A useful hypocrisy

There are some great little moments in In the Loop, but not enough to save it from itself.  As far as I can tell, my problem with the film is that I couldn't find an access point.  Not a single character is likable and the entire situation is admittedly stupid.  It's supposed to be satire, but it doesn't feel funny.  Just sad and oppressive.  

Full disclosure: I was tired and a bit cranky when I watchd it. Maybe I didn't give it a fair chance, but I don't care.

I was still tired and cranky when this week's student films were screened.  That didn't stop me from loving one of them and liking the others.

There were four "intermediate" student films.

You Never Know is a fun time-travel superhero film made in the same loving spirit that my friend Nick directed the Parthe films of our youth.  It's not great, but I smiled through most of it.

The Big Community is the film I loved.  It is a sweet homage to the Big Sleep and general hard-boiled tropes while simultaneously being a nice family film about intergenerational relationships.  I talked with the director afterward.  He promised to send me a DVD copy, so hopefully you'll be able to see it, Brandon.

Rethinking Tragedy: Creative Solutions to Conflict in the Caucuses was the only dud.  It's too bad because I think that the professor's ideas were interesting and worthy of a better presentation.

Jacob's Birthday features a boy being raped on his 16th birthday.  The story seems a bit too deterministic in its plotting, but the direction is confident and the acting is solid enough.  And the homosexual angst is obviously heartfelt, adding to the sincerity of the pain envisioned and enacted.

There were also seven animated films, but nothing really special.  The music video for Poison is only so-so, but I'll single it out as the best of the bunch because the song is catchy and the tune has popped into my head more than a few times already since Sunday.

The program was a nice way of ending my ushering career.  It was a fun experience.  I'm going to miss doing the job, but it will be fantastic to not have to leave my family anymore.  I really began to regret committing to the entire semester.  I had fun, but it really wasn't worth spending so much time away from my family.  If only I could quit my regular job and get paid the same to work as full-time usher.  Oh well.

I'm all caught up again now with writing.  I think I'm going to take a break for a week or so.  I'll be back after Christmas with some sort of year-end post.

You need to get that new computer  Brandon.  It's not quite as fun doing this alone.