For those who aren’t familiar with the story, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, and led the gay rights movement in that city. He was a business owner, running a small camera store in the Castro district, which is still a major American gay mecca. He served in his post for eleven months before being gunned down by a fellow former Supervisor who had just killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone moments earlier.

The film succeeds on many levels, most notably with Penn’s performance. He is so absorbed by the character, that it’s easy to forget that we’re watching an actor, not the real man. What’s more, the supporting actors were all at their best, each one taking on a special role in the film.

As the opening credits rolled, the audience is reminded — or introduced — to the modern history of the gay rights struggles in the 20th century. Not too long before the gay pride parades and festivals was a time when the only place gay men could gather was in bars or clubs, and were always at risk of being invaded by police. “Offenders” would be dragged off in paddy wagons en masse. Later, it would be Anita Bryant and her “Save the Children” group that would be the face of the enemy of the gay rights movement, who spread her vitriol with a smile and a song.

After this onslaught montage of the images of the tyrannical majority, we’re introduced to Milk and his new boyfriend Scott Smith (Spider-Man’s James Franco) as they make the decision to move to San Francisco. Penn clearly provides the shape and face of the film, but it’s Franco who provides the heart and soul. In the two men, you see a genuine relationship, one that’s rarely — if ever — shown on screen. They cook, they clean, and they had their struggles. Even after they parted, they remained friends. As bizarre (or disturbing) as some readers might find it, the chemistry between the two men is genuine.

The key points of the film, as would be expected, revolve around the many campaigns and political events in which Milk participated. His first race was in 1973, and met with a political cold shoulder, even from the gay community. It was then that Milk and Smith were both long-haired hippy types, but Milk’s leadership was becoming evident. Later, he learned to build alliances, including with the Teamsters union.

His decision to become a serious candidate in 1975 involved a number of major changes, including a haircut, suits, and a more clean-cut image overall. He quickly earned the respect and support of those around him, as well as those in organized labor. It’s during this time that the film shows his rise to leadership in the community.

Milk’s supporting cast is a diverse blend of rising stars and seasoned pros. Speed Racer’s Emile Hirsch fills the oversized glasses of Milk’s protégé and longtime gay activist Cleve Jones (Jones later conceived the AIDS Memorial Quilt), and Lucas Grabeel of High School Musical fame takes on the role of photographer Danny Nicoletta. Victor Garber (Titanic fans remember him as Thomas Andrews) portrays Milk’s greatest ally, Mayor Moscone. Finally, Josh Brolin (W.) fills the proud-yet-disturbed shoes of Dan White.

One key scene which showcases Milk’s leadership is an impromptu gay rights march after a critical election. The film places the march after a 1978 vote to repeal gay rights in Wichita, Kansas. The actual event, as photographed by J.M. Pritikin, actually took place earlier in June of 1977, after the election in Miami-Dade County. That vote struck down a gay rights ordinance in that city and was the result of the fever-pitch campaign by singer Anita Bryant.

While the film’s success is in its cast, script, and overall historical accuracy, the one drawback is its direction and composition. Director Gus Van Sant has put together a capable film, yet his own composition choices border on the jarringly irritating. A few scenes scenes are out of place, and some points of history, including the march after the Dade County election are casually changed for the sake of dramatic flow. This is the flaw of a great many biopics, and Milk is no exception.

Despite its flaws, Milk is clearly a film worth viewing; not only for the stellar performances of the cast, but for its bird’s-eye view of 1970’s gay rights history. It’s a pity that it was released after this year’s election, since it retells the struggle of another California voter initiative – proposition 6 – which would have called for the state to bar gays and lesbians from being teachers. Unlike this year’s proposition 8, a ban on gay marriage, that proposition failed dramatically.

While this film is unquestionably about gay men, Van Sant wisely focused the story on the lives of the people and their work. Here, we see gay men portrayed as normal as we’ve yet to see on film. It’s a story about struggle, passion, frustration, and ultimately about tragedy. Clearly, it’s a film that reaches out to all audiences. Sadly, many in this area will pass it by, assuming it’s only for the gay community. It’s a film that tells the story of courage in the face of great opposition, something to which everyone can relate.

