Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with this week's selection of fine films for your very own viewing pleasure. As you probably could tell from the title, we've got some horror and some comedy for you today (a kind of black and tan style format with the horror on top and comedy on the bottom). It's two of my favorite genres (until extreme zombie-animal wrestling is considered its own genre) and boy do I have a few kickass films for you today. Week after week I'm constantly suprised at the quality of films I get in my inbox and you'd think I'd have gotten used to it by now after doing SS for so long - nope, I'm still blown away that "Whoa AICN has some insanely talented filmmakers in the audience. How cool is this?" So to the individuals/groups/teams/etc. who send in their work - you rock, please keep them coming. Without creative folks choosing to pick up a camera and fight their way to the final cut, there is no SATURDAY SHORTS. (I truly hope somewhere along the line - I think we've screened about 350 films here since kick off - that one of these films has stood out to you and either made your day better or inspired you to create something of your own.) I don't want to get into detail about how this last week was (as a nation), but my tiny two cents: some people like to destroy - the only way to combat that is to create. And... talk about an awkward tangent. Okay, that's enough gungho hooha from me (for now), let's watch some fun stuff, eh?
VICTORIAN UNDEAD
TRT: 4:40
"When a lone Victorian woman comes across a strange man walking through the woods, she encounters a lot more than she bargained for. A peaceful afternoon stroll turns into a vicious and bloody struggle for survival, as undead hordes attack." From Ross Shepard comes this little dip into the walking dead. Zombies, I'll sheepishly admit, don't do much for me. I think the term "over saturation" is an understatement with regards to zombie films in modern horror. I say that only becasue the majority of them seem to be churned out like a microwavable answer to a lazy filmmaker's prayers, too easy - lack that next step of thought that screams QUALITY. Quality is what we get here in what feels like the quickest four minutes I've had in a while. Shepard's built something pretty damn cool in such a small amount of time, shooting with a tiny budget and a three man crew over the course of a weekend. Ross, keep 'em coming man - you've got skills and I want to see more! If you dig what you see, you should take a bite out of the film's website.
Victorian Undead from Paravel Films on Vimeo.
THE GLITCH
TRT: 12:58
From Joe Fordham of Flash Films, we get an intimate evening with an odd "glitch." "Harry Owen (Scott Charles), a heavily fatigued man, wakes at 3 a.m. to a strange anomaly that challenges his perception of reality and his mental health." It's a giant love letter to old school sci-fi shows, so if you're into that (which I sure as hell am) then this is your short. It's also a little reminder to ask yourself "am I watching a little bit too much TV?"
SAW MISGIVINGS
TRT: 6:51
And gear shifting time. Here's a bizarre, yet funny as hell mix of twisted humor from my man David Lilley. Seriously, this thing's full of funny (the beer opening gag = genius) and not a one note joke. Lilley's packed in an incredible amount of fun in just under seven minutes. While he might have selected the correct club and set the tee, the two leads in the flick are the ones who really ace it - they're spot on. Damn fine acting, damn fine filmmaking, damn fun time. Lilley - what's next?
‘Saw Misgivings’ is a tongue in cheek horror-comedy based around the ‘Saw’ franchise. It’s a kind of ‘Saw’ meets ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’. ‘Saw Misgivings’ finds Janey, a suburban housewife, preparing for dinner guests while being hampered a hapless husband and wearing a 'Saw' style medieval headtrap which could kill her at any moment. Will she escape death? More importantly, will she get dinner ready before her guests arrive? ‘Saw Misgivings’ has been screened at the Leeds International Film Festival, San Sebastian Horror Festival, Lund International Fantastic Film Festival, among others and was nominated for the 2012 Melies d’argent award.
‘Saw Misgivings’ was produced independently and shot by a passionate team in Nottingham, UK. Everyone gave their time for free, working exclusively for biscuits and beer. I hope it shows that the film was made for the sheer love of it. We are all big fans of the horror genre (I especially love the ‘Saw’ films) and we wanted to create something pays tribute to them, all be it in a cheeky way. We’re very proud of where ‘Saw Misgivings’ has been so far and now we want to spread the word on the internet as we hope film fans and horror fans alike will enjoy our film.
Saw Misgivings from David Lilley on Vimeo.
DAVE VS. DEATH
TRT: 9:47
Death... some of us fear it, a tiny few welcome it, and some of us just want to play chess with it. From Patrick Hagarty of Torch|Head Productions we get an insanely well done glimpse of death, a hilarious backhand to FINAL DESTINATION style flicks. "From his deathbed, David Kane challenges the Grim Reaper to a game of chess. If Dave wins, his life is spared, but for every piece lost, someone he cares about will die." This thing's got twists and turns like a cracked out stripper dancing on a dime. Okay, horrible... horrible analogy (my apologies) - but in all seriousness, this is a legit piece of comedy with a multitude of well acted vignettes filmed supurbly and at a pace that never leaves you lingering for a chuckle. Hagarty is absolutely on my radar of directors to keep an eye out for. The film stars Julian Richings (Death) and Aaron Abrams (Dave), both of which give incredible performances and in just under ten minutes, DAVE VS. DEATH, is sure to make your day brighter. Damn fine film, Patrick, damn fine.
Bam! (again) That's it for this week ladies and gentlemen. I have a ton of comedy i can't wait to screen for you folks, so for now - let's assume next week will bring more of the funny. Thanks for reading/watching and if you're in the mood for more shorts:
Supernatural Goodness (6/30/12)
SciFi Explosions With Aliens (7/14/12)
Dark Comedy Extravaganza (9/8/12)
Goofy Comedy Laughsplosion (10/6/12)
Genre Basket of Awesome (12/1/12)
Horror-ish Creepfest (12/22/12)
Assorted Bits of Genre (2/16/13)
Laughter in Film Form (3/9/13)
The Sphere; Montauk; Meth; Anamnesis (3/30/13)
Stan Lee Parkour; Mediating Kidnapper; Red; Bullet Head; Shadow (4/6/13)
Carrot & Stick; Queen of Hearts; Paintwork; Trophy Wife; BFC: Big F*ckin Chicken (4/13/13)
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?
- Mike McCutchen
"Muldoon"
Mike@aintitcool.com
