Hello, I'm Dana Stevens Slate's movie critic, and I'm here with the Slate Spoiler Special podcast on Milk, the new Gus Van Sant movie about the life and times of Harvey Milk.

Joining me in the studio is June Thomas Slate's foreign editor.

Hi, June.

Hey, Dana.

So we had the pleasure of seeing milk together the other night.

It really was a pleasure, especially because I had just seen Australia, which is such an awful movie that same day. And it was just delightful to remember that movies can have subtlety and nuance and be so nicely done.

So did you like it as much as I did?

I really liked it.

And to the extent that because unlike you, I don't usually go to the movies with a critical eye.

I don't have to write movie reviews.

You can just let it wash over you.

I'm so jealous.

But when I know I'm going to do something like this, I usually take copious notes and overcompensate.

And I started to do that, but I completely became lost in the movie and in the story.

And, you know, I looked down at my little pad that I was gripping through it afterward.

And I had maybe three little scribblings.

So I think that's a real testament to how compelling it is and what a good story is.

I was also familiar with the story somewhat.

It's been a while since I read anything about Harvey Milk, but there really weren't any surprises for me.

And yet, again, I was completely caught up in it.

And that's something that's hard for a biopic to do, right? Especially if you're familiar with the story,

it's so easy for it to check off the boxes. Oh, well, now this happens and that happens. And, you know,

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