Just as Harvey Milk worked hard for all of the people in his city, Milk is reaching out to the rest of us. No matter what side of the closet you’re in, or even if you care about closets, it’s a story that’s worth telling. Its message of hope, genuine honesty, and integrity is what drove Harvey Milk, and is a driving force for those who still struggle for equality today.

Bolt, directed by the dual team of Byron Howard and Chris Williams, tells the story of the title pooch who lives in a world where he actually believes that he is a super-powered dog with a constantly endangered master named Penny (Miley Cyrus), a girl whose father is kidnapped by the deliciously evil Dr. Calico (love those evil kitty references, especially when they’re voiced by Malcolm McDowell).

In true Disney style, all of the animals can talk when they’re not around humans, so Bolt ( voiced by John Travolta) is able to share verbal jabs with his feline nemeses (who are in on the act — they love to taunt their co-star, even though it’s all a TV show).

Penny longs to share her real world with Bolt, but her agent (Diedrich Bader) won’t have any of it. He insists that Bolt lives in his imaginary world where he really has those wicked cool superpowers. No one, it seems, is willing to risk their hit show on the chance that Bolt will figure out that he is really just a regular ol’ dog.

When Penny is “kidnapped” on the show, leaving Bolt barking in frustration, the story begins a by-the-numbers, but effective journey where Bolt must discover not only the world around him, but the reality of his “powers” as well. He manages to have himself shipped to the corner of Broadway and 42nd street in New York City, which is a world as foreign as it is staggering to the naive star.

Along the way, he meets a few pigeons (a few of the brightest points of the film), who then lead him to their own nemesis, a lanky kitty terror named Mittens (Susie Essman). Bolt, convinced that she is in the evil gang run by Dr. Calico, strong-arms her into a U-Haul truck to begin the long trek across the states. Eventually, they’re joined by a big-mouthed, and even bigger-bellied hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton).

Bolt’s journey is not only to find his master, but also to find that he doesn’t really need superpowers to be a hero, culminating in a fiery climax where the danger is as real as his love for his favorite human.

While the story itself is a little simplistic and formulaic, Williams and co-writer Dan Fogelman have crafted a film that does reaches its target audience without talking down to them, and manages to keep adults entertained at the same time. Yes, it’s a good film, and even borders on “great,” just not quite.

One of the film’s strengths is that the 3D projection is stellar, and doesn’t treat the 3D as a gimmick, but allows it to enhance the storytelling. It’s one of the few times in recent years where the story does not rely on the 3D. If you have a chance to see the film in 3D, then don’t miss the opportunity.

Bolt does answer one telling question, though: What happens when Disney makes a film without Pixar? Well, here it is. Like Meet the Robinsons (2007), Bolt falls short of even Pixar’s worst films (but for the life of me, I can’t think of any of their movies that could be called average, let alone bad. It’s a little like saying that a round diamond is less glamorous than a faceted one). Suffice to say that it’s certainly no Pixar film, and lacks that magic touch that’s so often seen in films like Toy Story, Ratatouille, Wall-E and Monsters, Inc.

Suffice to say that Bolt is much better than Madagascar 2, and certainly provides a great time at the movies. Kids everywhere will enjoy it, and will rightfully find its place on DVD shelves all across the country in a few months. Until then, it’ll be a perfect excuse to make another trip to the megaplex this holiday season.

Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm separating homosexuals and Christianity too wide to cross? How can the Bible be used to justify hate? These are the questions at the heart of Daniel Karslake’s For the Bible Tells Me So.

As such, at first glance it seems to “preach to the converted” since the film is often screened in more “liberal” or progressive environments. However, after viewing this film, I’m convinced that its audience should be much larger.

One of the greatest strengths of For the Bible Tells Me So is its singular focus on the families that are chronicled. Through the interviews and events of these Christian families with their Christian gay children, the film addresses religious intolerance. A friend of mine who is a pastor has told me several times that he believes that the Church (any time I use the word “Church” with a capital C, it refers to the whole collection of Christian churches, not one denomination in particular) has treated the gay community very poorly.

