Top Films of the Year

Calif. gay-marriage ban puts biopic in broader, cause-defining light

(NEWSER) - If Milk, the film on San Francisco’s first openly gay city supervisor, had opened earlier, might it have swung the Proposition 8 vote? Maybe, writes Dennis Lim in Slate—but in light of the passage of the California gay-marriage ban, Milk becomes both a poignant “look-how-far-we-haven’t-come” tale and a roadmap for the gay-rights battle ahead. More»

Holiday would honor activist's birthday

(NEWSER) - Sean Penn today joined the push to recognize Harvey Milk's birthday in California, Variety reports. State senator Mark Leno is re-introducing a bill seeking a statewide “day of significance” on May 22, the birthday of the gay activist Penn won an Oscar for portraying. Schools would be encouraged to mark the day, but the bill won’t cost the state anything, Leno said. More»

(NEWSER) - American art houses are finally getting a taste of Katyn, legendary Polish director Andrzej Wajda’s acclaimed film about the World War II-era massacre of the same name, and critics are heaping yet more acclaim on it. AO Scott of the New York Times calls it “solemn and searing,” while Andrew Sarris of the New York Observer says Wajda “has made a heroic effort to translate a historical crime into a saga of human hope and delusion.” More»

Heath Ledger receives posthumous award

(NEWSER) - Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner at the Critics' Choice Awards last night, taking home five trophies, including best film and best director (Danny Boyle), MTV News reports. Heath Ledger, meanwhile, continued his posthumous honors, picking up best supporting actor (and a standing ovation) for his turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight. More»

But feisty actor still has fightin' words for Russell Crowe, critics

(NEWSER) - Louisiana prosecutors have agreed to drop all charges against Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright for a July barroom brawl the two allegedly got into while filming Oliver Stone’s W. Brolin and Wright, along with five members of the film’s crew, faced misdemeanor charges from the fight, People reports. More»