Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with this week's selection of shorts I think you might get a kick out of. I'm actually glowing with excitment (in the manliest way possible, clearly) about this week's picks. It's a lovely lineup that rival's even the best year of TGIF (Dinosaurs, Family Matters... you know, the good stuff). I really enjoyed each and every one of this week's films, each in a drastically different way, so if you're in the mood for horror - great! Comedy? Gotcha! Drama? Well... there's that, but it's attached to a damn fine genre film. Point is, if you've enjoyed the films I've shown for the last few years here - I am absolutely certain you will enjoy these films. The cool thing is each and every one was created by fellow AICN readers like you and me, even submitted by them, too. Out of all the places for folks to showcase their work, I still get such high quality films from folks all over the world, and that's something I don't take lightly. This column wouldn't be here if it weren't for so many incredible filmmakers busting their asses to get "that perfect take" or folks who never get that perfect take, but still force their visions through. Follow that up with the simple fact that I have some of the greatest Talkbackers here in AICN's history and you've got something pretty special, so hey - I'll keep this thing going for as long as you all do! On a side note, it's flash flood warning season here in Austin, and regardless of where you're at (minus my tropical buddies out there), chances are the nasty weather is keeping you inside - which is great, because now you've got a handful of cool films to keep you company. (Yes, I know Netflix, Hulu, Crackle... exist, but here you have a direct link to the filmmakers, so just shoot your opinions off in the Talkbacks and they just might get back to you!)
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:
LITTLE OLD LADY
TRT: 5:45
Okay folks, we're kicking this puppy off with a rather hilarious film from one of my favorite filmmakers out of Australia, Matthew Jenkin. Matthew's no stranger to SATURDAY SHORTS as his films FAMILY VALUES and COCKATOO have screened here. Hopefully you've had a chance to check those films out, and if so - then you know you're in for some quality laughs. I know a handful of you might me thinking "Hey Muldoon, I saw GRUMPY OLD MEN - what can this short provide me with that I haven't seen before?" Well, first up - don't be so negative - and secondly, this is a beautifully crafted smart ass nudging between two older ladies that isn't just witty insults thrown about, it's an incredibly well done joke about life and getting older, while allowing little things like a competitive spirit continue to grow with age. I can't speak any higher or intelligently about the film other than: I think it's hilarious and truly hope to see more from Jenkins. Mathew, I'm hoping you're going to get a feature off the ground one of these days, sir - I want to see that (whatever it is). "An audition for a TV1 commercial brings out the intense competitive nature of two elderly actresses, Gladys and Doris." Be sure to check out Mathew's website for more info on the film and the filmmaker(s) at Ninja Milk.
GREEN EYED
TRT: 15:28
Whoa! Next up is a stunningly shot love letter to the 80's with yuppies galore. (Eat your heart out, Patrick Bateman). Filmmaker Nathaniel Lindsay has been blowing the festival circuit away with this film with awards left and right - and rightfully so. Hot damn did he lock in the right style, and added his own twist. I love it. "Green Eyed is a dry humored deconstruction of one man’s hollow obsessions with competition, petty one-upmanship and materialism. I've always been attracted to the taking of formalized composition, beauty and glamour, and throwing in subversion through nightmare-like surrealism and sardonic humor; a metaphoric and literal display of exotic bleakness." "In the Summer of 1980 a successful yuppie faces an existential crisis when a Nosferatic ghoul joins his social circle and undermines his social status." If you're looking for more from Nathaniel, then head on over to his vimeo page and see what else he's got going on!
THE MOUNTAIN BELOW
TRT: 5:00
Next up is a fun film from director Andreas Kyriacou. It's a surreal-noir that Andreas and co. wrote, shot, cut, and mixed within the span of 60 hours as part of the Colchester Film Festival (UK) 60-Hour Film Challenge. "A detective in oral pain gets the job of a life time from his long time enemy, The Extractor." Great short that demands your attention. Hopefully you ladies and gents think it's as nifty as I do!
The Mountain Below - 60 Hour Film Challenge 2014 from Andreas Kyriacou on Vimeo.
