And the Oscar goes to.....Sean Penn.

Rating: 10/10 (19 February 2009)

I've seen most of the contenders but at the moment, I am deliriously high on the on-screen Harvey Milk -- Sean Penn. I had just deemed Frank Langella my best actor pick until I found myself mesmerized by Penn for the entire two plus hour film. Milk is a fine movie in and of itself. A wonderful tapestry of political statement woven through a sweet love story. Harvey Milk was a force whose wits were enhanced by a little chutzpah, or maybe a lot of chutzpah, propelling him to get things done (an understatement). Armed with his compassionate heart he was/is a gay man's champion and an icon to his community. In his political struggle, he sacrificed his most cherished relationship for his bigger picture mission to dignify the gay community and lead them in reclaiming its civil rights. The story is hopeful. It's heroic and touching. But the hero of the two hour masterpiece is Sean Penn. I can't remember a film where he was this good. I've always admired him as an actor but I was never over the moon for him until now. Like classic chameleon, Streep, Penn disappeared into Milk. He brought depth to the character that transcends the standard of "great acting". As Slumdog Millionaire created a new movie standard category, Penn went beyond the normally impressive bounds of acting. Penn was Harvey Milk. Dare I say it? Is channeling too eerie a word to use or is that actually another synonym for good acting? I don't know. Frank Langella. I still adore your Nixon. It amazed me at how this handsome actor morphed into a despicable Nixon. Even though his body language was superb, his posture precise, Langella really did make Nixon a lot prettier than he was in real life. If you see nothing else, see Frost/Nixon and Milk just to see the tremendous competition for best actor. Oh, of course you've already seen Slumdog, right? That movie is so far off the charts that none of the others compare, even the best ones.