REVIEWS NEWS INTERVIEWS OTHER

(1 - 50) of 53 OFCS Rating: 89% Fresh Page   12   > Next 4.5/5 "With a commercially agreeable directorial style, Gus Van Sant continues his foray into provocative cinema with what is quite possibly his best film yet."   Cut Print Review   Anders Wotzke 4.5/5 "So much about Milk speaks to our current Prop 8 poisoned society that it should be studied by anyone wondering where hate and bigotry get their clear eyed cravenness."   PopMatters   Bill Gibron 8/10 "Equal parts sweetness, melancholy and rage, Milk is a wonderfully immersive, warts-and-all journey into the gay community at a vital moment in civil rights history."   AfterElton.com   Brian Juergens B+ "After eight long years of cinematically picking lint out of his bellybutton, Van Sant returns from the void of his scarf collection with this noble bio-pic, a film awash with colorful characters and a pinpoint recreation of a time and place."   BrianOrndorf.com   Brian Orndorf A- "Sean Penn's Oscar-worthy embodiment of San Francisco Gay activist politician Harvey Milk, fits hand-in-glove with Gus Van Sant's even-handed filmic treatment of his subject."   ColeSmithey.com   Cole Smithey "Visibility is key to Harvey Milk's political and social efforts."   PopMatters   Cynthia Fuchs "A paint-by numbers biopic of the tireless activist that wastes the efforts of some fine actors."   House Next Door   Dan Callahan 4/5 "This is one of Penn's greatest roles."   eFilmCritic.com   David Cornelius 3/4 "...it doesn't pack quite the same emotional punch as its non-fiction forebearer, Rob Epstein's Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk..."   Reel Film Reviews   David Nusair B+ "Sincere, gentle and at times engrossing mainstream biopic on Harvey Milk."   Ozus' World Movie Reviews   Dennis Schwartz "With neither subtlety nor depth, 'Milk' does no service to its group cause or individual subject."   ReelTalk Movie Reviews   Donald J. Levit 3/4 "Sean Penn is nothing less than transformative. This is one of those watermark turns that an actor waits all their life to play, and he disappears into the role with every fiber of his being."   DustinPutman.com   Dustin Putman 3/4 "Clearly Van Sant struggled to deliver something as conventional as he has, but if his visual digressions aren't exactly subversive, they affect a feeling of angst that's very much in sync with the time period depicted in the film."   Slant Magazine   Ed Gonzalez 4/5 "Algo atípico: buen cine testimonial y militante con la forma de una producción mainstream de Hollywood. Gran trabajo protagónico de Sean Penn."   Uruguay Total   Enrique Buchichio B+ "After a series of obtuse, difficult movies, it's great to see Van Sant making something that's accessible -- entertaining, emotional, and vibrant -- without forsaking depth and intelligence."   EricDSnider.com   Eric D. Snider 3/4 "Skirting somewhere in-between his bombastic, arms-flailing work in the disasterous All the King's Men remake and the man-child of I Am Sam, Penn goes well past impersonation and commands each and every scene with sympathy and determination."   eFilmCritic.com   Erik Childress B+ "Weakest as a biopic, but the context is fascinating, and Gus Van Sant presents it with elegance and clarity."   Film Blather   Eugene Novikov "Ultimatelt resembles less the man than the titular white liquid -- warm, nourishing, somewhat sleep-inducing"   CinePassion   Fernando F. Croce 3.5/4 "Both triumphant and vastly disturbing, Van Sant's Milk is a penetrating portrait of an unconventional political figurehead immersed in the chaotic struggles of his defining times"   Movie Eye   Frank Ochieng A- "Easily ranks as one of the best biographical movies in years...topped by a grand performance by Sean Penn."   One Guy's Opinion   Frank Swietek 4/5 "A superlative biopicture about the gay activist who spoke truth to power and worked around the clock for the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender individuals."   Spirituality and Practice   Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat B+ "In Van Sant's hands, it's both a story for the ages, and a story for our age."   Modern Fabulousity   Gabriel Shanks B+ "It might not be lauded in the film history textbooks, but gay-bashing America needs it right now."   Cinepinion   Henry Stewart 3.5/4 "Milk represents a thought provoking, cathartic, and mostly true tale of politics and courage."   ReelViews   James Berardinelli 5/5 "Milk is adult and intelligent in ways many films are not, and it's rousing and enthralling in a way few films are. It's a minor miracle of sheer film making joy and determination, and one of the best American films of 2008."   