Studies have shown that we humans take only 100 milliseconds to make up our minds about a stranger. Personality, talent, intelligence and all the other traits that make us unique individuals are lost. We judge people on nothing more than the arrangement of their features. No matter how many times we are told not to "judge a book by its cover," beginning with the saccharine children's programs we have grown up with, we remain stubbornly shallow.
On the surface, an amateur rugby player, an aspiring college student and a hitman may not have a lot in common. One could blow a game play, one may blow his chance to get into college and the last might just blow your head off. Yet these different roles represent the diverse spectrum of protagonists whose stories were told at the fourth edition of the Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF).
On a typical Saturday morning at 9 a.m., UC Irvine's Student Center would be silent and empty, with the exception of a few over-achieving students trying to get ahead at the beginning of a new quarter. Normally, the sun's rays would be reflecting off the tables in the bare studying areas and the windows of the large meeting rooms.
Student film group Midnight Society beat out Incredulous Marshmallow Productions and Porkchop Sandwiches among others to take home best picture in the 5th Annual 24-Hour Mad Film Dash. Hosted by the UC Irvine Computerstore, the event gives students the chance to write, produce and direct their own short films. The competition had a large turnout with 50 films; 25 of the films were screened at the festival.
THE D-TRAIN: Everyone makes mistakes. Whether or not the individual can learn from the consequences is entirely up to them. But when you disregard someone who has literally redefined the quarterback position, infusing agile dexterity into what used to be a conventional drop-back-to-pass formula, it doesn't seem like the most logical thing to do. Despite his legal issues, especially his role in a dog fighting operation that created a stir nationwide, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick deserves a second chance.
