Search - Milk (2008) (Ws) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 4/26/2023...

High Amazon ratings and true story but movie will bore you. Sean Penn not at his finest hour!

The Hobo Philosopher

Richard E. Noble | Florida Panhandle | 07/31/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sean Penn went all the way on this one. This was quite a story and movie. I didn't expect the movie to be so graphic. Sean Penn plays a gay man and there is no denial in the portrayal or the man himself. This was no whitewash of gay living.

This is the tragic life and death of a gay male activist and radical. I think it pulled no punches. I am amazed at how Sean Penn was able to transform himself into a gay man - even the look it is eyes. It is amazing. The acting was superb. The story was difficult. I am not truly "liberated" on this subject and the movie confirmed many of my predjudices. But it did make me mull everything over and look at the subject more closely.

I had heard about Mr. Milk and his tragic death but I didn't know his story. It was something else to watch. I still don't know what to make of it. But I congratulate all those involved. They succeeded in giving me something to think about. Once it is all laid out on the screen and put before you visually and audibly, it is quite differnt than what we all have stored in our heads. I am in awe of Mr. Penn and his acting in this one.

The movie is an "in your face" type production. Here I am, a gay man, take it or leave it. The movie left me more informed, more thoughtful, and less bigoted. Very good job of "theater."

Books written by Richard Noble - The Hobo Philosopher:
"Hobo-ing America: A Workingman's Tour of the U.S.A.."
"A Summer with Charlie" Salisbury Beach, Lawrence YMCA
"A Little Something: Poetry and Prose
"Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother" Novel - Lawrence, Ma.
"The Eastpointer" Selections from award winning column.
"Noble Notes on Famous Folks" Humor - satire - facts.
"America on Strike" American Labor - History
"A Baker's Dozen" Short Stories
"

Worth Drinking To

Maureen R. Tagliaferro | Middlesex, NJ United States | 09/28/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We all heard of milk, but I, for one, had never heard of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician in San Francisco. I have, on the other hand, heard of Anita Bryant - singer, Florida orange juice spokesperson, and anti-gay evangelist. The latter's remarks sparked controversy far greater than what I, at the time, could imagine, yet it was the former who had a story far too great not to be acknowledged.

At a time when gay rights are still very much an issue, Sean Penn provided an exemplary portrait of a gay man rising from a small camera store co-owner, to an under-dog politician, to a promising member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. His story rose above police corruption, homophobic persecution, and political injustice that could not be washed away by the aids outbreak of the proceeding decade, the current denials of gay marriage, and the not so distance accusations of radical "do-gooders" like Anita Bryant.

While the film contains several somewhat-graphic gay scenes, the focus is on the struggles and growth of an upcoming politician, his supporters, and his rise in popularity. In spite of a dramatic conclusion, viewers can obtain a sense of triumph and knowledge that gay rights and acceptance are long overdue. And so was the Oscar for Sean Penn.
"

We need films like this!

queermovies | 07/25/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We need people like Harvey Milk! And we need films like this! The battle for equal rights hasn't nearly been won. Just look at Proposition 8, which was passed in November 2008 and provided that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." So, in other words, homosexual people are still not allowed to marry in California (or in most U.S. states). So we still need to fight for Civil Rights, just like Sean Penn in his role as Harvey Milk says at the end of the film: "I ask for the movement to continue. Because it's not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power... it's about the us's out there. Not only gays, but the Blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's." A mainstream film like Milk surely helps the movement and this film has not disappointed us at all."