On the flip side, he also believes (and teaches) that any sexual activity outside of marriage is sinful. No matter how much two people love each other, then unless they’re actually married (read heterosexuals), they are living in sin.

While this would seem to be a contradiction, it’s actually considered progressive by many. While he and I disagree over the “sinfulness” of a loving, committed, same-sex relationship, the Church has indeed been very hostile toward the gay and lesbian community.

It’s this hostility that led the film’s director, Daniel Karslake to make this film, especially after he realized that well-edited documentaries can provide compelling stories that actually influence the audience to a positive change.

Karslake had been working on similar projects for several years. His background is profoundly Christian, including working as a fundraiser for New York’s Riverside Church. His first segment as a television producer was a 1998 segment of “In the Life” about Reverend Irene Monroe, who was a theologian at Harvard at the time. She is an out lesbian. “In the Life” was a TV newsmagazine which was made for a national gay and lesbian audience.

Karslake reflected on that segment and the letters which followed, including one from a boy in Iowa:

“Last week I bought the gun. Yesterday I wrote the note. But last night I happened to turn on your show and just knowing that someday I might be able to go back into my church, I threw the gun in the river. My mom never has to know.”

This email indicates just why a film like this is so important. Karslake also said:

“Ironically gay kids, especially guys — I think because of how we’re made and who we are — many gay kids grow up really involved in their church and tend to be very much a part of that church family. So when the condemnation happens and the rejection, it’s like another family rejection. It’s very strong. So when that first piece aired, it sort of became what I was all about.”

This is the same kind of condemnation that Maya Marcel-Keyes, lesbian daughter of 2004 Presidential candidate Alan Keyes, met with when she was disowned by her parents. In fact, the film also focuses on Mary Lou Wallner, who once wrote to her lesbian daughter that she “would never accept” her homosexuality. Anna, who was both lesbian and Christian, later killed herself. Wallner is now an activist member of Soulforce, a leading organization for GLBT spiritual equality. She writes:

“No matter what else happens in my life, I will always acknowledge the pain and tragedy of Anna’s suicide. However, her death has also brought me face-to-face with the untruth I have been taught throughout my life by the church. My transformation has occurred through a wonderful gift given to me by God: getting to know, understand, and love GLBTA (Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenders, and Allies).

One element that I think is actually a weakness is that most (if not all) of the families have become activists. In fact, several of the focus families are members of Soulforce. Many of them were interviewed during a protest at Focus on the Family’s headquarters in Colorado Springs, CO, where Jake Reitan and his parents, Randi & Phil Reitan, attempted to hand-deliver a letter to James Dobson.

In what is a classic example of Christian “love,” the Reitans were arrested for trespassing after simply crossing over the sidewalk. Their letter was a passionate request to Dobson to stop attacking their families.

Before anyone gets the idea that the Reitans and other Soulforce members were just “a bunch of screaming activist whackos,” keep in mind that Soulforce has at its core philosophy the teachings of Ghandi and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, who both taught that protests should be nonviolent and fully organized. Rev. Mel White has emphasized over and over again that their message is one of love, not hate.

The film recounts an interview that Rev. White had with Larry King:

“When I was on Larry King Live, somebody called in and said, ‘What do you guys do in bed?’ Larry hung up on him and said, ‘that’s none of your business.’ And I said, ‘We’ve been together in the same bed for 24 years – we’re like everybody else, we sleep in bed. And King said: ‘Once they find out you’re as boring as we are, it’s all over.’”

This brings me to the film’s one great weakness. Like many other films before it, most of the people interviewed are activists.

Let me be perfectly clear. I’ve been an activist for equality for a few years, and I’ve worked in various capacities, including organizing two local gay Pride festivals. I do think, though, that it’s as inappropriate as it is unlikely to presume that to be fully accepting of one’s GLBT family member MUST mean that they become activists.

Those of us who are more activist-minded might say, “well, if you don’t do anything, then your rights will be trampled upon.” Perhaps. But what would happen if we gave our full support to each other, without having sexual orientation be even a remote issue?

Imagine a conversation like this:

“Mom, I’m gay.”

