Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with a true first for me and for this column: a small collection of shorts that really stood out to me as something incredible that have screend here on SATURDAY SHORTS at one time or another. I'll be honest, my email is down and will be down until Monday morning and while some folks might say "Hey Muldoon, no worries - we'll see you next week" - it simply felt like the best time to sift through past articles and revisit a few gems. Unless you've been checking out SATURDAY SHORTS since day one and have watched each and every short here - you might catch something you've missed, something that is sure to blow your mind. Today feels a bit like relaxing at home, sifting through your DVD collection and even having seen the film a few times - popping it back in to see what you might have missed on the first few go arounds. Given today's the 4th of July, I truly, sincerely, deeply hope you're reminded of the fact that what we have here in America is pretty damn good. Is it perfect? No. Is it the nation those men back in 1776 had in mind? I'd hope so, but honestly have no clue. Do I hope you go outside, barbecue, and catch some fireworks? Of coure. So if you need to circle back to Saturday Shorts tomorrow when you have more cool down time - do it! It'll still be here waiting for you. So go out and have some fun, then come back when you have the time to fullscreen each of these/crank up your computer's volume to 11.
Go grab yourself some popcorn, lock your kids in a closet, kill the lights, relax and check out this little weekly film fest we've got ourselves here:
MELTDOWN
TRT: 6:08
I can't have a retrospective without featuring the short that initially kicked us off. MELTDOWN is a hilarious TOY STORY in a fridge style film from director Dave Green. Keep in mind, when this screened on SATURDAY SHORTS way back when, it was before EARTH TO ECHO or TMNT2. The guy's got skill and I'm a fan. I'll be honest, the idea of screening shorts on AICN wasn't a magical discovery of "Why hasn't anyone dones this?" I mean Cinematic Shrimp was here long before and who knows if they've tried a shorts column in the past - my thing is it truly is this short film that smacked me in the most obvious "AICN needs a way to showcase cool shorts" kind of way. If you're looking to see what Dave is up to, then fly over to his website or take a peak at the making of MELTDOWN when you can (it's worth a look).
MELTDOWN from Dave Green on Vimeo.
BLOOD FROM A STONE
TRT: 8:21
KUNG FURY watch out! Director Bill Palmer's BLOOD FROM A STONE is a classic. He perfectly executed a fun 80's style badass film with sexy ladies, mullets, and cool cars. I love this short and have been a fan of Bill's ever since. "When renegade cop Sean Sharpstone gets behind the wheel of his t-top Camaro, rules, consequences and ethical behavior take a backseat to looking good, kicking ass and spitting one-liners in this tongue-in-cheek homage to "Fascist Action" films of the 1980's. You've been invited to sit shotgun." Run, don't walk, over to Bill's Vimeo Page and check out what else the man's been up to!
Blood From A Stone from Bill Palmer on Vimeo.
THE GATE
TRT: 818
Matt Westrup has our next short, a science fiction creature flick that garnered him some big studio attention. This is a genuine "Whoa" kind of film! I can't wait to see what Matt's working on now!
MEMORIZE
TRT: 7:12
Eric Ramberg and Jimmy Eriksson have our next film, a futuristic action romp that is sure to impress. "In 2027, everyone is implanted with a chip - the Memorize-chip. It records everything you see, a new system to fight crime. One unit controls the system. The SSU - Special Surveillance Unit." Head over to their company website to see what they've been up to.
Memorize - Short Film from Jimmy Eriksson on Vimeo.
ABE
TRT: 8:22
Next up is a film that's unpleasantly stuck with me in terms of creepiness. It's an incredible well done piece from Rob McLellan. If you've not seen this, then do yourself a favor and give it your full attention. It's incredible. Head over to the short's website for a behind the scenes breakdown on how it was created!
ABE from Rob McLellan on Vimeo.
THE VISITANT
TRT: 7:14
To wrap us out with this quick glance back, we've got a short from Nick Peterson and Jon Heder with Amy Smart as a mother dealing with a few issues... like a creature (Doug Jones!!!) trying to eat her child. Nick first came on to my radar with his film DRAINED. He's got a great eye and always delivers an interesting take. Head over to his website if you're looking for more!
