Blood and Chips

Hollywood sucks. Maybe I'm being a little harsh but a lot of it really does. What the hell was Transformers 2? Not a movie that's for sure, it was more of an exercise in technical masturbation and a pedestal for Megan Fox to stand suggestively on (which is really stretching her acting skills if you ask me). Although some good, even excellent movies get made from time to time, there's a lot of crap out there. Which is why short movies are fun. They're quick, concise, and interesting. Although even they cannot avoid the influence of cliché and Hollywood sentimentality a lot of the time the movies can be very moving, new and even powerful.
Blood and Chips is an excellent example of the fine, quality programming put up by the youtube channel Futureshorts. Futureshorts is the self-described "definitive short film experience." They upload films from "over 25,000 people in 20 countries" a month, and provide a "unique blend of short film, music and art." They showcase videos from some very exciting new directors and present all sorts of quality videos.
Blood and Chips, the video in question, is well acted, well produced, and well written at that. It has a genuinely surprising twist at the end which really drives home the point of the subtle racism that can seep into those patriotic people who are also uninformed. A point hold dear, being from a small bedroom community with an atrociously large amount of quiet, and not so quiet, racism.
Now, I said this film was well written but I may have lied. It is by no mean poorly written, and it's never a problem, but to say "well" might be an overstatement. My second viewing was less impressing and it was a little cartoon-ish. After I'd seen it once it didn't seem as original or exciting and I saw some things I didn't like. The main bigot, Terry (I believe, though I could be mistaken) feels too much like a caricature and he runs out of the shop a little too quickly. The clerk yelling "don't forget you chips, mate" seemed overdone too.
These minor gripes, however, don't take away from the story and did nothing to lessen my viewing pleasure. It was flawed and at times overacted, but excellent nonetheless. It made a point, didn't get caught up in itself and said what it had to without force feeding it to you. A wonderful example of short films. I really enjoyed it, how did you feel?