It's just as well "Milk" has yet to be shown in Bakersfield because the theater operators likely will say they got nausea instead after getting wind of a review from blogger Barbara Nicolosi at http://churchofthemasses.bl... :

Ugggggggggggggggggggggggggh. I mean, ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww to the 87th power.

Somewhere after the first awful hour of Milk my very kind friend who doesn't happen to work in the movie business, looked over at me and said, "This is a really, really bad movie."

And she didn't just mean because it was a smarmy piece of pandering nonsense. She meant because it was just plain old bad storytelling. The funny thing is, there actually is a story in the life of Harvey Milk, but for propaganda reasons, the film makers didn't want to tell that story. So, what you have here is a lot of mis en scene featuring half dressed and hippie-looking homosexuals acting obdurate and offended in San Francisco in the 1970's, and that's all folks.

I'm not even going to write what the storyline of this movie is, because I wouldn't want any of you to think that has too much to do with the actual true story of the seriously tragic and macabre character who was Harvey Milk. The movie story might have gone into the twisted soul who over the course of his life drove four of his five lovers to commit suicide. I mean come on - THAT'S A STORY! (The only other man in history whom I have ever heard of who had that many suicides in his close inner circle was Hitler....I'm just saying...)

The film fails basically because there just isn't any material in the biography to convincingly transform the radically narcissist, sex-obsessed community organizer, Milk into Ghandi. They had to work so hard to sanitize this creepy dude, that they ended up stripping the movie of any potential interest. It's a bore.

But it's a bore the way Triumph of the Will is ultimately a bore. (Although, Leni Reifenstahl was a much more talented film maker than Van Sant.) Propaganda is always a bore because it is innately insulting to the intelligence.

Theme: Homosexuality is a tragic and disordered inclination that retards human maturity and spiritual development. (Cough...Yeah, just kidding....) Can't say what the theme is. It is the nearly irresistible downfall of biopic makers to disregard the need to establish a universal theme. They always think the person they are in love with at the center of the story will be fascinating enough. But valentines are tedious to anyone but the person to whom they are intended. And so, in Milk the audience doesn't care.

Performances: Contrary to what every critic is blathering, I thought this was some of Penn's most banal work. He played a homosexual man with a New York Jewish accent using every cliche about all those descriptors that one could have. What makes a great performance is not the ability to imitate glaring traits like the limp-wristed gay flourish or the harsh Brooklyn slur, but rather subtle contradictions in character. There was none of that here. Penn's Milk is all one note - wide-eyed and full of self-righteous passion with moments of giddiness bordering on silly.

James Franco just looked awkward and embarrassed. I read an interview in which he said Penn had to pressure him into having extended kisses and love scenes. No doubt.

Other notes: This one is just icky. The gay love scenes are creepy in the way that they always must be. You can tell us that they are the same as heterosexual love scenes, but they're not.

And in some ways, the film makers here were just having too much fun in depicting the homosexual scene in the pre-AIDs 1970's. It is riddled with cliches, but also makes the homosexuals look the way they do in gay pride parades - like fourteen year old boys nervously playing with grownup toys. I thought to myself at one point in the movie, "If I was gay, I'd be offended." There are a lot of lies in Milk - mainly sins of omission, but many other downright distortions. The movie will fade and die a quick death once it has served its new purpose to be a forum over which Hollywood people can decry Prop 8 during awards season.

PASS the Milk.

I didn't think we had an art film house here in town. Do we? Now might be a good time to open a small theater here and show some foreign and artsy films. Ah, nevermind. Give Bakersfield another 10 years or so and people might be ready.

Then there is always netflix for movies...always can find great films.

I thought Milk was great. I was just a teenager when he was assassinated. I remember reading about his speeches and his life. He gave me hope and his life made a huge difference in countless lives.

The movie does capture the LGBT community of the 70s.

At least it's not that anti-Semitic "Passion of the Christ."

Oh, wait, that *WAS* shown locally.

"Milk" is almost certain for some Oscar nominations.  Too bad about the local Christianists' sullen fears, but maybe one day we can stop catering to them.  Four stars by Roger Ebert and many, many others.

http://rogerebert.suntimes....

From the review:

"Milk" tells Harvey Milk's story as one of a transformed life, a victory for individual freedom over state persecution, and a political and social cause. There is a remarkable shot near the end, showing a candlelight march reaching as far as the eyes can see. This is actual footage. It is emotionally devastating. And it comes as the result of one man's decisions in life.

Anti semite..that's what you got from POTC?   Sad.

Fear?  I dunno, I just don't want to see two men making out.  If you call that fear you need a dictionary.

Well, that and for a religion centering on a guy whose main message was "love your enemies," Christianists sure seem to be one heck of a death cult.  What "POTC" was, in fact, was a religiously-themed snuff film.  With a frosting of anti-Semitism.

Hey, that's more insight than Pax's reviewer got out of "Milk" (and he must have searched hard to find a bad review--scratch that, he just went to his usual sources) .

What is was, was a depiction of the old Testament as it became the New Testament.

Curious, have you read any revues of MILK?  Serious question.

I posted one, Nancy.  Ebert's.  NYT and CNN also gave four stars.

What POTC was, was a depiction from John only--the Synoptic gospels not being juicy enough for Gibson, I guess.

And the turning point between OT and NT didn't happen for years after the movie ended, somewhere on the road to Damascus.

