Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, Muldoon here with a blowout of incredible short films! Since wrapping a day job at the end of May, I've been neck deep in my own project, a film with hundreds of VFX shots that I've been chipping at. Red Bull/Coffee and cocktails have been my lifeblood these past few weeks and unfortunately I've not had much time to devote to anything but that project. Flipside, just vanishing without a "Hey folks, I'll be back in a few weeks" wasn't necessarily planned either - more of a "I've got a handful of shots to knock out in order to submit to that fest and the only person I can afford for them is... me." Alas, that's probably more backstory than most folks out there care to hear! The truth is, I live and breath the same world that each filmmaker below does, a passion that’s pulled me back into the fray. We've all got stories we want to tell, some involve alien mutant creatures, perhaps time travel, or toxic shark monsters... the folks below have taken that step beyond staying up at night watching their films in their heads - they've mapped it out into a script, gathered all the pieces necessary, scheduled a shoot, and built something cool out of various shots all to tell a story in a fashion we all seem to love here.
I've not caught too many flicks out in theaters, but in my absence have inadvertently built up a rockin' queue of short films from all over the world. While my gut tells me "Hey man, hold back a few and post them next week..." the movie lover in me says "Oh screw that - you owe it to these folks to post their works now! Figure out next week's selection... next week." That said, I believe we have ELEVEN films to show off today. This might actually be the largest post I've done (at least in the past few years), so I hope you're able to sit back and give them all a watch! Let's jump on into this explosion of genre fun!
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!
GOOD BUSINESS
TRT: 4:59
Ray Sullivan is up first with a film that's sure to blow your head off (in a good way...). In under five minutes, the man shows you a glimpse into a world and scenario that will leave you wanting more (speaking for myself actually). Based off of a comic by Simon Roy, it's a taste of DISTRICT 9, but with creatures that feel wildly unique. I truly can't wait to see what Ray does next, and hope somehow he's able to fully dive into this world he's allowing us to dip our toes in. This short is one of those stories where what's not being said is the thing you're drawn too... in other words Ray doesn't need to beat you over the head with exposition, he's made calculated decisions to show you the subtle nuances that tell you everything you need to know. Do yourself the solid of clicking over to Ray's Vimeo Page, as there's a TON of imagination and talent shoved into that little pocket of the internet.
GOOD BUSINESS (Sci-Fi Short) 2017 from Ray Sullivan on Vimeo.
THE TREAT
TRT: 3:54
Next up is a kickass animated tale from the ever so talented Matt Lee. The guy's no stranger to these parts as I've had the pleasure of showing a few of his shorts in the past. He's one of those filmmakers where when you see a new email from him with a new short - you know it's quality. "We get it dude, you're a fan." If you're a fan of Halloween, then this one's certainly for you. Check out Matt's Vimeo Page to see what else he's got up his sleeve!
The Treat- Short Film By Matt Lee from Matt "Doomin" Lee on Vimeo.
TIME AND SPACE
TRT: 1:15
Next we have a science fiction flick from Fergal Costello! With a run time of roughly a minute, Costello shoves a decent serving of story in such a brief amount of time. "We join the piece as our hero shows off a space time continuum manipulator that he has created for what initially seems like fun, but then we see he has far more personal reasons to create such a device." It's clever and by no means wears out its welcome - a bite sized bit of cool. Head over to Fergal's website and check out all the other cool shorts and music vids he's created!
Time and Space - Award Winner - One Minute Film Competition from Fergal Costello on Vimeo.
NITRO WARRIORS: NEMESIS
TRT: 2:39
Hot damn. Why do I get so excited when I see Vanguard Pictures has a new video featuring Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars? On paper it makes no sense to me, but every time I hit play I'm reminded how much fun each of these videos are. Is it nostalgia? A desire to see a truly kickass car chase? I have no clue, but one thing's for certain - they know how to play with toy cars in such a way that leaves me wanting more. "Even the spawn of gods play with toys. But some toys were not meant to be played with..." If you've yet to see their other works - then click over to the Vanguard Pictures site and enjoy the insanity! Hit play below to have a lethal dose of a visual sugar high slapped into your veins!
DAWN OF THE DEAF
TRT: 11:54
If you've followed SATURDAY SHORTS at all in the past few years, chances are you've seen a film from Rob Savage. "When a strange sound wipes out the hearing population, a small group of Deaf people must band together to survive." This film most certainly has no issue getting viewers as it's been spread wide across the net, with thousands of deserved views. Truly epic. I can't dote on Savage's talents enough, and hope only to continue to see what he does next. Hit up his website to see what else the man's got going on!
Dawn of the Deaf from Rob Savage on Vimeo.
THIS IS DESMONDO RAY! Episode 1
TRT: 6:48
Filmmaker Steve Baker is back! Over the years I've been able to screen a few of his works here, shorts like DOG WITH ELECTRIC COLLAR, THE APPRENTICE (MOVIE 43's banned scene with Anton Yelchin), and of course his VIDEO DATING TAPE OF DESMONDO RAY. Baker's taken the Desmondo Ray character and created an insteresting web series following him. Today I'm able to share the first epsiode, but if you like what you see - there are plently more over on Baker's Vimeo Page! The artwork and character design alone have my jaw on the floor. "A peculiar man searches for love in a dark and troubling world."
