Directed by: Laura Hilton
Running Time: 12 Minutes 11 Seconds
Country: Australia
The Astor Theatre is an amazing picture house in Melbourne, Australia. They show great films from cult favourites to outright classics and everything in between. Last year they had a bit of a scare regarding their lease agreement. During this time my friend Laura was attending film school and decided to make a short film to help with their cause. The Astor has since been saved and thus the film serves more as a document in history than a current PSA, but it is a great watch nonetheless !
For more information on The Astor or to see what is currently playing, you can check out their website here
I have previously posted a short film from visual effects gurus working in their spare time (405), but here is another of these type of films from Wes Ball and his animation company Oddball Animation. Taking over two years to complete the short see a motorcycle rider trying to outrun a futuristic helicopter plane hybrid thingy all set in the backdrop of a post apocalyptic metropolis and it looks amazing! His company are currently working on a feature called "In Search of Humans" and if this was anything to go by, I will certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for that!
Ataque de pánico! (Panic Attack) (2009) Directed by: Fede Alvarez Starring: Diego Garrido & Pedro Luque Running Time: 4 Minutes 49 Seconds Country: Uruguay
So... fresh off the news that Evil Dead is getting a remake (why?), the first time director in charge, Fede Alvarez. has re-upped his short film Panic Attack to YouTube. Basically his story is one very similar to Neill Blomkamp and District 9. That is, make a cool little short, get picked up by Hollywood and make a movie, only in Alvarez's case he isn't making a full length feature of his short.
Panic Attack focuses on a robotic monster attack on a city and relies very heavily on special effects to do just that. Given how good the effects are, it is not surprising to see someone from Hollywood sit up and take notice. (in this case Sam Raimi) The short plays more like you have walked in at the end of a feature than as a stand alone piece, which isn't necessarily bad, it would just have been nice to have maybe a little more background, but on the whole it is a fairly well polished piece and certainly an entertaining 5 minutes!
Cupcake - A Zombie Lesbian Musical (2009) Directed by: Rebecca Thomson Starring: Anna Kidd and Rose Mastroianni Running Time: 17 Minutes Country: Australia
Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Tasmanian premiere of Raw Nerve, a national production initiative to provide new filmmakers the opportunity to get their short films into production. I was invited by Rebecca Thomson who was premiering her new film Slashed. Matt and I had previously interviewed Rebecca on our radio show regrading the release of her film Cupcake. Arriving home after the screening last night (and an awesome screening it was too), I went to read my review of Cupcake, only to find I had not written one. So let me take this opportunity to do so.
A Zombie plague is sweeping the Nation, but for two neighbors in a quiet suburban street, Zombies are the least of their troubles. Next door, a pair of lesbians have moved in, and whilst the flesh eating living dead may be troublesome it certainly isn't as bad as the lesbians public displays of affection. Of course it doesn't take long for that affection to become infection, when one of the lesbians is attacked and bitten by the local postie!
Cupcake is a great addition to Aussie genre shorts, and whilst Zombies aren't new to audiences, I dare say few of you have seen them singing in a chorus line!! The production values are high, given the low budget, the acting is good with some solid performances by the leading ladies, and the music is spot on! The original songs written for the film are great, although may not be suitable to be sung in public (see the video below). With Cupcake and now her new film Slashed, I truly believe Rebecca is a talent worth keeping your eyes on!!
Cupcake is sure to have something for everyone, be it your enjoyment of flesh eating zombies or maybe some hot lesbian action... it's all there for the taking and all very entertaining!
You can pick up a copy of Cupcake on DVD from the official website and I highly recommend you do, but to get a little taste of what to expect, enjoy this musical number from the film!
Did you ever play cops and robbers when you were young? I know my brother and I used to play it. There was always this moment when playing it, that you decide to rebel.
My brother: "You're dead!, I shot you" Me: "No you didn't, I'm wearing a bullet proof vest"
This short film from Tim Godsall basically takes this to the next level. Lance Henriksen is always a favourite of mine and he is great in this! As is Ewan Bremner whom I haven't seen in anything recently?
Based on a short story by Elmore Leonard and marking a directorial debut from Joesph Gordon-Levitt, Sparks is a brilliantly polished and well produced short.
Robin (Carla Gugino) is a singer who is under investigation for burning down her Mediterranean condo. Investigating her case is Frank (Eric Stoltz), who has been called in by the insurance company which suspects that it may well have been arson and not a bush fire that burnt Robin's house to the ground.
The beauty in this film is the acting, both Gugino and Stoltz are perfectly cast in their roles and as with most Elmore Leonard adapted works the dialouge is witty and intelligent!
The film was shown at Sundance, but it is currently unavailable to view in its entirety online, but here is a trailer to wet your appetite.
I Love Sarah Jane (2008) Directed By: Spencer Susser Starring: Mia Wasikowska and Brad Ashby Running Time: 14 Minutes Country: Australia
I Love Sarah Jane is a hugely impressive Australia genre short. I love most zombie movies, there can't really be a bad one, but there can be overly long ones. What Spencer Susser has created is 14 minutes of absolute zombie joy. You are thrust straight into a world where zombies are reality. In fact; most adults are infected and all that is left are the youth trying to cope with the aftermath and simply survive.
We follow Jimbo, a young boy (Jimbo) who seems hopelessly in love with one of his friends sisters, so much so, that he is oblivious or unaffected by what goes on around him. Unlike his friends who are intent on living dangerously, torturing zombies and recklessly risking their lives.
The film perfectly creates and sustains its own world, fully immersing us and leading us to believe in its reality, the special effects are excellent (no doubt due to the fact that most of them are in camera) as is the acting and direction.
This film is a must see for any zombie fans and to say that I am looking forward to Susser's upcoming film Hesher would be an understatement!
