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A note first before I begin once more on an extensive SLIFF 2016 post: I stated previously that I love Delmar. In the last post, I spoke about the Tivoli – tonight I want to touch on BlueBerry Hill. What a fantastical place. It is full of the stuff that a fanboy clutter bug such as myself could never get enough of. It has memorabilia, music, drinks (including Guiness on tap, reflecting STL’s glorious Irish roots). And, of course, the weird, wonderful zany things that populate the shelves make it so unique. The random stuffed lion, the carved pelican, and a myriad of other items that you wouldn’t expect to see is quite astounding. I am currently standing at the bar, prior to the festival beginning this evening, because I mistakenly showed up nearly an hour early. However, there was no debate as to where I would go to spend the time. And, as it was just my luck, another person was early for the festival as well. He looked vaguely familiar, and at first I couldn’t place him. Finally, I figured it out (with a little help from IMDB). It was none other than Brian Thomas Smith, better known to most as the man that plays Zack on The Big Bang Theory. Turns out he is a St. Louis native, and he was in town to watch his film The Wedding Party. Who knew? Anyways, this evening, I attended The Narrative Shorts – Thrillers competition, and once again it was a collection of shorts that were worthy of the festival. Whoever is in charge of selecting the shorts competitors at SLIFF is doing a great job. And here we go, on with the show!
This short is a perfectly slow build to a final reveal. There are not very many shorts that can show this kind of restraint throughout their run time (admittedly, only 11 minutes). And the final minute, including the “based on a true story reveal” is fantastic. The movie is a young man (played by Miles Fisher) on his first day as a suicide hotline operator. It’s obvious that he is extremely nervous about his first job, as he stares at the old school rotary phone with dread and apprehension. His trainer momentarily leaves the room, and the phone rings for the first time. After some initial slip ups, it becomes obvious that the young man is very charming. He may be a bit too revealing, but he is obviously doing so out of the right place. There is quite a bit of dark humor here, with a heavy undercurrent that something is wrong with the situation. You can’t quite determine what is going to happen, but you can feel the twist coming like a toothache – more of a deep throb of fear than anything else. When it eventually comes, you won’t be disappointed. The acting is good. Mr. Fisher owns all aspects of his role, allowing us to easily fall into the charismatic cadence of his voice. The voice acting performed by the young lady on the phone (Taylor Bostwick) is superbly convincing. Overall, I’m going to recommend this short very highly with an “A-“. Check it out on IMDB! A New Home (2016) |
Coup de Grace (2015) |  |
I wasn’t expecting a movie like this in the thriller competition. You see horror comedies quite often – what you don’t often see is a horror thriller. The movie follows two men as they go to drop off a man with the ole’ cement shoes in a lake. From the beginning scenes, you can tell where this is going, but it’s a pretty fun ride as you go.
The acting isn’t really as important in this script as you would expect, but there is one particular standout. The gentleman that looked as if he had reddish hair was a very convincing sell as a gangster who wants to do his job, but also comply with last wishes and such. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, wherever the location was that they shot – I want to visit it. Glatz does a good job of tracking his characters to where their complicated movement (two men assisting a man with cemented feet) takes them.
To quote Shannon, I liked this one, but didn’t love it because I would have liked just a few more details. I’m going to give it a “B”.
Check it out on IMDB!
The acting isn’t really as important in this script as you would expect, but there is one particular standout. The gentleman that looked as if he had reddish hair was a very convincing sell as a gangster who wants to do his job, but also comply with last wishes and such. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, wherever the location was that they shot – I want to visit it. Glatz does a good job of tracking his characters to where their complicated movement (two men assisting a man with cemented feet) takes them.
To quote Shannon, I liked this one, but didn’t love it because I would have liked just a few more details. I’m going to give it a “B”.
Check it out on IMDB!
A Beautiful Mess (2016) |  |
Wow. I really liked this one guys. First off, the title and the credits get a mention, just because they were clever enough to say that the lead actress (Danielle Arden) is a beautiful mess and the title is a beautiful mess. I don’t know. I liked it.
