Thursday, May 21, 2009

Milk

RottenTomatoes.com:

In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans. Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk under the direction of Gus Van Sant in Milk, filmed on location in San Francisco from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, and produced by Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen. Milk charts the last eight years of Harvey Milk's life. While living in New York City, he turns 40. Looking for more purpose, Milk and his lover Scott Smith (James Franco) relocate to San Francisco, where they found a small business, Castro Camera, in the heart of a working-class neighborhood. With his beloved Castro neighborhood and beautiful city empowering him, Milk surprises Scott and himself by becoming an outspoken agent for change. With vitalizing support from Scott and from new friends like young activist Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), Milk plunges headfirst into the choppy waters of politics. Bolstering his public profile with humor, Milk's actions speak even louder than his gift-of-gab words. When Milk is elected supervisor for the newly zoned District 5, he tries to coordinate his efforts with those of another newly elected supervisor, Dan White (Josh Brolin). But as White and Milk's political agendas increasingly diverge, their personal destinies tragically converge. Milk's platform was and is one of hope a hero's legacy that resonates in the here and now. --© Focus Features

This is an important movie. I feel like everyone should see this now. Unfortunately I didn't know much about Harvey Milk before seeing this movie but wow, what an important and beautiful person he was! And what a tragic way for his life to end. I will admit it, the ending made me cry.

For some reason it took me a bit to get into the movie but once I was into it I was INTO it. Movies are always wonderful to watch but when they are based on real people they become something else. I guess in some ways they almost become more important? I don't know.

I guess I don't really have much to say besides this movie touched me. And it was really interesting to learn some of the history of the gay rights movement.

I'd be interested to hear what you guys thought of this movie, please share!

4.5/5 Stars
Watched via Netflix

11 comments:

  1. A lot of friends have told me this is a must see. But as you know, I haven't watched many movies at all lately. So maybe one of these days!

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  2. I really enjoyed it, too, so I'm glad you liked it.

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  3. I think I'm going to watch this now. I'm a big fan of movies based on true stories because like you said, it makes it seem more touching because you know it actually happened to somebody.
    -amy

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  4. I had never heard of this film until your post. It sounds interesting and I like films that are based on true stories. I think it's because I know that the events really took place and aren't just a figment of someone's imagination.

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  5. I thought this movie was great, and I really enjoyed it. I never heard of Harvey Milk before this, as I haven't ever researched much about the gay rights movement, so I actually saw this movie largely in part because Sean Penn is one of the loves of my life. And also because he won the Academy Award for Best Actor of the year because of this movie. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for sharing your opinion with us :)

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  6. This is on my NetFlix queue so I'll get to it eventually. Glad you liked it.

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  7. Yay! Glad you liked it too. I agree it was kinda hard to get into but wow it was awesome! :)

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  9. This sounds amazing! Sean Penn truly is an outstanding actor, and what's funny is that he lives in my town and I see him all the time at the grocery store. (:

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  10. I haven't seen it, but I'd like to. I bet I can get my son to watch it with me.

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  11. This is one I want to see. Sean Penn is an amazing actor and I know this is an amazing story.

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