Hide and Creep

I've now seen the first twenty minutes or so of a locally produced zombie movie called Hide and Creep, the kind of thing I wouldn't watch if I didn't have friends in it. It's pretty garden-variety drivein filler so far, but there's one specific scene I feel driven to complain about. One character, played by the writer/co-director, is presented as a guy who isn't taken in by dumbed-down pop culture, a guy who can seperate the wheat from the chaff. But in one scene (that has no apparent effect on the plot so far; unless there's a payoff later in the film it seems to be a mere vanity bit for the writer/performer) he tries to order a coke in a restaraunt, only to go into a tirade when he's told they only have Pepsi. The thrust of his would-be Bill Hickish rant is that he isn't fooled by Pepsi's marketing department; Coke is the real thing, and Communist China doesn't let you choose what you want to drink either. And because it's a vanity scene for the writer/performer the server just has to stand there and take it, instead of riposting that for a guy who's awfully proud to not be a dupe for Pepsi's marketing department, he sure is presenting his hindquarters to the Coke marketing department Taking sides in the sugar-water wars is a naive person's idea of how to appear sophisticated; it's like when I was in high school and I disdained people who couldn't recognise the musical sophistication of Yes.

So why do I care about such tepid would-be cleverness in a home-grown film? I dunno why it gets under my skin, but I suspect it has something to do with my wish for folks who are 1. in local films, 2. really talented and 3. my friends to get work that is equal to their talents. Also I hate hearing blowhards bellow their opinions, especially if they're taking it out on someone. This despite the fact that I am one of those blowhards. It's a bit like smelling farts; other peoples' are disgusting, but one's own are fascinating. At least I saved this smelly little rant for the blog instead of Taj India's lunch buffet. Petulant jeremiads on minor topics don't bother me in print; it's that self-satisfied tone of voice that we all get when in rant mode that bugs me. Of course it's always one's own bad habits that most annoy one when they manifest in other people...