Milk

Milk is Gus Van Sant's more straight forward narrative since Good Will Hunting. After engaging in art house flick after art house flick, he returns to the mainstream and gives us a wonderfully crafted and powerful biography.

Milk tells the true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California. It follows his introduction into politics all the way to his assassination. The story is so fascinating and powerful, that very little needed to be done to make this a great movie. That apparently wasn't enough, though. Because Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, and James Franco give stellar performances. I would have hands down given Penn the best actor award (though I haven't seen the Wrestler). But not just him, the rest of the cast fills out every corner of the ensemble, making every character fascinating for their time on screen (even if only for a shot or two).

Van Sant blended archival footage with the movie production. This could potentially be distracting (I mean why not just make a documentary- it would be just as interesting). But it didn't bother me at all. Van Sant really brought the era (which happened before I was born) and actually painted an image that made me feel like I could have lived through it.

The movie splits time between Milk's struggles as a politician, his dysfunctional relationships, and the general culture of Castro Street. The movie meanders through both tragic and triumphant points- ranging from his election as city supervisor, to the fight against anti-gay activist Mary Anne White.

Milk is a powerful movie that makes you want to be a part of something larger. It truly demonstrates the power of activism, but also the sacrifices that must be made. Milk had to give up his most cherished relationships (James Franco) and finally even his life. This is one of my top movies of 2008.

5/5

Belated Happy Birthday

Well, I missed my third anniversary on this blog. And well, I've not been doing my best keeping up with it. Especially during awards season of all times.

Oh well, I'm gonna keep rocking along. Let's hope I get more up this year.

Golden Globes

On a whole, not too many surprises. I was surprised and pretty happy to see Slumdog Millionare get both best director and best picture. Waltz With Bashir as best foreign language film has me even more excited and can't wait to see it. Heath Ledger as best supporting actor was no surprise, but I was a little surprised about Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler (though I haven't seen it yet, so I can't really judge).

Anyway, here's the full list.


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Golden Globes, USA: 2009

Just Announced...

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Winner: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

Best Television Series - Drama

Winner: "Mad Men" (2007)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Winner: Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road (2008)

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Winner: Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Winner: Colin Farrell for In Bruges (2008)

Best Director - Motion Picture

Winner: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

Winner: Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A.R. Rahman

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy

Winner: "30 Rock" (2006)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Winner: Paul Giamatti for "John Adams" (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy

Winner: Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Simon Beaufoy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Winner: Laura Linney for "John Adams" (2008)

Best Foreign Language Film

Winner: Vals Im Bashir (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Winner: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Winner: "John Adams" (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Winner: Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

Best Animated Film

Winner: WALL·E (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama

Winner: Anna Paquin for "True Blood" (2007)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

Winner: Gabriel Byrne for "In Treatment" (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Winner: Laura Dern for Recount (2008) (TV)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Winner: Tom Wilkinson for "John Adams" (2008)

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

Winner: The Wrestler (2008)("The Wrestler")

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Winner: Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

Seven Pounds

This is a difficult one to review. The movie is billed as a big super secret ending. Unfortunately, said ending is obvious from the first scene. This doesn't really detracted from the power content of the movie, it just makes the advertising a little misleading.

I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that Will Smith stars as Ben Thomas, a man on a mission to atone for his sins. He tries to dedicate his life to being the ultimate good Samaritan, sacrificing whatever he can. Rosario Dawson stars along side him as the new found love of his life, Emily Posa, and one of his targets for good deeds.

The chemistry between the two leads is wonderful- probably the best part of the movie. Will Smith is definitely one of the best actors of his generation, and Rosario Dawson manages to pull out emotional performances in a wide variety of roles. The relationship is even more powerful with the knowledge of what is to come later in the movie.

I harp on the lack of surprise, but after thinking about long after the movie was over, it almost enhances the theme. We know what Thomas has to do, and it's heartbreaking seeing him continue to go through with it.

Woody Harrelson continues what could be thought of as a career revitalization. It took nearly a decade for him to recapture the brilliance he portrayed in Natural Born Killers. In the last several years he's run the gambit from equally violent movies like No Country For Old Men, to brilliant sci-fi flicks (Scanner Darkly). Seven Pounds took him in an even different direction, portraying one of the kindest people I have seen captured on screen in some time.

Seven Pounds was okay. It wasn't terribly memorable, and clearly mis advertised. I enjoyed watching it, but it just couldn't meet my expectations.

2.5/5

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

There are certain films that seem to be made for the sole purpose of being Oscar fodder. Few movies typify this idea more than The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. David Fincher completely lept out of his element of directing thrillers and psychological movies like Seven and Fight Club, to helm the touching life story of a man with a most curious disease.

Brad Pitt stars as the titular character, a man who mysteriously ages backwards. He was born as a crippled old man, and died an infant. This bizarre story is an adaptation of the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. At first I wondered how they could turn a 20 page story into a nearly 3 hour movie, but after seeing it, I wonder how he was able to fit this story in so few pages.

Honestly, the movie is nearly a carbon copy of Forest Gump, with of course the very obvious twist. But it follows Benjamin as he experiences the world for the first time, experiencing everything in the reverse order that you would expect. The parallels between this and Forest Gump are unmistakable. Growing up in a boarding house, spending your whole life coming back to your one true love (Daisy, in this case played by Cate Blanchett), war, boating, and of course overcoming a rather severe handicap. I have not read the story, but I wonder how much of the movie was padded by material inspired from Forest Gump.

The story is revealed to us through Benjamin's journal as Daisy lies on her deathbed. They set this during Hurricane Katrina. I didn't care for this, because it didn't play a real role in the story (the novella took place in Philadelphia), and it seems to unnecessarily date a timeless story.

On a whole, the movie was fantastic. It was a joy seeing the world through Benjamin's inquisitive and eager eyes. But when your love is aging opposite you, it's heartbreakingly clear that aside for a short while, things just will not work out. These were issues Daisy and Benjamin had to face as their paths crossed and recrossed throughout their lives.

The cast of characters he meets along the way is what really brings sparkle to this movie.
The folks at the retirement home he grew up in each had their own unique and fascinating stories. And it only got more wonderous on his travels. Many things can be taken away from this movie. The idea of one true love. and overcoming trials to find this person, for however brief a time, are entirely valid interpretations. But I think the movie was actually saying that every single person is fascinating, and every single person has a story to tell.

4.5/5