Two More Movie Reviews - Milk, Frost and Nixon

Shades of Oliver Stone: will Hollywood never learn that their agenda films are box office poison? Even as we speak, "Milk" - the film that attempts to deify militant homosexual Harvey Milk - is going down in flames (you'll pardon the expression), and will gross less than 20 million in the U.S. It stars a miscast Sean Penn as the flamboyant self promoter of promiscuity. I say miscast because Penn was not able to deploy his one reliable acting tic, the gimmick that has garnered him such critical praise in his storied career: constipation.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Keanu Reeves peaked in his first and arguably seminal role as a goofy teenager in the legendary "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure". So too with Sean Penn in "Fast Times At Ridgemont High". Shortly after his breakthrough performance as the Stoner Spicoli, Penn took himself seriously and became an Actor, with a capital A. Thereafter, he was all business. Thereafter, his facial expression never changed from the rictus that paralyzes the features of a person who has to take a really profound crap.

It's been all downhill from there. Penn's films have garnered critical acclaim but little money, and the ones that made money arguably did so for reasons other than his participation. Take his last legitimate big hit "Mystic River". Tim Robbins carried that movie, and Clint Eastwood directed. Penn was along for the ride.

But the insanity of liberal Hollywood doesn't end with "Milk". Ron Howard - a slightly more agreeable Republican hater than Sean Penn - is about to release "Frost/Nixon", which I predict will also be a total bomb, grossing only 20 million or so. In the department of small consolations, there's no really big stars, so payroll will be low; and it's already garnered the "critical acclaim" that insulates Hollywood Producers from vengeful investors; and, his brother Clint Howard (who appears in all of brother Ron's movies) got some work.

Just a thought here, but if what if they had combined these two movies? Now that might have been box office magic.