You can watch I Love Sarah Jane in full below; Enjoy:
Kids + Money (2008) Directed by Lauren Greenfield Running Time: 32 minutes Country: USA This was a really scary documentary. When I see stuff like this I know that there are so many things wrong with the world and that people will never change. The documentary is basically a series of interviews of kids ranging from 11-17 years of age. It is focused on the L.A area and mostly concerns money & general living conditions as well as what it takes to be accepted and part of the in crowd and how the kids go about becoming so.
As much as I enjoyed watching it, some of the kids interviewed could certainly do with a reality check and I was seriously shouting at my screen for them to shut up and "get real". It also left me questioning how any decent parent could allow their child to be and act the way some of them do. In short it is very scary. Kids + Money is not exactly bias, in fact it is quite objective and simply presents the Kids as they are with occasional input from a parent, however it does not make any judgement or ask anything too probative.
You can find more information on the director's website here, as well as a clip of the intro.
Sour Death Balls. (1993) A film by Jessica Yu Running Time: 5 Minutes Country: USA
When I was younger my family traveled from Australia to the UK for a few months in order for us youngsters to meet our extended family who still lived in the Motherland. Whilst there I met quite a number of my cousins, the majority of whom live in Scotland. When I met them, they played a practical joke on me, by asking if I would like a sweetie and proceeding to feed me one of the most foul tasting and sour "sweeties" I had ever eaten. As a going away present they provided me with a whole box of these delectable goodies so that I might do the same to my friends back home. (I took them to school and gave them to my entire class) If I had been a tad older and as clever as Jessica Yu, I may have thought of making this film.
Sour Death Balls is an original short documenting the reactions of people given a sour death ball to eat. It is mostly children who partake, but the reactions are so funny and honest that I was in stitches for most of its duration.
405 (2000) Directed by Bruce Branit & Jeremy Hunt Starring: Jeremy Hunt & Angela Burns Running Time: 3 Minutes Country: USA
Made on a completely shoe string budget (mostly time and computers), 405 was one of the first viral short films I was ever witness to. It is about an SUV driver traveling down the 405 highway at the wrong time. The highway has been cleared to allow a DC-10 to make an emergency landing and with him in the way things get a little interesting.
The visual effects are certainly quite impressive, however the two gents behind the film have had extensive practice working on shows like Stargate and Star Trek. The main thing I like about this film is that it is short, action packed and has a nice humorous bite to it.
See for yourself here:
you can also visit the official site here for more info.
Every year Australia has a national short film festival known as Tropfest. This has grown into one of the World's Largest Short Film Festivals and is now held at various locations around the world. This year it was held on the 22nd of February in Sydney and broadcast live to each of the other states, and I attended my local screening.
I will not review the festival as a whole, but I will review the winning film, which was one of the two that I enjoyed greatly (I will review the other later down the line).
Be My Brother Played for comedy, but with an underlying theme, Be My Brother was the winner of this years Tropfest. Set at a bus stop we are introduced to a young man with down-syndrome who doesn't let that get in the way of anything. He sees a woman sitting and waiting for the bus and begins to make notations into a voice recorder of her every move, before sitting down and striking up a conversation with her.
The film plays on social prejudices and the disconnection and isolation of people with disabilities, but does so in a touching and humorous way. The lead, played by Gerard O'Dwyer is passionate about acting and can reel off Shakespeare at the drop of a hat, he reveals his plight to the woman, who in return records a message for the benefit of his brother. The film certainly shows that you cannot judge a book by its cover and that everyone, regardless of their appearance should be embraced and loved.
Well what do you know....I remembered my feature! So here we are, week 2 and I have decided to review one of this years Academy Award nominated animated short films.... it didn't win and I haven't seen the short that did, but I quite enjoyed this one.
This Way Up (2008) Directed by Adam Foulkes and Alan Smith Running Time: 9 Minutes Country: UK
We follow the exploits of a father and son operating a funeral parlor and their attempts to get the recently deceased body of an elderly lady to her final resting place.
I must admit I found the short to be quite amusing and it is certainly visually arresting. It is 3-D animated, but certain shots could be mistaken for stop motion or clay animation. I like that there is very little "dialog" and I am being generous in even hinting that there is any....but overall a well rounded, funny and imaginative piece.
You can find a trailer, gallery and talent information on the official site here
Today I thought I would start what will hopefully be a new weekly occurrence. I have noticed a lot of movie fans who don't like short films, I for one, think that some short films are better than full feature length films! The amount of talent it takes to tell a story (usually in under 10 minutes) is staggering. In fact short film making is a breeding ground for talent, especially for directors! You need look no further than the resumes for some of Hollywood's biggest names to see that they got their start in either short films or music videos (some of which are essentially short films on their own...eg. Michael Jackson's Thriller)
Each week I will review a short film from my collection, or from the internet, or wherever....
I am going to start with one of my favorites:
The BMW short film series The Hire got critical acclaim when it was released. It drew a lot of large names and talent to its challenge of creating 8 short films based around a driver for hire played by Clive Owen.
My personal favorite of the 8 films made is The Follow directed by Wong Kar-wai, written by Andrew Kevin Walker and starring Mickey Rourke, Forest Whitaker and Adriana Lima.
It sees our driver paid to follow a paranoid actor's wife and report on her whereabouts...it is told almost poetically with a melodic pace, beautiful score and some great cinematography. It stands out from the other films in that there is very little action involved, the tale is more of a drama and once all of the pieces are in place you learn quite a bit about our driver's character.
You can watch this short in its entirety below, I welcome your thoughts!
The BMW series had some really good entries and I am sure I will be covering most of them over the course of this feature, but we shall see what happens next week...
