QueerGam: Have you seen Milk yet?

Are you like me? Still struggling to shrug off 2008? I am still living in December 2008. December was a mess for me. It slowed down my thinking-engine for sure. I need to shift gear this week. I have plenty of projects to finish and there's still plenty to do for December, like a big piece of writing that I still owe an editor. I've been so pressed for time, I have no time to go watch the movie Milk. My friends, Henrik and Vegard were in town for Christmas and had taken two weeks of my time in December. But they were worth it. For me, seeing "Milk" would be a transformative experience. I can't wait to see the movie. It has certainly restored my buddy's, Phil Spencer's (also QueerGasm's blogger) belief that Hollywood can make quality pictures that have broad appeal. And I am not at all surprise, and being (probably the only queer guy in San Francisco who have not seen the movie) it should remind me just how powerful an actor Sean Penn can be when given a role worthy of his talents- his performance here is nuanced, fearless and undeniably Oscar-worthy. Phil said the movie has successfully depicted with enormous impact what it meant to be gay 30-plus years ago, the progress we've made since in terms of society's openness towards homosexuality, and the painful, courageous steps through which it was all achieved. Many of you living in this great city in the 70s certainly are old enough to recall the Harvey Milk/George Moscone assassinations. Your memories of the incident may have faded over time. But this film should bring it all back to those of you who listened to the radio and watched the news that day in one potent rush. I was still schooling in Malaysia when this tragedy took place here near where I am blogging right this second, and I certainly have no awareness of Harvey Milk or know precious little of his groundbreaking crusade. But I read about him a lot these days...I am thinking I will not only will enjoy Milk, I think I will feel grateful for it. I think it will also put me in mind to examine outstanding gay-themed films beyond the more evident mainstream titles: "Philadelphia" (1993), "Brokeback Mountain" (2005), and from TV, "Angels In America" (2003).