Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with this week's selection of interesting short films I think you might want to check out. I rarely know myself what the following week will bring, so it's a genuine surprise each time I open my email. This week's full of great films from all over, films that are a tad unnerving, movies that will remind you to always be on guard (horrible for your mental state, but hey - ready for anything, right? No? Okay...) If anything, I found each of the shorts below enjoyable and or unique, something that's pretty tricky given I watch quite a few shorts a week. Hopefully you all find something you like in this week's edition and if so, be sure to shoot off your thoughts in the Talkbacks below. Have a question or a "how/why did they do that?" that you're itching to ask the filmmakers? Cool, because they just might be in the audience ready to engage! So without further ado, let's get this party started!
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:
WHISTLE
TRT: 3:36
Simon Berry has our first film of the week with WHISTLE, a freaky film that'll have you wishing you had a dog with you at all times when home alone! He and his crew shot it in one night, then cut it one night as well - with a simple premise and excellent execution. "One girl. One whistle. One camera." Keep them coming, Simon!
Whistle - Short Horror Film from Simon Berry on Vimeo.
BECOMING
TRT: 8:35
Writer-Director extraordinaire Katie Moeller has our next film. "Becoming follows a young couple on a date as they get to know each other. The girl slowly lets down her walls and opens up to the guy, eventually inviting him back to her place to continue the date. The only dialogue in the short is a male voice describing the girl, how special she is, what he loves about her. The narration gradually turns darker, until the end of the evening." The voice actor is spot on (with a Rorschach vibe), in that he gave me the creeps. My singular critique is that it's a bit long, but the voice over eases my ADHD style need for cuts left and right, so it adds to the tension in the air. It's an interesting vantage point for something that on the surface is just an innocent date. Be sure to check out her "making of" blog over on the Hollywood Redux site!
CITY IN CRISIS
TRT: 2:52
Ellery VanDooyeweert and co-creator/editor Kevin Pavlovic smack us in the face with justice... Well, actually they're presenting a short/first part of a web show that's pretty damn fun. While I typically don't screen web shows here, CITY IN CRISIS was just too fun not to share. It's a funny take on the Batman-Gordon relationship with their "City Shark" and "Jordon" characters. "Imagine a city so overrun by crime that it created a hero to defend it - a hero who works outside of the law. A masked vigilante. Now imagine that hero gave the city a way to call him, a signal that could be shone in the night sky. A signal to strike fear in the hearts of criminals. Now imagine the one man with the power to control that signal only wants to use it to hang out with the hero, talk to him about his life problems, and hopefully start a fulfilling bromance. Welcome to City in Crisis." It's a fun series of five episodes that you might want to check out if you enjoyed this one.
LAS COSAS RARAS (THE WEIRD THINGS)
TRT: 7:55
All the way from from Argentina we have a film from Maximo Carra that's just dark. It's got a great pace and a killer vibe. "LAS COSAS RARAS (The Weird Things) is a short film that utilizes the tropes of the horror genre and the subgenre of the babysitter in peril and turns them on their head." Head over to the film's Facebook page for more info!
Las Cosas Raras from Maximo Carra on Vimeo.
BAM! I hope one of these shorts (actually all of them, really) rocked your world. While my day job has me booked for 13 hour days Monday through Friday, it's always exciting to share films with each of you, every week I can! If you're in the mood for some more shorts, then click on any of the link below and see what else is out there! Have a great week - I'll see you all later.
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)
Night Before The Morning Sun; Exit Strategy; DEADline Dawn; Derby City Rollergirls (8/22/15)
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
