James Franco

Milk Starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin. Directed by Gus Van Sant. Released by Universal Studios. $29.98. (Blu-ray, $39.95) Rated R. *** 1/2 (3 1/2 STARS) Sean Penn is nothing short of extraordinary in Milk, director Gus Van Sant's biopic of slain gay rights pioneer and San Francisco assemblyman Harvey Milk. He loses himself absolutely in the role, becoming this outgoing, physically slight but emotionally volatile character whose energy is only matched by his outrage over the inequities gay men like him have had to endure for too long.

[Sony Pictures] Starring David Niven, Kim Hunter; James Mason, Helen Mirren. Both directed by Michael Powell. $24.96. *** 1/2 dvds Best known for directing one of the most beautiful (1948's The Red Shoes) and one of the most controversially voyeuristic (1960's Peeping Tom) films ever released, British director Michael Powell packed a lot more than those two milestones into his four-decade career. This two-disc set, with movies made available for the first time on DVD, offers evidence of both his talent and his singular vision.

now playing "Admission" (PG-13). An admissions officer for Princeton University takes a surprising detour on the road to happiness. With Tina Fey, Paul Rudd and Michael Sheen. TownMall Cinemas (12:00, 2:35, 5:10, 7:40, 10:15 p.m.) "The Call" (R). A 911 operator takes a call from a teenage girl who has been abducted, and she realizes she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl's life. With Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin and Morris Chestnut.

M ilk rests so exclusively - and solidly - on its performances, especially Sean Penn's marvelous characterization of Harvey Milk, that audiences won't realize how strong its mojo is until an assassin's bullets break the spell. It's not a great movie, but it is an enlivening and unusual one: an effervescent political film that also packs a knockout punch. As Milk, Penn provides the most embracing, democratic portrait of an American figure since Henry Fonda's young Abe Lincoln - and Fonda was playing Lincoln in his lawyer days.

Myth-charged, elemental images bring Tristan & Isolde within hailing distance of real magic. Bereft knights send their moribund champion, Tristan (James Franco), across the sea amid bouquets of flaming arrows. A tremulous bride, Isolde (Sophia Myles), stands grimly upright in a boat as she glides on a river to a politically motivated marriage. Unfortunately, in the end, all you get are magic's distant echoes. Parts of this ultimate doomed-love story have an enjoyable sweep and thrust.

NEW YORK - Curled on a chair in her hotel room, Eliza Dushku is multitasking while a hair stylist and a makeup artist primp her for a late-night talk show spot. The actress finishes a salmon salad, takes a drag on a cigarette and chats about Wrong Turn, her new movie. "It's really scary, isn't it?" she says, with a mischievous look. It is, but Dushku, 22, isn't worried about becoming her generation's Jamie Lee Curtis. Dushku (rhymes with "push-koo") won fans as the dangerously sexy Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff, Angel.

Tropic Thunder *** ( 3 STARS) $16.3 million $65.8 million 2 weeks Rated: R Running time: 107 minutes What it's about: A failing action star (Ben Stiller, above), a drug-addicted comic (Jack Black) and a celebrated Australian actor (Robert Downey Jr.) stumble onto real guerrillas while making a war film. Our take: Downey is daringly funny as a white man from Down Under playing an African-American soldier. At its best, this movie wrings divine madness from wretched excess. House Bunny ** 1/2 ( 2 1/2 STARS )

Aretha Franklin plans a downloadable do-over for inauguration performance President Barack Obama took a do-over on his oath of office. Now the Queen of Soul is following his lead. Aretha Franklin has recorded a "preferred version" of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," which she sang at Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration. Franklin said in a statement yesterday that she wasn't able to give her "very best" in the ceremony's cold weather but wants fans to have the best possible version of her singing the song.

SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW Comedy SEX AND THE CITY -- (New Line Cinema) The fab four retake Manhattan four years after the end of the TV series. With Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Jennifer Hudson. Opens May 30. YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN -- (Columbia Pictures), Adam Sandler stars as an Israeli commando who fakes his own death to pursue his dream of becoming a hairstylist in New York. With John Turturro and Rob Schneider. Opens June 6. THE PROMOTION -- (Dimension Films)