Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with a mix of some pretty neat shorts. Below, for your viewing pleasures, we have three horror/thriller films followed up by three comedies. It's kind of like the Black and Tan of screenings. So while the rest of the internet bloggosphere is chirping about THE AVENGERS, PROMETHEUS, and HUNGER GAMES, let's take a sec to give these fresh filmmakers a go with today's slew of fun films. I hope you can sit back, relax, grab some popcorn, and enjoy this week's installment. I think they're all great (That goes for any short I've had the honor of screening here), so you might too. However, if for some reason a short doesn't fancy your tastes, I swear it's not a giant conspiracy to trap your attention and waste three/five/twenty minutes of your life, so keep that in mind as you run to the Talkbacks to voice your unfiltered opinions as each one of these shorts was made by you/us - fellow Ain't It Cool Readers. On that note, we've gotten some incredibly well spoken Talkbacks the last few weeks and I can't help but assume the filmmakers appreciate your feedback.
That's enough chit chat fun, let's get this screening underway, eh?
NIGHT FABLES
Up first we have Darian Faroy's NIGHT FABLES, a quality short that takes a page out of old school filmmaking - toying with an audience's imagination. "In this live-action storybook, we follow Christopher's tale of confrontation with the creatures of the dark. Read this one with the lights off."
Night Fables from BES Films on Vimeo.
GET OFF MY PORCH
Here we have director Patrick Rea's interesting swan dive into the sadistic world of girl scout cookies. (You read that right.) "A horror comedy about a man being terrorized by persistent Girl Scouts selling delicious cookies. Score by Harry Manfredini. Screened as such festivals as The New York City Horror Film Festival and Shriekfest." The film's got a gorgeous 80's vibe that makes me want to go hit up GREMLINS or THE 'BURBS for some reason.
Get Off My Porch from Patrick Rea on Vimeo.
TIME'S UP, EVE!
I debated on holding off with this next one until a few weeks from now, but screw it - I can't help but screen it now. Again, this next one is from director Patrick Rea, though is tonally incredibly different than GET OFF MY PORCH. This one feels like a TWILIGHT ZONE episode with a dash of SIN CITY. I'm curious to see what else this guy has up his sleeve. "In the 1940s, a woman pursued through the city must elude shadowy figures who have claimed the souls of her friends and loved ones."
Time's Up, Eve! from Patrick Rea on Vimeo.
TILL DEATH DO US PART
Since I did feature two shorts from the same director, I think it's A-okay to screen one more horror/drama short before we take the leap into funnyville. This next gem comes from Danish director Martin Vrede Nielsen and his brother, Michael. It's nine minutes of pure atmosphere in the best possible way. "In a small house in the middle of nowhere an elderly couple are having severe communication issues."
Till Death Us Do Part from Martin Vrede on Vimeo.
HARRY POTTER IN 60 SECONDS
Whether you are a Potter fan or not, up next is 60 seconds of unadulterated wizard fun from Alex Mangall and friends. You don't have to get all the references to enjoy this little bit. Hopefully this short is the slice of ginger for your cinematic pallet after checking out the films above.
BILLY
Mathew Graham brings us BILLY. "Billy does not know what he wants to be. His parents sure do. Like all parents, they want Billy to follow in their footsteps. He quickly discovers that he is meant for other things . Will he follow his dream or respect the wishes of his parents?"
Billy from Matthew Graham on Vimeo.
THE MAN WHO NEVER CRIED
Up next is an odd tale of a clown... a unique clown. Writer/Director Bradley Jackson brings us THE MAN WHO NEVER CRIED. "Ralph Winston has never cried; not when he was a baby, not when his heart was crushed by his high school sweetheart, not even when he first saw Steven Spielberg's E.T. So when his father dies, Ralph - age 32 - decides to embark upon a true emotional journey with hopes to shed his first tear before the funeral - and before it's not too late."
Check out the film's "director's cut" here or the company website here.
The Man Who Never Cried (Shortened Version) from Bradley Jackson on Vimeo.
Welp ladies and gentlemen, that's it - the last screening of the day, but what's that? You want to keep this shorts watching extravaganza going? Awesome. Here's list of previous columns:
If you have a short and think it belongs here or are on the fence about whether to send it in – I’d love to check it out.
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.
Please don’t feel the need to submit multiple times. I swear to each of you I truly check every email I get, and sending the same short a few times just makes it a bit messier.
Remember, the filmmakers might still be in the audience, so feel free to share your thoughts in Talkbacks. I'm curious myself, what did you guys and gals think?
- Mike McCutchen
"Muldoon"
Mike@aintitcool.com