The movie follows a maid that obviously has plenty of personal problems going on in her life, but she seems to enjoy coming to work to take care of a family’s home. However, her world falls apart a bit when she notices the obvious split of the family, and the subsequent replacement of the woman. She begins to exhibit, shall we say, atypical behavior for a maid.
It’s a bit of a slow burn of a film, but I really liked it. Danielle Arden sells it, especially the climax, where just about everything explodes in a wonderful explosion of color and music. The utilities in this film: the music, the lighting, the editing, the camerawork are all absolutely superb. The costume design also deserves a shout out because there was a very specific look needed, and they just nailed it.
This one is a definite “A”.
Check it out on IMDB!
The movie follows a maid that obviously has plenty of personal problems going on in her life, but she seems to enjoy coming to work to take care of a family’s home. However, her world falls apart a bit when she notices the obvious split of the family, and the subsequent replacement of the woman. She begins to exhibit, shall we say, atypical behavior for a maid.
It’s a bit of a slow burn of a film, but I really liked it. Danielle Arden sells it, especially the climax, where just about everything explodes in a wonderful explosion of color and music. The utilities in this film: the music, the lighting, the editing, the camerawork are all absolutely superb. The costume design also deserves a shout out because there was a very specific look needed, and they just nailed it.
This one is a definite “A”.
Check it out on IMDB!
Nini (2016)
Run Time: 18 Minutes
Director: David Moreno
Writer: David Moreno
This short was a slow break-in thriller. I don’t think there is anything said in the entire film til the end, but you don’t realize it, because the characters have subtle ways of communicating. Sometimes it’s a look at the wrist to indicate time, sometimes a nod or a facial expression. We don’t find out the reason for this until the end of the film, but as I said, you don’t really notice.
I’m not sure if the idea in this film was really meant to be short. I think had it been extended to feature length, there would have been more to enjoy. I think the acting was pretty good, because it’s hard to act without speaking. I can’t help thinking there was more to be extracted from the cast, in particular from the lead .He was good, but I feel like there was so much left on the table.
Despite these criticisms, I couldn’t help but enjoy the film. It was solid, if slow. I’m going to give it a “B-“.
Check it out on IMDB!
I’m not sure if the idea in this film was really meant to be short. I think had it been extended to feature length, there would have been more to enjoy. I think the acting was pretty good, because it’s hard to act without speaking. I can’t help thinking there was more to be extracted from the cast, in particular from the lead .He was good, but I feel like there was so much left on the table.
Despite these criticisms, I couldn’t help but enjoy the film. It was solid, if slow. I’m going to give it a “B-“.
Check it out on IMDB!
Epic Home Break Ins Episode 4 (2016) |  |
This one was a bit unexpected for me. From the opening shots, you’re welcomed by some dark found footage. I was immediately concerned, because lots of time darker found footage can be messy and allow the narrative to be lost in the camerawork – essentially, it dominates the story.
But, that didn’t happen here. Instead I was treated to a delightful treat of a film.
It follows two thieves that are self-proclaimed Youtube/internet stars that film their exploits and put them online. This is “Episode 4” (Hence the title- duh David). They have scoped out a man’s house, assuming he has money, and they wait until he leaves. Once inside the home, they are instantly surprised by the fact that there is almost nothing there. Nothing but a television (which “we always get”). However, as one of the robbers searches the home, he begins to hear a sound coming from the basement. They find a woman (Maggie Lehman) who we see in some newspaper clippings has gone missing.
After some debate, as well as the promise of money in the home, they decide to rescue her. I think from here, Lehman’s performance really takes over and turns the film tonally from comedic to thrilling. The makeup department did a good job of giving her the look of a hostage, and in the film’s final moments, her fear is far more convincing than anyone else’s.
I’m going to give this one an “A-”.
Check it out on IMDB!
But, that didn’t happen here. Instead I was treated to a delightful treat of a film.
