Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant's Milk (Focus Features)

Filmmaker Gus Van Sant leaves his usual dreamy, elliptical storytelling behind to deliver a more conventionally structured narrative about unconventional activist and politician Harvey Milk in his new film Milk (opening at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas). The film is equal parts biography and look back on the roots of gay activism. Van Sant makes superb use of archival footage to chronicle Milk's rise to political power as California's first openly gay elected official. Too bad the film didn't open before this year's election, maybe the film's plea for tolerance could have swayed some voters about Proposition 8. The film looks to an election some three decades ago in which Milk helped organize opposition to a proposition (Prop 6) that would have banned gays from teaching in California. That bill's defeat contrasts with this year's passage of a ban on same sex marriage, and the film makes you realize that some things and some attitudes have not changed and maybe even are moving backwards. Sean Penn stars as Milk and his performance seems self-conscious at first but grows in strength. Listen to the discussion about the film on this month's KPBS Film Club of the Air.

Companion viewing: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk, To Die For, The Best Man

Filmmaker Danny Boyle came by the KPBS Studios last week for an interview about his latest film Slumdog Millionaire (now playing at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas). Boyle proved to be a lively interview with great passion for filmmaking. He also revealed how the city of Mumbai inspired and energized him. Hope you enjoy this interview feature with clips from the film and behind the scenes footage. And go see the film, it's brilliant!

Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)

Filmmaker Danny Boyle may be best known for his dark drug story Trainspotting. But now he delivers what might best be described as something of a gritty romantic fairy tale. Slumdog Millionaire (opening November 21 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas) is something of a kindred spirit to Boyle's Millions as it spins a narrative rooted in the real world but able transcend reality. You can listen to my radio feature or check out the web video feature on Slumdog Millionaire tomorrow.

Daniel Craig returns as agent 007 in Quantum of Solace (Sony)

Listen to my KPBS Film Chat about Quantum of Solace (opening November 14 throughout San Digeo) and listen to a montage of clips from the previous Bond films at the end. Bottom line on the new Bond: Casino Royale set the bar very high and this one doesn't reach those heights. Quantum offers more action, less character and plot. Craig is still hot, and the film's still worth seeing. More on the film Monday after I present my student film festival.

Ines Efron plays an intersex child and Ricardo Darin is her understanding father in XXY (Film Movement)

The Argentine film XXY (opening today at Ultrastar Mission Valley Theaters at Hazrd Center as part of the San Diego Latino Film Festival's Cinema En Tu Idioma Film Series) marks the feature directing debut of Lucia Puenzo. The film is based on a story by her husband and produced by her father, director Luis Puenzo. The close relationships behind the camera may have helped the film achieve its onscreen intimacy with a difficult subject. I spoke with the director about her coming of age film with a twist. (Be listening Monday for my radio feature.)

XXY refers to males born with a second X chromosome; a condition known as Klinefelter's Syndrome. Filmmaker Lucia Puenzo says she chose XXY as the title for her film in part, for its visual impact.

The new James Bond film opens on Friday and features Daniel Craig in his second outing as the British 00 agent. But in what seems to be an effort to not be solely associated with that iconic role, Craig can also be seen this fall in a World War II drama based on true events, Defiance. The story concerns three Jewish brothers who escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarussian forest. There they hook up with Russian resistance fighters and try to help local villagers. The role looks to be more conventionally heroic than Bond and Craig takes on an accent as well. So if you are a fan of Daniel Craig's, you'll have two opportunities to see him this holiday season. Trailer is courtesy of Paramount Vantage. The film is directed by Edward Zwick.

Edward Norton plays a cop in Pride and Glory (New Line)

By Janeane White

Pride and Glory (currently in San Diego theaters) is another one of those films about good and bad cops fighting drug lords but then joining them. This particular story is about a family of cops. The father was in the NYPD, and has two sons that grow up to drive the black and whites. His daughter also married a man in a blue uniform. The son-in-law (Jimmy and played by Colin Farrell) is under the command of the oldest son. But Jimmy's dealing drugs and killing people behind his brother-in-law's back.

