Milk - The Movie

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Another article about there being no openly gay A-List actors
that has come about because of the release of Milk.

Land of Milk and irony: Sean Penn plays the gay activist
Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant’s “Milk”—another instance of a straight
male actor playing the role of a gay character in a major film.

More here:
http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/print/20081126_hollywoods_closet_still_closed_for_business/


I have a comment about these articles.  The premise of them all is the
question of "would audiences believe an out of the closet male actor in a
romantic role or as an action hero" etc.

The authors of these articles pontificate about this ad infinitum as they
did when BBM was in the theatres.  I have a question for all these writers
and for straight audiences alike -- "Why do you believe straight actors
playing gay roles?"  Why isn't anyone afraid of straight actors being
taken seriously if they're cast in a gay role?  Gay people can believe
straight actors in gay roles if they do a good job.  Are straight people so
shallow that they cannot do the same?

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Does anyone else find it irritating that Milk is being compared to BBM?
I mean in the sense that BBM was a love story and Milk is a biography
about a political activist.  Because they have gay characters they are
categorized together?  Diana Ossana remarked people would categorize
BBM as that gay cowboy movie as a way to reduce something complex
to something you could, in a word, dismiss.

I mean, would you compare the romantic film "The Notebook" to "W."?
No.  And I wouldn't compare Milk to BBM.

[Jack Rance]

The comparisons to BBM seem to be made because MILK has the potential to reach out to a very broad audience and also have significant impact on peoples lives.It's also acknowledges that BBM paved the way for a major release on Harvey's life.

We saw MILK this afternoon at the Castro Theatre and I can't recommend it more highly. Sean Penn's performance is nothing short of amazing and the whole thing is so complete and accurate that it feels like watching a documentary more than a film. MILK will have a major impact on a lot of lives and we should all open ourselves up for this and be ready to reach out to them in the same way we helped those who were impacted by our beloved Brokeback .  MILK is an absolute gotta must see event.

[Oregondoggie]

"Milk" is tremendous!  Against the debacle of Prop 8, it looms large.  It does for gay politics and gay rights what Brokeback Mountain unleashed in the heart.  I believe they should one day be seen in tandem. 
 
Sean Penn has earned the Academy Award as best actor.  Perhaps the Academy could thus reclaim the credibility it lost in denying Heath Ledger that award...

[pattieono]

I cannot wait to see Penn getting all political with the academy when collecting the Oscar next Feb.!   
 

.....I agree,  he has got to win it...............there's no competition so far.  Maybe if there was a Daniel D. Lewis or something, but no........
Who's performance it's up there to match Penn's this year?

[bubba]

After numerous false starts over more than a dozen years, "Milk" finally was made when marketable stars like Penn got involved. Also pivotal was the financial success of 2005 gay romance "Brokeback Mountain," which raked in more than $175 million worldwide by winning fans among mainstream moviegoers.

A key factor for the success of "Milk" will be whether it, too, can cross over from strictly gay fans to the mainstream.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081129/film_nm/us_milk

[Jack Rance]

"Milk" is tremendous!  Against the debacle of Prop 8, it looms large.  It does for gay politics and gay rights what Brokeback Mountain unleashed in the heart.  I believe they should one day be seen in tandem. 
 
Sean Penn has earned the Academy Award as best actor.  Perhaps the Academy could thus reclaim the credibility it lost in denying Heath Ledger that award...

SEE MILK ASAP !

We all need to work to get the word out on just how magnificent Sean Penn's performance is in MILK. Vote in each and every pole you see and comment on each and every blog or site possible. Tell your friends . Brokeback paved the way and MILK is worthy of that legacy . I also agree with Oregondoggie that one day Brokeback and MILK will be viewed in tandem

[LenaLovich]

I cannot wait to see Penn getting all political with the academy when collecting the Oscar next Feb.!   
 

.....I agree,  he has got to win it...............there's no competition so far.  Maybe if there was a Daniel D. Lewis or something, but no........
Who's performance it's up there to match Penn's this year?

I think his competition is Leonardo DiCaprio in "Revolutionary Road," Brad Pitt in that Fincher film coming out and the much ballyhooed performance of Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" (which I want to see). So we'll see...

I'm going to see "Milk" tomorrow afternoon. Here in NYC I went to THREE different theaters to see "Milk" and they were ALL sold out!!!! So I bought a ticket for tomorrow.

[bubba]

I cannot wait to see Penn getting all political with the academy when collecting the Oscar next Feb.!   
 

.....I agree,  he has got to win it...............there's no competition so far.  Maybe if there was a Daniel D. Lewis or something, but no........
Who's performance it's up there to match Penn's this year?

I think his competition is Leonardo DiCaprio in "Revolutionary Road," Brad Pitt in that Fincher film coming out and the much ballyhooed performance of Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" (which I want to see). So we'll see...

I'm going to see "Milk" tomorrow afternoon. Here in NYC I went to THREE different theaters to see "Milk" and they were ALL sold out!!!! So I bought a ticket for tomorrow.

BEST ACTOR: The long list of names being bandied about for nominations in this category includes Sean Penn ("Milk"), Josh Brolin ("W."), Hugh Jackman ("Australia"), Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"); two of last year's nominees, George Clooney ("Burn After Reading") and Viggo Mortensen ("Appaloosa"); and -- for performances yet to be viewed in Seattle -- Clint Eastwood ("Gran Torino"), Will Smith ("Seven Pounds"), Brad Pitt ("Benjamin Button"), Benicio Del Toro ("Che"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("Revolutionary Road"), Tom Cruise ("Valkyrie") and the year's comeback kid, Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler").


