Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with this week's picks for Saturday Shorts, the weekly online film fest right here in the comfortable confines of AICN. This week's got a lovely mash up of mixed genres. (More and more I'm digging the whole "non-block" programing, simply because it cuts out having to hold off on posting badass stuff.) I'm a gorehound, genre-loving cinephile who really enjoys bizarre visuals and experimental risks and this week we've got that covered and then some. We've also got a few more traditional drama/thrillers in the mix, which are equally as awesome ("apples and oranges"). So no matter what you're into, hopefully you'll find something in the films below that you can enjoy. It just dawned on me, and my math could be wrong here, but since I started up this column back in January of 2012 I've posted roughly 80 weeks worth of SS. Taking into consideration that each week I screen 4 to 6 movies... I've been lucky enough to screen at minimum 350 shorts that I never would have seen overwise. That's kind of trippy, but insanely amazing that that many talented filmmakers have given me a glimpse into their creative minds. So if you've ever submitted a film, had it screen or not, I'd like to take a second and say "thanks." This column thrives on folks who say "I want to create something," then take it a step further and say "Might as well submit to AICN, worst case - that jerkwad Muldoon won't screen it" - risk takers. I'm all about making your own opportunity in this creative field we all love so much, so biggups to all the artists out there who have given me stuff to post and the folks who keep coming back each week to see what's new. That said, if you've got something and have been debating whether or not to submit - shoot it at me! Okay, enough yapping from me, let's get into what we're all here for: badass shorts.
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:
NEON KILLER
TRT: 5:07
Bang. (Always start your writing off with a bang.) First up, we have a truly interesting film from Benito Robinsoni. You might have caught it already as it's been online for a while. I hadn't. Though when a friend of Benito's sent it my way I was blown away by it and new I had to screen it here. It's got a gorgeously "grindhouse" vibe, full of color and interesting characters/kills. It's just a hell of a lot of fun, like a twisted carnival ride where you're not quite sure it's safe enough to assume anything. Just go with it and you won't be disapointed. Robinsoni is currently working on a new film after producing YELLOW last year. I'm interested in seeing more from the guy, but what about you?
FUTURE DUCK
TRT: 5:35
Up next we have the first episode of a web series based on a time travelling duck. It's every bit as amazing as that sounds (or actually way more interesting than that sounds). Paul Cope and Henry Dalton have created something incredibly awesome with a unique animtaion style that looks back at what The SOUTH PARK guys were cranking out when they hit it big... In other words, Cope and Dalton have a damn fun style and a great story here to back it up. I'm curious to check out the rest of the series, but for now here's the first one. (I really don't typically post webisodes here, but in this case it feels right). "The show is called 'FUTURE DUCK!', it's about a duck that comes from a dystopian future (a bit like the Terminator. But with ducks), who now lives in the present with a semi-evolved Whale (who has little legs and likes wearing chinos), a thawed-out Female T Rex, and a sentient English Muffin."
IT FELT GOOD TO HAVE THIS PAIN
TRT: 14:35
Matt Latham brings us our next flick, a gorgeously shot supernatural thriller. "June and Olivia are very close friends. When June develops romantic feelings for Olivia, their mutual inability to deal with it leads to an accident that kills June. The ghost of June returns to say what went unsaid in life." If you like what you see here and would be curious to see what Matt's got up next, then toss the guy a buck or so here on his Kickstarter.
THE GOLDEN AGE
TRT: 8:00
So now that we've got a healthy serving of bizarre visuals and spectacle, let's change gears to something a little deeper. "When Abel, a suicidal, forty five year old man decides to end his life in a manner he views as being poetic and courageous his views on life and death are changed when he meets Sophie, a ten-year old-girl with a quick wit who has little sympathy for him or his problems." Here's Morgan Foye's lovely film about life and death:
The Golden Age from Morgan Foye on Vimeo.
MINOTAUR
TRT: 14:35
From Saturday Shorts alum, Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Context) we've got our last film of the day! Again, a beautifully shot (with stlyized colors galore) story that dives into some seedy territory. Be sure to follow Javier on Twitter (@OKBJGM) for news on his projects (The guy's a machine). ""Minotaur" is a neo-noir fever dream in which a hard-boiled private investigator must descend into a depraved underground to rescue his missing client."
Okay, that's it for this week. I'm pretty proud of the selection and hope you guys and gals liked the picks. If not, hopefully next week you'll see something you like. If you're still in the mood, check out some past articles:
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)
Victorian Undead; The Glitch; Saw Misgivings; Dave Vs. Death (4/20/13)
Gratitude; Boo!; Game of Dim(Wits); How I Met Your Father (4/27/13)
Allure; Titans of Newark; The Knightswoon; The Magic Box (5/4/13)
Don't Move; Experimental; Blackout; Birthday Boys (5/11/13)
Abe; Judge Minty; Robto; The Bubble (5/18/13)
Unsaid; Time; Spare The Bullets Not His Life; The Forge; The Mortician (5/25/13)
Ice Cream; Giraffic Park; The Spell Book; Pop; Chris' Wire (6/1/13)
The Tea Party; Dawn; The Earth Rejects Him; Hangin; Faces: Why Do We Have Them? (6/8/13)
Dead-Funny; Dead Reel; Buckles; So Dark; Secret Identity (6/15/13)
A Killer Surprise; Hitchcock Assembled; The Arsehole Gene; Kill Him; Only in Dreams (6/29/13)
Mirage; Laundry Night; Kiss; Mathilda (7/6/13)
Machete Get Ready; En Passant; Eg Anda; Fade To Black; Shocker (7/13/13)
PostHuman; The Flying Man; Departure; Lucy; Nemesis (7/20/13)
I shot JFK; List; Ten Thousand Days; Sick Day; Bolero (7/27/13)
I'm Such a Carrie; Motherland; Mutt; Falling Apart; Save The Kiss (8/3/13)
The Olympians; Land Of Giants; Genesis; Melissa!; Vaccine; Promotion (8/10/13)
The Video Dating Tape of Desmondo Ray, Aged 33 & 3/4; White With Red; Sinkhole; The Autumn Girl; Melt; Ghost Train (trailer) (8/24/13)
Nitro Warriors 2; Vindicate; Ashtray; Three Legged Horses (8/31/13)
Sleep Walk; Star Drunk; Obsolescence In Love; Sunisoid (9/7/13)
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?
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 capactiy, 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
