Short and Sweet: Over My Dead Body

I'm really intrigued by the influx of sorts lately of rom-zom-coms. Though the zom-com has worked for years in many different movies, adding romance actually seems like a natural progression, if only because it adds to comedy element. A cute example of this is a short film sent to me by producer Alrik Bursell called "Over My Dead Body," from filmmaker Timothy Plain.

In it, a woman is home waiting for her blind date to arrive for dinner, and she's not so thrilled about the fact that he's a zombie. With one location, two great actors, and a simple, but really well-written script, this short definitely works. The comedic timing is on point from both leads, and the conversation they have works well as an awkward first date conversation... and an awkward you're-a-zombie-and-I-don't-know-how-to-deal-with-that conversation. Really funny and cute. The tone also works well at being comedic and sort of serious at the same time, which was nice to see. There's a bit of a lull in the last minute or so, but then the final shot brings it all back and had me laughing again. Take six minutes and watch "Over My Dead Body" for yourself right now!

Short and Sweet: Forevermore (2015)

Not as short and sweet as some of the other films I've shared here, but "Forevermore" by filmmaker John Francis McCullagh is still worth a look, definitely. This 18-minute short film is a great period piece about a husband and wife who are having some problems and how the husband handles it... that's all I want to say! I really liked the social topics they touched on here, and the film quality is wonderful. 

Short and Sweet: Hack Job (2015)

Getting a lot of short films sent to me lately, and they have actually all been really good. Personally, I think making a short film is more challenging than a feature length film simply because of the constraints you're under. The story has to be quick, easy to follow, and have room to grow. "Hack Job" by filmmaker Matthew McPhee is a great example of this. Well made and intriguing - I want to see more!

Short and Sweet: The Last Dinner

If you don't let your limitations bother you and just focus on coming up with a great story, then you will be successful, that's what I've always believed. Case in point, this short film by Steve Lanthripp called The Last Dinner. It's low budget and it shows, but the concept is absolutely genius! I don't even care about the rest. It's one of those shorts where you think you know exactly what is going on, but then they pull the rug out from under you and take you somewhere totally different. Love that. There's also a cheeky sense of humor that I love too. Great job!

Short and Sweet: "The Call"

What a stunning piece of work! Please, do yourselves a favor and check out today's spotlighted short film, "The Call" by filmmaker Stephen Sprinkles. According to him, "What I’ve hoped to create is a haunting visual poem that evokes the dichotomy between the horror in the coming of the H.P. Lovecraft monster Cthulhu as well as the beauty that can be found in the same scene."

Well, all I have to say is that Sprinkles more than succeeded at this task. It's a short piece at less than two minutes in length, but "The Call" is a wonderful visual effects feat that would probably make a lot of other filmmakers jealous. The featured actress is beautifully photogenic. The setting that she is in is detailed and expansive and the final money shot will put a real smile on your face. The music fits in beautifully, as well.

For some reason, YouTube embed codes are not working for me at all so I'll just have to post the link - please watch this one, it is AWESOME. The filmmaker also includes on his channel a 20-minute visual effects tutorial for this short film.

WATCH "THE CALL" HERE!!!

Short and Sweet: "Strange Thing" (2015)

I always try to appreciate and commend good work when I see it, which is why I have to show and tell you all about this wonderful sci-fi/horror short. "Strange Thing" by filmmaker Alrik Bursell is the story of married couple Jake and Kris who one day discover that a door has mysteriously appeared in their living room. What's behind the door and where does it lead? Watch the short below to find out!

"Strange Thing" is most impressive because of its fantastic effects work, which apparently involved 20 gallons of black ooze, according to Bursell. It's kind of gross, kind of creepy, and very mysterious - the perfect short. It gives just enough of the story to give you quick satisfaction, but leaves so much more room to grow. Nice work!

