Gus Van Sant has never been my favorite director, but I respect him as a filmmaker and a humanitarian. Case in point: Last Friday, I attended a charity screening in Portland, Oregon (where Van Sant and I both live) of his latest movie, Milk. Tickets ranged from around $30 to $75. The print was donated, though, so all of the money went to Outside In, which helps homeless youths and others in Portland. According to the organization's director, who helped introduce the film, this is the fourth premiere Van Sant has donated to the organization. Pretty generous, and a great cause. This time, not only did Van Sant speak, but he also got James Franco to miss his classes at NYU to attend and speak at the function. It was a very cool event, and well worth the admission price. (Photographic evidence.) But I know what everyone is wondering: How was the movie?

Tags: biopic, Emile Hirsch, Gus Van Sant, Harvey Milk, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Milk, review, Sean Penn

Ah, the fun you could have with the new trailer for W., Ollie Stone's biopic of our current president! The latest trailer's use of scenes, music and credits can all be pulled apart for your enjoyment. The strangest thing about it is that it seems to be missing Stone's penchant for controversy. Sure, it has several scenes with different film stocks, like Natural Born Killers, and scenes of binge drinking set to George Thorogood songs, but other than that, it comes off rather ordinary. Until you start reading between the lines, that is.

Tags: Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn, George W. Bush, James Cromwell, Josh Brolin, Oliver Stone, Richard Dreyfuss, Thandie Newton, W.

As if there weren't already enough controversy surrounding the filming of Oliver Stone's George W. Bush biopic, some of the actors and film crew from W. went and got themselves arrested during a bar brawl in Shreveport, Louisiana last Saturday morning. There's an old saying in Hollywood: "The cast that fights together stays together." Okay, there's no such saying. But after this, maybe it will catch on.

Tags: George W. Bush, Jeffrey Wright, Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte, Oliver Stone, W.

I come bearing some comic book movie news for Moviefile readers. Back in August, I wrote about the slightly disturbing possibility of a fun-n-bouncy X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Back then, the whispers on the wind were saying that Fox CEO Tim Rothman went so far as to have one of the dark, moody sets repainted to be something altogether brighter. If these rumors were giving you unwanted visions of a cheery Logan, an interview at Coming Soon with producer Lauren Shuler Donner reveals that the movie is actually "darker and sadder and it's kick-ass."

Tags: comic book movie, Green Lantern, Hugh Jackman, Jonah Hex, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, superhero movies, Wolverine, X-Men Origins

Oliver Stone is showing off his version of George W. Bush via a spread in Entertainment Weekly. It might seem a little premature when you consider that Stone says the script is "still evolving" and he's yet to cast someone in the role of Dick Cheney. Maybe his hope is that the early showcase will inspire some actor to step up to the plate -- and soon. After all, Stone is aiming for a release date a mere five months from now in order to hit movie screens before the November elections. Newsflash: People are already getting burnt out on politics; by fall, they'll be willing to shell out money to not sit through another two hours of it.

Tags: Josh Brolin, Oliver Stone, W

Josh Brolin seems to be having some trouble deciding once and for all whether or not to take the role of comic book antihero Jonah Hex. Last month, it seemed like the deal was all but done, with Brolin beating out Hex hopeful Thomas Jane for the part. Then just weeks later, he answered both "Nope," and "Don't know yet," when Collider asked him if he'd be doing the movie. He also detailed some of the thought process that goes into his decisions when it comes to picking roles. To spare you a case of mental whiplash, here's a summary: He asks himself a bunch of questions, second-guesses himself and others, then gets a little embarrassed by the whole thing. Now comes the latest news that writers/directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have dropped out of directing due to "creative differences."

Tags: comic books, DC Comcs, Jonah Hex, Josh Brolin, westerns

Later this month, movie stars and producers will descend upon Colorado. Hollywood's A-listers will rub shoulders with the industry elite, hobnob with the wealthy, attend exclusive parties, promote their causes, and get a sneak peek at a slate of movies. Is it the highly regarded Telluride Film Festival they're all turning out for? Not this time around. According to The Hollywood Reporter, what's got actors and producers all frothing with an excitement usually reserved for prestigious film festivals and awards ceremonies is, instead, the Democratic National Convention.

Tags: Barack Obama, Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron, Democratic Nationa Convention, Impact Film Festival, Josh Brolin, Trouble the Water

I fully admit that my inner twelve-year-old could not be suppressed when reading about James Franco and Sean Penn's new project Milk. I will even admit that the juvenile and annoying elementary school playground rhyme, "Milk, milk, lemonade, round the corner..." popped into my head at the end of the first sentence and it took me about fifteen seconds to regain my composure. That said, I dare you to remain a grown-up while reading this. I won't say it can't be done, but then, you're probably a better person than me. The news here seems to be not the project itself--a film about politician and activist Harvey Milk (Penn), who in 1977 was the first openly gay American man to be elected to office--but that Penn, who will play Milk, and Franco, who will play one of his lovers, will don prosthetic penises in all their nude scenes. Dude. I can't even type "penis" without tittering. I hope the make-up artist who had to apply the prosthesis has a lot more decorum than I.

Tags: Boogie Nights, Emile Hirsch, Harvey Milk, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Milk, Sean Penn, Victor Garber