Milk, the true account of America’s first openly gay politician, Harvey Milk, reflects a small sign of change. Gus Van Sant, with his best film to date, has poignantly revealed Milk’s struggle to give his people a voice in 1970s era San Francisco. As he turns 40, he decides that he is unwilling to continue hiding his sexuality and moves to San Francisco, where others are drawn to his kindness and determination. Focusing mostly on his repeated attempts to get elected into public office, Milk is a great political movie, a revealing biography, and an important historical piece. Held together by Sean Penn’s transcendent performance in the lead role, and enhanced by great supporting roles from Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, and the increasingly impressive James Franco, the film never lags and is emotionally moving, particular in the film’s final minutes. I give nothing away when I tell you that Milk, along with the mayor of the city, was assassinated by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White in 1978. The murder, and the exalting memoriam that followed, are heart wrenching. As Bottom the Weaver knows in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the death scene is the most important moment of the story, and Penn’s reaction to his imminent death would have made Bottom envious. Van Sant then uses actual footage from the candlelight march that followed on the streets of San Francisco, creating an emotional effect that is truly moving and unforgettable. Milk is one of the best movies of the year.

Tropic Thunder, my favourite of the two, and one of the best parodies I have seen in some time, is Ben Stiller’s first trip behind the camera since Zoolander in 2001. Also in the lead role, as Hollywood star Tugg Speedman, Stiller brings his best effort to this movie and scores some big laughs mocking Rambo-type action heroes as he tries to inspire his fellow actors to greatness. Stiller is a great comedian, I only now admit that, and it is his relentless pursuit to make people laugh that makes him a star. He approaches every joke like baseball superstar Ryan Howard approaches every at bat, trying his hardest to hit a home run, knowing that this approach will lead to more strikeouts than is normally acceptable of a Hollywood Star or a Major League ball player. Howard, a former MVP, is on the verge of breaking his own single season strikeout record, and, despite leading the league in Home Runs and RBIs, will never be considered a legend because of his strikeouts. Stiller, brilliant at times in this movie, is never consistently funny. His Simple Jack character mocks mental disorder in such a distasteful way that he makes us forget his intensely funny Rambo impressions throughout the movie. Still, no one tries harder for laughs than Stiller. I just wish it didn’t seem like he finds his own jokes a lot funnier than everyone else does.

Where most Hollywood comedies go wrong is in the performances. All due respect to Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell, but Hollywood’s two highest paid comedies are merely masters of sketch comedy, creating one note characters able to generate enough laughs to make audiences overlook the bad jokes and worn-out, clichéd plot lines. Where Tropic Thunder truly excels is in the performances of Tom Cruise as a domineering Hollywood executive and Robert Downey Jr. as Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, who takes such extremes that he undergoes a surgical procedure that makes him look black. Cruise is hilarious, brashly screaming obscenities one moment and quietly threatening those around him before he has taken his next breath. He brings the intensity he had in his Oscar nominated role in Magnolia up another level, and his short time on screen prevents the audience from tiring at his incessant yelling and cursing. In a more nuanced performance, Downey Jr. spouts acting wisdom while never leaving character. His jive talkin’ 70s soul brother is perfectly balanced through the character of Alpa Chino, a rap star upset that such a prominent black role went to Lazarus and the word-play between the two is a consistent highlight, with Lazarus refusing to acknowledge that he is not actually a black actor from America. Downey Jr. and Cruise, both Oscar nominated actors, help elevate Tropic Thunder above standard comedy fare. Comedic roles, supposedly the hardest to play, need to be placed into the hands of such capable actors more often. The greatest of all Hollywood comedies, Dr. Strangelove, featured George C. Scott and Peter Sellers. I shudder to think what that film would have been like without them.

Pineapple Express, Judd Apatow’s latest comedy, with Seth Rogan as Process Server Dale Denton, who delivers subpoenas in between his constant joint smoking sessions, will never be considered Apatow’s Magnum Opus. The film is an absolute mess, with a plot so inexplicable it seems to have been improvised to fit the jokes, but strangely, I have found myself thinking back and laughing at much of the film. As with Tropic Thunder, the performances are fantastic, and in this movie, they actually save the show. Rogan, playing an everyman action hero, albeit a stoned one, and James Franco are a joy to watch on screen. Franco’s stoner drug dealer Saul Silver is a likeable and loyal doofus, who pretends he is a badass with his more unwanted customers but takes to Denton for some reason (probably because Denton is always politely trying to get his weed and get going). After Denton witnesses a murder, the two find themselves on the run from Saul’s supplier and his henchmen Budlofsky and Matheson, hilariously played by Kevin Corrigan and Craig Robinson. Throw in Danny McBride as timid middleman, Red, and we have some comedy happening here. McBride in particular is a revelation. Off-putting at first, his character slowly develops into the comedic focal point of the movie, as he resiliently tries to atone for his disloyalty to Saul and Dale. Stoner movies have a tendency to gain cult followings and the same will be true of Pineapple Express. Given that the movie’s pace lags in several areas, giving pot smoker’s a chance to continue rolling throughout the movie, stoners everywhere are sure to embrace Pineapple Express. Movie lovers, not so much. In fact, the film was directed by David Gordon Green, whose film debut, George Washington, was one of the more impressive first features I have ever seen. Now that he has tasted Hollywood, I wonder what will happen next?