The Van Job

I got invited to the premiere of The Van Job in Olympia, WA by a friend of mine. I really didn't want to go, seeing as most independent short films around here are either A) crappy quality, B) about pretentious hipsters moping around the vinyl bin of their local music store, C) abstract imagery and dissonant jazzy music that parades as "high art" or D) all of the above. However, The Van Job was free and only about 20 minutes, so I went.

To say I was impressed by the time I left is not doing the movie enough justice. Sure, the script could have used some work, but it was fun and easy to follow. Sort of like watching an episode of CSI. The acting wasn't bad either. Not great, but better than most of the garbage that gets produced around here (and in Hollywood). What impressed me the most was that it was obvious the producers put a lot of effort into how it looked. The visual aspects were by and large the best part of the movie. The score was pretty good too.

I hope the people who made this movie keep making more. It's nice to see independent film makers that are interested in making movies that aren't about hip young people who are preciously awkward and ironic.