Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with this week's selection of interesting films I think you might want to check out. In the mix today are some great dramas, comedies, and bit of action, though I found each one to have something unique - something that felt like "Hmm, I've never seen this story be told like this before." Clearly we're all telling the same stories, have been since humanity began to communicate... but the exciting part of that is each filmmaker (that's true to themselves/not aping Tarantino or whomever...) has their own unique perspective and way about showcasing a story. Where to put the camera, how to light it, musical cues, set design... I could go on and on, but that's not why we're here. We're here to get a taste of a handful of new filmmakers, who one day might change the world of cinema. I'm always surprised to see what a filmmaker's up to, one that's let me screen their film here. Just the other day I saw an incredibly bizarre film that worked for me on so many levels at SXSW, and sure enough it was from a filmmaker who's work I had featured here just a handful of months into SATURDAY SHORTS being a thing. There's a hell of a lot of talent out there, I know this for a fact, and yet I'm still constantly surprised to get an email linking to a film that blows me away. Okay, enough chatter on my end - let's watch some cool flicks, eh?
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:
POP MUSIC
15:27
To kick this party off right we've got a wildly energetic comedy from Patrick Muhlberger. Patrick has encapsulated my childhood here, and I dont' think I'm alone there. The guy's created something that's funny, full of "oh shit" moments, and perfectly taps into what it is to be a kiddo. "Trevor's been helping his 13 year old niece prepare a dance for her middle school crush. But when the DJ doesn't play the correct song Trevor grabs his samurai sword and decides to confront him. What ensues is an all night trek across suburbia on a quest for love and revenge." This is possibly the best "revenge" film I've seen in months, wherein it's just a joy to follow along with these characters. The film's lead aboslutely feels like we need to see more of him, like he's got that "it" quality and I hope to catch him "pop" up in more and more projects.. Muhlberger's got some skill and I definitely hope to see more work from the guy myself, but if you're curious to see what else he's got - then fly over to his website and take a peek!
POP MUSIC from Patrick Muhlberger on Vimeo.
TUMBLE DRY LOW
TRT: 6:40
Are you in the mood to see one of the best dramatic shorts out there at the moment? Cool, because Jefferson Stein has our next film, one that a few of you might've seen over at Short of The Week, or at roughly 30 great film fests spread out across the globe. "A little girl and her father deal with loss in East Texas." With so few characters in the film, the project absolutely relies on its cast and Stein's are spot on. Clearly the dad has a bit more to do, but the kiddo feels real, in fact the whole film feels real, which is maybe why it's such a gut punch. Solid film. If you like what you see, then head over to Stein's website and see what he's up to!
Tumble Dry Low from Jefferson Stein on Vimeo.
KAMERS (ROOMS)
TRT: 6:28
Up next is a film from a director who is no stranger in these parts, Elwin Rijken. Elwin's latest project is a bit out there and features some anguish, some frustrations, as well as includes some wild visuals that ultimately come together perfectly. I think anything other than "This is pretty cool, you should check it out" would do the film a disservice. So... this is pretty cool, you should check it out. Also, be sure to look around his website if this film grabs your attention and moves you to do so!
PROMISE
TRT: 9:09
Next up is a drama from David Alexander. "Sean, a young father, struggles to find a balance between living the life that he wants and being a parent. And when the conflict with his girlfriend escalates to breaking point he's finally forced to make a choice about what really matters most to him." The folks over at HungerTV.com did a pretty solid interview with Alexander that I implore you scope out if the film sticks with you as much as it did me. There's a lot of love beautifully captured on film/tape here. Also, think about following Alexander on his Instagram account as the guy takes some damn fine pictures.
DARTH MAUL: APPRENTICE
TRT: 17:48
Considering this is AICN after all... I feel like a large chunk of you have already caught this fan fic short. To those who have not, well German filmmaker Shawn Bu has done something special, giving us his own perspective on Darth Maul. Clearly this is a fan film, but an incredibly impressive one that pretty much drops the mic in regards to all the fan films out there featuring light sabers and melodrama. If you're curious about how the guy put the film together, he's done a great job with his "Making Of" video on the project. I'm absolutely curious to see what Bu does with his own intellectual properties as the guy's got talent. (Thanks, Juergen for sending this my way.)
BAM! That's it for this week, ladies and gents. I'm off to catch the last day of SXSW Film and hope to have a handful of reviews posted in the next day or so. At any rate, I hope you had some fun with these films here on our own weekly film fest. Click a link below to check out past articles - you pretty much never know what you're going to get.
SATURDAY SHORTS 2012
SATURDAY SHORTS 2013
SATURDAY SHORTS 2014
SATURDAY SHORTS 2015
Hank & Honey: A Holiday Horror; Black Christmas; Grammy; Pick Ups (1/2/16)
Lilitu; Auld Lang Syne; Chronoshred; Ash Vs. Lobo Vs. The DC Undead (1/9/16)
Believe; The Dragon's Blade; Native Immigration; The Problem With Friends (1/23/16)
Harbinger; Hyperthermia; The Chickening; Head (1/30/16)
Erebus; Boldly Gone; Cupcakes; City In Crisis; Vandalaze "Great Big Things" (2/6/16)
Blurry; American Virgin; Azarkant; The Homing Bird; Sex, Lies, And Terminators (2/13/16)
Connected; Terry And Brenda; Fuck Buddies; Audrey; BigHead Walking Dead Parody (2/20/16)
Absence; The Adept; MAT ZO - "Sinful;" Dreamco; Hoot (3/12/16)
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
