Milk

The Plot: The story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White.

The Pros: Milk is an absolute triumph; it's easily Gus Van Sant's finest work in years, and will stand out as a serious Oscar contender if people see what I saw. Van Sant is widely known for making somewhat detached films, and this is not one of them. Sean Penn's performance is one of his greatest, standing right alongside The Assassination of Richard Nixon and I am Sam. He pours every ounce of his heart and being into this role, and it pays off tremendously. The rest of the cast was equally brilliant, notably Josh Brolin, whose work was earnest, revealing, and true. Danny Elfman's score was unusually great; certainly a surprising departure from most of his career's achievements.

The Cons: There is, at the end of the film, a montage which shows the real-life progression of the characters portrayed throughout the movie. I felt this a bit unnecessary, mainly because of the immense power of Milk. It's not a major gripe by any means, but it does slightly pull you out of the two-hour masterpiece Van Sant clearly spent so much time drawing you into.

The Bottom Line: Milk is a film that really makes life feel worth living. Watching everything about it come together to create a seamless, mind-enriching journey is the joy to be had here. Van Sant has created, with the magnificent cooperation of Sean Penn, one of his most accessible and personal motion pictures to date, and it succeeds on so many levels. It's simply a brilliant achievement, and one of this year's best films.

The Score: 9.2 / 10