Milk

Gus Van Sant directed Elephant and Paranoid Park. These movies suck (the latter sucks especially hard, using teeth). Gus Van Sant directed Good Will Hunting. That movie is very good. Gus Van Sant's latest directorial effort is Milk. Milk is very good (as a film and at fighting osteoporosis). If Milk had been directed by somebody else, it may have been great.

The only problem that I had with this movie were a couple scenes that seemed to drag (NO PUN INTENDED) and ruin the pace of Harvey Milk's film adaptation. Having no knowledge of Milk's life prior to yesterday (other than that he was the first openly gay person to hold a public office), I was primed to be compelled. Unfortunately, two or three times I became more interested in the theater lighting and sounds from the projector than the film... with a story such as Milk's, this shouldn't have happened. With performances like these actors', this shouldn't have happened. Sean Penn's performance should earn him an Oscar this year (there will be no more relevant leading role so well executed). James Franco could make a case for a best supporting actor nomination; maybe even Emile Hirsh too. The style and tone of the film were great, so a nod to GVS there. His use of '70s video footage throughout the film was very cool. The only flaw is the pacing... something a slightly less artsy fartsy director probably would've remedied (yes, I did say artsy fartsy). Pacing issue included though, the film is very good (a STRONG very good) and I recommend seeing it in theaters. I'm excited to listen to the people coming out of the theater this weekend and hear what they have to say. The film's relevance is much more important than the film itself at this point.

OPINION ON THE MATTER OF GAY MARRIAGE
My stance (as a rational, logical human being) is that marriage is dumb; however, any person should have the right to be dumb with any one other person they wish. I'm pretty sure that when the Founders wrote unalienable freedom so long as it doens't impede another's into the Constitution, they too thought that at the very least government should stay the eff out of this issue. The idea that two people of the same sex committing themselves to one another is somehow a threat to the idea of marriage is preposterous. Denying a gay person the same rights as a straight person is bigotry. Suggesting civil unions in place of marriage is supporting a separate but equal policy no different than was cast out in the African American civil rights movement. Ignorance and/or religion (one-in-the-same) are no excuse for intolerance. State and federal law should not reflect 'moral' or 'values' idealism (especially when conservative). The fact that this is an issue going into 2009 is depressing.