What's up, everyone? Hope you all checked out yesterday's back-from-break post, in which I reviewed Transporter 3 and had a ton of other news, views, and reviews for your reading pleasure.
PRISON BREAK Review:
- As for today, as is customary, I've got to start out by talking about last night's PRISON BREAK. PB, I'm sorry for doubting you. After last week's slightly suspect twist ending, in which the seemingly altruistic Agent Self was revealed as a traitor and villain, I just wasn't sure how Prison Break could keep the momentum of the last few episodes going. It seemed like last week's ep hit upon a natural ending point, only to pull out one last twist that felt a bit too gimmicky for my tastes. But again, I admit that my doubts were mostly unfounded, as last night's ep pretty much KICKED MY ASS. Because, sure, Michael Rappaport had been pretty convincing as an asshole with a heart of gold, but it turns out that he was nearly as convincing as a plain old asshole. While I still find it slightly hard to swallow Self in his new role as unabashed killer and ruthless crook, I am way more sold on it now than I was a week ago. But PB wasted no time in playing Self off of the other characters, creating a couple of great, fun moments between Self and T-Bag, Self and Gretchen, etc. Meanwhile, there was a lot of nice drama with Scofield and co trying to figure out their next move - flee and once again go on the run, or try to see thrings through and take down Self and then the Company once and for all?
This episode just had so many memorable, dare I say gravitas-infused moments - the General shooting MIKE NOVICK point blank and asking his troops if they had "any further questions?", T-Bag asking Self if he was into the "rock candy," and of course the classic ending, in which we get vintage Scofield, coolly telling Self that if he wants Scylla he should come and get it. Hmm ... at least the actor who plays Mike Novick on 24 is now free to make a glorious return to aid Jack Bauer in his time of need. Dammit all.
Anyways, I'm psyched to see next week's Self vs. Scofield showdown, and curious to see how this all plays out. My one complaint is this: GET MICHAEL TO A HOSPITAL, ALREADY! It's been about five episodes in a row now where he's supossedly been on the brink of death, and unless there is some big twist coming here other than the inevitable "Michael-collapses-and-is-near-death" cliffhanger, just get this long-festering subplot over with already.
Other than that though, PB remains the reigning king of TV drama. Once again, the intensity in last night's ep was off the charts.
My Grade: A-
- Alright, since I still have a couple of movies I need to review, here we go.
MILK Review:
- Especially relevant following the passing of Prop 8 here in California, MILK is a powerful, superbly put-together movie that is the type of film that can win over hearts and minds. With a stellar cast, highlighted by a transformative and memorable turn from Sean Penn in the title role, Milk is certainly one of the most important and timely movies of the holiday season.
The film details the life and times of Harvey Milk, who moves to San Francisco's Castro Street during a period in the 70's when the area was becoming a haven for gay castoffs and the center of an emerging gay community, one which was actually becoming somewhat of a force in terms of influencing the local business and political scene. Harvey quickly meets and strikes up a romantic relationship with Scott Smith (James Franco), and the two open a camera shop on Castro Street, although the shop eventually becomes a hangout for the local gay community, to the point where Harvey becomes known as the unofficial "Mayor of Castro Street."
Harvey's rising stature as a community organizer, combined with his anger at the treatment of homosexuals at the hands of the local police, eventually thrusts Milk into the political arena, where he ultimately becomesa rising celebrity in California politics. Milk's commitment to his progressive social and political agenda not only puts him at odds with rival politicians (such as Josh Brolin's Dan White), but also costs him a number of personal relationships - his romance with Smith fizzles, for example, when Milk begins devoting all of his time his work and his cause. But at the same time, Milk's work as a charismatic politician and community leader helped inspire a new generation of activists. In the film, we see Milk take a young, cynical kid (Cleve Jones - played by Emile Hirsch) under his wing, eventually molding Cleve into a great leader in his own right.
The story of Milk's rise and fall is pretty brilliantly told here. Director Gus Van Sant makes judicious use of actual news and archival footage to really give the movie a sense of time and place. In fact, one of the movie's main antagonists, conservative spokeswoman Anita Bryant, is not portrayed by an actress but inserted into the movie solely via archival footage of her actual speeches and TV appearances. It lends the movie an immediacy that would have been hard to achieve otherwise. The fact that this movie is really documenting very recent history is all the more evident when familiar faces like Walter Cronkite and even Tom Brokaw show up via old news clips. It's amazing to see how strikingly similar some of the news headlines of 30 years ago were to those of today.
Again, the acting here is across-the-board great. Sean Penn truly transforms into Harvey Milk here - everything from his speech to his mannerisms to his posture - it really is like watching another person on-screen. I have to think that Penn will be on the shortlist for Best Actor come Oscar time. But the rest of the ensemble is similarly great. After turning in an Oscar-worthy performance of his own just recently, in W, Josh Brolin turns up here and is really great as Dan White - a politician who slowly loses it as he faces mounting political pressure. We're never quite sure what exactly makes Dan White tick, but Brolin does a masterful job of making us feel on-edge whenever he's on-screen. James Franco does a nice job as Scott Smith, Milk's confidante and the object of his affections, and Emile Hirsch is also a real standout as Cleve Jones - you really see him morph from kind of a young punk at the beginning of the movie into a real leader and activist by movie's end.
As many biopics tend to do, Milk can drag a bit at times, and the movie sometimes feels uneven in terms of focus. Personally I wish Van Sant had focused a little more on the story's broader social-political context, especially given that some of the scenes delving into Milk's personal life were some of the film's weakest. One of the movie's most annoying characters, for example, is Jack Lira, played by Diego Luna - an artsy guy who falls into a relationship with Milk after Harvey parts ways with Smith. Because Lira is such an over-the-top oddball, it's hard to get especially invested in his character.
But overall, the movie builds up to an intense and heart-wrenching ending that leaves you sad, contemplative, but also inspired at the life of a guy who dared to be different and also to make a difference. It's an effective bio, but at the same time an eduacational and enlightening look at some of the biggest social and political issues that have and still affect our country. With a number of stellar performances and an important and timely message at its core, Milk is a movie well-worth watching and deserving of the highest recommendation.
My Grade: A-
- Alright, I'll be back soon to talk about SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, Chinese Democracy, Smashing Pumpkins, and lots more. Leave your comments as always - peace out.
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