One perk of the shrinking window between theatrical and DVD releases is getting to see Oscar-nominated films on the heels of the Academy Award telecast.

“Milk,” nominated for eight awards including Best Picture, is coming to DVD March 10. The 2009 Oscar telecast airs Feb. 22.

The DVD release will included deleted scenes, a mini-doc called “Remembering Harvey” featuring those who knew the slain civil rights icon and a look at the filming of the Sean Penn feature.

(Photo: Sean Penn is a favorite to win his second Oscar for his brilliant turn in “Milk.”)

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Sean Penn may be infuriating, camera shy and a political naif of the first order.

But deposit him in the right project and he has few peers.

“Milk” is just such a movie, a rewarding biopic in which Penn stands as the unqualified center. A Best Actor nomination is a lock, and in a weak year for movies it’s hard to envision he won’t walk away with his second Oscar statuette.

The film’s political bent will only help.

“Milk” recalls the remarkable life, and assassination, of the first openly gay politician, Harvey Milk (Penn).

The film opens with Milk celebrating his 40th birthday alongside a new lover (James Franco) and some old regrets. He’s a closeted gay man whose life, thus far, hasn’t been much to write about.

That changes when he moves from New York to San Francisco’s Castro district, which at the time (the early 1970s) wasn’t the mecca for alternate lifestyling it would become.

Milk finds his political voice courtesy of aggressive police behavior toward gays and the cultural tsunami that was Anita Bryant. He runs for office, loses, then keeps on running with the hopes he’s spearheading a national movement for gay rights.

With every victory comes a crushing defeat. His political rise could spell the end of his long-term relationship, and his notoriety draws the unhealthy attention of a fellow San Fransisco pol (Josh Brolin), Milk’s ideological opposite.

Penn’s performance all but defies criticism. He’s a flawed but bullheaded hero, preening one moment, pragmatic the next. He lets Milk wash over him, transforming both his physical appearance and behaviors. There’s not a moment where the real Sean Penn makes an appearance.

His work here is so good, so all encompassing that he dwarfs his supporting players. Brolin, Emile Hirsch and Franco all do what they can to leave a solid impression, but the film belongs to Penn.

“Milk” begins in a paint-by-numbers biopic approach, making broad statements about the various characters and outlining the political battlefield. It’s only in the second half that “Milk” roars to life, focusing on the final battles that forged Milk’s legacy.

The movie’s Oscar chances will only benefit from headlines regarding Proposition 8 and a Hollywood community fully aligned with the current gay movement.

Penn’s performance needs no such boost. It’s a masterful turn in a biopic that can’t help but rekindle the national debate on gay rights. As well it should.

(Photo: San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) raises a glass to his latest political campaign in “Milk.” Photo credit – Phil Bray)

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Did you know that President-elect Barack Obama doesn’t support gay marriage?

You won’t find that out from the film critics fawning over “Milk,” the new biopic starring Oscar winner Sean Penn.

Many reviewers have noted the similarities between Milk’s political campaign slogans (think hope, think change) and that of the future White House occupant.

But the same critics can’t bear to critique, or even mention, Obama for his stance on gay marriage.

Think they’d be as silent on the matter if Sen. John McCain had emerged victorious last month?

This has nothing to do with the film itself – which frankly I’m eager to see (UPDATE: The WWTW review). It’s just a preview of the intellectually dishonest times to come from both the media and film critics alike.

Most critics include the recent battle involving Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in California, in their “Milk” reviews. But none I read dared to mention Obama’s opposition to it.

Dana Stevens of Slate didn’t bring it up. Nor did the LA Times’ Kenneth Turan. Same goes for USA Today’s Claudia Puig.

The Village Voice goes so far as to provide cover for Obama in its “Milk” review:

… the president-elect’s strategic non-support for same-sex marriage notwithstanding, it’s the first openly Obama-iste movie.

“Strategic non-support?” Sounds cowardly to me. Isn’t Obama’s election all about breaking down cultural boundaries and bigotry?

Said reviews also ignore Obama’s decision to delay the repeal of the military “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

If anyone finds a review that dares to point a hectoring finger at Obama for his stance on same sex marriage, please let me know.

(Photo: Sean Penn plays the late politician Harvey Milk in “Milk,” the new biopic from Gus Van Sant. Photo credit/Phil Bray.)

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