Short and Sweet: "Itsy Bitsy Spiders" (2013)

Now this is what I'm talking about! Filmmaker Bertrand Pare sent me this link to his 12-minute short film "Itsy Bitsy Spiders," which is one of the coolest things I've seen all week. It's about a young boy named Edwin who has become strangely obsessed with drawing pictures of spiders all over the walls of the apartment he shares with his mother. Troubled by this obsession, his mother does what she can to make him stop.

The production value of "Itsy Bitsy Spiders" is amazing, with a real cinematic quality to the style, the lighting, and the set design. The boy playing Edwin is completely natural, and I loved the attitude that his mother had, especially at the end of the short. The tone is definitely mysterious and creepy, but also a bit tongue-in-cheek and humorous. Watch it now and enjoy!

http://filmshortage.com/shorts/itsy-bitsy-spiders/#!prettyPhoto

Short and Sweet: Lucid (2014)

 

I'm definitely becoming more a fan of short films because you can really see how much talent some people can put into such a short amount of time. Case in point, this wonderful 18-minute short called Lucid, sent to me by the writer/director himself. I was sold on watching it simply because of his passion and enthusiasm for the project, and of course, the intriguing premise.

Lucid is the story of woman who dreams every night that her husband tries to kill her. The dreams get more and more intense and graphic, as does her anxiety around her husband in real life. The tone of Lucid is wonderfully comical at times, mostly due to main actress Marion Kerr's reactions and hilarious yet subtle physicality. The editing is perfect, and utilizes a great montage-like style to provide a lot of information in a short amount of time. Scenes get a bit redundant when you see the same shot over and over again, but they do manage to change things up here and there (again, usually using comedy) to keep things punchy and interesting.

On the technical side, Lucid is beautifully shot. I love the look of the dream sequences with the bright light and soft edges, and Karen's oddly formal white dress with black waist for costuming. Shots are framed with true expertise, style, and an eye for just what looks right and what will get the right reaction from the viewer.

This is one of those short films that I would love to see fleshed out into something much bigger in order to explore all of the issues that are brought up. Her fear of possible motherhood and her fear that she's not right for the role of perfect wife (looking pretty all the time and making dinner every night) - I saw a lot of cool things about her character in particular that I just wanted to dig into more, because they were only able to scratch the surface. In fact, the filmmakers do have plans to turn Lucid into a TV series, though I think just a feature-length film would suffice.

I definitely found Lucid to be a wonderful short film that only left me wanting more by the end. Beautiful job!

Short and Sweet: "Certified"

Digging through some old emails in my inbox that I never got around to, I found a link to this very wonderful little short film that is the epitome of what it means to be short and sweet. "Certified" has a brilliant setup and an even more brilliant (if not somewhat devious) payoff at the end that will surely leave you chuckling. Top-notch acting, especially by the little girl, along with beautiful costuming and directing deftly bring you into the world of the story so you can really just sit back and enjoy it. And that's what you should do right now! Watch "Certified" and have a good laugh this evening.

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Short and Sweet: American Muppet (2014)

Need a good laugh today? Watch this short video, which has some of our beloved childhood figures in a very different situation than you've ever seen them in before...



Big thanks to one of the short's producers for sending me this. I'm glad to share it!

Horror Short Review: Familiar (2011)

Oh my freaking goodness, I think I just had a goshdarn heart attack.

And if you ever get a chance to see this amazing horror short called Familiar, then I'm pretty sure that you will too. This was literally some of the best twenty minutes of filmmaking that I have seen in a while and I only wish that I had filmed myself watching it. I've always believed that the best horror films are the ones that make you have those unconscious physical reactions to what you are seeing, and hoo doggy, I reacted so hard to this thing that my heart is still palpitating a bit.

At the beginning of this short, the main character reminds me of a much darker version of Kevin Spacey's character from American Beauty. John Dodd's inner monologue is full of loathing for his monotonous and boring life, with a wife he doesn't love anymore and a daughter he can't wait to get rid of so he can have more freedom. But it's only after one life-altering conversation with his wife that John's inner voice suddenly changes to a voice that is not his, but somebody(thing?) else in his head talking to him. And then the fun starts.

