Milk

*SPOILERS*

Since Milk is a biopic there aren't really any spoilers (unless you know nothing about Harvey Milk). The movie begins with the only major plot point and then goes back to the beginning of the story. If you don't know anything and you don't want to know before seeing the movie then maybe just don't read this one. Just skip down to the very bottom with the rating.

Milk opens with a newscast announcing the murder of San Francisco Mayor Geroge Moscone (Victor Garber) and city Supervisor Harvey Milk (Sean Penn). We then see Milk telling his life story into a tape recorder. He starts with his 40th birthday and meeting Scott (James Franco). Soon after meeting, the two move to San Francisco and open up a camera shop in the Castro District. Milk quickly becomes part of the political scene. While he does have trouble getting elected right away, he is able to organize the the homosexual population into an influential power. Milk even becomes allies with the Teamsters when he helps them boycott Coors.

After Milk is finally elected as a city Supervisor the main battle he must deal with Anita Bryant & Dade County and Proposition 6. Proposition 6 made it mandatory to fire gay teachers and any other public school employee who supported gay rights. While it seemed that Proposition 6 was a lost cause it ended up being defeated by more than 1 million votes.

Now to the assassination. Dan White (Josh Brolin) is a fellow city Supervisor. White and Milk tried to use each other for votes, but neither of them really gained anything from their efforts. White eventually resigned (saying he was not paid enough to support his family). After trying to get his job back and not being allowed to he went a little off his rocker. White then snuck into city hall and shot and killed both Milk and the mayor.

The movie doesn't really go into this part, but you may have heard of the famous Twinkie Defense. Dan White's trial is where this comes from. Essentially White blamed his behaviour on an increase of junk food. White was charged with two counts of manslaughter. His sentence led to the White Night Riots (which the movie also doesn't go into, but I find it all very interesting).

Before I get back to the actual movie I have one other side story. One activist that Milk kind of recruited to work for him named Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch). He was particularly good at organizing a crowd for a rally or a protest or whatever. In real life, he is also the creator of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. The NAMES Project is the largest community arts project in the world. It was created to memorialize all those who have died from AIDS related causes and there are currently 44 000 individual memorial panels. It was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and the last time it was fully displayed was in 1996.

Now back to the movie. Though I really don't have much else to say. Just that Milk is a very interesting story and definitely one worth telling/knowing. It is also interesting to think that Proposition 6 was defeated, and yet roughly thirty years later Proposition 8 passes. Just saying.

Some quotes.
"Don't knock it until you've tried it." - Milk, regarding being homosexual.
"If a bullet should enter my brain, let the bullet destroy every closet door." - Milk

Milk gets three kernels - a great story with really good acting.