THE VISITANT from Nick Peterson on Vimeo.
That's it for this week's look back. By no means are these films specifically better than any other - they're just the ones I think of when I think of SATURDAY SHORTS myself. Clearly I enjoy each film I'm able to screen here, so these only reflect a small slice of that - a condensed "This is my idea of SATURDAY SHORTS." As usual, I look forward to your thoughts in the Talkbacks below, just remember - there's no need to be an asshole (and that's a good rule to live by as well). I'll see you folks back here next week with a handful of fresh shorts that I hope you enjoy as well! Have a great 4th and a great week in the mean time!
SATURDAY SHORTS 2012
SATURDAY SHORTS 2013
SATURDAY SHORTS 2014
The Off Season; Why Does My Girlfriend Text So Much?; Landscape; The Magician (1/3/15)
Atropa; Good Conduct; Ulla; Blackouts; Pizza And Bullets (1/10/15)
Vicki; Strange Thing; Kill The K-Cup; The Grandson; The Dark Walk Backward (1/24/15)
Leonard In Slow Motion; A Good Man Is Hard To Findl The Baker; Certified; Chloe (1/31/15)
Old/New; Alexia; The Beating; Temblor; Royal Blood "Out of the Black" (2/7/15)
Hibernation; Good Morning; Refrigerator; Bar Talk; A Lady & A Robot (2/15/15)
Fish Friend; The Outer Darkness (Part 1); Bus Stop; Don't Look There; Valentine (2/21/15)
The Gold Sparrow; The Brain Hack; Blood Drinker; Meet Your Maker; Al Pacino As Han Solo (2/28/15)
The Pavement; Breathe; The Black Rock Mountain; Plain Clothes; Whispers (3/7/15)
Sequence; Teasers; Static; I do; Point Of Interest (3/14/15)
Moonwatch; Robert's Circle; Tongues; No more Tomorrows; Slit (3/22/15)
Terminal; Windscreenwiperman; Ringo; Sunglasses; Sundays (3.28.15)
Trunk Troubels; The Last Time I Saw Richard; One Thousand Years; Tourists; Tides Of Change (4/4/15)
Moments; SBCR | The Grid; If One Plays Music; One In A Million; Don't Hug Me I'm Scared 4 (4/11/15)
Burnt Grass; Manicorn; Dear Friend; L'invitation Au Voyage (4/18/15)
Bad Guy #2; State Zero; No Help; Attack of the Brainsuckers; Super Mario Taken (5/23/15)
Predator: Dark Ages; Imprints; Back To The Fuhrer; Crime And Punishment (5/30/15)
Frames; Crow Hand; Streamline; Good Treatment; Remains; Scorpion Vs. Jason (6/6/15)
Dollar Night; A Modern Marriage; Hideaway; Jurassic World Trailer Parody (6/13/15)
Waterborne; Gotcher; Bloomers; Savage | Like Michael Jackson; A Killer Of Men (6/21/15)
The White Wolf; What You Can Burn; Pedal; Domestic Protocol; Grady Franey - Safe Word (6/27/15)
If you have a short and think it belongs here or are on the fence about whether to send it in, please do send it in - I'd love to see what you've put together. I've already seen hundreds of fresh new filmmakers' shorts and like any good addict, I need more!
Shoot me an email at "Mike@aintitcool.com"
In the subject line include:
“SHORTS” + “Your film’s name” + “The film’s genre”
Then, in the body of the email, please include a synopsis of the film and any contact information you might think I need or would want published. The more info you send my way, the more info there is to put with your short.
Please don’t feel the need to submit multiple times.
Remember, the filmmakers might still be in the audience, so feel free to share your thoughts in Talkbacks below. (JUST DON'T BE AN ASSHOLE). I picked them, so you know I think highly of all of these, but how about you fine folks? How'd you like 'em?
BY THE WAY: If you've had a short featured here, that means that I personally am a fan of your work, so feel free to shoot me any kind of news on new projects/films/whatever. I can't say I'll be able to help or in what capacity, but I'm interested in your work and am always down to see more! (Keep making cool stuff, everyone!)
- Mike McCutchen
"Muldoon"
Mike@aintitcool.com
