PSIFS is excited to show an advance member screening of Milk, directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco and Diego Luna.
Are you looking forward to it? Did you see it?
Do you remember the events surrounding Harvey Milk's life?
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2 comments:
Brilliant film! Sean Penn did a wonderful job of portraying Harvey Milk Oscar performance. This was such an important film about our Civil Rights. Everyone in the audience applauded at the end of the movie.
MILK Review 11/25/2008
Didn’t Sean Penn announce a few years ago, that he was going to quit acting? Thank God, he changed his mind! While looking at his mile-long list of nominations and awards over an amazing career that is only halfway through, one can’t believe that he could have EVER thought of not acting. . .
In MILK, Sean Penn becomes Harvey. I did a slight jealous double-take when he first kissed Scott (because I’ve always had a HUGE crush on Penn!), but afterwards, his screen presence was MILK. Even though we all know the outcome of this story, watching the enormously skilled craft of all involved with this film couldn’t have been more involving and stunning; the face of Sean as Harvey in almost every frame, couldn’t have been more convincing. (I especially got a kick out of watching Harvey and “Phoenix-Cleve” interact, being a GIANT fan of “Into The Wild” from last year directed by Sean and starring the wonderful Emile Hirsch, doing a terrifically convincing turn as Harvey’s fey team leader.) ALL the actors were terrific, so convincing as activists and Milk supporters from Seventies San Francisco, that hazy nostalgic time that many of us remember with euphorically mixed feelings. The only character that seemed out of place in the story, for me, was Harvey’s “roommate” Jack, who reminded me of Hank Azaria’s character in “Birdcage.” If Harvey’s friend Jack really WAS like the character in the movie, then Harvey had some serious self-loathing going on. (Don’t we all?)
I guess that the success of a film sometimes can be determined by number of tears shed. In my case with this film, it required numerous trips to the freezer for ice cubes for my swollen face. . . . .I think it was the footage, original I think, of the 30,000 grieving souls with candles in the stunningly quiet and utterly sad and mournful procession on the Castro and throughout the City after the horrible news. I also think it was because I was reminded of the “innocence of youth,” long gone, from that exciting era that had so much promise. . .
What is achingly disturbing, however, is being reminded that the sorry excuse for a human being that caused this tragedy - ONLY GOT FOUR YEARS IN JAIL??????? Which acknowledges Josh Brolin’s terrific performance as the cretin.
Harvey Milk should be grinning in Heaven. .. no one else could have portrayed his charming self better. . . than Mr. Penn. This movie is extremely uplifting, reminding us all of the fight we had, way back, when the Anitas and her like were wagging their hate.
Harvey said in the beginning and end of the film, with a heavy sigh; “I’m forty and haven’t done anything important. . .” Watching him turnaround this misbegotten statement through this excellent movie, was an honestly satisfying experience, making me feel that there still is hope, for human kindness in the world.
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