There is a lot of blood from cops beating people up but at least in the end there is justice. The truth about the corrupt cops is discovered, and the people take the problems into their own hands. I felt that the movie was long and drawn out. There weren't many fight scenes. Sometimes hardly anything was happening and I lost interest. I felt like I had seen this movie before in others that have come out in the last few years. And movies like Body of Lies and Max Payne that just recently came out in theaters. There are several more that have the same underlying plot about bad cops. Overall, I was not impressed. There was extremely foul language and every other word seemed to be the f bomb flying out. It became annoying and irritating. I eventually lost interest with the whole movie. I'm not a fan of the overuse of foul language. I understand that this movie is rated R but still, the bad language is just overdone. Another thing I didn't particularly care for is that how could the brothers not see what was going on with each other? How could the commanding officer not know that practically his entire unit was acting as if they were above the law? These cops wanted to run all this covert activity to get money and drugs. But for what? To lose their badge and their honor? These cops sold their pride and their glory of being a cop to the highest bidders. These guys loved nothing more then being cops but what is the point if they really aren't being cops, but bullies? I didn't like this movie because I have seen this movie, or at least the storyline, way too many times.

In my Film as Lit class we are watching movies within the film noir unit and I see even more of the same type of films made 20 to 40 years ago -- bad cops doing bad things to make a profit. This film is not one I would recommend people wasting their money on seeing. If you want to see the horrible justice system then go to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video and rent almost any other cop action movie and see the same thing.

--Janeane White is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. She enjoys movies and spends all her time at the theater. She is also interested in special effects makeup done in the movies. She is an honors student and is currently working towards early graduation. Some of her favorite movies include Queen of the Damned, Hellboy, The Descent, the Underworld series, and the Saw series.

Samantha Morton and Philip Seymout Hoffman in Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut Synecdoche, New York (Revolver Entertainment)

Charlie Kaufman is one of America's best screenwriters and certainly the most inventive currently working in Hollywood. He has written scripts for Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Now Kaufman has decided to direct one of his own scripts, Synecdoche, New York (opening November 7 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas). That choice may have been a mistake. Kaufman, who in the script for Adaptation focused on the agonies of a screenwriter attempting to adapt a novel, does tend to agonize over creative decisions and as both director and writer he agonizes too much. In addition, he has no one to try to balance him or play off him as he so successfully did working with Spike Jonze on Being John Malkovich. So Synecdoche, New York is an often frustrating mess yet at the same time there's an undeniable intelligence and pointed exploration of the creative process in the film. The central artists, a playwright played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, is so self-absorbed by his creative process that he almost forgets to live life.

Synecdoche, New York (rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity) is not for everyone but if you are a fan of Kaufman's you need to see the film because it is part of a body of work in which films play off of each other. Listen to discussion of the film from last month's Film Club of the Air.

Companion viewing: Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, The Truman Show

Elsa Zylberstein and Kristen Scott Thomas star as sisters in I've Loved You So Long (Sony Pictures Classics)

Kristen Scott Thomas is turning into a far more interesting actress than I ever thought she would be. I first noticed her when she did Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient because those films were such hits. She was good in those films but not particularly interesting. But now that she's in her late forties, she is taking on more interesting roles in foreign films - not unlike what fellow British actress Charlotte Rampling has done. This year she had a supporting role in the thriller Tell No One and she has a starring role in I've Loved You So Long (opening October 17 at Landmark's La Jolla Village Theaters).

Angleina Jolie in Changeling, directed by Clint Eastwood (Universal)

By Janeane White

Changeling (opening October 31 throughout San Diego) is an amazing movie about a woman named Christine Collins who has lost her son Walter and the LAPD's attempt to find him. Five months after Walter goes missing, the police claim to have found him. They bring Christine to the train station to pick him up. Reporters are there and the cops are excited to finally get some good press out. Unfortunately Christine doesn't know the child and the first words to come out of her mouth is "this is not my son." The cops tell her to take the child home on a trial basis so that she can realize it is her son and that he has just changed since she saw him last. The entire movie is about how she works hard to prove that this child is not her son. But even though she finds tons of proof to dispute the boy's identity, the LAPD still claim that she is wrong. They even throw her into mental institution. The story then goes on about how she gets out and what she does to solve the mystery about her son.

Changeling was extremely moving. Angelina Jolie did an amazing job as a caring mother fighting to find her child. You wouldn't believe what she had to go through and you definitely won't believe the ending. I thought there were a few scenes that felt drawn out but other then that it was an amazing movie. It had an excellent storyline and good actors. I recommend it for movie watchers that like films that bring tears to their eyes -- it's an emotional story and it's incredible what this woman had to go through. It is sad that her child was lost but amazing that she could fight through it and keep up her courage and stand up to the infamous LAPD. It's an unbelievable story and it's crazy that's it is true.

Changeling is rated R for some violent and disturbing content, and language.

--Janeane White is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. She enjoys movies and spends all her time at the theater. She is also interested in special effects makeup done in the movies.She is an honors student and is currently working towards early graduation. Some of her favorite movies include Queen of the Damned, Hellboy, The Descent, the Underworld series, and the Saw series.