Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with a handful of films that just smacked me in my genre-loving face, demanding that I share their awesomeness with the fine folks of AICN. Checking my inbox (Mike@aintitcool.com) feels like Christmas/Hanukkah in the sense that I have no clue what's waiting for me inside. I'm genuinely surprised at how many creative folks out there can still whip up something that feels unique. "Muldoon! nothing's unique anymore. We just rehash the same stories over and over." Sure, I can't really argue with that, but I can still get excited when someone presents that "same thing" in a new and interesting way, and let me tell you - there's no shortage of crazy cool ideas out there. I just love the fact that people from all walks of life take the time, energy, money, etc... to see those ideas through. (I just caught LiTTLEMAN for the first time last night and am still in disbelief that it exists - I mean holy shit, the VFX, the cast, the absurdity of it all - and yet it's still fun, very much enjoyable - but holy hell: it exists!) I'm nearly certain you fine folks aren't here to hear my thoughts on a movie that came out in 2006, but instead are here to watch some fun shorts you've probably never heard of. Hell yes. You've come to the right place, and I'm genuinely excited about this week's selections. Today you will find some truly bizarre films that somehow forced me to love them. Fingers crossed, you all enjoy them as much as I did when I saw them. Please, feel more than free to shoot your thoughts off about the shorts in the Talkbacks below. I'm really lucky that I have a few folks here who consistantly and eloquently share their thoughts on what I bring to the table (IndustriousAngel; cJohnston; demoncat4 - I'm looking at you guys) and hope others will eventually join in. (*Leave the AICN/Harry hate for other posts, please. This column is a celebration of creativity, not a place to troll*). With all of that yipyap out of the way, let's hop on into a pond of crazy with these four 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:

Let's kick things off with a film that's been setting the festival circuit on fire: a thriller from Griffin Devine and Alyssa Radmand of Pigrat Productions. "Hiccup is about a man with chronic hiccups and his ever increasing desperation to get rid of the affliction." HICCUP is a solid short that genuinely leaves you wanting more. I'm a new fan of Griffin and Alyssa and eagerly await whatever they come up with next. If you like the short and are just as curious as I am, then be sure to hit up their website or follow them on Twitter: @PigratProds.

Let's switch gears from bad hiccups to badasses who kill zombies. Thankfully Uke Doiron, Derek R. Brigham, and the gang at Through the Door Productions LLC have something special with their Grindhoused up love letter to 80's zombie flicks. It's a tad rough around the edges, but that damn voice over is spot on perfection and the short's lead, Rick Dalton, is perfect - pissed off - "I've had enough" - just great. "Mountain Man, Buck Savage fights to reclaim the city that he once called home from the plague of the walking dead in this homage to 1980's zombie flicks." Check out the production's website for all sorts of fun shorts with a ton of variety for all tastes.

Let the title of this next film sink in a bit... Now strap on in for something that's more than likely exactly on par with your imagination. Films like ORGAZMO and SUPER fly to mind (yes, moreso than Adam West's BATMAN). This short is just pure fun, a sincere "Fuck it, why not?" that infuses an energy that's hard to ignore. " A fake commercial spun out from the flick "Android Re-Enactment" which contains a lot of the "Superbo Lasagna"." Darryl Shaw really made something fun here and if you're interested in more from the guy, head over to his Vimeo page and have at it!

"Over The Top." Boom! Let's jump out of here on a high note, 20 minutes of over the top angry badassness from Ulrik Bruchholz. This film took two and a half years to make with a crew of practically zero - Ulrik and his actors. While I think it's a smidge too long, the fact that this guy was so hard headed (*Trust me, I can more than relate*) and wouldn't give up on his project, that he fought to get it made by the skin of his teeth. There's some pretty fun stuff spread out through the whole thing and I found it over all enjoyable. Check out the film's Facebook page for more info!

There we have it, explosions of awesomeness. Now, even if you didn't share my enthusiasm for each flick, hopefully you caught something today that you really liked and wouldn't have seen otherwise. I'll be back next week with that same goal in mind. Thanks for reading/watching. I'll see you all next time!

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 capacity, 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