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/389578_oscarbuzz28.html

[Lyle (Mooska)]

The following are all mentioned as possibles on prognosticating
websites for the acting nominations, listed below in "batches of probability":

Sean Penn - Milk    
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon    
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler    
Brad Pitt - Benjamin Button     

I know two people who have seen The Wreslter and they think Rourke was
very good.  There's a sense that his nomination would be his award this
year as he's got that Hollywood rep where a lot of people don't like him as
he's rubbed them the wrong way over the years.

I have seen the other three performances and I, personally, thought
Langella did a good job as a disgraced ex-President trying for a comeback
of sorts, but as Nixon, I didn't buy it.  I was always aware that it was Frank
Langella.  I keep hearing that Brad PItt is a shoo-in for a nomination for
Button and I don't get it.  The make-up transformation is the star of his
role, Brad Pitt does nothing as an actor.  His portrayal is stagnant and
stale and I hope people don't buy it.  I wouldn't even nominate him.  That
leaves Penn as Milk and as an early non-supporter of him being cast in the
role, I was utterly won over by his performance in the film. 

Benicio Del Toro - Che     
Hugh Jackman - Australia     
Josh Brolin - W.    
 
The problem with the film Che is that it's about 4 1/2 hours long!  There
was a Bafta screening last week and they only shouwed half the film!

In my opinion, for Jackman to be nominated for Australia, the film would
have to be really well-liked, and I am hearing a lot of negative things from
those who've seen it.

Josh was good as W., but I can't see the academy voting it for anything.

Richard Jenkins - The Visitor     
Will Smith - Seven Pounds     
Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road    
Ralph Fiennes - The Reader    
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire     

Every year there's a film that people start rallying around, whether it
deserves it or not.  That film this year is the feel good Slumdog Millionaire.
If people really love it they might go ahead and nominate Dev Patel.
Leonardo is not anything exceptional in Revolutionary Road and the film
is not going to wow audiences right now, so his nomination seems way
distant.

People like Will Smith and will nominate him if the movie is worthy as
well.  I think his nomination will correlatet o the success of the film.
 
Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino     
Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey     
Ed Harris - Appaloosa     
Jeff Goldblum - Adam Ressurected     
Viggo Mortensen - Good   

Ed harris has deserved Oscars before--Apollo 13, Pollock, The Right Stuff
to name a few, but a nomination for this film is a stretch.  The previews for
Gran Torino don't give any indication they'd nominate Eastwood for this.
Haven't heard of the others, yet.

There's also been discussion of nominating Heath for Lead Actor, but
the pundits are placing him exclusively in the supporting.  (The year of
BBM, the Globes put Jake in the lead category for consideration and he
didn't get a nomination.)

In my opinion at this early date, Sean Penn's performance as Milk is the
only performance with no negatives attached to it!  Way to go Sean!

[bubba]

Tom Cruise ("Valkyrie")

It's not even out yet.  I will be interested to see what Tom does.  He is another one that is long over due for an Oscar.  IMO


http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009495-milk/

93%

[bubba]

BOX OFFICE TOP 10
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Four Christmases," $31.7 million.
2. "Bolt," $26.6 million.
3. "Twilight," $26.4 million.
4. "Quantum of Solace," $19.5 million.
5. "Australia," $14.8 million.
6. "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," $14.5 million.
7. "Transporter 3," $12.3 million.
8. "Role Models," $5.3 million.
9. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," $1.7 million.
10. "Milk," $1.4 million.


Everyone needs to get out and see Milk.

[LenaLovich]

BOX OFFICE TOP 10
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Four Christmases," $31.7 million.
2. "Bolt," $26.6 million.
3. "Twilight," $26.4 million.
4. "Quantum of Solace," $19.5 million.
5. "Australia," $14.8 million.
6. "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," $14.5 million.
7. "Transporter 3," $12.3 million.
8. "Role Models," $5.3 million.
9. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," $1.7 million.
10. "Milk," $1.4 million.


Everyone needs to get out and see Milk.

Milk is in very limited release (it's only playing at three theaters here in NYC). As I said in an earlier post, when I went to TWO of the theaters playing Milk last night, ALL of the evening showings were sold out!! So I saw it today 12 noon (and it was full-even at that time).

Anyway, "Milk" is very well done. Sean Penn is wonderful (I think this is one of his best roles). The entire cast is terrific--particularly Brolin and Hirsh. As for James Franco, he is hot, hot, hot!!

A very inspiring film of a truly great man. What a shame that what happened--happened.

[bubba]

Sean Penn is one of my favorite actors, so I will be seeing it for sure.  We have 2 big theatres here (in my town) Famous Players and Silver City and it is not at either one.   


Why is it in limited release do you know?

[LenaLovich]

Sean Penn is one of my favorite actors, so I will be seeing it for sure.  We have 2 big theatres here (in my town) Famous Players and Silver City and it is not at either one.   


Why is it in limited release do you know?

I think Focus is following what they did with Brokeback Mountain for its distribution of "Milk." Open it very limited before rolling it out wide  (I believe it goes wider on December 5, then a week later). I just read that "Milk" is ONLY playing in 36 theaters and it had a higher per screen average than the week's number one, "Four Christmases," which is quite astonishing consider how limited "Milk" is and how wide "4C" is.

Another thing I forgot to add in my above assessment of the film: Unless it's me but Sean Penn and James Franco have a lot of chemistry. They are very believable as a couple--more so than some heterosexual pairings I've seen on screen.