German 111 project blues and a good Movie.

As a requirement for my BA, I have to take two years of a foreign language. I chose to take German since I had a single term of it in high school, I have relatives in Germany, and I'm interested in reading German literature in its native tongue. Working on my first term, I can say that my German has a ways to go yet.

We needed to get some time doing different cultural things for our class and I wanted to have some fun doing it. My first idea was to organize a German Fluxx game. I had recently ordered this deck from Looney Labs with the idea of using it as part of a project. Unfortunately, my understanding of German is too lacking to read these cards and play the game. The deck I picked up was also based on the Fluxx 4.0 deck and my main Fluxx deck was version 3.0. What's the big difference? Well the card mix is different and 4.0 added two new types of cards: The Metarule and Creepers. So, my first idea had to be scrapped. Add to the issue that there are several different versions of the game--all with different card mixes.

 

Andy shows us how to play Family Fluxx.

I had to rethink what I was going to do and thankfully our instructor gave the class a great answer: The OSU International Film Festival V. Last night I watched the German movie Oh Boy! and it was a blast. The Darkside Cinema was an exceptionally small venue, but we all managed to crowd in to watch the movie.My instructor was there with her boyfriend and I noticed several of my classmates there. The theater we were in was small and it made it a more intimate setting. Having all of these people there did make the movie more enjoyable. Here was my teacher and classmates laughing along with me as we watched this hilarious movie.

One of the impressive parts was the fact that this was a thesis movie made by a German film student--the first thesis movie I could think of before is Cannibal: The Musical. He had somehow managed to convince some famous German actors to play parts in his movie. Shot in black and white, it adds to a darker feel  of the movie as our protagonist  seeks to find his way and to find a cup of regular, black coffee. That last bit adds a small Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle feel, but where  Harold and Kumar is a non-stop hilarious stoner movie, Oh Boy! is more somber between the laughs. With the subtitles allowing me to follow the movie, I was able to lose myself in the story. The movie was great and cuddling up with my wife to watch it again would be fun as well. When my understanding of German improves, it would also be nice to follow along without having to resort to the subtitles.

I still have another movie to watch to meet my requirements for class and I look forward to the next movie. I'll talk about it on here--also a requirement--but I have to admit that is is a fun assignment and not a chore. I'm opening myself to new literature and it seems that I'm starting to open myself up to some films I wouldn't have thought I'd like. I blame my teachers for opening up my mind and exposing me to new ideas and art. I also thank them for the same thing.