Hey folks, Harry here - too often in the world of film festivals - various media ends up leaving out coverage of a very vital arena of filmmaking - the Short Film area. Often times this is the most vital and fertile ground to find tomorrow's greatest talents. Let's see what Eli came across from this year's crop...
Eli here on the final day of the Tribeca Film Festival with one key acknowledgement. As I've traveled here and there and every part of Tribeca, I have come in the company of many filmgoers and feature filmmakers and fellow reviewers alike. Some of the more intriguing people that I have chatted up with and come across have been the Short Film filmmakers and their display of their works in a short length of time is a great example of the great bevy of talent throughout this festival and here are some great examples of this medium that should substitute for the growing number of commercials (not trailers) before a movie.
In 3719 Broadleaf Road, a family in the 80s have their movie night but before it takes place, a craze known as gravity boots plays an intricate part in a horror that doesn't need a screen to tell it's moment of crisis.
This film has better laughs and better horror than any of the Scream movies put together and I was satisfied with the result with a tip of the hat to an small fraction of the eighties.
In Dance Mania Fantastic, a young man comes from the worst day of his life to the request of a telephone call. At this point, bright lights and a floor board await him as a video game called "Dance Mania Fantastic" catches his eye and suddenly all the bad news and the bad day goes away, but what to tell the one that you love?
I felt a sense of eye poppery in this piece like no other short I had seen as the color coordination as well as the idea of dance as a great escape plays a great part in this charming piece that has the right ending without giving in to the cliches.
Easter Sunday tells the story of a woman stumbling onto a ship with a package and her communication with the little girl on that ship. It turns out there's a little more to this connection than expected.
With a grasp of talent (with an known actress looking almost unrecognizable) both young and old in this intimate piece, the point is simple and many as well as myself can connect with it in it's 15 minutes.
Another known actor, not as mysterious in this piece, lends himself to a tale involving three people in Spit. A boy with a skateboard and a banker chat it up at a local diner with many intentions and a few cell phone calls that connect the two of them.
It's twenty one minutes, with Eric Roberts, and the situation is all in the running time with its chatty script and a solid last half that tells a little more to this piece than meets the eye.
From eyes to fish, Exhibit 42 shows a young man looking at different pieces in the museum, but the one that's intriguing and dareful is Exhibit 42 showing a fish in a most unusual place filled with water.
It's an audience piece that can get a lot of call outs and had me asking the same question of this character in the film, but the overall result is twisty, funny and overall mindfully entertaining.
A take on an Italian director is here in Fellini's Donut, complete with black and white, unique music and a mysterious woman that comes into the mix of things.
I was amused by this piece so much so that I hope the filmmaker thinks of making Fellini's Cops and Donuts giving the black and white take based on the slot machine of the same name that can make for a fun gambling piece seen through the eyes of "Fellini"
In Chicle (Gum), a young boy and his older brother get through a small town in Peru by the little boy selling his gum and the older brother causing mischief. However a young girl comes into the mix of things and her and the little boy share time together if only for a few moments.
I'm told that this is a piece that will be expanded into a feature and this is one where I would like to see what will come of all the main people in this piece.
The same has been told for W(IT)H, a twenty minute two character piece talking about a past and the element of debt involving a few other parties.
It's Tim Roth and Richard Schiff and with it's great window motif, the dialogue between these two make the piece with these two solid actors adding so much to what could seem a second act. I certainly would like to catch the first and third act of this piece.
In changing the scenery from live action to animation, Janie and Jerome: THE LAST NOTE, tells of a young girl and her teddy bear preparing for bed with a dilemma. In this case they sleep on not being able to hit the last note on the piano. However, as Janie dreams, Jerome conducts her in front of an audience.
For any age, this is a very charming piece (some of which have made it to Sesame Street) and it certainly connected with the little boy in me as it does connect with the kid in all of us. (I have seen 3 other of this series and they are great and good for any age)
In Guard Dog, the loyalty to a dog's master can mean so much even if it involves other living beings around.
I laughed, I loved the choice of music that reminded me a great deal of a small dose of the Simpsons and makes for an overall amusing piece in 5 minutes of time.
With animation, comes a tale of two people, a hotel room and the little things that they remember through the last 24 hours. In Nick and Stacey, there is much to be said about events the night before during the morning after.
The events in room 314 are intriguing in it's description with both leads (resembling Rebecca Romijn and Noah Wyle) telling another key piece of their time. Anticipation for more tales in this very room rank high amongst this viewer.
From one room to one funny as hell short about the eighties, a past "hair band", and the excitement to be ready to rock and laugh. In Spandex: A Father's Tale, a young man is failing his music class and can pass under one condition: he must perform at the school concert. With this difficulty comes an assist from his father who has a past of his own that is key for his passing the class.
With Not Another Teen Movie, the eighties teen films were given some justice but should've had more laughs. In this piece, 21 minutes covers some of the best cliches about those very teen movies and with it's less is more approach make for more laughs and a fond remembrance of the time with it's mood and it's structure from start to finish.
Finally, in Cat's Bad Hair Day, a girl rides a bike and is heckled by the boys at school. The truth is it's the 7th grade and she's starting to grow into those baby steps from a girl to a woman.
This day keeps a serious tone with the males looking like distant relatives of Napoleon Dynamite staying a little more serious than that feature and making the kids the focus instead of the adults.
With all those shorts and their great efforts I want to take the time to remember these names behind all of these:
Glenn Komsky (Exhibit 42)
Hunter Carson (W(IT)H)
Eric Weil & Jennifer Oxley (Janie and Jerome: THE LAST NOTE)
Ed Lachman (Cell Stories (See Shakespeare Was a George Jones Fan review))
Michael Scalisi (SPIT)
Jasmine Kosovic (Easter Sunday)
Josh Hyde (Gum (Chicle))
Bill Plympton (Guard Dog)
Max Hoffman (3719 Broadleaf Road)
Brian Fisher (Fellini's Donut)
Michael Knowles (Nick and Stacey)
Michael Manson (Spandex: A Father's Tale)
and
Sasie Sealy (Dance Mania Fantastic)
which the last two winning special awards Saturday.
Along with those last two, the others featured as well as those names I didn't mention are exceptional visions and those names should not be forgotten.
To those who have crossed Eli's path, thank you for your company
And come on back, the recap is coming up after this
Eli Cross
