Thursday, January 24, 2013

Sundance Film Festival Shorts Program 3

More info: Sundance

I love to watch short films.  Why?  Because if they suck you don't have to wait long for the next one.  Seriously, though, having a program of short films gives you a variety of subjects, style and talent...plus you don't have to wait long for the next film if the one you're watching bores the piss out of you.  Unfortunately, this was the only one of the 5 shorts programs this year I could make.  I love these things.  Only one of the shorts I saw are on the below video.



KARAOKE! - On a night out in New York City, a young man tries to avoid his problems.

6/10 - This one has a great looking opening sequence in a Chinatown alley.  I got what the film maker was saying, I just wasn't engaged.

THE DATE - Tino’s manhood is put to the test in front of two women when he has to host a date for Diablo, the family’s stud cat.

8.5/10 - Hilarious!  I loved the juxtaposition of the cats having sex with the courting of the two young people.

RECORD/PLAY - War, fate, and a broken Walkman transcend time and space in this sci-fi love story.

7/10 - Very well done and interesting sci-fi. There wasn't a dull moment.  The film makers announced afterward, during the Q&A that it's being developed into a feature.  I'm not sure how they can stretch it out to feature length but I'm keen to see it.

#POSTMODEM - A comedic, satirical, sci-fi pop musical based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil and other futurists, #PostModem is the story of two Miami girls and how they deal with technological singularity, as told through a series of cinematic tweets.

7/10 - The MegaMega Upload song is catchy as hell. This one is just a few expanded clips joined by the "Vortex" device but they're entertaining and co-writer/co-director Jillian Mayer looks fabulous naked and strapped into a hydro pack!


THE COMPANION - On the outskirts of Lima, a young prostitute tends to his father, a fallen-from-grace artisan. However, the young man feels that his efforts are never enough. He tries to break free, but his father’s dependence is stronger than his son’s will.

4/10 - Nicely shot but dull.  There was way too much wasted space.  I would have enjoyed it a lot more, I think, if it were a great deal shorter.

THE ROPER - A black man with hip-hop and zydeco roots hard-grafts through the local, all-white rodeo circuits in the Deep South as he dreams of competing in the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

6.5/10 - An interesting documentary short.  I liked the topic and the subject.  I would have liked to have seen more.

MAGNESIUM - A talented gymnast makes a life-changing discovery as she prepares for an important tournament, which is her last chance to reach the top.

7/10 - I really liked the story and the young girl but the incessant close up camera work throughout the entire film annoyed me.  I wasn't given an opportunity for my eyes to breathe.  I totally get that the director made that choice to show how personal and intimate this was for the girl but it was simply too, too much for me.

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