BluRay Review: Milk

Milk
Written By: Dustin Lance Black
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Starring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, Alison Pill, Joseph Cross, Stephen Spinella, Lucas Grabeel, Victor Garbor, and James Franco

The Oscar Nominated film Milk arrives on BluRay this week. This is a film I have been eagerly waiting to see and I am pleased to say that it's just as good as everyone says it is. Milk is highly emotional, touching, funny, inspiring, and most of all, important.

Keep reading to find out why.

It's funny that a major part of Milk is the fight against Proposition 6, which basically meant that gay teachers or anyone supportive of gays would be fired from their job. 30 years later, the gay community is fighting for their rights against the recently passed Proposition 8 only this time there is no Harvey Milk to rally the troops and provide much needed inspiration. In this way, it's sad to see that such a dynamic and important man is no longer around to fight for the cause he died for. (This isn't a spoiler by the way since they say as much literally 45 seconds into the movie.)

The film is a great portrait of a man who dedicated his life to human rights. It is probably one of the best acted films released this year. The entire cast is extraordinary. Both in performance and in appearance. The end of the film has where are they now blurbs along with a picture of the actors in character and then a photo of the person they're playing. They're eerily close in appearance.

In the film, we're mostly shown Harvey Milk's quest for public office, with some
occasional glances into his private life. Mostly, to see how his dedication to the cause leads to major problems in his life. Despite this, he continues his fight and eventually is elected County Supervisor.

The picture is gorgeous here. I am constantly impressed at the quality picture bluray provides and it shows that even movies that don't rely on explosions and special effects can be served well on the format.

Milk is a flawless mix between historical footage and filmed material. It really gives the film a sense of history and only bolsters the relevance and importance of the movie. It really builds a foundation that elevates the characters to people you really care for. It's the characters that drive this story. I've heard a few people comment that the cause itself is a major character in Milk and that is absolutely true, but it is the people fighting this cause that make it so.

The bluray isn't bursting with special features but the features it does have are great. We get three featurettes, two of which focus on the historical elements and one that is tales from the set. All are great but I was especially touched by "Remembering Havey" which is stories from the people that knew him best. The disc also features BD Live where you can collect your favorite scenes and share them with buddies as well as download new trailers, etc.

Overall, Milk is a beautiful film with spectacular performances that should inspire people to get up and take action on the issues that are important to them. It's funny, touching, heartbreaking, and to beat that horse again, inspirational.

Milk is available on bluray now.