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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 12/13/2008 : 23:24:09
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I just got back from a showing of "Milk."
From 1969 to 1986, I lived in the Mission District of San Francisco. Among other things, I had the historical honor of observing the rise of the Gay Rights Movement in that city. In the midst of that movement was Harvey Milk, who was elected as a San Francisco Supervisor, and thus held the highest office ever in California for a openly homosexual person.
In 1984, director Louis Malle was making a most forgettable comedy movie, "Crackers," on location, right on my block on Treat Ave. Since I wasn't working at the time due to having a run-in with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, I had time to meet, speak with, and shake hands with the crew, including Donald Sutherland, Wally Shawn, and Sean Penn. I was especially impressed with Penn's intensity and total concentration as he took advice from Louis Malle. I was told by crew members that Sean Penn was a "comer," an actor to watch. At that time, Penn's main cinematic accomplishment to that date had been the portrayal of a slacker surfer dude in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
From TV previews, I had expected "Milk" to be a good movie, which was why I immediately agreed to go when my daughter invited me to accompany her tonight. I was dead wrong. "Milk" is not good; it is a magnificent film. I would give it 5 out of 5 stars.
The theater here in Union City was almost completely packed, and it was a family crowd, largely.
I fully expect "Milk" to win the Best Motion Picture Oscar, and for Penn to win Best Actor for his role. The film is every bit that good.
Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk with eerie perfection. At times, I found myself wondering if it was Harvey Milk on the screen, portraying Sean Penn.
The script is both dead-on historically, and also warmly human and compelling. One of the thing I learned was just how clever Milk was as a politician. Milk lead a campaign against Proposition 6, a law which would have required the firing of all gay teachers in California -- as well as everyone in the public schools who supported them. (This resonates strongly with the ongoing struggle by gays and their supporters against this November's Prop 8.)
Sexual scenes are toned down by the use of shadows in this movie. The strong affection between the men, however, is not toned down. I think this was a thoughtfully balanced choice, which makes the movie more easily accessible to finicky heterosexuals without betraying its gay subject matter.
The gay movement itself continues, with gay and Lesbian couples demanding the right to marry just like heterosexual couples. Meanwhile, the "Out Campaign" by atheists is consciously patterned upon the successful tactics of Harvey Milk and the gay movement.
Thank you, Harvey.
This is the perfect time to see "Milk." I hope you will, too.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 12/14/2008 04:56:09
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2008 : 00:51:23 [Permalink]
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| I'll put it on my 'try to catch it' list. |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2008 : 00:59:24 [Permalink]
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Great review, Mooner. My fiance (she gets pissed if I still call her my girlfriend) really wants to see this film. Now I'm really going to try to make sure we do. Maybe tomorrow night, even.
On a side note, it appears that in many way, illnesses aside, you've led a pretty envious life. You shook hands with Donald Sutherland and Sean Penn? How cool is that.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2008 : 02:35:11 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by H. Humbert
Great review, Mooner. My fiance (she gets pissed if I still call her my girlfriend) really wants to see this film. Now I'm really going to try to make sure we do. Maybe tomorrow night, even.
On a side note, it appears that in many way, illnesses aside, you've led a pretty envious life. You shook hands with Donald Sutherland and Sean Penn? How cool is that.
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Thanks! I used to "collect" handshakes. I include JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. in that virtual collection. Basically, if you happen to be in the right place at the right time, it's not too hard to meet some famous people, especially if you either catch them before they become famous, or before they are assassinated.
I did not meet Harvey Milk, however.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 12/14/2008 02:36:24 |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2008 : 11:54:39 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
Thanks! I used to "collect" handshakes. I include JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. in that virtual collection. Basically, if you happen to be in the right place at the right time, it's not too hard to meet some famous people, especially if you either catch them before they become famous, or before they are assassinated.
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My only claim to fame is Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner. Margret Weiss close second, but not that many people know about her. She was important to me though (one of the reasons I leaned English as much as I did). |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
| Edited by - Dr. Mabuse on 12/14/2008 12:05:21 |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2008 : 13:44:53 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
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Thanks! I used to "collect" handshakes. I include JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. in that virtual collection. Basically, if you happen to be in the right place at the right time, it's not too hard to meet some famous people, especially if you either catch them before they become famous, or before they are assassinated.[/quote]
That is MIGHTY cool!
I checked and the movie is not announced on my local theatre.
Maybe, being located smack in the middle of the Bible belt, the owner do not seems it viable option to import some movies...
We got plenty of expelled, but no 'Religulous', fo example and no 'Sicko'. They did show 'Brokeback mountain' though... |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2008 : 22:14:10 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
My only claim to fame is Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner. Margret Weiss close second, but not that many people know about her. She was important to me though (one of the reasons I leaned English as much as I did).
