Hello ladies and gentlemen, your pal Muldoon here with this week's lovely lineup of shorts that blew me away (and hopefully blow you away as well!). While last week had a decent serving of monsters and mayhem, this week is a little less far out - a little more grounded in the real world, with things like emotions and realistic dilemmas. Great films exist in all genres, so I genuinely do try to feature films that aren't necessary in my own wheelhouse, with genres I can't claim to have on Blu-ray or am any sort of aficionado of. I simply enjoy cool stories and that's what we've got today. I hope you're able to take the time to give these films a watch, and while we're at it - I hope you are able to hit the cinemas as well, as IT... holy hell, what a solid film that I cannot dote upon enough. (Seriously, IT's incredible and something you really shouldn't "wait for it to be on Netflix.")
In the news of short films, I've got to throw out a huge congrats to Spanish filmmaker Ivan Villamel Sanchez as his film, MR. DENTONN has broken a record for screening at over 500 different film fests across the globe (Sitges/Fantasia/Leeds/etc...) and picked up roughly 120 individual awards, making it the most awarded short horror film of all time. While that means the film's been on the big screen roughly 1,500 times (think about that!), I've yet to catch it myself - so hopefully when it does land on the internet, we ought to be able to catch it here on SATURDAY SHORTS (and likely assume ShortofTheWeek/Vimeo Staff Pick/etcc... just a thought!). It's a tricky thing making a film, so mega congrats to the guy for creating something that apparently everyone in the film fest universe is in love with. Check out the film's Facebook Page if you're curious about the project!
Back to the films at hand - 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!
SOLO
TRT: 17:19
First up is an incredible film from Matthew Puccini. The film has a relaxed pace that invites you into its world of harsh times with kiddos. The two leads, Tommy Nelson and Mathew Mindler bring a realism to the short, in other words - they both knock it out of the park with exceptional performances that feel all too real. "SOLO follows Clay, a young Appalachian teenager who quietly slips out of his small town one morning. As Clay and his younger brother, Lewis, spend the day journeying along the back roads of their hometown, the larger mystery of where they're going - and why they're going there - becomes heartbreakingly clear." Definitely click over to Matthew's website for more info on the film and to see what else he's up to!
SOLO from Matthew Puccini on Vimeo.
COLD SHIVERS (NSFW)
TRT: 18:35
Next up is a film that came across my desk via Talkbacker cjohnston, and holy hell is it a solid recommendation. Writer/Director Marius Myrmel released the film online just four weeks ago, and I'm shocked it took me this long to see it! "A boy brings a girl home for the first time. A tender tale of love makes a tragic shift." As evident in the screen grab below, Myrmel chose 4:3 to frame the film, a choice that denies us of breathing room - an inspired choice that actually does help the story (as opposed to a frivolous afterthought of a gimmick). Be sure to peruse Myrmel's Vimeo Page and check out what else he's created!
COLD SHIVERS from Marius Myrmel on Vimeo.
VANITY PROJECT
TRT: 5:4
In the mood for a comedy? Excellent! Eitan Loewenstein has our next film, a film in which pokes fun at the many vanity projects that some filmmakers occasionally dabble in. In his own words, "This is a parody of the typical Hollywood vanity project. It's self-important, overdramatic, and completely insane. I went all the way with it. I cast myself in multiple roles, I have my daughter playing herself, I cast a young 20 something to be my wife, the music soars whenever I do anything mildly heroic, etc..." I found myself havign a ball picking up what Eitan's laying down here. "A man's quest to earn his dead father's love by building a bedroom vanity." I'm not sure it's possible to be any more on the nose here than what Eitan's created. Follow the guy on Twitter (@AnotherEitan) or check out his Vimeo Page!
Vanity Project - a short film by Eitan Loewenstein from Eitan Loewenstein on Vimeo.
BUNNY NEW GIRL
TRT: 5:51
Natalie van den Dungen has our next film, a tale of a young girl's unique first day of school. "7 year old Annabelle arrives for her first day at a new school wearing a home made rabbit mask. And despite the gentle reassurance of kindly teacher, Mr Borbidge, her classmates are soon wondering what it is she’s hiding. When the class bully exposes her secret, it takes the empathy of a new friend to give her the courage to be seen, just the way she is." The film is short, sweet, and a reminder that all is not terrible in the universe. If you enjoy the film, certainly click over to its website as the site is full of incredible info with stills, background info, where it's screend, and more!
DOMINOS TROUBLE (NSFW)
TRT: 4:00
To wrap us out, we have a short scenario from Jake Reed, Derek Milton, and Mike Katz. As the last project of the week, this is a little bit of inserting a few hits of acid into your desert and sending you on your way. I'm unsure as to how to approriately tell you what you're in for, but you'll understand the vibe of the piece within 30 seconds of hitting play. It's an odd one, from some twisted minds! Click over to their Vimeo Page to find many more cartoons that push any and all buttons gleefully!
Scenarios 2 Dominos Trouble from Partygay on Vimeo.
BAM! I hope you enjoyed the films of this week, and hope to see you all here next week as well. I have no clue what films will be featured next week, but expect them to be pretty kickass nonetheless. Have a solid rest of your weekend and if you're in the mood for more shorts, click a link below!
SATURDAY SHORTS 2012
SATURDAY SHORTS 2013
SATURDAY SHORTS 2014
SATURDAY SHORTS 2015
SATURDAY SHORTS 2016
Pizza Delivery; Forever's Gonna Start Tonight; Epoch; Points Of Origin; Knack! (1/7/17)
Capes; Out Of The Family; Noodles; The Great Orecto; Orphans Of Ash Concept Trailer (1/14/17)
Dr. Gordz; Gleep-Glorp & Lasertag; Mindgame; Quad Diamond; From Below; Killer Queen (1/22/17)
Never Tear Us Apart; Hushy Bye; American Pride; The Restless; 2031 (2/4/17)
Wifey Redux; Whale Valley; Have Had; When The Saints (2/12/17)
The Man From Death; Tail; Whispers Among Wolves; Thing One "Nice Wife" (2/25/17)
Gravy; The Girlfriend Game; Cavern; The Horror; I'm a Homeless Princess (3/11/17)
Mordeo; The Survivor; Ultra Bleu; Barney Strong; Spin Dreams (8/19/17)
Seam; The Spirit Machine; Embers And Dust; The Lucid Engine; Ecstasy; The Good Time Girls (8/26/17)
Stoneheart; Bobo; Frostbite; Goblin Queen; Second Date; Yin & Yang (9/2/17)
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
