Hello ladies and gentlemen, your pal Muldoon here with this week's selection of interesting films from all over the globe, primarily submitted by the filmmakers themselves. As you might have briefly glimpsed, I'm at Fantastic Fest - one of the greatest festivals in the universe, filled with great films and great folks. "Well that's great Muldoon, just keep mentioning the fun things you get to do. You're starting to sound like Quint!" (Jokes!) I kid, I kid, but what I don't kid about is this weekly film festival right here, a fest catering to you and fitting around your schedule, so you can watch the films on your own time. My only goal is to present films you might not have seen yet, films created by passionate up-and-coming individuals cutting their teeth on their own projects on nights and weekends. If there's only one thing you know about Muldoon here at AICN, it's that I'm all about finding new and interesting filmmakers, listening to their stories, and ultimately watching them continue to grow. So while Fantastic Fest, my day job, and my own passion project have me running on fumes - I've lucked out with the filmmakers below sending along their fun films and think you folks in the AICN audience will enjoy them. Whatever your thoughts on the films below, I'd love to hear them in the Talkbacks. Clearly I'm not down with condescending/ugly comments for some twisted attention, but what you liked and didn't like - and why - is something I'm always curious about. Just because I selected these shorts doesn't necessarily mean you'll love them all (we've all got slightly different tastes), but my hope is you catch something that sticks with you that you just would not have been on your radar otherwise. Okay, that's enough from me - let's start watching some shorts!
BOOKIE
TRT: 20:05
Writer Director Bao Tran kicks the gate open hard with his Noir that is sure to rock your world. "At a raucous soul R&B nightclub in 1963 Seattle, crowds from all over town gather for a chance at alcohol, wild music, and easy money. Amidst it all, a gambling bookie risks everything for a waitress down on her luck." BOOKIE is a perfectly concise story with a kick, an incredibly solid film that perfectly fits into a 20 minute run time. It doesn't linger or wear out its welcome. From the production design to the dialogue to wardrobe and makeup, basically across the board, it feels like you're watching a slice of 1963. If you dig the film and want to see more from Bao, fly over to his website or check out his film BLACK COFFEE. Tran is a director I expect to see big things from and look forward to his next project, whatever it may be.
Bookie (Short Film) from Tran Quoc Bao on Vimeo.
COUP MIRAGE: DESTROYING THE ILLUSION
TRT: 7:00
Yes! Josh Spooner has our next shor, a seven minute dip into his wild imagination. He created the film as a senior thesis at The College of Creative Studies in Detroit and has just released it online. I love that an individual can think up a story this big and bring it to fruition. It's not insansely polished and I don't mean that as a dig (at all!). It's tangible and shows that Josh has bitten off quite a bit with attempting a story like this and that's what I find so incredibly charming about the film. It's right up my alley: space ships and action, not your standard thesis project featuring coffee shops and younglings "battling with X." This is the type of filmmaker that grabs my attention. The film's not perfect, but hot damn is it entertaining. If you want to know more about the guy, then swing by his website or check out some cool behind the scenes pics he's posted.
REDACTION
TRT: 11:36
Tim Sanger has our next film, a short that he just made available online at the beginning of the month. It's played a number of great festivals and rightfully so as it most certainly will rock your world. Well shot, well acted, well done. "In a future where victims of traumatic crimes have the memory of the incident erased like it never happened, one woman struggles for her right to refuse the process." If you have the time, I'd suggest digging around the film's densely packed website for more info!
REDACTION from Tim Sanger on Vimeo.
WICKED SWAY
TRT: 6:21
Toronto filmmaker Chris Power has our next film, a lovely dig into the world of an injured writer and his psychotic wife, Jane. "Tonight Jane has escaped, is covered in blood, and is coming home for more." Be sure to check out the film's website for more on how it was created, why it was created, and some info on Chris.
WICKED SWAY - short film by Chris Power from Chris Power on Vimeo.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
TRT: 8:29
Last, but not least we've got our singular film for the week that was not submitted by the filmmakers, but by our own Talkbacker "cjohnston." He caught the film and thought it would be a great fit for SATURDAY SHORTS. I just happen to agree! Thanks, cjohnston for shooting the film my way! Directors Andreas Climent & André Hedetoft have made something rather special here, a quirky original spin on the concept of time travel. It's short and sweet, a solid film that will make your day brighter for having given it a view. As always, if you enjoy the film - then be sure to check out its website for a more in depth look into the creation of the movie.
Bam! That's it for this week guys and gals. I hope you enjoyed the random lineup of shorts from drastically different types of filmmakers as much as I did. I'll see you all next week with more short film fun, but if you happen to be at Fantastic Fest and see my face - be sure to say hello! In the mean time, check out any of the links below to travel back in time to past columns:
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)
Whistle; Becoming; City In Crisis; Las Cosas Raras (8/29/15)
Grand Zero; Gummi; Dave Ruins Wedding; Andras Ostrom - Massive Sonata; Thoughts (9/5/15)
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
