Milk

On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 Being the Best

8

Courtesy of Buzzfeed

Plot: A gay hippie and his boyfriend move to California where they work on equal rights for gay people. As tensions rise across the US to oppress homosexuals in the workplace, Harvey Milk decides to step up and be the first openly gay government official. This biopic follows Harvey Milk's love affairs, the influence he had on others, and his work in California.

Characters/Actors of Note:

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk: Mr. Penn did a phenomenal job portraying such a loving and kind person as Harvey Milk, which surprised me since Mr. Penn has such a violent and crude history. I can't deny that his portrayal was done very well including voice and looks. Despite Mr. Penn being a horrible human being, his acting skills can't be denied. 

James Franco as Scott Smith: I didn't find Mr. Franco that believable as Scott Smith. Scott Smith is Milk's longtime boyfriend but I just kept thinking that it was James Franco on the screen and couldn't break from it. I felt that Mr. Franco could have more emotional connection. He just fell flat. 

Josh Brolin as Dan White: Mr. Brolin played the politician that tried to work with Harvey Milk but eventually turned his back to him. I thought the struggle that Mr. Brolin portrayed was evident throughout the film. He went from hating homosexuals to accepting them and then hating Milk on a political level. He even showed how sneaky and desperate he was in small ways. The acting done here was well-done.

Music: The music in the film kind of sounded like a music box. It was light and refreshing and I loved that. There were violins and pianos that gave such a soulful beautiful tone. Danny Elfman was the orchestrator and I couldn't be happier with that choice.

Camera Work/Cinematography: I loved the work that they did in this film. They used film that looked exactly like the real video clips from the 1970s. I noticed lots of white in the film and loved it. The filmmaker did a great job capturing moods from the colors and angles. The final scene with Milk was done in such a poetic way. Really superb job here. The make-up and costumes were exceptional as well.

RECAP:

This movie was accurate to the history of Harvey Milk. The acting was well done by Mr. Penn and Mr. Brolin but I felt that the supporting characters were not as strong (except Emile Hirsch, he was very good). The music fit perfectly for Harvey Milk's character. The cinematography was superb as well. I think it is a wonderful biopic that is still relevant today.

Image Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes

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