Hello ladies and gentlemen, your pal Muldoon here on this lovely Saturday with a handful of short films I think you might want to check out. A week ago Disney hit us all hard with D23's big announcement after big announcement... Theme parks, sequels, toys, this, that... Hot damn do they sure know what they're doing, selling us all childhood feelings for the price of a ticket, a shirt, a branded cereal, a toy, an exclusive "limited edition" poster, etc... I'll happily admit I'm a big "explosions! ninjas! car chases! ghosts! dinosaurs!" kind of guy and even though these are the companies churning out those $200 million dollar popcorn flicks with wide appeal, it's important to remember that while they (Disney/ Universal/Warner Brothers/Paramount) own the rights to quite a few cool franchises, there are still incredible ideas out there that the bulk of us have yet to become aware of. By no means am I saying these companies are bad for succeeding financially (heck no! I'm a fan of all of them actually), but my point is: you never know who the next "It" director is going to be or what indie film could start up a big studio backed sequel-fested franchise.
What we have here with SATURDAY SHORTS is a lovely reminder of just when you thought you've seen it all - boom! a new filmmaker jumps on your radar and happily slaps you in the back of the head. In that spirit of independent creativity is something special and something I'm proud I get to share with you all each week, even if you're not always 100% onboard with what I choose to screen. At any rate, let's jump on in. Let's check out something we might not typically click "play" on.
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:
NIGHT BEFORE THE MORNING SUN
TRT: 11:08
Writer/Director Marc Grey kicks off this week's set with his slightly experimental dip into the world of dreams. He's built a rather trippy cool film around the transition from dreaming to waking up. He's essentially telling a story on a tight rope and looking at it through the lens of a magnifying glass. "Suzanne is waking up. In the fleeting moments before she forgets her dreams, she searches her subconscious for an answer to the question on the tip of her tongue. But can Suzanne learn to break free of her suspended state of being?" According to Marc, the film was inspired by the 1952 Edward Hopper painting of a young woman sitting on a bed in a spare room facing a large window. Art begets art. I love it and find this film fascinating. I doubt you'll find yourself falling asleep while watching this film, but either way - you'll be witness to a pretty cool dream. Check out the film's website if you feel so inclined.
Night Before the Morning Sun (2014) from Marc Grey on Vimeo.
EXIT STRATEGY
TRT: 5:08
Next up is a clever film from SATURDAY SHORTS veteran Bjorn Tobiasson. "Get in, get the bag, get out. A simple task complicated by an unwanted junkie klepto partner in crime. Still, Malone is first and foremost a professional. He has a system. He has a code..." EXIT STRATEGY leans heavily on its leads and fortunately, they're pretty interesting. It's violent. Funny. Well shot. It's definitely worth checking out and if you're curious about what else Bjorn has going on, then check out his website and poke around!
Exit Strategy from Bjorn Tobiasson on Vimeo.
DEADLINE DAWN
TRT: 13:18
In the mood for a funny zombie filled short film about meeting deadlines? Good, because that's what Elvis Deane has in store for us next. "Stuck late at the office, four co-workers at an advertising agency mistakenly resurrect an evil spirit that threatens to keep them from meeting their boss' unfeasible deadline." The film's pocketed with some pretty great moments that are sure to put a grin on your face.
DEADline Dawn from Elvis Deane on Vimeo.
DERBY CITY ROLLERGIRLS
TRT: 48:47
Ready for a dip into a pretty kickass world that might seem slightly alien to you and me? (Assuming out the whazoo here.) At any rate, the world of roller derby isn't something I've been up to speed on. Sure, I saw WHIP IT a few years back, but that doesn't count - right? Fortunately there's director Clay Sisk with his fun 49 minute slice of life for us to gain some insight. "An in-depth look at the sport of Roller Derby and the ladies of the Derby City Rollergirls."
Derby City Rollergirls from Clay Sisk on Vimeo.
BAM! That's it for this week's selection of short film fun. I hope to see you all next week with another handful of independent shorts. In the mean time, think about hitting up a past article - you might just find something incredible.
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)
Meltdown; Blood From A Stone; The Gate; Memorize; Abe; The Visitant (7/4/15)
The Lamp; Time To Kill; Woodchuck City; A Good Fish; The Untrained (7/25/15)
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