REJECTED
TRT: 0:60
Now we've got yet another fun film from the folks at A:Sixty. While you might be thinking "Muldoon, you've shown a handful of their films, why is that?" It's because they're just damn good. They're short, sweet, and don't where out their welcome (in the best possible way). They get in and get out at just the right moments and while today's short may or may not be believable, it's most certainly enjoyable. This one's chock full of douche frat bro style fun, but with a twist that's right up my alley.
IT'S ONLY A MOVIE
TRT: 1:57
And last, but certainly not least we've got a pretty cool film from Joseph Winter and his wife, Vanessa. Each year they run a cool horror short film festival and get to make a cool intro short for the fest: this is this year's addition. This one's a tad silly, but I found it incredibly charming as it's set in the 80's (the second 80's love letter this week!). It's short and sweet, so check it out - and if you're in Utah, then be sure to hit up their fest around Halloween next year!
That's it for this week, folks! I'll catch you guys and gals a week from now, where I'll be on vacation with the misses in San Francisco visiting the exteriors of THE ROOM and seeing what the city's got to offer a Texan. Keep doing what you do. Make movies! Make awesome ones at that! (Then just be sure to send them my way!) Adios folks, but hey - check out past columns if you're bored and want to see just what kind of cool flicks are out there:
SATURDAY SHORTS 2012
SATURDAY SHORTS 2013
The Misinventions of Milo Weatherby; Lifted; The Rinsing; Ashes; M is For Maltese (1/25/14)
Rivotanana; End Of Dates; First Date; The Last Girl (2/1/14)
Cockatoo; Hematiet; SLR; Sheridan; A Horny Ghost Named Buster (2/8/14)
Poppetje; In Vain; The World Is Burning; The Central Park Snowman Project; Mission (2/22/14)
La Boca De Leon; Bedbug; Wax; Skin; Something (3/1/14)
Luna; Logan Must Make Star Wars; Rocco; No Strings Attached; Blessing In Disguise (3/8/14)
Plastic Love; Audrey Moon River; The Afrobats; The Flying Lesson; Strike (3/15/14)
Timeholes; Child Eater; Walter Don't Dance; Low Hanging Fruit; Love Hitch (3/29/14)
House of Thrones; The Hunt; Tumbleweed!; Tolerated; The Colour of Her Eyes (4/5/14)
#PostModem; No Help; The Hobbit Games; College Romance; Lost Voice (4/12/14)
Book 1; Compliments; Twiller Parkour #2; They Say; Bikini Girls Vs. Dinosaurs Trailer (4/19/14)
Chomp!; NSFL; In The Black; Everyone's A Comedian; Zenith (4/26/14)
Caterwaul; First Sight; Man Vs. Woman; Say Cheese; The Train (5/17/14)
Booby Traps; Hard Love; That Guitar Man; Ask An Astronomy Brain Parasite; Dada (5/24/14)
Fear, Inc.; Lights Out; 2AM: The Smiling Man; Sneeze; The Music of Erika Zahn (6/21/14)
Mis-Drop; Mech: Human Trials; The Sunman; Time Travel Lover (7/5/14)
Sky-Caper; Goodnight Harvey; Bro; Buck Shot; The Art of Motion; Ticked Off (7/12/14)
Foam Drive Renegades; How To Survive Working 9 To 5; Fantastic Foe; Abinormal; Banana Seat (7/19/14)
Tiny Dancer; Spacewalk; Sissy Boy; Witchfinder; Uncanny Valley (7/26/14)
Bobby Beats; Birth; I Am Become Death; In A Dream; A Bloody Shade of Red (8/2/14)
Between Days; Blue Balls; The Amazingly Ordinary Story; The Gunfighter; Short Love Story (8/9/14)
Rise Of The Kitchen Appliances; The Apprentice; The Koan; White Meat (8/30/14)
Common Shiner's "Social Mediasochist;" Antiheroes; Tandem; The Answer (9/20/14)
Where The Red Fox Lies; The Keeper; Envoy; Spontaneous Amphetamines; The Golden Ticket (9/27/14)
Mouse-X; The Hitch; Dosing; Nightwatch; Resignation (10/4/14)
Sea Devil; Star Wars VII: Comedy Sketch; The Archivist; Office Guys; The Halloween Costume (11/1/14)
Breathe; Strangers; You Only Die Once; Sunrise With Earth (11/9/14)
Phoenix 9; La Loteria; Quentin and Lisa... At The Grocery Store; Oppenheimer (11/15/14)
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
