Milk

Rating: 7/10 (14 June 2009)

I feel that Mickey Rourke was robbed of his Oscar, since he won the BAFTA and Golden Globe, but I suppose the leading actor of this biographical drama is good too, from Oscar nominated director Gus Van Sant (To Die For, Good Will Hunting). Using archive footage, including some from the Oscar winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, this film traces the life of openly gay, forty-year-old Harvey Milk (Oscar winning, and BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Sean Penn). In 1972 he became an activist and began a campaign to become the Castro district supervisor, determined to allow gay rights and solve many other city concerns. The first three or four years he does not gain enough votes to go into office, but by the year 1977 he wins the election, and becomes the first openly gay politician to enter public office. His time as a politician is very short though, because his rival Dan White (Oscar nominated Josh Brolin), wanting to be elected, went crazy and murdered him, along with city Mayor George Moscone (Victor Garber), and apparently in court he blamed his temporary insanity on eating junk food! Also starring Emile Hirsch as Cleve Jones, Diego Luna as Jack Lira, Spider-Man's James Franco as Scott Smith, Alison Pill as Anne Kronenberg, Lucas Grabeel as Danny Nicoletta, Brandon Boyce as Jim Rivaldo and Kelvin Yu as Michael Wong. Penn is very good as the real life protagonist, but I personally didn't feel his performance was Oscar winning material, not like Rourke was, but never-the-less, it is a film with good moments, and it isn't one you'd want to miss. It won the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and it was nominated for Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Music for Danny Elfman and Best Motion Picture of the Year, and it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Film, Best Make Up & Hair and Best Original Screenplay. Very good!