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I got to meet, shake hands with, and sit down in a restaurant and eat with, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, and Jimmy Doohan, in the early '70's when my Star Trek group hired them to appear at our convention in San Francisco. (Bill Shatner had priced himself out of our little club's range, and Leonard Nemoy was still futilely trying to "live down" his Spock role.) I presented Doohan with a big bottle of single malt Scotch Whiskey. Doohan told stories of his exploits as a Canadian in the RAF during WWII.
Unfortunately, as with my handshakes with JFK and MLK, the curse kept working with Doohan, though it took a while, and he wasn't assassinated.
I've not met any cast members of the later, and I think better, versions of the series.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 12/14/2008 22:15:52 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2008 : 23:09:04 [Permalink]
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I've met perhaps zero political activists or politicians, but I once met a girl who'd claimed to have spent some time at a Star Trek convention freebasing with George Takei. 20-something years ago. Does that count as a handshake for me, since she was so much more intimate with him?
Actually, I spent a whole commuter flight between San Fransisco and LA sitting behind Charles Bronson. I'm pretty sure I got a handshake, but memories from when I was 12 are getting a bit fuzzy 'round the edges. I remember that his cat (which he had with him) was named Cookie. (Huh, I missed the fact that he died in '03.)
Oh, and I've met (and shaken hands with) Count Gore de Vol.
And Somtow Sucharitkul, and Isaac "dirty old man" Asimov. I spent a lot of time at writer's scifi conventions, so I've probably met a lot more famous authors than those two, and just never got last names (going to the panel discussions was never something I was interested in).
This is a competition, right? |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2008 : 00:00:29 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
This is a competition, right?
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Sure is. Who the hell says name-dropping's no fun? Especially in my one's old age, without much of recent vintage to hoot about.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2008 : 00:57:15 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
This is a competition, right?
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Ok, in that case...
I've shaken hands with football and screen legend Jim Brown, I've attending a premiere movie screen for Romance and Cigarettes in New York where I sat in theater with James "Tony Soprano" Gandolfini, Aida "Janice Soprano" Turturro, Edie "Carmela Soprano" Falco, and Susan Saradon. I stood beside Steve Buscemi in the lobby. After the picture ended I met and shook hands with the film's director John Turturro and his lovely wife. I was also introduced that night to Annabella Sciorra, who is stunning in person. Here are photos from the premiere I attended.
Also, my parents have met Robert Redford, and on a field trip to DC in 8th grade a group of classmates saw Mr. Belvedere at a mall. Unfortunately I was not in that group.
But, in all honesty, Emsby has me way beat. I was only that that premiere because of her. Because of her job, she has not only met a ton of A list Hollywood stars, she would actually speak to many of them on a daily basis.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 12/15/2008 01:01:29 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2008 : 04:53:41 [Permalink]
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Not bad, H.H., not bad at all.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Boron10
Religion Moderator
USA
1266 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2008 : 08:14:19 [Permalink]
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Hmm...I have a terrible memory for these things, but let's see what I can drag out of the depths of my cranium.
Kiefer Southerland went home with a woman I was trying to pick up at a bar, then several months later an episode of 24 was filmed on my boat. Several of my friends were extras (dead Russians), but I had other work to do so I was unable to get on TV.
Then lobbyist and former Attorney General John Ashcroft had just left a party given by the governor in Saipan shortly before I showed up. When I returned to the states, I learned about more of the controversies surrounding him.
Granted, neither of those is a handshake, but I still think they're interesting.
But I am really looking forward to seeing Milk; I just need to figure out where to put the baby when I do. |
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Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2008 : 08:31:31 [Permalink]
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Good review. I can't remember a Sean Penn movie I liked since Dead Man Walking, but I really want to see this. Looks good.
I shook hands with Linn Sheldon and Ed Asner. I once had lunch with Kathy Kelly in the home of an Egyptian-American doctor in Toledo. Just me, my future wife, the doctor's wife, and Kathy Kelly. Pretty interesting hour or so.
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I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright-
Jerry Garcia
Robert Hunter
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2008 : 09:51:57 [Permalink]
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I met a guy that looked like a lot like Sean Connery once (except that it was a woman, and she was blond, and overweight and she had lost both her legs in a car accident...).
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Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2008 : 09:56:01 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Simon
I met a guy that looked like a lot like Sean Connery once (except that it was a woman, and she was blond, and overweight and she had lost both her legs in a car accident...).
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Was the car an Aston Martin? |
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright-
Jerry Garcia
Robert Hunter
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The motion picture, ‘Milk’
