Chicago International Children's Film Festival

For the last five weeks I have hit the so-called expressway every afternoon and driven into Chicago to spend Wednesday evening viewing films from across the globe as a member of the Chicago International Children's Film Festival adult jury.

I have never read so many subtitled movies in such a short time.

I served on the jury team judging Animated Features, along with Aaron, Alan, Anna, Eleanor, Glenn, Isabelle, Leslye, Lynn and Natasha.

Together we viewed over four hundred minutes of animated films. As a young Adult author I really enjoyed checking out the screenwriting from around the world. There are a few I plan on going to see again during the Chicago International Children's Film Festival in the fall.

As a jury, we looked at a variety of genres. Some movies were meant for kids as young as 2, others for elementary, middle grade and high schoolers. We were charged with the near impossible task of whittling down the list to pick two.  We were called a jury, and jury we were, as we went over the films and deliberated, using various techniques to come up with the top ranked films. While some jurors had to say goodby to their personal favorites, in the end everyone felt pretty satisfied with our final selections.

Which two did we select?

You'll have to wait for the official announcement. And think about attending the 30th annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival October 25 - November 3, 2013, if you are in the Chicago area. Visit http://www.cicff.org/content/fest-faqs/35 in the upcoming weeks for the complete schedule and festival highlights.

Decisions

Over the weekend I went to the movies to see Star Trek. I'm an old time Trekkie from the dark ages, yet I do love this new incarnation of the story. The friendship between Kirk and Spock has always been the major point of the original Star Trek series and movies. It's great to see it continue with this new line.  Come on Kirk, did you really think Mr. Logical-And-Proper would not file a report? I mean, really!!

But that's not the most memorable part of this movie, at least not for me.

Cheif Engineer Scotty shows his independence when Captain Kirk orders him to do something he knows is wrong. Scotty is ordered to sign off on allowing torpedoes with unknown to be placed on the enterprise.  Knowing their engines are basically explosives just waiting to go "boom" at the wrong move, or if contaminated by the wrong energy, Scotty says he'd resign first.

Captain Kirk accepts his resignation.

The same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

No torpedoes were involved, no unknown energy sources, nothing was going to explode. But I was told to do something that would inconvenience a number of people for no good reason other than the powers that be decided that's what should happen. I could not agree to do that.  I refused to follow the order, and I was out of a project I had worked on since last August. The new person steps in at the 11th hour and gets all the kudos for her hard work. But I wouldn't change my decision. I made the right choice. Nothing went boom, many of the people involved don't even know things could have been better for them. But I did not compromise, and I don't regret my decision.

For the record, Scotty was right too.

Movie Night

I know. This has nothing to do with writing. But even us writers get to have a little time off.

This weekend I saw one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I'm not a professional critic, but I know when something tanks, and Public Enemy did, big time. Lots of tommy guns, lots of men running and swearing and shooting - it reached the point I didn't know who was who. Worse still, I didn't care. One of he few times I've ever walked out of a movie, but I was too bored to see watch the Lady in Red get him done in.

Anyway, don't tell the theater, but I went in to see he Hangover instead. Not even sophomoric humor, this was too grade school for words - and I loved it. It's a comedy, a detective story, even a bit of a love story. Childish - featuring the future brother-in-law that would make you think twice about joining the family, and a set of impossible adventures that show how wild men can get once their so-called rational minds go to sleep. I defy anyone except the most rigidly straight-laced to not like this movie.

I'm actually looking forward to the sequel.