Hello ladies and genltemen, Muldoon here with this week's selection of fun short films. While San Diego Comic Con news has been blowing up your favorite blog sites and probably your Facebook feed with STAR WARS, GHOSTBUSTERS, ASH VS. EVIL DEAD news I hope you're as excited as I am about all the fun features/TV shows we have to look forward to in the coming years. On the flip side, those are all sequels and reboots - in fact that feels like all that's left in Hollywood at the moment: "If it made money before, then it can make money again - we just need some topical humor and Boom! Rolling in the dough." ASH VS. EVIL DEAD looks like insane fun... actually there is not "but" - it looks like a great time revisiting characters we are all familiar with and enjoy watching. That STAR WARS featurette that I'm sure you've seen a handful of times now, holy hell did that give me chills. So while Hollywood is busy cranking out sequels and reboots, let's take a step back and take a relaxed stroll into the world of indie films, where you're not just allowed to be original - you absolutely have to be. That's what I've got lined up for you folks today, a handful of original short films from some damn talented filmmakers. Hopefully you see something here that you enjoy, something you perhaps wouldn't have seen otherwise.
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:
FLANKERS
TRT: 13:55
Let's start this week off with a chill, an icecube dropped down your back kind of kicker. Justin Oakey (THE WORLD IS BURNING) is back with a film that's competely different from TWIB, a tale of fishermen dealing with a dilemma. FLANKERS is full of gorgeous reminders of the beauty in the world - giant images that scream "beauty." It's well shot, well acted, and is a breath of fresh air. "On the eve of a storm in rural Newfoundland, feuding fishermen are forced to set their conflicts aside when an emergency arises." Feel free to check out the film's Facebook page and see what else Justin's up to. I'm clearly a fan of the guy, so I'm anxious to see what he's got coming next.
Flankers from Oak & Arrow on Vimeo.
THE GIRL WITH THE FEAR OF GHOSTS
TRT: 3:13
Joe and Lloyd Stas have our next film, a fun relaxed story of a gal who simply is scared to death of ghosts. The film is loaded with nostalgia with callbacks to video games and film references left and right. You might remember the last time these two had a short featured on Saturday Shorts and that was with BLOOD DRINKER, which actually shares the same universe as today's short. "Maria has an intense fear of ghosts. So much so that she takes Polaroid shots of everyone that she meets to check that they are really there."
The Girl with a Fear of Ghosts from Holomax on Vimeo.
INTERLUDE
TRT: 4:51
Next up is a film that was conceived, shot, and cut within the span of 48 hours. I'll be totally honest, I receive quite a bit of these and the bulk of the time the lack of prep shows. That said, I've been knocked over by how great some of them turn out, including this one - it's a true testament to the talent involved. I'm not sure what exactly is in the water across the pond, but the SCI-FI-LONDON 48hr Film Challenge consistantly brings the goods. I receive quite a few shorts that come out of this giant experiment each year and am happier for it. Jo Michael and team have created something pretty special here. It's only 4:50 and I'm not running the risk of spoiling a damn thing, check it out - it's a slightly solemn tale that will give you goosebumps.
IT'S A TREAT - A BETTER MAN - DOING TIME
TRT: 5:17 - 6:56 - 10:51
Here we have a SATURDAY SHORTS first. I first screened Luke Mayze's IT'S A TREAT back in 2012 and at the time had no clue it would be the first in a small trilogy - in fact, neither did Luke. Today we screen the full trilogy one after another. The first two shorts have played all over the world in fun fests like Tropfest, Brisbane International Film Festival, and more... Now we get to see all three in one three-chapter sit down. (It's kind of a cool BOYHOOD style way to see how different characters have grown.)
"What gastronomical proportions would you go to win your ex back?"
"David hijacks his ex girlfriend in an effort to prove to her that he has changed and is ready for a real relationship."
Doing Time from lukemayze on Vimeo.
DELIVER ME FROM GLORY - Proof of Concept
TRT: 5:33
Our last bit of fun for the week comes in the form of a Proof of Concept trailer from Jeff Ray. I've been lucky enough to feature some of Jeff's past works on SATURDAY SHORTS before and when I say "If you're film screens here - that means I'm a fan" well, I actually mean it. I think Jeff has skill and I look forward to seeing this film in feature form. So feel free to shoot your thoughts off on it in the Talkbacks below. If you see something you like in the PoC, then see what else Jeff has up his sleeve over on his website!
Deliver Me From Glory Proof-of-Concept Trailer from Jeff Ray on Vimeo.
Bam! That's it for this week ladies and gents. I hope you saw something that will stick with you. Thanks for swinging by, now get back to all that Comic Con tidbit watching! I'll see you all next week with yet another handful of films that stand out to me. Remember, if you've got an awesome idea for a short - go make it! It truly is that easy! Prep the hell out of it and knock it out of the park - just be sure to send it my way when you're done!
SATURDAY SHORTS 2012
SATURDAY SHORTS 2013
SATURDAY SHORTS 2014
The Off Season; Why Does My Girlfriend Text So Much?; Landscape; The Magician (1/3/15)
Atropa; Good Conduct; Ulla; Blackouts; Pizza And Bullets (1/10/15)
Vicki; Strange Thing; Kill The K-Cup; The Grandson; The Dark Walk Backward (1/24/15)
Leonard In Slow Motion; A Good Man Is Hard To Findl The Baker; Certified; Chloe (1/31/15)
Old/New; Alexia; The Beating; Temblor; Royal Blood "Out of the Black" (2/7/15)
Hibernation; Good Morning; Refrigerator; Bar Talk; A Lady & A Robot (2/15/15)
Fish Friend; The Outer Darkness (Part 1); Bus Stop; Don't Look There; Valentine (2/21/15)
The Gold Sparrow; The Brain Hack; Blood Drinker; Meet Your Maker; Al Pacino As Han Solo (2/28/15)
The Pavement; Breathe; The Black Rock Mountain; Plain Clothes; Whispers (3/7/15)
Sequence; Teasers; Static; I do; Point Of Interest (3/14/15)
Moonwatch; Robert's Circle; Tongues; No more Tomorrows; Slit (3/22/15)
Terminal; Windscreenwiperman; Ringo; Sunglasses; Sundays (3.28.15)
Trunk Troubels; The Last Time I Saw Richard; One Thousand Years; Tourists; Tides Of Change (4/4/15)
Moments; SBCR | The Grid; If One Plays Music; One In A Million; Don't Hug Me I'm Scared 4 (4/11/15)
Burnt Grass; Manicorn; Dear Friend; L'invitation Au Voyage (4/18/15)
Bad Guy #2; State Zero; No Help; Attack of the Brainsuckers; Super Mario Taken (5/23/15)
Predator: Dark Ages; Imprints; Back To The Fuhrer; Crime And Punishment (5/30/15)
Frames; Crow Hand; Streamline; Good Treatment; Remains; Scorpion Vs. Jason (6/6/15)
Dollar Night; A Modern Marriage; Hideaway; Jurassic World Trailer Parody (6/13/15)
Waterborne; Gotcher; Bloomers; Savage | Like Michael Jackson; A Killer Of Men (6/21/15)
The White Wolf; What You Can Burn; Pedal; Domestic Protocol; Grady Franey - Safe Word (6/27/15)
Meltdown; Blood From A Stone; The Gate; Memorize; Abe; The Visitant (7/4/15)
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
