By Delia Paunescu
On The Can
This movie certainly excels in bringing audience interest to a very mundane aspect of life. The story revolves around a man with a fear of toilets due to childhood trauma who discusses this anxiety with a mysterious man showed only by pants scrunched around the ankles – the view from a bathroom stall. While a crowd of bathroom-goers builds up outside of the stall to hear the story, the sharing between these two strangers continues.The film has crisp and clean cinematography that smartly balance out the reality that the action is taking place in a public toilet. The overall commentary on the mentality of the movie business shows the audience that people will gather to see even the most ridiculous of stories as it is revealed that the mysterious man solicits everyone’s life stories.
Heaven and Hell
A tale of a bet between angels from heaven and “ball-busters” from hell, the movie sees a man of great faith in God as he is tested by the demons.Perhaps made to serve as an explanation for those absolutely terrible days that are often to be had at college, this film is imaginative and filled with terrific acting – if a slightly unsatisfactory ending.
Second Chance
This drama also features the interference of heaven. However, unlike Heaven and Hell, the angel here also speaks of fairies and Santa Claus. In the real-world realm of the film, a struggling screenwriter sees the same sequence of time as it plays out in various scenarios. First, his girlfriend of three years leaves him for not having sold a script in many years. In the second, he then realizes her shameless use of his hard work and decides to dump her.
Much like the fantasy world discussed by the guardian angel who confronts each half of the couple at separate times, it is possible that this film has taken on entirely too much. As a result, it feels both rushed and unfinished though the cinematic effort is commendable.
My Girlfriend is Going to Hell – Slut!
A movie as funny as its title, this comedy is about the woes of dating in an age when online hook-ups are more prominent than ever. The sympathetic male protagonist thinks he has found the love of his life (or at least this semester) when he is suddenly dumped for a guy she met on Myspace.
As he struggles with the heart-breaking separation, his friends attempt the typical cheer-up tactics but all in vain as he decides that the best action is to kill the new boyfriend. Fortunately for all involved, karma is a bitch and he arrives at new boyfriend’s room with a butcher knife (as it is clearly the most appropriate for the job) to find him in a bed with a new girl.
In the end, he realizes that some things never change. This film has wonderful character development, a great story and is filled with humor throughout. It cautions that our technology-driven way of life may need some rethinking – especially when friends are too busy to stop an imminent murder because high-definition porn is so much more enthralling.
Given the talent that HFC has shown in the past, the collection this fall only leaves one to hope that the spring will bring a new batch of wonderful films which we know members are capable of.
