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Review: “THE CLEARING”
Director: Jack Gastelbondo
Running Time: 10 minutes
Genre: Thriller
IMDB Page
The Clearing is an intense thriller about a man living in a society that has installed microchips in the back of everyone’s skulls to control thought, temper violence and keep people in line. Taught and thought provoking, the acting and dialogue make for a world of intrigue and subtle tyranny.
Review: “HEART BOX”
Director: Geoff Yano
Running Time: 11:48
Genre: Drama
Heart Box is the story of a robot who falls in love. Despite mediocre technical elements the robot is made to seem able to move and even love on its own. The plot is easily related to even if the protagonist is artificial.
Review: “TRUE BEAUTY THIS NIGHT”
Director: Peter Besson
Running Time: 10 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Drama
IMDB Page
True Beauty This Night is a very, very different kind of love story. First-rate technical elements and acting combine with a quirky but very funny plot so far out of left field that the audience never sees any of the multiple plot twists coming. Energetic and innovative, it gives whole new meaning to ‘love at first sight.’
Review: “THE COLLECTION”
Director: Christopher Moore
Running Time: 5 minutes
Genre: Drama, Thriller
The Collection is an intense story of a man reflecting on his love life. Mediocre acting and script cannot detract from a story that is thrilling and tightly wound despite its brevity.
Review: “TRAVELLING”
Director: Dianne Reid
Running Time: 3:46
Genre: Documentary
Travelling is a fast paced video montage of Kerala, India. Without narration, you only find out where you ‘traveled’ through in the credits. Despite a shaky camera, the incredibly brief short is able to capture a level of energy and excitement, whisking the audience through the city and the lives of its people, one gets the impression they themselves have been there.
Review: “DEATH IN CHARGE”
Director: Devi Snively
Running Time: 14:53
Genre: Comedy
IMDB Page
Death in Charge is a clever and amusing tale of the Grim Reaper finding herself baby sitting a precocious young girl. Strong technical elements support an original plot that often touches funny even as it explores humanity’s violent inclinations and nonchalant view of death.
Review: “SLAVENKA”
Director: Katy Scoggin
Running Time: 9:25
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Slavenka is a drama about the title German high schooler visiting an unruly American German language high school class. Uncomfortably high school, the short is well shot and the barriers created between the two languages make for an interesting story. Adult themes are set against an incredibly juvenile plot that nevertheless tells a story the audience can relate to.
Review: “GLOBAL EUROPE: AN UNDEMOCRATIC LOVE AFFAIR”
Director: Olivier Hoedeman
Running Time: 11 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Global Europe: An Undemocratic Love Affair is a one-sided documentary arguing that the European Union places corporate interests over the interests of European and global citizens. More political ad than it is true documentary, the short is very well done. It pays no heed to the other side and does everything it can to paint them in a negative light, but the argument it makes is a strong and convincing one. Innovatively edited, the creative presentation is able to keep audiences tuned in, maintaining an interesting and lively feel.
Review: “SICK”
Director: Mike Rymer
Running Time: 15 minutes
Genre: Drama
Web Site
IMDB Page
Sick is a nonlinear but very powerful discussion of the multi-generational affects of depression. Difficult to discern at first, by the end the short completely resolves itself. Heartrending and universal, the strong acting and visuals make for a world where the audience is made to understand all that comes from depression and all that it means. Not so much about the story as about the message, it gives the audience a detailed glimpse at this particular ‘sickness.’
Review: “HOME TIME”
Director: Natalie Brady
Running Time: 5:38
Genre: Drama
Web Site
Home Time is a very brief story of a school girl going home. Relying mostly on what is unsaid, the short is a little difficult to discern but well shot and allows the audience to interpret volumes in what is not said.
Review: “‘TIS WONDERFUL”
Director: Carl Flood
Running Time: 9:19
Genre: Fantasy
‘Tis Wonderful is a childish but cute tale about a little boy and the adventures of his imagination. The audience is never really sure what’s going on but as in the games children play, you know it’s something wonderful. The film looks like it was shot with a home video camera but that’s the point, it’s quaint and adventuresome like only a child could create.