IMITATIONS
TRT: 10:00
Markus Milos Ian Fabian has our next film, a horror comedy that's played all my favorite film fests, and with damn good reason. IMITATIONS is a lovely reminder how important it is to accept yourself in a healthy fashion, as opposed to looking to plastic surgury to fill some need. ("Preachy, Muldoon!") It's true though - do whatever it is that makes you happy, but if you think laying under a knife to look like a celebrity is that key to unlock your happiness, well... this is the short for you! "After getting plastic surgery to look more like the famous pop star, an introverted super fan named Arnold decides to go on a night on the town to celebrate his new Austin Kelsey-like face. Very quickly, things become strange for Arnold as he notices his plastic surgery has gone awry. Arnold’s face slowly begins to fall apart in front of his eyes as he struggles to enjoy his celebratory karaoke night and his dream imitation becomes a nightmare with consequences that prove to be dire." Check out Fabian's Vimeo Page for more films that are sure to rock your world!
Imitations from Markus Milos Ian Fabian on Vimeo.
CITIZEN (Part 1 of 3)
TRT: 2:17
James Darling has our next short, a scifi thriller cut into three parts. Embedded below is the first of three, so if you like what you see - head over to Citizen.film and experience the rest of the project! In total, the film runs nicely at roughly 8 minutes and features a solid performance from its lead, Justin Fair. "In an eerie not-too-distant future, a boy finds himself caught between an unwanted obligation and the risk he must take to escape it." Be sure to swing over to Darling's "Science vs. Cinema" Youtube Channel to see which films abide by the laws of physics and which ones don't!
THE OPOSSUM BEGINS
TRT: 20:03
Rick Medina has our next short, a documentary about Aaron Moses and his comic book character "The Opossum." Before Rick's email, I'd not heard of Moses or his comic book character, though found the doc to be pretty entertaining and quite relatable. I think a lot of folks out there can relate with Moses in the quest for getting your art out there. Medina did a bang up job in providing us with a little glimpse of this artist's life and struggles. Solid doc on a subject I was unaware of until I hit play. Definitely worth a watch! Check out Aaron Moses' work at IndyPlanet or click over to Rick's Vimeo Page to get a bit more info on the guy!
The Opossum Begins from Rick Medina on Vimeo.
GAME OF MINIONS
TRT: 3:04
I'm not sure I'd feel right here if I didn't include a parody video. Fortunately Producer Will Phillips of AND YOU FILMS has a chuckle filled mashup of GAME OF THRONES and (you guessed it) MINIONS. The Minions character ride that fine line of "How wildly annoying" and "Ha! That was actaully funny," so it's an interesting choice to shove them into the realm of GOT. I had fun watching this one and hope you folks do as well. Check out more of the AND YOU FILMS work over on their site!
UNREMARKABLE (NSFW)
TRT:13:15
To wrap us out, we have the singular short of the week that wasn't submitted by the filmmakers, but by Talkbacker cjohnston who describes the film as "sort of a Autopsy of Jane Doe, + American Horror Story, plus a dash of Westworld for Good measure..." I have to say I 100% agree and found this film fascinating. The piece is was written and directed by Jared Anderson and features some damn fine acting skills from Tara Platt and Rick Gifford. "A journey of a woman's body who is shot and killed on a vacation with her family." I very much want to see more from Anderson and hope to in the future! Check out Anderson's Vimeo Page and see what all he's been up to via IMDB! (Hint - he's worked on a ton of cool flicks!)
UNREMARKABLE from Jared Anderson on Vimeo.
BOOM! Whew! That's it for this week, ladies and gents. I hope two things - 1) You had fun checking out a few films you might not have seen otherwise and 2) The badass filmmakers above got their work in front of new eyes. (Okay... kind of one in the same I guess). I just hope everyone had fun and enjoyed something new. I hope to ba back next week, though that all depends on what shorts come my way - so if you've got something you've been holding on to or just finished, send it my way!
SATURDAY SHORTS 2012
SATURDAY SHORTS 2013
SATURDAY SHORTS 2014
SATURDAY SHORTS 2015
SATURDAY SHORTS 2016
Pizza Delivery; Forever's Gonna Start Tonight; Epoch; Points Of Origin; Knack! (1/7/17)
Capes; Out Of The Family; Noodles; The Great Orecto; Orphans Of Ash Concept Trailer (1/14/17)
Dr. Gordz; Gleep-Glorp & Lasertag; Mindgame; Quad Diamond; From Below; Killer Queen (1/22/17)
Never Tear Us Apart; Hushy Bye; American Pride; The Restless; 2031 (2/4/17)
Wifey Redux; Whale Valley; Have Had; When The Saints (2/12/17)
The Man From Death; Tail; Whispers Among Wolves; Thing One "Nice Wife" (2/25/17)
Gravy; The Girlfriend Game; Cavern; The Horror; I'm a Homeless Princess (3/11/17)
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
