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

I'm not going to lie. For a very long time, I pronounced the word "biopic" wrong. I think I knew that I didn't quite have it right because I avoided saying it. When I did say it, it rhymed with "myopic." Luckily, I learned to say it correctly about the same time the genre started winning people Oscars. I'm proud to say (correctly!) that Forest Whitaker is about to put in his bid for a hopeful nomination in the now classic Oscar Bait: Musician Biopic Edition. He's signed on to star in and direct What a Wonderful World, a Louis Armstrong biopic, for Legende, the French production house behind La Vie en Rose.

Tags: biopic, Forest Whitaker, Louis Armstrong, Oscar, Satchmo, trumpet