Cinematical   James Rocchi 3.5/4 "It's filled with so much vitality...that one comes away admiring the filmmaking while feeling deeply touched, even inspired, by the fiery life at the film's center."   Cinema Writer   Jay Antani 3/4 "A slice of history well worth revisiting."   Palo Alto Weekly   Jeanne Aufmuth 9/10 "The time is right for Milk."   Window to the Movies   Jeffrey Chen 3/4 "Sean Penn must create something completely foreign to his understanding and sell it as if he felt Harvey Milk's struggle with every fiber of his being - and he does"   Bangitout.com   Jordan Hiller 5/5 "He antagonized people, he galvanized people, and he mesmerized me even from beyond the grave thanks to Penn's and Van Sant's beautiful and inspiring work here."   Cinerina   Karina Montgomery "Bad art serves no one, but the reach for significance is often enough to proffer a pat-on-the-back and an affirmative nod, as if 'attempt' and 'achievement' were suddenly synonymous terms of action."   UGO   Keith Uhlich 2.0/4.0 "Milk presents details about the title character and his relevance... but the presentation itself appears more intent on being a recruitment film than an actual biopic."   MovieCrypt.com   Kevin A. Ranson B+ "Penn is playful while still allowing Milk's intellect to shine through and he recreates Harvey as a man whose openness invited everyone in, a sweet guy who inspired others to be their best."   Reeling Reviews   Laura Clifford 8/10 "This is a highly affecting film, and Sean Penn gives the most moving performance of the year of a very ordinary man whom history moved to greatness."   rec.arts.movies.reviews   Mark R. Leeper 3/4 "Much like the documentary that went before; Penn's performance makes the remake worthwhile"   Movie Habit   Marty Mapes "[T]here's a luminous vivacity to Sean Penn's Harvey, a kind of glow that I've never seen in the actor before and never would have imagined he could bring to the screen..."   Flick Filosopher   MaryAnn Johanson 3.5/4 "Packs quite a wallop--in both its emotional and inspirational power."   TheMovieReport.com   Michael Dequina 4/4 "Milk combines grade-A acting, an astute screenplay, and innovative, passionate direction into a package that entertains even as it drives home some important ideas."   Aisle Seat   Mike McGranaghan A- "The sweetness and thrill of a heady new sense of possibilities in the pre-AIDS era is almost unbearably poignant."   Beliefnet   Nell Minow B "That rare, heartfelt biopic disinterested in egregious chronological compression or psychological reductiveness."   Lessons of Darkness   Nick Schager 4/5 "O mais impressionante é observar como Penn se livra de todos os resquícios de sua própria personalidade e de seus personagens anteriores ao emprestar seu corpo a uma nova criação que em nada lembra suas demais performances."   Cinema em Cena   Pablo Villaca 5/5 "Funny, touching, angry and filled to the brim with great performances, "Milk" is a wonderful film from start to finish"   eFilmCritic.com   Peter Sobczynski 4.5/5 "Van Sant may be preaching to the choir, but this is relevant, powerful filmmaking."   Shadows on the Wall   Rich Cline 4/5 "Milk always said "I want to recruit you," and Van Sant and Black take Milk's tumultuous life and fashion it into a recruiting poster."   eFilmCritic.com   Rob Gonsalves B+ "Its insight forms eerie parallels with the ongoing movement for which San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk gave his life."   Flipside Movie Emporium   Rob Vaux B+ "A spirited portrait of Harvey Milk, the first openly homosexual person to serve in a major office in the United States."   Laramie Movie Scope   Robert Roten B+ "...opulent and convincing with the many crowd and protest scenes giving believable scope to the civil rights movement that gripped and changed San Francisco in the 1970s."   Reeling Reviews   Robin Clifford 3/5 "Van Sant's tender human-interest story, which showcases Sean Penn's considerable talents, is a closer relative to earlier efforts such as Finding Forrester or Good Will Hunting than to recent, abstruse features like Elephant and Gerry"   Filmcritic.com   Sean O'Connell 9/10 "Ferociously impassioned, Sean Penn brings powerful conviction, embodying Milk with the kind of touching vulnerability and dignity that deserves Oscar recognition."   SSG Syndicate   Susan Granger 8/10 "As far as paint-by-numbers biopics go, Milk is unquestionably the best we've seen in years - maybe even the whole decade."   Antagony & Ecstasy   Tim Brayton  (1 - 50) of 53 OFCS Rating: 89% Fresh Page   12   > Next