The Film Reporter

Well believe it or not folks, Clooney turns 52 today. What is your favourite Clooney film?

Joel Goodsen: Looks like the University of Illinois! 

Milk (2008) is a film about a man named Harvey Milk who moved from New York to San Francisco with his gay lover and decided that he had to become a gay activist and try and free the people that he felt were trapped.

First and forth most Sean Penn’s performance is one to admire, and he had an Oscar to back it up. Harvey Milks road to becoming the USA’s first gay elected official is a long tiring battle against not just homophobes but also against himself and his personal life, the things he was forced to give up or lose track of because of a mission that was more important than himself. His final words being “it’s not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power… it’s about the “us’s” out there”.

Gus Van Sant’s direction in this film is one a film student like myself takes real admiration in. Gus was nominated for an Oscar and its not hard to see why. During riots he often uses real footage that people took in 70’s San Francisco to push the notion of realism. That this in fact is real, that these people were unjust towards gay’s, and the final scene in which Milks (Penn’s) voiceover layers beautiful shots of masses joined together to celebrate the life of Harvey Milk is one of sentimental and artistic value.  

Milk (2008) is a modern classic and should be admired and watched by every able body, as it signifies a huge change for gay rights. The film also has a growing importance as the topic of gay rights is on the agenda of the President of the United States in his final term.

Milk (2008) 8/10

Harvey Milk: [Voice Over, Last lines] I ask this… If there should be an assassination, I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out - - If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door… And that’s all. I ask for the movement to continue. Because it’s not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power… it’s about the “us’s” out there. Not only gays, but the Blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us’s. Without hope, the us’s give up - I know you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. So you, and you, and you… You gotta give em’ hope… you gotta give em’ hope.

Milk (2008)

A man changes his ideology against crime on the waterfront when faced with love.

On the Waterfront (1954)

“Life is but a dream” words said by Beyonce to her husband Jay Z on vacation. 

Life is but a Dream is a film that simply follows Beyonce on her journey at a current point in her life. A point so high in international fame and commercial success that she made this documentary. During which time we see and hear Beyonce’s voice for the first time in intimate quarters on her personal life and her career. 

I guess I could tell you that the documentary is a really really long music video, constantly seeing Beyonce strutting her stuff on many foreign soils whilst being decorated with Beyonce’s emotions through narration and interview. But let’s not get negative, this is an interesting documentation of life and love, the highs and lows of which is highlighted. 

Beyonce is a woman who is strong, strong for her family and her career. Throughout the documentary Beyonce overcomes many obstacles that has been planted in front of her, there is no doubting, Beyonce is one of the biggest celebrities to have graced this earth, but more than that, she’s an indescribably talented woman who loves the art she makes and loves making people happy through her art.

Sergio Leone in todays books is regarded as one of the best directors in film history. Indeed Once Upon a Time in America (1984) was Leone’s last film, and it left quite a mark. The final cut for the film lasting at 229 minutes long, it was cut down to a 2 hour version in most territories in the 80’s because the producers believed it was just too long for audiences.

It’s common knowledge that Sergio Leone wanted to make this film almost his whole career, originally reading the story in a book called The Hoods. Stuart Kaminski (writer of the script) recalls a story whilst writing the film, Stuart gave Sergio a draft and whilst reading Sergio pointed out that he needed 10 more words in a scene from a certain character, when asked why, Serigio simply said because ‘she is going to walk from here to there and during which time she is going to be finishing her sentence to ‘Noodles”. Leone already knew what the set was going to look like, he knew how far she was going to walk and he knew where the camera was going to be before a set had even been built.

Sergio also co-ordinated with the legendary composer and close friend Ennio Morricone about the score to the film that far in advance that around two thirds of the score had been recorded before filming had finished, it’s recalled by many cast and crew that the score would play around the set whilst they were filming. Therefore it’s no surprise that Sergio’s passion and determination created this masterpiece. 

I sometimes find it hard to explain the film with my words to the extent that the film deserves. The story is a non-linear one, we have 3 time periods, one in the 1968 present, the time period when the gang were boys, and a time period of the gang in their prime. The story is moved forward by Noodles receiving a party invitation from a a politician, he is concerned that people know where he lives in his later years and are threatening him. Whilst he visits his old friend Fat Moe, we go back into his past and see how he came to be in that position. We follow ‘Noodles’ played by Robert De Niro who along with his pals, do illegal errands for gangs in the prohibition only for Noodles to end up in jail for a long duration, on coming out, he finds the gang has moved up in the world and have grown in wealth and power.

It is was a running joke that when the film premiered in Cannes, many other filmmakers threw their films in the ocean because of how utterly magnificent Once Upon a Time in America was. 

The one remaining question that is always brought up with this film is the final shot, Noodles in the beginning of the film lies in a Chinese Theatre smoking opium, whilst in the final shot, after all that has been displayed to the audience, smiles in a zoom close up for it to be freeze-framed whilst the credits roll up. What does it exactly mean, was it all a nightmare? It’s a completely frustrating puzzle that has been laid out after the best part of 4 hours of ups and downs.

The adventures of Forrest Gump.