Hello ladies and gentlemen, your pal Muldoon here with a lovely lineup of solid shorts that I think you will all enjoy. This week we have mafia humor, Austrailian superhero fun, a drama featuring two wing-clipped lovebirds, a tale of bullies and magicians, and ultimately end with on hell of a proof of concept trailer for a film I'm simply dying to see. Hopefully you've had a rather awesome week and 2017 is still working out for you and you've caught a few new films. The runtime today for the full block of shorts is roughly 46 minutes long, so fingers crossed you've got that bit of time to kick your feet up and dive into five completely different stories that all have their own unique flavors. With the exception of one, all films below were submitted by the creators themselves. That typically leads to the idea that those filmmakers may likely check in to see what folks are thinking about their shorts, so if you've got a burning desire to ask a question, make a respectful criticism, or just want to throw some praise in a given film's direction - do it in the Talbkacks. If you find a short that truly blows your mind, think about spreading it in your own way, social media-wise or other. I found something special in each of the films and assume the budgets, equipment, talent, access to XYZ was different for each filmmaker, yet they all had something to say and a story to tell. I'm a fan, and continue to enjoy seeing what strangers out there can create by simply pushing their imaginations into fruition. So without further ado, let's get this weekly film fest of ours underway!
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:
CAPES
TRT: 7:56
To kick things off right, let me introduce you to "The Black Darkness!" Filmmaker Lucas Testro is back on SATURDAY SHORTS with his latest comedy, a film I found incredibly entertaining. It's absurd. It's kind of stupid. It's a perfect superhero comedy. You may remember Testro's time travel comedy I'M YOU, DICKHEAD on here from a few years back. He's back, and this time brings us a superhero comedy featuring comedian Steven Gates as the city's masked hero. "When the city’s hero The Dark Blackness finds himself without a sidekick, he comes up with an unlikely solution to his staffing problem." Be sure to check out the film's Facebook page (if you'd like) and if you're interested in seeing more of Testro's work, click over to his website and poke around!
OUT OF THE FAMILY
TRT: 9:21
Next up is an oddity of a short from Baltimore filmmaker Tony Savero. I wish to give nothing away about this one. I found it a fun early morning splash of water to the face and think its best to know as little as possible going in. I certainly hope to see what Tony does with a much bigger budget. Check out his Youtube Page for more of his shorts!
NOODLES
TRT: 16:09
Our next short is a film that was not sent in by the filmmaker, but by Talkbacker "cjohnston." It's a rather raw film that strips away the fantasy of falling in love and reveals the pain that can sometimes lay beneath that sweet outer shell. Filmmaker Claire Fowler does an incredible job at reflecting the real world in this story of young love, while perfectly guiding us through her story with a storyline that's nonlinear. If you like what you see here, then check out her website or Vimeo Page for more!
THE GREAT ORECTO
TRT: 10:59
Robert Pralgo has our next film, a short that's a bit rough around the edges, but captivating nonetheless. "Three local 'thugs' try to mug a magician for his watch...WHOOPS!" This charming short features cliches and the occasional canned fart noise, but still held my attention for its entire run time. It features some rather witty banter and showcases an odd scenario. If you enjoy the short, then think about checking out the Bean Dip Productions Youtube Page for more!
ORPHANS OF ASH - Proof Of Concept
TRT: 1:52
Holy shit! I am so, so hoping to see this film come to life. Director Peter Szewczyk has had three shorts featured here on SATURDAY SHORTS, so any time I see an email with his name attached - I know it's going to be something special. This time his email directed me to a proof of concept trailer for a feature he's brining to life. Now I do see a decent amount of PoCs, but this one just felt... so wildly thought out with a world that feels lived in and real. It's obvious to me that Peter's created his own history, filled with rich characters with their own (thought out) backstories and problems/goals. This doesn't feel like a VFX reel, but a legit film a la LORD OF THE FLIES with monsters/superpowers. In case it's not obvious, I truly hope to see this project brought to life, whether it's through a studio, a handful of private investors, Kickstarter, or any combination... I can't wait to see this one. "Four years after the outbreak of a civil war over natural resources, a lost band of orphans live like rats in the wilderness. A reckless hunt in uncharted territory results in their camp being destroyed, and one of their key members, Lucas, goes missing. Lucas is an unusual boy with a special power that holds the key to their survival . The group embarks on an odyssey to find Lucas, facing natural disasters and the horrors of civil war, while trying to hold on to the ties that bind them together." Check out the film's website for more info and how to contact Peter.
BOOM! That's it for this week, ladies and gents. Since last week I've traveled back to Austin from Vegas, immediately started moving my house, and have had little sleep - so if you found any typos above.... let's blame it on that, eh? I just hope you all had a great time with the films above and found a filmmaker you might not have known about beforehand. Hopefully you've got a new artist to follow (in a very non-creepy kind of way). I say it every week and I mean it - I'm a fan of each of these filmmakers and any filmmaker I've happened to come across on this weekly column. It's only because of the filmmakers out there that a weekly column like this can survive and survive it shall! Feel free to click any of the links below for past blocks of films!
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)
Otherhalf; Red Curtains; The Great Break-Up Contest; Pioneer; Seven Rules (10/8/16)
Frank And The Zombie Girl; Spooky Club; o negative; Zelos; The Moonlight Man; Sweet 16 (10/29/16)
Red; Larry Gone Demon; Visitors Parking; Grave Dangers; Intruder (11/6/16)
Chomper; Hoshino; Boniato; On Sunday; Darkness of Night (11/12/16)
Where The Shadows Fall; The Girlfriend; Friendlies; The First Men; Toc Toc (11/19/16)
Pizza Delivery; Forever's Gonna Start Tonight; Epoch; Points Of Origin; Knack! (1/7/17)
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
