Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with this week's selection of fantastic short films from across the globe. While last week I was a no-show here due to a few unexpected emergencies, I'm back and I've brought six shorts that all blew me away. This week we have films starring familiar faces, as well as new faces that I expect to see more and more of. Whatever genre you're used to, below is a spread of shorts that I think the world of. I'd consider this one of my best yet. So if you're looking to add a bit of excitement to your weekend, perhaps hoping to see something you've not yet heard of or didn't even know you were missing yet, well this week's for you. So let's jump right on in and get this party started. As always, remember these are films and best seen in full screen (or on the big screen actually) and with the volume up, as a whole hell of a lot of work went into each piece.
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!
IT'S OKAY
TRT: 14:53
To kick this party off right, we have a fresh film from Tamar Levine. Each frame of this short feels like a still, and that's no shocker given Tamar's body of work. IT'S OKAY features Jenna Fischer and Thomas Sadoski acting from a script by Jacqueline Austin with dialogue by Neil LaBute, based on a story by Tamar Levine. If you like what you see, then head over to Tamar's website and see what else she has going on!
It's Okay from Tamar Levine on Vimeo.
THE BIRCH
TRT: 4:31
Ben Franklin has our next film, a creepy cool short that premiered on Crypt TV recently. "A bullied teenager, fearing for his life, turns to an ancient creature of the forest for protection… and revenge." There's a bit of BLAIR WITCH love here, as well as some EVIL DEAD inspiration and a massive bit of Del Toro tucked into each creepy moment. I'm dying to see a longer version of this film and hope to see more from Franklin. To see more from Franklin and his team, do yourself a solid and check out the Bloody Cuts website!
UP ON THE ROOF
TRT: 16:40
Up next is a film from director Nour Wazzi of London's Panacea Productions. "A troubled young boy finds his rooftop escape jeopardised by the girl he pines for." The film features performances by Michael Matias, Maisie Williams and Earl Cameron. It's made the festival circuit, and only recently became available online. Check out more of Panacea Production's films over at their website!
Up on the Roof from Nour Wazzi on Vimeo.
100 BULLETS: DEAD GHOSTS part 1
TRT: 12:16
In the mood for something incredible? Good, because that's what The Halsall Brothers have for us, with Part 1 of their 4 part webseries. "Set within the dark, dystopian and desperate confines of North Korea, this heavily researched four part drama dives deep into the harrowing lives of those trapped within the brutally oppressive 'Hermit Kingdom,' their constant threat of execution and what they are forced to suffer in order to survive." I'm anxiously awaiting the rest of the story and if you are as well, then think about checking out their 100 BULLETS page for more info!
100 BULLETS: DEAD GHOSTS - part 1 of 4 from SIMPLE PICTURES on Vimeo.
ELIZA
TRT: 7:44
Our next film is utterly insane with loads of well choreographed fights and practical effects gags galore. It's a strong film from director Mikko Löppönen, a revenge flick that doesn't skimp in the slightest. I'm gobsmacked with some of the visuals in this thing, much like the first time I saw THE MATRIX (particularly the lobby scene). I very much hope to see more from Löppönen and hope he either turns this into a feature or is given the opportunity to go hog wild with some sort of big financial backing. I'm a fan. Dig into Mikko's Youtube page for a few crazy shorts!
LOW HANGING FRUIT Episode 7
TRT: 4:46
Jake Reed has our last short (episode) to close us out with his LOW HANGING FRUIT. It's crass, strange, and fantastic in a very NSFW kind of way. Fly over to Reed's Vimeo Page to see the rest of the episodes!
Low Hanging Fruit Episode 7 from Partygay on Vimeo.
BAM! There we have it, ladies and gents - six shorts that rocked my world, and hopefully rocked yours as well. I hope to see you all next week with another handful of films, but in the mean time feel more than free to click on any of the links below for past lineups. Have a great week and remember - if you've got a great idea for a short, act on it!
SATURDAY SHORTS 2012
SATURDAY SHORTS 2013
SATURDAY SHORTS 2014
SATURDAY SHORTS 2015
Hank & Honey: A Holiday Horror; Black Christmas; Grammy; Pick Ups (1/2/16)
Lilitu; Auld Lang Syne; Chronoshred; Ash Vs. Lobo Vs. The DC Undead (1/9/16)
Believe; The Dragon's Blade; Native Immigration; The Problem With Friends (1/23/16)
Harbinger; Hyperthermia; The Chickening; Head (1/30/16)
Erebus; Boldly Gone; Cupcakes; City In Crisis; Vandalaze "Great Big Things" (2/6/16)
Blurry; American Virgin; Azarkant; The Homing Bird; Sex, Lies, And Terminators (2/13/16)
Connected; Terry And Brenda; Fuck Buddies; Audrey; BigHead Walking Dead Parody (2/20/16)
Absence; The Adept; MAT ZO - "Sinful;" Dreamco; Hoot (3/12/16)
Pop Music; Tumble Dry Low; Rooms; Promise; Darth Maul: Apprentice (3/19/16)
Status Update; Kafka's Little Fable; Ghoster; I Got Your Nose; Creature Feature (4/2/16)
Steve; The Good Survivor; Field of Screams; Mirrored; Jack Edwards - "Falling In Love" (4/16/16)
Rest Stop; The Technician; Romp; Who's There?; If Joke & Harley Quinn Were A Normal Couple (4/23/16)
Trial; Star Struck; Color TV, No Vacancy; Notifications On; One Sunny Day (5/14/16)
You Are Not Alone; Giraffe Soup; Brother; Bury Tomorrow - "Last Light"; Rain (5/21/16)
The Group; The Trap; The Echo of Small Things; Alison Blaire - "The Sight of Sound"; James (5/28/16)
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