Here some some reviews

http://www.rottentomatoes.c... rated a 93

http://www.boxturtlebulleti...

http://www.variety.com/VE11...

http://www.rollingstone.com...

http://www.cinematical.com/...

Oddly enough, by the way, I probably won't go to see "Milk" even if it comes locally.  Not really my kind of movie.  But it does appear that it's being kept away from Bakersfield largely through prejudice.

Gotta run, I'm on avocado duty tonight.

YOu mean the gay agenda is not going to be shoved down our mouth (pun intended) by the distributors of "MILK".  Hey, change we can believe in....

 I just don't want to see two men making out.

Me either. I saw enough of that before I got divorced. Yuck.

Avocado duty...?

I'll rent it~ I would hate to think my life would turn into a movie and all folks would say was "I don't want to see a woman kissing all those men" ;-)  ....after all a couple of other things happened in my life besides that...lol.

I am sure "Milk" ,the story if his life and murder is about more than kissing.

But at the price of film these days~ see what interests you by all means.There are some very good films out right now, with more on there way.

Ugh... Alright, I'll bite.  I see both points of view.  Personally... I loved milk.  thought it was great.  And i really couldn't care less if it came here or not.  It was fun to get out of this stink pit and go somewhere else to see a movie.  I made an evening of it.  And me and my boyfriend had a blast.  If anyone wants to see it go and see it in another location, i did the same for brokeback mountain.  Anyway... I can very much see your point about not wanting to see two guys kiss.  Just as much as I get disgusted watching to women kiss or a heterosexual sex scene.  Blah.  Doesn't do anything for me.  PERSONALLY I think sex should be left out of any entertainment venue.  The times that sex was portrayed in Milk i thought was kind of... well not really warranted.  In Brokeback Mountain it made sense.  There were two scenes at the beginning of the film and then boobs the rest of the way.  With milk... well... Some of it for me should have just been left out. But, like i said. I don't like sex in movies, literature, television, radio anywhere.  I think sex should remain in it's proper place.  In the privacy of your bedroom.  And... if you're disgusted by two guys making out what about those nasty straight couples who feel the need to suck face with each other or feel each other up in the line at subway! Eesh people, get a room.  You'd be disgusted if i did that! I would just ask that "you" have the same respect for me.  It's only fair.

Randomfactor.  I have found you and I tend to see eye to eye often.  And i enjoy reading your responses.   But... i do disagree with POTC being anti-semetic. (sp?) I enjoyed it very much.  Granted i think the people who saw it over and over again were morons and Mel Gibson a financial genius! Because he released it twice and made millions off of it. I bet he could re-release it this year and make just as much.  Seriously! Hollywood needs to learn.  If they want to spend a little and make a HUGE profit off of a film slap a religious undertone to it and they're bestsellers!  Even if they were made for 20 bucks!  Just because it's a religious film religious people will flock to it.  Don't get it.  Which could be said about gay films, really. But... i kind of thought bringing up the anti-semetic issue of POTC was kind of... well, grasping at straws.  I think in this case, it's the movie theatres who are choosing not to show it.  For two reasons.  One this town is run by religious right wing conservatives and two, they know that if they did it wouldn't make any money.  Because as that person said, they don't want to see two guys kiss. Which i'm sure is the consensus of almost everyone in bakersfield. So... it's just good business sense not to waste money and time on a movie there is no guarantee it'll even turn a profit. I mean... Rent was in theaters here for at least a week and then disappeared. Even though the play alone gets RAVE reviews.  (It actually bored me... but hey)

My relatives who live in more progressive places like LEXINGTON, KY, have already seen Milk and report that it is an excellent movie.  If you are too much of a bigoted homophobe to go see it, no one is going to force you to do so just because the movie is playing in your town.  Meantime, I want the ability and choice to go see it -- instead of having to buy the DVD on Amazon.com.   I despise these bigots who want to deny everyone else the right to see this movie just because they are hateful, close-minded Taliban members.  Maybe they would be happier living in a vicious theocracy?  Some place that doesn't have Constitutional First Amendment free speech rights would be much more to their liking.

Bigoted homophobe..because some of us don't want to watch men make out?

You'd think you, or others, would come up with a better word than homophobe.  One that's more accurate.

It's coming to a theater near you.....There will be some that will go check it out..cool...yet there are some that won't..cool...

I think it boils down to 'choice'...IMHO

I'm fairly certain I will NOT see this movie if and when it comes to town and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I'm a, what was the phrase? Oh yeah, a bigoted homophobe... I've only seen four movies at theaters in the past four years; Spiderman III, Superman Returns, Ironman and The Dark Knight. So I might be inclined to see it if it were called....

Wait for it....

MILKMAN!

What if you don't want to see a heterosexual couple kiss.  Am I a heterophobe?

 What if you don't want to see a heterosexual couple kiss.  Am I a heterophobe?

Only if you're secretly turned on by the thought of such a kiss.

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It turns out that MILK isn't opening in Bako on January 30, either, even though it expands nationwide on that day.  Another nationwide opening is THE WRESTLER, also skipping Bakersfield, it seems.  And DOUBT, another heavy Oscar nominated film that wenjt nationwide Christmas day also never played here (despite two weeks of ads in the local paper claiming it was).  Will these worthy Oscar-nominated films EVER make their way to this town (city with over 450,000 in the greater area?).  It was a shocker to even see RACHEL GETTING MARRIED come here, even if it was for just one week.