"MILK"

Quite possibly my favorite movie of the year. Obviously I have some bias as Sean Penn is my favorite actor of all time. When the tagline "Based on a true story" is advertised with a movie, I notice I can subconciously be more lenient on plot line, but more critical with character development. Neither failed to impress me.

As cliche as it sounds, Sean Penn truly BECOMES Harvey Milk. I hope we have all moved on from our gasping-and-cringing audience days ala "Brokeback *overrated* Moutain" when we watched a straight person do a gay love scene. This movie makes him appear as an activist and leader before anything else. We see his struggle with balancing his life as a public figure and aggressive aberration, to maintaining a healthy personal and social life. Harvey Milk is a maverick, just like every other politician in history who put their life on the line for a cause. I found it truly refreshing for a leading gay character not to be defined by his on-screen romantic life.

As the man who coined the phrase "Twinkie Defense", Josh Brolin plays the part of elected colleague Dan White. For such a notorious legal case, Josh Brolin delivers with modesty that just reads lame. With a combover that means business and a serious collection of vest and tie combo's, he sure looks the part. Diabolical villian? No. Sanctimonious and repressed weird ass? Yes. With his closed mouth grin and head bows every 20 seconds, his "snap" at the end seems almost awkward. I didn't think Josh had much chemistry on screen with anyone.

The final scene was my favorite. Of course my eyes welled up, and it's no secret he is murdered. I thought the scene was simple and symbolic, and it didn't latch on to any well-loved American "martyrdom" themes. It was humanizing and heart wrenching. The slow motion and camera focus on the San Francisco capitol as Milk falls to his death puts an instant stamp on Milk's legacy. While in some regard, "evil" triumphs at the end of the movie, it is a clear reminder that compassion and soul can be just as prevalent as any other motive in the political arena.