Photograph by Denis Rouvre/Corbis Outline

After a decade making movies to woo film-festival-goers (Gerry, Elephant, Last Days) Gus Van Sant is returning to the mainstream. Sort of. His latest, Milk, starring Sean Penn, is a biopic about San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office, in 1977. Here, Van Sant discusses the challenges of bringing a gay icon's life to the big screen. David Walters

Q: Is it true that Milk's friend Cleve Jones, who's played by Emile Hirsch in the film, brought you this script?

A: I stayed in Cleve's house in 1993 when I was working on the screenplay for The Mayor of Castro Street, a different Milk film. Four years ago, he called and said two guys were making a musical about him. One of them was Dustin Lance Black. Three years later, Cleve called again and said he wanted to fly up to see me in Portland, Oregon, because Black had written another script—a drama about Harvey Milk.

Q: Oliver Stone's W was released before the election, to spur debate. Did you think about doing the same thing?

A: The one issue the film could speak to is Proposition 8 in California, the repeal of gay marriage—which is a tragedy. And we're going to screen it before the election to have a part in that. But because it's a political film, if it had opened before the election, the end of its life could have been November 4. It could have become a film you were supposed to see during the election, and after it was over, it's "Oh, that's the election film, right?"

Q: Because you're a gay man yourself, was there added pressure in making this film?

A: There was a little less pressure as a gay man. But it's always hard to make a film that's set in a social milieu. Like Paranoid Park: We were in the skateboarding world, and that's difficult. It has its fast-and-hard skate-or-die politics, and so does the gay community. I think there's a very wary contingent of the gay population that's like, "Don't fuck this up or we'll fuck you up," but there's also a very forgiving side that's like, "Finally, we get our Harvey movie." We ended up showing pretty much only the political aspects of the story, not the Queer as Folk stuff—the street cruising and bathhouse life.

Q: James Franco talked to Jimmy Kimmel about wearing a prosthetic penis, and Sean Penn said he texted Madonna to tell her about his first same-sex kiss. Does that kind of thing distract from the seriousness of the film?

A: He texted Madonna? [laughs] It doesn't bother me. I view things in the "What would Harvey think?" way, and I think he'd love that.

The trailer for Milk

Photograph by Ishika Mohan/Courtesy of fox

British director Danny Boyle, best known for the gritty heroin opus Trainspotting, has accomplished the impossible: He's brought genuine drama to the kitschy roving lights and final answers of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. His latest film, Slumdog Millionaire, tells the story of Jamal, an Indian teenager whose hopes for escaping poverty and getting the girl hinge on winning the Hindi version of your grandma's favorite game show. Amid accusations of cheating, Jamal is forced to explain how he became so knowledgeable during his early life, part of which was spent with a Fagin-like caretaker who blinded orphans to make them more profitable beggars. The film's complexity belies the sparkle of its Regis-y backdrop—right up until the Bollywood song-and-dance number during the closing credits. David Walters

The trailer for Slumdog Millionaire

Photographs by John Tsiavis/HBO

HBO's newest comedy, Summer Heights High, melds the mockumentary style of The Office with the quirky, "Who writes this stuff?" appeal of Flight of the Conchords. It's not a one-man show, but it's close: Australian Chris Lilley, who portrays two high-school students and a teacher, proves that multiple-personality disorder can be pretty damn funny. Take a look. David Walters

1. GREG "MR. G" GREGSON, 36 (PICTURED ABOVE)

Portrait: Hamlet 2's Dana Marschz + Waiting for Guffman's Corky St. Clair
Hobbies: Writing/directing stage productions such as IKEA: The Musical, interpretive dance
Quote: "This is a big show I did last year, Tsunamarama, which was about the tsunami tragedy set to the music of Bananarama."

