edited by Moisés Chiullan

The Third Man (Criterion Blu-ray)
This title in particular has been the subject of a good deal of controversy on Elsewhere (among other sites), message boards, and email lists across the web. No one seems to talk about much aside from the "Grain Issue." Since the grain (or overabundance thereof) is the obvious elephant in the room, I'm going to address it before getting on to the additional content on display here, of which there is much to see and thoroughly enjoy. (continued)

Upcoming

December 31

Defiance

Good

January 2

Cargo 200

January 7

Silent Light

January 9

After Dark Horrorfest 2009

Bride Wars

How About You

Not Easily Broken

The Unborn

Yonkers Joe

January 16

Chandni Chwok to China

Cherry Blossoms

Hotel for Dogs

My Bloody Valentine 3-D

Notorious

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

January 21

Of Time and the City

Penn to play Milk for Van Sant

email this story
read comments (15)
post a comment

"Conflicted excitement" sums up my reaction to Gregg Goldstein's Hollywood Reporter story about Sean Penn being favored by director Gus Van Sant to portray the late Harvey Milk, the openly gay San Francisco supervisor who was shot to death (along with SF mayor George Moscone) in '78.

Penn will give the part hell, of course, but it feels like an odd call. He doesn't look like Milk in the least (he's at least a foot too short) and there's something about Penn's gruff Irish machismo vibe that doesn't feel like a good fit. But it's an intriguing prospect. Good acting is about transformation, and Penn has shown time and again he knows a thing or two about this.

Matt Damon is attached to play Dan White, the San Francisco supervisor who shot Milk and Moscone but was given a light manslaughter sentence (which outraged the city's gay community, to put it mildly) and who later committed suicide. Damon seems exactly right for White (he gets working-class guys), although his participation in the Van Sant film is on the iffy side, according to Goldstein.

Michael London's Groundswell Prods. is financing the film, and Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks are producing from a script by Dustin Lance Black. Goldstein is reporting that "the filmmakers are now in talks with a leading specialty division to launch the project," and that once a deal is in place the untitled feature "hopes" to begin shooting in San Francisco as early as December.

The idea, in part, is to beat Bryan Singer's in-the-works Milk biopic, The Mayor of Castro Street, which producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will produce from a rewritten script by Chris McQuarrie. Warner Independent and Participant Productions will co-finance. I suggested a while back that Adrien Brody -- a dead-ringer for Milk -- would be a great casting choice on Singer's part.

Hammond on "Heartbreak"<< previous | next >>"Nothing Is Private"

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on September 10, 2007 at 7:44 AM

comment #1

Mgmax says ...

Adrien Brody, Peter Sarsgaard, Sam Rockwell-- someone who seems like a savvy, cool urban guy. Penn is live-wire in your face. He should be playing Abbie Hoffman in some other movie.

Posted by Mgmax at September 10, 2007 8:22 AM

comment #2

MickTravis says ...

The Harvey Milk story has been floating around forever and now, suddenly, two projects are rushing to beat each other?

Frankly, I think it's hard to beat the documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk."

I like Van Sant, but can't help thinking this will be "Rescue Dawn" to "Times"'s "Little Dieter."

Posted by MickTravis at September 10, 2007 9:10 AM

comment #3

Josh Massey says ...

Mick is right. This thing was supposed to made with Robin Williams in the early '90s, and now two are rushing to beat each other? You'd think they were dramas about Iraq or something.

Posted by Josh Massey at September 10, 2007 9:13 AM

comment #4

Jesse Perry says ...

After "All The King's Men", I'm convinced that Sean Penn's subtle-bone is no longer functioning.

Posted by Jesse Perry at September 10, 2007 9:23 AM

comment #5

AH says ...

How many cool projects is Damon attached to? Bourne has been very, very good to him.

Posted by AH at September 10, 2007 10:16 AM

comment #6

frankbooth says ...

Yes, Brody is almost eerily appropriate. That's a no-brainer.

There was a time when I believed that Penn (like DeNiro) could do absolutely anything. Now, I have more of a "wait-and-see" attitude.

Did you ever finally tell us who your ideal Hefner casting was?

Posted by frankbooth at September 10, 2007 10:27 AM

comment #7

Jay T. says ...

Ah... yes... the infamous twinkie defense, that somehow worked.

Posted by Jay T. at September 10, 2007 10:51 AM

comment #8

JD says ...

Isn't it possible that, rather than go for a conventional lookalike approach, Van Sant is deliberately taking this iconic gay character in a more macho, mainstream direction? I'm sure he's well aware that other actors look more like Milk than Penn.

Posted by JD at September 10, 2007 11:22 AM

comment #9

Mgmax says ...

"Isn't it possible that, rather than go for a conventional lookalike approach, Van Sant is deliberately taking this iconic gay character in a more macho, mainstream direction?"

Why doesn't he put him on horseback in a silver suit of armor, like Shekhar Kapur would?

Posted by Mgmax at September 10, 2007 11:31 AM

comment #10

MickTravis says ...

Oh, and while I don't think Penn bears much resemblance to Milk ... he could pull a Kleinfeld from "Carlito's Way" and become practically unrecognizable within the character.

Posted by MickTravis at September 10, 2007 11:33 AM

comment #11

BurmaShave says ...

Hank Azaria.

Posted by BurmaShave at September 10, 2007 12:56 PM

comment #12

MickTravis says ...

That's fucking brilliant.

Posted by MickTravis at September 10, 2007 1:00 PM

comment #13

Geoff says ...

I completely agree that The Times of Harvey Milk is good enough and hard to beat.

But Sean Penn is just wrong for the part, aside from looking nothing like him, he's just too...buff I guess is the word. He'd have to stop pumping iron.

Posted by Geoff at September 10, 2007 1:03 PM

comment #14