“That’s great, dear. What do you want for breakfast?”

“But I’m gay!”

“And you’re hungry. Now sit down and eat. Does being gay mean you don’t eat breakfast anymore?”

“You don’t get it.”

“No, I get it, son. I know you’re gay. I’ve always known. I’m your mother, now eat. You can tell me all about your boyfriend — over breakfast.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend yet.”

“Well then, I’ll give you some tips. Boys are animals.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Cereal?”

“I just came out to you. I want quiche.”

“Oh, cut the queer-eye crap. Eat your raisin bran.”

Now that’s something worth hoping for.

The reality is that most families just want to be left alone. Parents have dreams for their children. And as the preceding dialog shows, parents know their children. For the Bible Tells Me So shows us some of those families. They’re great stories, and they’re worth telling. I was hoping for at least one family whose child wasn’t an activist, but was just as boring as the rest of us are.

Then again, ‘boring’ doesn’t sell tickets.

In all, For the Bible Tells Me So is a compelling film that asks the viewer to look beyond a few verses of oft-quoted Scripture and consider the people that are affected. Every one of these families are unquestionably Christian. They’ve all dealt head-on with the issue directly, and they dealt with them differently.

We have a long way to go before one’s sexual orientation is no longer an issue. Until then, we can view signposts like the ones seen in For the Bible Tells Me So to help chip away at some long-held biases and begin to realize that those of us who are in Christ have the grace to persevere, no matter what. The Reitans, Gephardts, Robinsons, Poteats, Wallners, and Whites (all families who are interviewed in the film) have all dealt with it, just as countless tens of thousands of families across the country have had to deal with reconciling their faith with their child’s sexuality.

Scripture states that when everything has faded away, there’ll still be faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love (1 Cor. 13:13). These are stories of love that show just how hard — and how much of a blessing — the choice of love can be.

Superbad has all of this, but it works. The brilliance of the script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is that it presents the greatest reality of teen life: friendship. There’s only one thing more important to high school geeks, and that’s their best friends. Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are the dynamic dweeb duo of the film who must wrestle with the fact that they’ll finally be separated when they go to different colleges in the fall.

It’s no coincidence that the names of the lead characters are the same as the screenwriters. They too were best friends when started the script when they were 13, and simply wanted ‘to see if they could write a movie.’

Jonah Hill presents a well-rounded character in Seth that as deep as he is chubby. When he reveals his greatest secret to Evan, just the fact that he did the scene with a straight face makes me wonder how many takes it took to shoot. The script was written with a clear understanding that no matter how strange your best friend might be, he’s still your best friend.

I don’t know what disturbed me more—the fact that I liked Superbad so much, or the fact that I found myself relating to some of these characters. Maybe that’s the point of the film. Director Greg Mottola, for whom this is his first major feature, has given the film a fresh approach that succeeds brilliantly.

The key subplot of the film is provided by events surrounding the geek-on-the-outside character, Fogell (newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse). I could have sworn that this kid is an exact clone of one of my best friend’s cousins, right down to the horrible dress. But Fogell isn’t just an excuse to fill screen time, he’s the pivotal character that has the fake ID (what teenager hasn’t wanted one?).

The plot centers around Seth and Even who were invited to the biggest party of the year. The only catch is that they have to bring the alcohol. Convinced that it will mean certain sex for him with the prettiest girl in school Jules (Emma Stone), Seth is the driving force behind their plan.

Like most R-rated teen comedies, Superbad is filled with super-bad language, with almost two hundred f-bombs, nearly half of which are dropped by Seth. The language is indeed vile, but that’s part of what makes the film succeed. One of the elements in the life of teenagers is an awkward attempt to look “cool,” which almost demands the regular use of hard language. Regular usage of the ‘f-word’ illustrate the character’s frustration as well as their clear need to blend in with their peers.

Everyone will find someone with whom they relate the most. For me, it was Evan. He was just nerdy enough, and just worldly enough to know what’s going on. He was also enough of a true friend that he didn’t know how to break it to Seth that he’d be rooming with Fogell at college. Evan’s commitment to his friend is what provided that connection. Sadly, I was able to relate to more of his experiences, but that’s another story.