2. JA'MIE (PRONOUNCED JUH-MAY) KING, 16

Portrait: Mean Girls' Regina George + Election's Tracy Flick
Hobbies: Making new friends, gossiping about new friends to newer friends, modeling
Quote: "Students from private schools are more likely to get into UNI and end up making a lot more money, while wife beaters and rapists are nearly all public-school-educated."

3. JONAH TAKALUA, 13

Portrait: Ali G + Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris
Hobbies: Tagging the boys' bathroom, break dancing, trying to convince his teacher she backed over him with her car
Quote: "We weren't even bullying him, sir. We just Punk'd him. I said, 'You got Punk'd!' afterwards, and he didn't even get it!"

Photograph by Steve Wilkie

It's the year 2056 and organ transplantation is a medical necessity for some, an addictive vanity for others, and an everyday reality for all thanks to GeneCo, a biotech company that sells and finances body parts—and enforces a nonnegotiable repossession clause. This is the conceit of Repo! The Genetic Opera, a musical directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (of Saw II-IV). Amazingly, it's also the most conventional aspect of the film. A soaring duet unfolds around a half-dead stabbing victim, Sarah Brightman gouges out her own eyes mid-aria, Paris Hilton's face falls off—these and a thousand other gimmicks could have made Repo! just a slasher flick with a catchy soundtrack. Instead, it's the sort of brilliant gorefest that might result from a Marilyn Manson-staged revival of The Tap Dance Kid. Bloody good stuff indeed. David Walters

The film's trailer

Photograph by Andrew Bush

Kevin Smith made a porno—or at least the MPAA thought he did. But with his first movie since Clerks II, the 38-year-old director isn't looking to give you wood, just a few more laughs.

Q: How did you convince the MPAA to change the rating of Zack and Miri Make a Porno from NC-17 to R?

A: For the sex scenes, I cited Taking Lives. I may be the only one to ever cite Taking Lives for anything, but that Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke sex scene on top of a dresser? That was engineered to titillate. There's a lot of thrusting and bared breasts—so it's analogous to our scene, except ours is a comedic take on porno sex. And then I pulled Jackass out in defense of some of the film's egregious bodily fluids.

Q: So it's sexually explicit but also pretty touching. Can you escape comparisons to Judd Apatow?

A: Actually, it kills me when people go "Oh, you're doing an Apatow?" I guess it's an Apatow if you discount Chasing Amy. I'd never suggest that Judd took his cues from us, but we've been making movies since 1997 that are very raunchy but also sweet. On the other hand, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up did prove that you can be filthy and sweet while also making a shitload of money. So that was a big help.

Q: Then there's your next movie, Red State.

A: Yeah. It's a religiously and politically dense horror movie about fundamentalism taken to the extreme. It's so relentlessly bleak that it makes The Dark Knight look like Mamma Mia! Nobody wins, there's no upshot to it, and there's absolutely nobody to root for.

Q: Um, so what will people compare that to?

A: It's Rosemary's Baby mixed with Race With the Devil. And did you ever see that documentary about the raid on David Koresh's compound, Waco: The Rules of Engagement? It's like that, too. David Walters

One of the film's trailers

Photograph courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Warning: Before you see Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's overwrought, linguistically challenging directorial debut, you'll want to familiarize yourself with these highfalutin terms. Further warning: Reading this glossary may make you want to skip the movie altogether. David Walters

1. Synecdoche
[sih-NECK-duh-kee] n. a figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole ("the screen" for movies) or the whole stands for a part ("the law" for police).
"In the film, Philip Seymour Hoffman, a theater director who attempts to make sense of his life by putting on a massive stage reenactment of it, uses his set as a synecdoche for a world he can no longer control."

2. Paronomasia
[par-uh-noh-MEY-zhuh] n. a play on words; a pun.
"It was pretty bold of Kaufman to use paronomasia in the title of his movie, which is set in the town of Schenectady, New York—after all, most filmmakers like people to be able to pronounce the title of the movie."

