*** Official MILK Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "Milk". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "Milk" should be posted to the Official Review Thread.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy

 

[Allen Hirsch]

I saw this tonight. If Penn isn't nominated for best actor, I'll be stunned.

I also thought Josh Brolin was terrific as Dan White - he should get a best supporting nomination (though one of the movie's flaws is, there could have been a bit more exposition of White's issues or why he was wound so tightly, other than the political losses he experienced as a first-time supervisor, which were depicted).

Also, given the amount of time the film spends on Prop 6 from the '78 election, I'm amazed they didn't release this (in CA at least) in time to help defeat Prop 8 last month.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Let's keep the discussion of Proposition 8 out of this film's discussion. That topic is for another forum that invites such political and social discussion. Thank you.



Crawdaddy

 

[teapot2001]

It's a good movie. Standard biopic with little stylistic flourishes that don't add much to the film. Penn does disappear into his role, with the rest of the cast being a hit and miss. The ending is moving.

~T

 

[Richard M S]

I saw the film tonight and found it to be very moving and Penn's performance was amazing; as were the performances of all of the supporting male actors. I like how Gus Van Sant did not portray Milk as a saint; he instead came across as an ambitious guy, a manipulative politician and at times, quite a selfish man.

I need to see the Harvey Milk documentary, because I need to brush up on my history. I am curious about one obscure line in particular. The news footage of the time included in the film showed then-President Jimmy Carter campaigning against Prop 6 - therefore, why then in one of his last scenes was Sean Penn talking (behind a colleague's office door) about marching against President Carter and the White House?

 

[Kirk Tsai]

Without knowing any historical background, I thought that brief discussion was just to show that Milk had greater ambitions to bring the movement to a national level. It was more about going to march in DC than marching against Carter.

The Times of Harvey Milk is fully available on IMDB.
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)

I didn't love Elephant, but I thought the behind-the-back tracking shot with White that Van Sant used so prominently in that movie worked incredibly well here.