It follows two thieves that are self-proclaimed Youtube/internet stars that film their exploits and put them online. This is “Episode 4” (Hence the title- duh David). They have scoped out a man’s house, assuming he has money, and they wait until he leaves. Once inside the home, they are instantly surprised by the fact that there is almost nothing there. Nothing but a television (which “we always get”). However, as one of the robbers searches the home, he begins to hear a sound coming from the basement. They find a woman (Maggie Lehman) who we see in some newspaper clippings has gone missing.
After some debate, as well as the promise of money in the home, they decide to rescue her. I think from here, Lehman’s performance really takes over and turns the film tonally from comedic to thrilling. The makeup department did a good job of giving her the look of a hostage, and in the film’s final moments, her fear is far more convincing than anyone else’s.
I’m going to give this one an “A-”.
Check it out on IMDB!
The Child and The Dead (2015)
Run Time: 18 minutes
Director: Karina Lomelin, Marc Ripper
Writer: Karina Lomelin, Marc Ripper
This film was different. It almost felt like several different features put together. Essentially, the boiled down story is that a man’s car breaks down in the woods while he is traveling with his son and girlfriend. He then chooses to leave them and go for help. The kids a bit strange, and wanders off in the woods after the girlfriend (also strange) decides to teach him about astrology and read him his future.
From there, it turns out there is some crazed killer in the woods who then starts killing people, with the kid catching lucky breaks to get away each time. Take it from me here, this guy is the best part of the movie. He has this lisp (acted or real, I have no idea) that really sells his off the wall performance. I really liked him, but he didn’t get nearly enough screen time despite chewing up the one scene he was allowed to show his chops. After a quick IMDB search, the man’s name is Jimmy Lee Jr (awesome name). And he is totally in a television series called: Cryptid: The Swamp Beast… so now I have to find that.
I think my main problem was the extreme care taken in lining up all the shots, and the slow atmospheric shots to build it all. I’m all for building suspense, but there were just too many for a short. In a feature length film, this may have worked better for me.
Overall, not terrible, but not perfect either. I’m going to land this one with a “C”.
Check it out on IMDB!
From there, it turns out there is some crazed killer in the woods who then starts killing people, with the kid catching lucky breaks to get away each time. Take it from me here, this guy is the best part of the movie. He has this lisp (acted or real, I have no idea) that really sells his off the wall performance. I really liked him, but he didn’t get nearly enough screen time despite chewing up the one scene he was allowed to show his chops. After a quick IMDB search, the man’s name is Jimmy Lee Jr (awesome name). And he is totally in a television series called: Cryptid: The Swamp Beast… so now I have to find that.
I think my main problem was the extreme care taken in lining up all the shots, and the slow atmospheric shots to build it all. I’m all for building suspense, but there were just too many for a short. In a feature length film, this may have worked better for me.
Overall, not terrible, but not perfect either. I’m going to land this one with a “C”.
Check it out on IMDB!
Snake Bite (2016) |  |
At the time of this writing, I’ve been to three shorts competitions for SLIFF this year. Not a single one of them had the same visceral, physical reaction from the audience (including myself) as the final scene in this fun little short. If I had been running the festival, I would have ended with it, because it was that good.
I’m going to make a quick note here: I’m not sure where the fault lies with what I didn’t like about this film, which was the sound. It could easily be the theaters fault – the Tivoli ain’t as young as it once was. But the problem is that the sound was deafening. Between the sparingly used music and the dialogue, I felt like my eardrums were going to burst. So inevitably this film has to lose a few points due to that, because it was somehow the only film that this occurred on… but we’ll see.
The story is spot on. Four young boys are out in the woods (turns out they are at camp) looking for snakes. The whole thing has a very Stand By Me vibe, and it was really enjoyable, because it instantly brought back a bunch of memories of myself and brothers hiking for what seemed like an eternity to our “fort” (I use the term loosely, it was a pile of sticks) in a creek bed. We came across many a snake, and there was always the discussion about what we would do if one of us were bit.
