Feb. 19: Another Oscar pick

The Lovely Lori, Curt-D (like Ice-T) and I saw a matinee of Milk yesterday, and if I remember correctly (sooooo much booze…) we gave it an enthusiastic six thumbs up. I thought it was very well done. The story moved at a fast pace and I liked that there was a lot of real footage mixed in with Sean Penn’s fake hairline.

As most of this story occurred before I turned ten years old, I had forgotten how evil Anita Bryant was back then. On her web site, which I am not going to provide a link to because she is still quite evil, her profile states: “Anita liked that she will always be remembered as a witness to and defender of the Truth in the twentieth century. A real heroine.” Oh, yeah. She’s somethin’, alright. Love your fellow man, my arse. “Christians” that incite fear and hatred over things they don’t understand? How are they heroic? Apparently the poor woman has gone through some bankruptcies and other difficult personal trials. Sing with me now: KAAARMAAAA! (Or is this the very definition of schadenfreude?)

Although I found the story captivating and liked that it filled in the gaps of what I already knew about Harvey Milk, it was incredibly heartbreaking at the same time. Not just because of his assassination—of course that was sad—but because I see how little we’ve moved forward in his cause. Yes, Milk made some huge strides, but until homosexuals have all the rights that heterosexuals do, his work is not done. The movie made me want to march!

Not having seen too many other Oscar-nominated films this year, I don’t know what Milk’s chances are for winning, but it certainly deserves the nominations it got. Here’s an official Oscar ballot for you to track your picks as you watch the ceremonies Sunday night.

BTW, it was all I could do not to make the title of this post “Got Milk?” You’re welcome.