3. Labyrinthin
[lab-uh-RIN-thin] adj. intricate; involved.
"You'd expect the writer of Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to pen a labyrinthine screenplay, but without a seasoned director like Spike Jonze or Michel Gondry, there was no one to untangle it."

4. Pretentious
[pri-TEN-shuhs] adj. making an exaggerated outward show; ostentatious.
"God, Charlie Kaufman is pretentious."

The trailer for Synecdoche, New York

Photograph by K.C. Bailey

We'd suggest that you keep an eye out for the visually impaired woman in Blindness, but nearly everyone in the film is the victim of a rampant sight-stealing epidemic. Still, you can't miss Brazilian actress Alice Braga, the sexy 25-year-old who first charmed us with subtitled dialogue in 2002's City of God. Braga doesn't shun the mainstream, though; she fought zombies in I Am Legend, she tries to evade INS agents in the upcoming Crossing Over, and next year she'll star in Repossession Mambo, a futuristic thriller in which transplanted organs are reclaimed. By then the point should have been made: When humanity is threatened by mutants or plagues, it's best to be near a comely young woman with an accent. David Walters

This fall, Hollywood's next generation of filmmakers comes into its own. Yaran Noti

1. PETER SOLLETT

The Résumé: An NYU film-school grad, the 32-year-old Sollett broke out in 2002 with Raising Victor Vargas, which eschewed drug and drive-by clichés to tell a touching inner-city teenage love story.

The Latest: In Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, a young rocker pursues a hot girl—only the band is queercore, and the protagonist is a bumbling bass player portrayed by the always-charming Michael Cera.

The Model: Jason Reitman, whose Juno reminded us that 16-year-olds aren't all cut from the same bubble-gum-scented cloth. Sollett goes beyond the clever banter to craft credible stories about puppy love.

The trailer for Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

2. SEAN ANDERS

The Résumé: Anders, 28, has a short CV: The obscure 2005 feature Never Been Thawed—a hit at the Silver Lake Film Festival—is the lone previous entry.

The Latest: Sex Drive, a can't-get-laid comedy in which getting nookie isn't the be-all and end-all—for the characters or the filmmaker. In fact, compared with the bizarro encounter the hero's best friend (Josh Zuckerman) has with a scat fetishist, virginity looks pretty hot.

The Model: Judd Apatow, in whose comedic fraternity Anders would be the earnest pledge: He doesn't go for cheap belly laughs.

The trailer for Sex Drive

3. RIAN JOHNSON

The Résumé: Employing slick, noir-ish dialogue, the 34-year-old Southern California native made Brick, 2005's high-school whodunit that has more in common with The Maltese Falcon than with Disturbia.

The Latest: The Brothers Bloom, about a pair of grifters played by Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody, is a classic con story in every way—except for the mute, destructive Asian sidekick.

The Model: Wes Anderson and his quirky, talky twists on movie conventions—but without the costumery and melancholy.

The trailer for The Brothers Bloom

Photograph by Todd Cole/CPI

When Emily Mortimer discovered that Woody Harrelson had been cast to play her husband in her latest project, Transsiberian, she felt a little intimidated. "He's sporty, outdoorsy, and healthy," she says. Everything, in other words, that the slight, porcelain-skinned actress is not. "I am pale, I smoke cigarettes, and I'm allergic to physical activity," she says.

But that frailty—often suffused with naïveté, other times neurosis—has been part of the 35-year-old London native's appeal as she's played a series of vulnerable, distressed women: the long-suffering wife in Match Point, the hopeful sister-in-law in Lars and the Real Girl, and the traumatized rape victim in David Mamet's Redbelt, among others.

So you'll be forgiven if you don't recognize Mortimer in Transsiberian, a thriller in which she plays the frosty wife of a cheerful Iowa hardware-store owner who's traveling with him by train from Beijing to Moscow. As the movie unfolds, Mortimer's character turns ruthless as she tries to suppress her past and keep her dealings with shady passengers on the train from both her husband and the Russian police.