Robert Nolan's portrayal of John is spectacular. He is subdued and almost non-expressive most of the time, but you can tell that there is a lot more going on behind the mask. The best performance of the piece, however, is the voiceover. The writing for this is excellent as well and at first sounds very normal and at times quite funny ("Oh, you're always on time? So are my bowel movements"). As the story progresses, the voice becomes more forceful and commanding, telling John how he should really feel about his wife's pregnancy and talking him into doing some pretty horrific things - like slipping pills into his wife's food to give her an abortion. After awhile the voice starts to sound almost inhuman with its level of craziness, and while John is able to resist it sometimes, it still holds a strong influence over him because deep down he apparently agrees with what it is telling him.

Now what I wasn't expecting here was some severe body horror images that freaked me the fuck out. John discovers one morning these weird bulges that almost look like little egg sacs growing out of his side. Anybody with a fear of death or disease (like me) will most definitely find this part disgusting and horrifying - the fact that something unknown is inside your body and is making freakish physical changes to it that you can't control. In Familiar, this situation only escalates further into John having to perform some hideous self-mutilation - another topic that people with a low tolerance for pain will find almost hard to stand.

The bulges on John's side disappear (all while the voice is telling him to leave it alone) and move down to his upper leg so naturally, John decides it will be a good idea to try to cut whatever is in there out. Using a box cutter, which also freaks me out because that is a tool that I use every day at work, John starts cutting into his leg and... well, I won't completely spoil it here, but let's just say that I almost wanted to cover my eyes and not see what was in there. Can you believe that?! This little horror short turned me into a total horror pussy. It was fantastic.

The special effects are Hollywood-level and quite impressive. Beautiful blood and makeup on John's bulges. The direction and editing are brilliant, and the performances were spot on. I'd also like to make a note about how much I liked the casting of Astrida Auza as John's wife because, and I don't want to sound mean here or anything, she is not particularly hot but rather normal looking, like the people I see every day. She was obviously chosen for her talent, and does a fantastic job.

Director Richard Powell really turned out something awesome here. Apparently this short was actually a sequel to another short film he made called Worm, which is not as graphic but stars John Dodd's brother, Geoffrey, as a man who also has a voice in his head. Would really love to get a look at that one too if it's possible. This is a filmmaker with some real talent who will no doubt bring us more horrific stories to enjoy in the future.

Horror Short Review: The Code (2011)

I don't know why I don't watch more shorts, considering the fact that my attention span is somewhat short itself. I keep getting emails with links to them and often forget about them (I heartily apologize to anybody to has sent me stuff and not gotten a response from me... I'm a bad person... or just lazy). So I finally decided to  watch one of them. Yay for me!

In "The Code," a young couple is enjoying an evening date in the park when they are suddenly set upon by a group of zombies... then a masked killer with a weed-eater... then a vampire... then Bigfoot. Seems there has been some confusion among the various monsters about whose night it is to kill people.

If you've got about six minutes to spare, then you should give "The Code" a look. For a short, it was quite funny and entertaining with some great actors playing the head zombie ("Shaun" haha) and the vampire. All the talk about how they had switched nights for the killings and the Google Calendar stuff is hilarious. The makeup and effects are pretty good, although there really isn't anything that involved going on. I only wish Vanna Helsing would have put a little more "oomph" into her killing scenes! She looked a little sleepy and unenthusiastic. Anyway, jump on over to the link below on funnyordie.com and watch "The Code"!

Watch it now! I mean it! Clicken here.

"The Code" was made for the Splatterfest Festival in Houston, Texas. It won all these awards, so you know it's gotta be good:

Best Film

Best Director

Best Screenplay

Best Editing

Best Kill

Best Splatter

Best Special Effects

Audience Favorite Film

Audience Favorite Story

Audience Favorite Kill

Audience Favorite Makeup