Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2/4
"Milk" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/03/2016
Milk is the biopic of gay rights activist Harvey Milk who became the first openly gay candidate to be elected to public office in America. As such it tells a very worthwhile story but the fact that it was based on a documentary very much shows; it feels like a series of dramatic reconstructions of events cherry picked from his political life with very little in the way of depth of characterisation or context, giving it the well meaning but rather clumsy and contrived vibe of a TV movie "true life story". But my biggest problem with Milk is its star; to me at least, Sean Penn has always been one of those actors who seems like an actor acting rather than a realistic portrayal of a character and seeing him camping it up in the part of Harvey Milk just failed to convince. Milk is certainly …
Rating of
3/4
Milk
Amyaronson - wrote on 07/18/2011
I was expected Milk to be kind of annoying. Now, I love me some gay rights, but I thought this would be so preachy and Sean-Penn-y and self-important. It kind of was, but goshdarnit, Sean Penn is such a good actor. It was inspiring and I loved the style and screenplay structure. I REALLY felt like I was in SF in the 70s. I visited the Castro District while on Spring Break and went inside Castro Camera (which is now a gift shop called Given). Being in this neighborhood really helped me to understand just how revolutionary and important and brave Harvey Milk was. Regardless of your feelings towards gay rights and gay marriage, please use Harvey Milk as a role model for anything you believe in.
The only thing I didn't like was imagining what happened after the Sean Penn/Emile Hirsch …
Rating of
2/4
Glossy portrait of political figure.
Ichabod Crane - wrote on 01/25/2009
Its very easy to hear a lot about how "important" this film is but no one really says anything on what makes it good. They might say the acting is so good but I felt most actually played stereotypes including Penn. If you look at the real footage their impersonations actually aren't that good they either over play like Penn, or their not quite right like Brolin. Some might find it interesting and that would the only reason they would like it. i just did not find it that compelling. Nor did it really make any firm arguments and it really failed to elaborate on many things. It showed Milk in a positive light no matter what. That really is the problem with many biopics there either make the person out to be complete sludge like in Nixon or they make them so glossy it is surprising they …
Rating of
3.5/4
Take a big drink of "Milk"
kcvidkid - wrote on 12/16/2008
I'm a bad gay in that I'm not real familiar with the history of my kind. In fact, before I saw "Milk", I never imagined that Castro Street was ever anything but the gay mecca that it is today. Stonewall, sure; I've read about the uprising in New York. But I did not know that as recently as 30 years ago, homosexuals were emotionally persecuted, even in San Francisco.
So on one hand, "Milk" was a necessary history lesson for me. But on the other, it was a very moving story about an interestingly charismatic man who met an untimely end. Sean Penn completely transforms into Harvey Milk; his performance is amazing. I think even the most homophobic people (even though they won't see this movie) would find sympathy in Penn/Milk.
What attracted to me the character was not the focal …
Rating of
3/4
Not Great But A Good Biography
Alex - wrote on 12/14/2008
I give this movie 3 stars for the learning experience and the exceptional camera work. Harvey Milk is the savior for many homosexuals. If you fall into that category this movie is definitely for you. I think it did an outstanding job of depicting characters of the 70s.
The Good: Many movies you see now days are so polished they look to glisten. This movie is not, which I like. I like the grunge feel of San Fran during the 70s. The film was graining at times, gruesome at times, and accurate. That was a good thing. To me Sean Penn was pretty damn good. This is his best performance since Mystic River. He plays a good gay. James Franco is also very good as the partner/side kick. The rest of the characters were ok as well. Also, the camera work was done well. There was a …
Rating of
4/4
A True Best Picture Contender
Franz Patrick - wrote on 12/09/2008
This film made me so proud to be a part of the LGBT community. Sean Penn. Emile Hirsch. Josh Brolin. Diego Luna. James Franco. Alison Pill. Victor Garber. Joseph Cross. Lucas Grabeel. When I saw the aforementioned names a few months ago on IMDB when they were still filming in San Francisco, I knew I had to watch “Milk” and that I would love it unconditionally. Thankfully, it managed to surpass even my highest expectations. Gus Van Sant have directed impressive films in the past (”My Own Private Idaho,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Elephant,” “Paranoid Park”) but I thought he would tell the story of Milk with a more commercial style. I was elated when I saw his signature awkward camera angles, forcing the audiences to watch crucial scenes via a reflection on a whistle or …
