giving thanks

twilight--
glad i hadn't read any of the books, allowing me to appreciate pic on its own merit. there is much to enjoy here, thanks to exemplary direction by catherine hardwicke (thirteen). she was perfect choice for job, again smoothly connecting to and portraying teen spirit w/o playing down to demo. soundtrack tonally perfect, high marks for casting on all levels (too many noteworthy to list), rare moments of pushed acting, makeup scary bad at points. i get the comparisons to harry potter series; similarly broad appeal. among best of contemporary vampire tales. drama, relatability, action (thrilling), and romance (hot)--recommended for all.
teen spirit: 4 stars

milk--
can't stress enough how important it is to assemble right Team to fully realize a Great film. producers dan jinks & bruce cohen (oscar winners, american beauty), director gus van sant (nominated, good will hunting), star sean penn (winner, mystic river) comprise dream team leadership for topical biopic. as a result, one of the best movies of the year. pic sure to be called several times when academy noms are read (expect josh brolin's first nod), boys above likely repeat honorees, penn is a lock. startling feeling our cultural evolution through this lens, crawling from 1978's prop 6 through this month's prop 8, onward & upward....
topical: 5 stars