Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with this weekend's selection of interesting films from across the globe. This week's selection is an even split with films where the creators submitted via email and others that were sent in by readers to share (Thanks, Chris!). While it's October, fall is kicking in, decorations are going up, and pumpkins are appearing on door steps - shockingly I've not seen too many horror films hit my inbox or at all for that matter. I have a strong feeling I'll see those a bit later in the month as folks tend to get into the spirit/jump on the spooky bandwagon around the Holiday. Now that's not to say "sorry folks, I wanted creepy movies this weekend..." - not at all! What I've got for you today is a smorgasbord of quality films that excel in a short form, an array of top notch talent crammed into the running time of an hour. Each week is like our own film fest, our own CREEPSHOW or screening party. At this point, I think it's safe to say literally hundreds of filmmakers have passed through these doors, have stepped into the land of AICN online short screenings, and I feel there's still hundreds more to come. Each week, whatever genre you're into or type of films you seek out, I just hope you catch a film here that you enjoy and simply wouldn't have seen otherwise. If I can pull that off, then boom - that's it. The only put of all of this is simple: to enjoy watching movies, even with strangers on the internet. If you happen to really dig a film, or even despise it, then be sure to shoot your opinions off in the Talkbacks below, just... don't be an ass.
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:
OTHERHALF
TRT: 9:36
Writer/Director Ben West has our first film of the week, a silly tale that ignores all reason! "A comedy about a man breaking up with himself." It's like someone took a Skittles Commercial and made it into a proper film. It's funny. It's strange. It's an impressive execution on a rather simple concept. I look forward to seeing more of Ben's work and hope he continues to think outside the box. Be sure to check out Ben's Vimeo Page, especially his short FUGU & TAKO!
OTHERHALF from FRAMESTORE PICTURES on Vimeo.
RED CURTAINS
TRT: 15:20
Richard Valk and Freek Zonderland have our next film, a film that's screened at numerous film festivals across the globe and finally here on the internet. "RED CURTAINS (Rode Gordijnen) is a film about a man who tries to breathe new life into his out of touch relationship with his wife. Both characters seem to have reconciled themselves to their extinguished marriage: they have simply stopped communicating. But along the way their attitude towards each other, and towards their surroundings, changes substantially. One thing however remains the same: they still don’t talk." The short's very flat, with symmetry galore, showing a calculated decision with each frame. Check out Valk and Zonderland's websites to see what else they've got lined up!
Rode Gordijnen (Red Curtains) - Short Film from Freek Zonderland on Vimeo.
THE GREAT BREAK-UP CONTEST
TRT: 11:5
Thane Economou is up next with his latest bit of fun. "A group of friends wager on who has the most horrific break up story. Starring Deniz Akdeniz, Joel Johnstone, Robin Steffen and Yara Figueroa." Thane's had a few films featured here and maintains a level of humor I don't see too often. Check out his perfectly awkward Halloween short THE HALLOWEEN COSTUME for starters, then head over to his website for more!
The Great Break-Up Contest from Picture Movers Anonymous on Vimeo.
PIONEER
TRT: 15:53
Texas filmmaker David Lowery has our next film, a tale he spun back in 2011, before AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS, PETE'S DRAGON, or PETER PAN (which at this point isn't in prep yet, but surely will be soon). I'd never had the pleasure of seeing this film until Talkbacker "cjohnston" pointed me in its direction. It's short, sweet, full of heart, and now makes complete sense why Lowery was the perfect guy to bring Pete's Dragon back to the big screen. I had the pleasure of catching Lowery presenting AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS at The Oak Cliff Film Festival and wish nothing but the best for the guy - he's the real deal as you'll see below. Check out the man's blog to get a little insight into his world.
PIONEER from David Lowery on Vimeo.
SEVEN RULES
TRT: 7:41
Mike Castro has our last short of the day, a toe dip into the terror to come this Halloween season. The short shows promise and displays a passion of "I'm not waiting to be given the chance to make a filme - I'm going to make it however I can, damnit." "A woman is house sitting a stranger's home and is left a list of 7 rules that they must follow." If you like what you see, then head over to Mike's Vimeo Page!
Seven Rules (Short Film) from mike castro on Vimeo.
THE VICTIM (Kickstarter Pitch)
TRT: 1:57
Personally I've had people in my life who've alotted me things for no reason other than they can see I'm passionate about the thing at hand. In other words, it's easy to say "no" to things, but it's a whole other thing to keep an eye out for talents that have yet to be discovered. Thomas Harbert is a young filmmaker I've seen grow through the years, a talented guy with something to say. His latest project is trying to raise funds via Kickstarter. "NO VICTIM tells the story of a young couple in love, an African American boy and his white girlfriend, who plot to steal something from a struggling pharmacy owned by the Girl's Father." Let's be clear here, I rarely push Kickstarter/Indiegogo projects here unless it's something I truly care about, though I also know what it means to bust your ass working a job you might not love all the time, and realize giving your money to strangers on the internet might not be for everyone. Here's a short I'd like to watch. How about you? Check out the Kickstarter page for more info.
BAM! That's it for this week, ladies and gents. Hopefully you caught something you rather enjoyed. If not... I'm sorry, I've failed you horribly and it will shadow my week to come. I have a decent feeling however you cuaght at least one short that piqued your interests. I'll actually be in Los Angeles next weekend for some ADR fun on my own wacky no budget project, so I guess the next time you hear from me I'll be in the heart of movie land. Be sure to drop me a line if you've got any spots I ought to hit up next Sunday! Until then, feel beyond free to click a link below:
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)
Blinking Lights; Dédalo; Invisible; Identity Crisis (6/25/16)
Schackled; Miss Nobody; I Hate Mondays; Jefferson; Mary's Passion (7/2/16)
Swap; Ghostbusters: All Manned Up Edition; The Invisible Man; Sleep Tight; Defining Fay (7/10/16)
Carl; Flat Tire; Loree's Crazy 'Bout Kittens; Chum Zone II: Shark Fin Soup; Archetype (7/16/16)
The Chaplain; Bump CLassique; The Listener; Timelike; Fantasy Hospital Episode 4 (7/23/16)
Trial Run; Thick Air; First Date From Hell; Rise; God, Me And The Salty Peanuts; Graves (7/30/16)
Deathly; The Hope You Promised Love; Surrender; Crumb; Deep 6 (8/6/16)
Broadhurst "Take Me Down;" Prungen; The Paris Syndrome; Foxed!; Ecstacy Boulevard (8/14/16)
Heartburns' a Killer; Draft Eight; Versus; Chainsaw; Injustice For All (8/20/16)
Sebastian; Where You Are; Xenos; The Line; Sand Boys (8/27/16)
Long-Term Parking; House Of Straw; You Won't Regret That Tattoo; Invasion Day; Forever (9/17/16)
Best Friends; Nae Parasan; My First Day; Slaps; Merry Gentlemen (10/1/16)
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