To hear Mortimer tell it, the role wasn't a stretch. "Just because I get cast as the sweet innocent doesn't mean that I necessarily am that way," she says. "When I was little, I didn't want to be an actress to delve into another consciousness. I wanted to wear fancy clothes and go to parties." Now that Mortimer is married (to actor Alessandro Nivola) and has a 4-year-old son, however, her perspective is a bit different. "You get to these things," she says, "and it's, 'What the fuck was I thinking?'"

Mortimer had a similar reaction filming the chase scenes in Transsiberian. "The crew kept trying to adjust my run so it would look action-heroine-esque," she says. "I don't look very cool or sexy running. My friends get me to run for a bus to give themselves a good laugh." Kayleen Schaefer

The trailer for Transsiberian

Courtesy of L+E Pictures

Smart high-school comedies have more to offer than camera-friendly teens. See Election, Clueless, and now Hamlet 2—in which Steve Coogan plays a talentless drama teacher who attempts to save his school's theater program with a musical sequel to Shakespeare's Oedipal tragedy. It's helped along by gifted kids and some cheeky controversy: The musical numbers (like "Rock Me Sexy Jesus") and the wildly profane script (sample direction: "The time-machine door opens, revealing Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and Hillary Clinton having what appears to be group sex") spark knee-jerk protests, which ignite support from a First Amendment lawyer (Amy Poehler). But throughout all this it's the sublimely absurd Coogan—he asks a Kinko's employee, "Which color do you think works best for a controversial piece of sociopolitical agitprop theater?"—who proves that sharp adult quips can carry a high-school musical. Ruth Baron

The sing-a-long for "Rock Me Sexy Jesus"

By Jonathan Alcorn/Redux

On July 13, HBO will begin airing Generation Kill, the true story of a Marine reconnaissance unit during the invasion of Iraq, as observed by an embedded journalist and adapted by the creators of The Wire. The reporter, Evan Wright, discusses the process of turning his nonfiction book into a miniseries.

Q: There are scenes in the show that are likely to upset both opponents and supporters of the war in Iraq. Do you worry about the reaction to it?

A: I don't. When the book first came out, I went to Camp Pendleton and one marine grabbed me and handcuffed me. He said, "We don't like your book." They passed me over to an MP, and he said, "I read your book. Can I get an autographed copy?" I said, "Sure—once you take the handcuffs off me."

Q: The unit was on the leading edge of the invasion and got shot to pieces. Yet no one died. That's not how they like war stories on TV, is it?

A: I was all for them killing people off. Basically, before [The Wire creator] David Simon said he wanted to do my book, I assumed it'd have to be Hollywood-ized and turned into bullshit. I wanted the reporter to be killed while he was trying to save the unit. I thought that would have been cool.

Q: I've heard that originally you didn't want to be involved with adapting your book . . .

A: I went to combat with these guys, and I've become friends with all these guys. The people involved generally liked the book, and I wanted to be in the position, if the show came out, to say, "Well, I didn't have anything to do with it." But I've been intimately involved in all of it, and it was a huge pain in the ass! [Laughs] David Simon and Ed Burns and I would sit in a room, figure out how to do a scene, and then try to make each other laugh—because the Marines were hilarious, they made me laugh. The book and the miniseries, despite the violence and destruction, are funny in places.

Q: What was it like working with David Simon?

A: The cool thing about David Simon is he's very humble. I don't know if any other producer would open up the editing process to as much input. Early on we were in the editing room and one of the actual marines, Sergeant Colbert, came in, sat down cold, and watched. David was like, "What do you think?" They'd never met, and Colbert told him, "I think you should change this and this." David was like, "Okay, let's try it."

Q: How did that experience compare with being an embedded reporter?