Well, that’s exactly what happens here. You can see the finale coming a mile away, but that doesn’t lessen the blow at all when it finally happens. Snake Bite is a heavy “B”.
Check it out on IMDB!
I’m going to make a quick note here: I’m not sure where the fault lies with what I didn’t like about this film, which was the sound. It could easily be the theaters fault – the Tivoli ain’t as young as it once was. But the problem is that the sound was deafening. Between the sparingly used music and the dialogue, I felt like my eardrums were going to burst. So inevitably this film has to lose a few points due to that, because it was somehow the only film that this occurred on… but we’ll see.
The story is spot on. Four young boys are out in the woods (turns out they are at camp) looking for snakes. The whole thing has a very Stand By Me vibe, and it was really enjoyable, because it instantly brought back a bunch of memories of myself and brothers hiking for what seemed like an eternity to our “fort” (I use the term loosely, it was a pile of sticks) in a creek bed. We came across many a snake, and there was always the discussion about what we would do if one of us were bit.
Well, that’s exactly what happens here. You can see the finale coming a mile away, but that doesn’t lessen the blow at all when it finally happens. Snake Bite is a heavy “B”.
Check it out on IMDB!
The Trip (2016) |  |
I really felt like I was going to enjoy this short at the beginning. It consistently shifts back and forth in time, between a man’s conversation with a mother-in-law to-be and his trip with his fiancée. The bottom line is that there is a whole lot going on, and I really wish I could have watched it a second or third time to pick up on the nuances. Mr. Root’s script is daring at times and beautifully acted by the main cast, particularly Sope Dirisu and Katie Pattinson (nothing against the other actor’s – they just weren’t given anything particularly juicy).
My main problem with this short, before I continue to touch on some positives, was that the majority of it felt like a well-worn trope. Woman doesn’t trust new son-in-law, woman comes up with plan to make her daughter not trust new son-in-law. It’s fairly obvious, but the acting carries it, and director Sophie King’s beautiful lingering shots on facial expressions allow the actor’s to carry the story through this trope into some interesting territory.
There are so many questions I have about this that will probably never be answered (unless either Timothy or Sophie are reading this), and that makes me sad because I think with a bit more fleshing out the short could grow into something masterful. Who exactly was Simon? What kind of effed up family behaves like this? I could go on, but unless you’ve seen it, my questions won’t make too much sense.
I’m going to finish this one with a “C+”.
Check it out on IMDB!
My main problem with this short, before I continue to touch on some positives, was that the majority of it felt like a well-worn trope. Woman doesn’t trust new son-in-law, woman comes up with plan to make her daughter not trust new son-in-law. It’s fairly obvious, but the acting carries it, and director Sophie King’s beautiful lingering shots on facial expressions allow the actor’s to carry the story through this trope into some interesting territory.
There are so many questions I have about this that will probably never be answered (unless either Timothy or Sophie are reading this), and that makes me sad because I think with a bit more fleshing out the short could grow into something masterful. Who exactly was Simon? What kind of effed up family behaves like this? I could go on, but unless you’ve seen it, my questions won’t make too much sense.
I’m going to finish this one with a “C+”.
Check it out on IMDB!
IN CONCLUSION
So DFP readers, that’s two shorts competitions down, one more to go. I really hope you join me for more of these; they’ve truly been a blast to attend. I hope that you don’t mind too much that I ramble through a bit. I am really loving shorts now – they are becoming one of my favorite expression forms. We here at DoubleFeaturePreachers.com are obviously huge fans of them, and look forward to any submissions to the site in the future. Just shoot us an e-mail at DoubleFeaturePreachers@gmail.com!
I would like to thank Cinema St. Louis for putting on SLIFF 2016. Look forward to more of the shorts competitions!
I would like to thank Cinema St. Louis for putting on SLIFF 2016. Look forward to more of the shorts competitions!
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David
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"
-Jack Torrance (Shining)
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