0 8A - Wednesday, January 7, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com MILK From Page 5A Sant steal the show. After directing indie gems like "My Own Private Idaho" and "Paranoid Park" and mainstream hits like "Good Will Hunting" and "Finding Forrester," Van Sant finally found a balance with "Milk." Between mass appeal and obscure art, "Milk" is a film that deserves both applause and guilt- free tears. Van Sant, a gifted visu- alist, allegedly wanted to make this film for more than a decade, andit shows. It's almost perfect. The only setback? James Franco. Yes, he's attractive, but "Milk" proves he's a middling actor. Working with a stock on-and-off love story with Harvey, he's just another popular face in a film in which he doesn't belong. Think Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback." "Milk" is an ideologically American film about great pro- gressive values and fighting to be heard. Milk was a man who for- tunately was listened to, and the film shows the beauty of standing up and speaking out. DOUBT From Page 5A you never know what to make of anyone in "Doubt." It's the kind of film that the Academy drools over. In immac- ulate performances, Hoffman, Streep and Adams each put themselves at differing points in their faiths. But the real runaway winner will be Viola Davis ("Dis- turbia") as Mrs. Miller, Donald's mother. Her beautiful soliloquy about her son is worth the price of admission alone. It transcends the simplicities of religion to show how faith never gives per- fect answers. With a film that has such brave ideas, presented ornately and with historical thoroughness, the only letdown may just be the direction. Shanley, an Oscar- winning writer, directed here and pangs of first-time decisions are apparent throughout. Tilted angles, a bit too much screaming and an all too debatable conclu- sion make "Doubt" imperfect. Just like any religion. "They don't call me the human nail-clipper for nothing!" A bloated blunder Will Smith lacks his usual charm in confusing drama that fails to deliver By SHERI JANKELOVITZ Daily Arts Writer "Seven Pounds" suffers from two major flaws. First, very little , is explained dur- ing most of the S film, making every scene baf- POUndS fling. And sec- At Quality 16 ond, while the and Showcase conclusion of the . film finally offers Columbia a . much-needed explanation, it's a lame one. Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is an I.R.S. agent and a morose guy. His sullenness arises from his terrible secret - one that propels him to find and help those he deems wor- thy of saving. So muddled and yet so obvious at the same time, the secret is easily guessed within the first 15 minutes. Still, the end of the film is rife with confusion. Thomas seems to possess all the attributes of a first-class stalker. He lurks in hospital hall- ways, stands over a blind man while he eats and has a generally eerie demeanor. Because nothing is explained until the end of the film, it's hard to determine just why Thomas is behaving like such a creep. This is most likely done intentionally, to shroud the entire film in cheap mystery. Instead, it proves to be a headache-inducing experience. By the time Thomas's true motives are revealed, there's so muchsuspensethatthetruthwould have to be something spectacular to appease viewers. Unfortunately, it's nothingspecial. The film swells to a mind-blowing conclusion, but, when it comes, it's far closer to a whimper than a bang. The truth is much less exciting than any of the possibilities - Thomas is an angel, Thomas is the messiah, it was all a crazy dream - running through the audience's mind. Smith is such a charismatic guy that it's almost a crime to keep him so subdued. The rare moments when his character cracks a joke or a smile make the audience laugh or smile in turn. After all, it's nice to see Will Smith being Will Smith. If only we didn't have to suffer through his dreariness for the rest of the film's running time. Looking beyond Smith's per- formance, the entire film is actu- ally rather bleak as well, though several scenes demonstrate its potential. As two of Ben's seven chosen people to save, Rosario Dawson ("Sin City") and Woody Harrelson ("No Country for Old Men") garner interest as multi- faceted characters who, unfortu- nately, aren't given enough time to shine. Dawson gives off an especially luminous quality; each of her scenes with Smith works because both actors are simulta- neously dramatic and human. In particular, the scene where Smith and Dawson share a candlelit din- ner showcases the chemistry they could have, if only the film gave them room to explore it. The film's transparent attempts to get viewers to think and cry at the same time are exhausting. Whatever is supposed to be so moving or thought provoking is left a mystery. In the end, noth- ing much happened, and the little that did borders on ridiculous. The film just jerks us around, and when it's all over, it's not a very exciting ride. 4 a Opportunity Favors the Prepared Mind What: BlackRock Information Session Speaker: John Nichols Managing Director BlackRock Solutions Class of '88 When: Thursday January 8th 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 P.m. Where: Michigan League Hussey Room S > BLACKROCK INVESTMENTS www.blackrock.com a 4 I I 0 A 02008 BlackRock, Inc. All Rights Reserved.