoke the Castro of the early 70s. The Castro has even been recreated in the precise storefront location it occupied at the time. Milk submerges a viewer into the era, skilfully moving back and forth between fact and fiction. Danny Elfman's elegant score is another key feature, augmenting the film's power during crucial sequences. Naturally, the finale is gripping, tragic, and (in the outpouring of grief) strangely triumphant.
Yet Milk has unfortunately been written with a focus on politics over personality. As a study of the protagonist's political career this biopic is remarkable, but as a story of Milk's personal life it's extremely lacking. We can understand his fight but are less enlightened about the man. Alas, it's a portrayal that errs towards hagiography. What also undermines this excellent work is that Milk, especially during its first half, is more of a polished re-enactment than a drama. Van Sant and writer Lance Black evidently want Harvey Milk's story and the history of the gay movement to be as accessible as possible, and the product is a didactic, by-the-numbers approach to his numerous tilts at elected office.
Harvey Milk's struggle with the rise of the Proposition 6 anti-homosexual movement across the country makes up the majority of the film's second half, permitting little room for Dan White's story which is so integral to any discussion regarding Milk's life. Only the poignant epilogue points out White's mental issues that are curiously omitted from the film, and the characterisation consequently feels hollow and oddly insignificant. While White's side of the story clearly just wasn't in Van Sant's field of vision, the lack of a proper psychological calibration is disappointing.
Milk demonstrates how political movements can be born of frustration, and how unproblematic it is for groups of strangers to find unity and strength in numbers. A magnetic Penn leads a powerful ensemble. Penn's portrayal has been constantly praised and rightfully so, and it also earned the actor a much-deserved Academy Award. The actor's usual dedication is present here; delivering a chameleonic, utterly endearing performance. Penn's intensity and energy are in force, while additionally offering an unusual exuberance, playfulness and warmth. His attention to Milk's body language and speech patterns is absolutely remarkable. A warmly sexualised, comedic, reverential portrayal, Penn grabs Harvey Milk with both hands, and functions as the guide rails for Van Sant's hospitable direction.
Extra zing is added by the other performances, none of which can match Penn's titanic stature but all of which are nevertheless absolutely stunning. There's sharp support from Emile Hirsch (star of Penn's 2007 masterpiece Into the Wild) who brings spirit and energy to the role of Milk's protégé Cleve Jones. Josh Brolin as Dan White is a standout; delivering a nuanced, hugely sympathetic performance in a role that would be pure villain in most other hands. Brolin is exceptional here, and it's a genuine shame that his character isn't developed properly. James Franco also submits a terrific performance as one of Milk's lovers. Alison Pill as Anne Kronenberg is whip-smart and constantly engaging, while Denis O'Hare is extremely convincing as loathsome State Senator John Briggs who spearheaded Proposition 6. Also look out for Diego Luna in a ridiculously underdeveloped role as another of Milk's lovers, as well as Victor Garber who's utterly amazing in the role of Mayor Moscone.
With respect to American President Barack Obama, Milk also highlights just how little things have changed on the political front. Thirty years following Milk's tragic assassination, America's gay community still continues to fight for its civil rights. The passing of California Proposition 8 - which eliminated the rights of homosexual men and women to marry - proves that there's a long way to go before Milk's ambitions are at long last realised.
The essential story of Milk is composed of various rudimentary elements: the triumph of the underdog, David vs. Goliath, and the tragedy of a strong voice silenced too soon. Being fully aware of the story's conclusion merely emphasises the importance of the steps leading up to that point. Van Sant has frequently practiced a type of detached romanticism, allowing his stories to unfold matter-of-factly while infusing them with touches of melancholy beauty. And here he is helped by Danny Elfman's graceful score in addition to the expressive cinematography of Savides, not to mention the fine work of editor Elliot Graham whose adroit use of documentary footage compliments the immediacy of Van Sant's direction. One of the greatest aspects of Milk lies in its uncanny balancing of nuance and scale, as well as the ability to contain just about everything - love, death, politics, sex, etc - without ever losing sight of the intimate particulars of the story it's telling. Milk represents a thought-provoking, cathartic, and predominantly true saga of politics and courage.
8.1/10
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Milk
Posted : 8 months, 3 weeks ago on 31 March 2009 10:45
(A review of Milk)For me, Milk was easily the best film of last year's Academy Awards run. Slumdog was an overrated Indian version of a Charles Dickens story, and Frost/Nixon and The Reader were inexplicably nominated, in my opinion. Only Benjamin Button and Milk touched me out of the top five, but Button didn't touch me as much as Milk did. Sean Penn smiles! That alone should have gotten him the Oscar nomination. And while he did win, and I have no problem with his win, a part of me did want to see Mickey Rourke take it home. But that is getting away from the main point. Penn delivers not an impression, which would have been too easy for an actor his depth and talents, but an immersion into Harvey Milk. Emerging close enough to the real person to make us believe that he is him, but creating enough of a character to make us understand why he was so beloved. The rest of the cast follows his lead, and every person involved looks like their real-life counterpart and captures enough of their charm, intelligence, bravery, etc. and uses that to form their own character. How did this lose the Best Ensemble SAG?
But a cast is only as good as the direction and writing of the film. And a good director can make them rise above even a below average script. Luckily, Gus Van Sant is a fantastic director. Gus Van Sant proves himself, once more, to be a modern day master. An auteur, if you will. He is a virtuoso. Yes, for a few years his wunderkind indie-kid cred was dented by a string of mainstream lackluster fair, but after going back to his roots he has come out swinging and delivers one of his greatest films. The integration of real-life footage (Anita Bryant's vitriol speaks for itself) and the filmed footage is seamless.
And, luckily, they also have a wonderful screenplay to work with. Human Rights are still an issue. It will be a timeless issue. Harvey Milk is but one of the numerous players in the movement of change and hope. Obama consciously, or unconsciously, evokes much of this film's message. Audacity of hope, indeed. The emotional uplift at the end, a combination of tears and a yearning for a better tomorrow, could have been given to these actors and this director from a great screenplay. It's a shame that everyone drank the Slumdog kool-aid.
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