A: The whole embedding process, from a policy standpoint, it's right and proper. The public has a right, an obligation, to understand what it does when it sends people to war. But think about it: Just imagine if someone told you, "We're going to send this guy to your job, home to sleep in the same room with you, and if you fight with someone in your family, he's going to record this, and any mistake you make—he'll record that, too." And if you're in the military in Iraq, mistakes involve blowing up the wrong house. So on a personal level, the whole embedding process is unfair. It totally sucked. Here are these guys, they're fucking fighting a war and they have to carry a reporter along and keep him alive only so he can write about their worst moments. There's a line from the book that's in Episode 7: "I'm glad we kept you alive so you can return home and betray us with your venial lies."

Q: Right, the story isn't just rooted in your experiences—you're also a character in it. What was it like to see yourself played by an actor?

A: When I saw Lee Tergesen's comic genius on set, I thought, this is perfect. I had never seen Oz, and when I heard Lee Tergesen was going to play me I e-mailed a buddy, who said, "He was Beecher. He's the guy that was punked out and took a shit on someone's face! He's perfect to play you." Alex Bhattacharji

The miniseries trailer for Generation Kill

Photograph courtesy of Showtime

Watching British TV has always been like reading British tabloids: You get the gist of it, but some things are lost in translation. Showtime sets out to prove American viewers capable of crossing the pop-cultural pond by presenting the U.K.'s popular Secret Diary of a Call Girl with its Britishisms and pasty shagging bodies intact. Despite the accents—and the fact that the lead occasionally delivers her lines mid-blow-job—Secret Diary is supremely easy to follow. The half-hour show is free of melodrama, and Billie Piper is so likable as high-end sex worker Hannah (hooker name: Belle) that you won't even notice the cast is only half as attractive as The L Word's. Margaret Lyons

The trailer for Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Photograph courtesy of the Everett Collection

Since longing for the eighties set in around, oh, 1990, film and TV audiences have been inundated with homages to the Reagan (read: John Hughes) era. But lately, fond recollections of the days of Gingrich and Gameboys have been coming on fast. Here, a guide to which tributes deserve your attention this summer. Erica Cerulo

EIGHTIES: Son of Rambow
NINETIES: The Wackness

WINNER: The Wackness

Trailer for The Wackness

Rambow, about two prepubescent Brits, features neon-clad girls, Stallone references, and a Bowie-like exchange student. Reebok Pumps, Forrest Gump, and Zima give The Wackness an edge, but a pager-using drug dealer who's obsessed with the Notorious B.I.G. (and the spot-on hip-hop-rich soundtrack) pushes it over the top.

EIGHTIES: Knight Rider
NINETIES: Beverly Hills, 90210

WINNER: 90210

The trailer for the CW's 90210

David Hasselhoff's absence from Knight Rider was almost offset by the news that Will Arnett would be the voice of the new, improved KITT—until that development fell through. And then word came that Tori Spelling (Donna in the original 90210) hoped to return in the CW remake. See you at the Peach Pit After Dark.

EIGHTIES: Eddie Murphy
NINETIES: Mike Myers

WINNER: Myers

Mike Myers in the trailer for The Love Guru

Both are leaving the Shrek money machine this summer to star in comedies for grown-ups. Murphy's alien-love story Meet Dave promises to be painful, but Myers sticks to themes of shagging and lost mojo in The Love Guru (costarring Verne Troyer, a.k.a. Mini-Me, and Jessica Alba), which might rekindle hopes for a fourth Austin Powers.

EIGHTIES: The Lost Boys sequel
NINETIES: The X-Files sequel

WINNER:The Lost Boys

The trailer for Lost Boys: The Tribe

Just when David Duchovny has reinvented himself with Californication, the guy decides to reprise his tired role as a paranoid investigator of the paranormal. Bummer. On the other hand, seeing the coke-damaged Corey Haim still alive—let alone in a movie with Corey Feldman—is a feel-good experience that's too mind-blowing to miss.