Milk

A couple days ago in Austin we had a Harvey Milk memorial day. It began early in the afternoon with the award winning documentary called The Times of Harvey Milk, which when I was in college was the first movie since I was little that was so overwhelming and intense and touching that it made me just bawl into my palms. This time I managed to choke it back but there's a scene toward the end (maybe if you've seen it, you know the one, the vigil scene...) that hits me like a damn battering ram in the chest every time. 

If you haven't seen this movie, I can't recommend it highly enough. 

later that night we saw the Hollywood take on the story of Harvey Milk starring Sean Penn as Harvey. I had been looking forward to seeing it ever since I heard just a couple months ago that it was being made and hearing reviews of it and interviews with some cast members. Word on the street was that the movie was incredibly well made and remarkably accurate and that Sean Penn totally kills it as Harvey Milk. And you know? you may have heard this before but seriously, by halfway through Milk you can forget that you're watching Sean Penn because it just becomes the story. The way they use real news footage and imagery from Harvey's campaigns blends the non-fiction telling with reality in a way that blurs the lines even more.

Go see this movie. If you've never heard of Harvey Milk or what happened in San Fransisco in the late 70's, go see this movie. If you've ever heard of the murder defense where they successfully argued that the twinkies made him do it but aren't exactly sure where the story originated, GO SEE THIS MOVIE! If you're not doing anything tonight and it's still playing in a theater near you, Go See This Movie! And when you're done, rent the documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk. 

That is an order.