Probably the only weak link in the story are the two cops (screenwriter Seth Rogen and Bill Hadler) who enter the story just as Fogell attempts to use his fake ID (with the singular name of McLovin). Just as Fogell nearly succeeds in purchasing nearly $100 worth of booze, a robber punches him out and takes the cash out of the cash drawer.

Rogen and Hadler are forced to deal with the fact that their characters are completely implausible as police officers, but manage to play their parts with over-the-top panache. This is certainly not a picture of cops as we know them, but is clearly an image presented as teens often want to see.

Superbad is as much a trip down memory lane as it is a reflection of teen angst in every way. When we walk out of the film, everyone in the audience has somehow connected with Seth, Evan, and even Fogell. After all, isn’t there a little bit of McLovin in all of us?

Willis’ John McClane was a refreshing twist of the action hero who was as vulnerable as he was heroic. The one-liners weren’t bad puns, and “the” classic line from that film (Yippe-ki-yay, motherf***er), became an instant addition to the vocabulary of teenagers and adults everywhere.

Now, 19 years and three movies later, Willis again dons the NYPD badge that made him a hero. Of course, during that time, Die Hard became the epitome of action films. It would be used in pitch after pitch for movies ever since. “Die Hard on a boat” became Stephen Segal’s Under Siege. “Die Hard on a plane” became Air Force One for Harrison Ford.

Live Free or Die Hard brings Bruce Willis back into the genre which made him a movie star. Now, McClane is a dad to a daughter who hates him (the wife who hates him divorced him long ago, apparently, so Bonnie Bedelia wasn’t in this film). Thankfully, his daughter Lucy is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead instead of Jessica Simpson (who was reportedly in talks for the role).

The story is simple enough: McClane is asked by an FBI friend of his to bring in hacker Matt Farrell (Mac guy Justin Long) in for questioning after the defense department mainframe is hacked. Unlike the first film, the action begins almost immediately when the bad guys try to assassinate Farrell, and McClane gets there just in the nick of time.

What follows is a string of action scenes that suspend all plausibility and sometimes even reality itself for the sake of a big budget. Here’s the amazing thing: It works. Director Len Weisman’s fantasy-driven visual style was last seen in the Underworld movies. Since they were his only films before this one make him an interesting choice for both Fox and Willis to trust with their cash cow.

Weisman effectively mixes the humor with the serious, and the well-placed cast only bolsters the film. Probably the only weak link in Live Free is Timothy Olyphant as Thomas Gabriel, the film’s big-bad guy. Of course, there aren’t too many people who can compare to the deliciously charismatic Alan Rickman in the first film, so I have to give Olyphant some credit here. He’s been seen in a few guest-starring roles on shows like Deadwood and was the lead in the 2000 film Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy.

Gabriel’s motive is solid, and his plan to systematically shut down the country’s resources wreaks the kind of havoc we can all imagine. After all, what would it be like if the entire infrastructure were to shut down? Since “pretty much everything” is run by computers, the premise of the film has a fun hook.

With supporting roles from Maggie Q as the high-kicking sidekick to Gabriel, and a strangely Vulcan-esque role from Star Trek Voyager’s Tim Russ, Live Free or Die Hard carries along the story along its explosive path to a satisfying conclusion. An especially bright point in the film is a cameo from filmmaker Kevin Smith as uber-hacker “Warlock.” Smith’s character has the delight of delivering the film’s most insightful lines.

Live Free or Die Hard is a film that’s high on decibels and explosions, light on physics and plausibility, yet comes together in a film that is a fun romp through Washington, D.C. as the world comes to an end. Willis and Long have the usual “buddy movie” banter, with lines like, “Listening to this (music) is like having a corncob shoved up my ass.”

Amazingly, the film is rated PG-13, so anyone can see it. Sure, die hard fans (pun intended) cringe at not having f-bombs every other word. In fact, even last word of “the” line is drowned out by the sound of a bullet. Thankfully, the one thing that isn’t drowned out is the fact that it’s actually good. (8/10)