Review: “THE BOOK OF TOMORROW”
Director: David Yohe
Running Time:19:25
Genre: Fantasy
IMDB Page
The Book of Tomorrow proves that sometimes all it takes is a little advanced warning to be a hero. Billy is an ordinary boy in an ordinary town until he finds the title comic book, one that changes each day to predict that day’s events. Whimsical and childishly delightful, it benefits from excellent animation and other technical elements. The plot is predictable but it does nothing to detract from the simple joy of knowing what comes next and a young boy with a wall full of comic books every nerd wishes he had. Who needs football when you can see the future?
Review: “WHAT THEY WANT”
Director: David Heiman
Running Time: 17:37
Genre: Drama
What They Want is a drama about a man running for an anonymous Congressional district haunted by the tactics of his amoral media consultant, a consultant concerned only with winning and not with maintaining morality and integrity. Not especially subtle in its message, the short takes a while to build up the tension but the buildup keeps going for the entire story. By the end one has gotten a depressing but incredibly truthful look at politics and the win-at-all-costs attitude of modern campaigning.
Review: “BAR FLIES”
Director: David Broyles
Running Time: 9:42
Genre: mystery, drama
IMDB Page
It takes a while to realize what’s going on in Bar Flies. A man walks into a bar and instead of a punchline gets some of the strangest regulars you’ve ever seen. Subtle and clever, the short is intriguing with strong technical elements and enough mystery to keep you watching if for no other reason than to figure out what is what. Fortunately, the reveal does come and while the short remains strange, its strength is in its ability to completely resolve itself by the end.
Review: “UNTITLED NO.1”
Director: Megan Lombardo
Running Time: 16:35
Genre: Drama
Web Site
Untitled No.1 is the story of a country girl turned photographer trying to make it in the New York art scene with telling photos she’s taken of her friends and family. A very strong story, it tries perhaps a little too hard to tell without as much focus on showing. The short relies entirely on what is nevertheless a moving theme while delivering only modest technical elements, script and acting. The story says a great deal about the ways we reflect on our lives and how we use those moments and how others see them from a third person perspective.
Review: “NODUTGANG (Emergency Exit)”
Director: Tomas Solli
Running Time: 13:45
Genre: Drama, Thriller
IMDB Page
Nodutgang (Emergency Exit) is a taught thriller about the intertwined fates of a would be bank robber and a dying man. The plot may have its holes but it does nothing to take away from the emotional story. The drama tells of human beings pushed to the very end of what they can endure, reaching out and blotting out the darkness of their lives, feelings that are are conveyed even though the short was filmed in Norwegian with English subtitles. Audiences find themselves quickly caring about both men, wondering what they themselves would do in such a situation. When the credits role, they’re still wondering.
Review: “MY FOUR INCH PRECIOUS”
Director: Sou Yun Sim
Running Time: 13 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Fairytale
IMDB Page
My Four Inch Precious is a fairytale about a Thumbelina type, four inch tall woman who emerges from a magical flower a very lonely man brings home. Charming yet strange, the short is at times whimsical and at others runs the risk of grossing the audience out. A good attempt at humor, the short’s affect is likely to vary depending on the tastes of the audience. A unique take on such a story, it goes so far outside the box that those more accustomed to the box might be made uncomfortable.
Review: “Happy as Larry”
Director: Brian Philip Davis
Running Time: 9 minutes
Genre: Comedy
IMDB Page
Facebook Page
Happy as Larry is about the title character who, according to a meter worn on his wrist, is the ‘happiest man in the world.’ Told with a uniquely British sense of humor, the short is told with moderate technical elements and acting. Perhaps a bit strange, the story is still intriguing and speaks volumes about the modern technological and media driven world in which we live.
Review:”AIUTO”
Director: Frenki Skull
Running Time: 3:30
Genre: Suspense, Drama
Web Site
Aiuto, Italian for help, is a clever, if incredibly brief story of a family nervously waiting around for a phone call. Shot in Italian with English subtitles, it manages to be intriguing and in-depth with just three and a half minutes of screen time. Good editing make for an energetic feel to the plot.
Review: “PAUL AND HIS WALL”
Director: Steven Anderson
Running Time: 12 minutes
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
IMDB Page
Paul and his Wall is a wondrous, if strange kind of fairy tale about a hyper agoraphobic man and his next door neighbor he falls in love with through a hole in his wall. Charming and childishly fun, the excellent visuals and sound quality weave a tale of simple but compelling love.
