We will soon be putting together some kind of ‘end of year’ Obsessed With Film awards and I have a feeling that actor Josh Brolin might be in with a chance of the year’s best actor. His performance as the psycho Dr. Block in PLANET TERROR was note perfect, I loved him in a supporting role in AMERICAN GANGSTER and although I haven’t seen it yet (I’m desperate to see it before the end of the year) his performance in The Coen’s NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is said to be spectacular.

He’s had a great year on film from where I sit.

Variety today have confirmed news we were semi-expecting. Matt Damon has been unable to commit to Gus Van Sant’s film on the death of Gay Rights activist Harvey Milk because he is out shooting a new Iraq thriller with Paul Greengrass, so Josh Brolin has stepped into his shoes.

Brolin will play Dan White, the San Francisco county supervisor who killed Milk and Mayor George Moscone in 1978. Also on board are SPIDER-MAN’s James Franco (as Milk’s lover and campaign manager) and Emile Hirsch as fellow gay rights activist Cleve Jones.

Harvey Milk as we already know will be played by Sean Penn, with filming to take place in San Francisco next month.

Van Sant’s film is attracting some great names and I really hope it fulfills the promise that this important historic event has cinematically and Penn as Milk was an inspired choice.