Gus Van Sant is our Orson Welles

And the question you’re asking is, who do I mean by “our”?

Like many of you, I’m a Gus Van Sant devoutee (you’re not? well, get your head out of the sand, my friend). My Own Private Idaho, when I first saw it as an undergrad at B.U. (trying to avoid studying for a major astronomy exam), completely blew my mind. I had no idea what to make of it: teen hustlers (the role that you never think of Keanu Reeves playing), artsy shots, a narcoleptic narrator. My Own Private Idaho surprised me back then not only for its explicit content but for its dual storylines, the occasional lapses of the characters into Shakespearean monologues, and the wholly unique choices Van Sant made–like the blue magazine covers that suddenly began to talk (remember that moment in the film? pure genius).

Now he’s made Milk, a fictionalized biopic of the first openly gay politician Harvey Milk. Will be great for the young gays to discover this hero. And the choice of Sean Penn and James Franco to play the leads can’t hurt either.

Here’s the newly released trailer for Milk. Can you feel the buzz in the air? Huh? Huh? Aren’t you excited?

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