Film Friday: The Milkman of Human Kindness

By Mathew Kumar

So here’s the most interesting fact that we thought we could start this article off with: depressingly awful-sounding holiday comedy Four Christmases was directed by Seth Gordon, the man behind excellent-if-not-entirely-honest documentary King of Kong. Isn’t that weird? Why would that be the next thing you did? It’s especially surprising when you consider that King of Kong was cleverly constructed to create a dramatic arc that many contend was never there, and yet according to Eye‘s Adam Nayman, Gordon can’t “successfully orchestrate even the most elementary gag” in his latest film.
Not that we should have led with that film—better would have probably been biopic Milk (pictured above), about that plucky young milk carton from Blur’s “Coffee & TV” video and how he became the first openly gay milk carton to be elected to public office in California. We think. Or it’s about the guy called Harvey Milk who actually did that. So don’t look for any milk cartons, and, according to NOW‘s Susan G. Cole, you shouldn’t “look for any lesbians either,” though we’re not sure why you would. She notes they’re “invisible” which is something you’d think history would have reported in greater detail, because the power of invisibility is awesome (and now we have to re-evaluate Sue Storm and Reed Richard’s relationship).
Also out this week: Twilight, Ballast, Growing Op, I Can’t Think Straight, and Bolt, and another film from the After Dark Film Festival, Repo! The Genetic Opera, screens again at the Bloor.
In festivals, we have the AluCine Toronto Latin Media Festival, Breast Fest Film Festival, Eh! U European Film Festival, and Cinematheque Ontario continues.