Review: “ANOTHER THING”
Director: Ilaria D’Elia
Running Time: 11 minutes
Genre: Drama
Web Site
Another Thing is a drama about two lesbian lovers and two young girls saying goodbye. Heartfelt, the plot is engaging and while difficult to understand at first, manages to hammer out most of the kinks in the story by the end. The plot has some difficulty resolving itself but that does not inhibit the love of the story or how easily it slips away.
Review: “THAT’S MAGIC”
Director: Brandon McCormick
Running Time: 14:44
Genre: Musical, Drama, Fantasy
IMDB Page
That’s Magic is a musical about a weary magician lamenting on loves lost and lives wasted. Told with first rate visual effects, the music is enchanting even if the acting isn’t as strong as the story. Compelling and energetic, it hearkens back to the curiosity of childhood and the inexplicable power of love.
Review:”SOMEBODY’S GONNA PAY”
Director: Mike Madrid
Running Time: 14 minutes
Genre: Drama, Crime
Web Site
IMDB Page
Somebody’s Gonna Pay is an engaging story of two hit men on a stakeout for a target. Excellent sound and video paint a vivid portrait about the tangled criminal web and how easy it is to stumble down the rabbit hole. Witty dialogue and a clever plot make up for garden variety acting that still manages to firmly root the audience in shades of gray.
Review: “MISS DIRECTED”
Director: Jim Hyslop
Running Time: 6:52
Genre: Comedy
IMDB Page
Miss Directed is the physical manifestation of your conscience in the 21st century. No more is it an annoying green, musical cricket. Now it’s a director and sound man following a young woman around, yelling CUT! every time she screws up and refilming the scene of her life. Clever and mildly funny, it’s a reminder we could all use someone with a microphone telling us to try it again.
Review: “ON THE ROAD TO TEL-AVIV”
Director: Khen Shalem
Running Time: 19 minutes
Genre: Drama
Web Site
On the Road to Tel-Aviv is perhaps the single most eloquent, visceral and intelligent exploration of Israel and the threat of terrorist bombings. Based on a true story, it is heart breaking and multi-sided, showing the fear of the Israelis, the alienation of the Arabs and the terrible randomness of death. Beautifully shot and powerfully acted, the film takes no sides, showing only miscommunication and the hint of death that floats over everyone’s head, Jew and Arab alike. Shot in Hebrew with English subtitles, it is told in a universal language.
Review: “NEBRASKA”
Director: Philip Hodges
Running Time: 12 minutes
Genre: Drama
Nebraska is a drama that proves you really are never too old to have fun. Three elderly people try to ‘escape’ from their nursing home with all the daring of a prison break. Funny and sentimental, the slow speed of the actors belies an energetic plot even if it is about the slowing effects of time.
review: “DOGGIE DRILL TEAM”
Director: Kristin Holodak
Running Time: 15 minutes
Genre: Documentary
IMDB Page
Doggie Drill Team is exactly what it sounds like, a dog and owner marching team in Silver Spring, Maryland. Strictly for dog lovers, the film is long enough that it runs the risk of boring the audience, leaning entirely on the soft spot viewers have for the little ball of fluff often known as man’s best friend. Not strong in its technical elements, it benefits from people incredibly enthusiastic about their furry better half.
review: ‘LOVE CHILD”
Director: Daniel Wirtberg
Running Time: 6:30
Genre: Drama
IMDB Page
As strange as Love Child is, it is nevertheless incredibly well done. Editing and camera work make for a world where the audience can be captivated even as it watches a cat trump a little girl for the affections of her parents. Filmed in German with English subtitles, the themes are so universal that audiences will barely notice that the dialogue is in a language they do not understand. The story plays on the fears of rejection and jealousy we all have in a whimsical yet sad fashion that manages to be cute even as it breaks a young girl’s heart.
review: “DREAM”
Director: James Brasic
Running Time: 3 minutes
Genre: Fantasy
IMDB Page
Dream has the feel of its title, not entirely here yet touching on an aspect of our waking life. Incredibly brief, the short does not have very good sound quality and has a disconnect inherent in its genre, but it is nevertheless intriguing. Focusing more on what is unsaid and only felt, the story is one that could be very aesthetic.
review: “DUNES”
Director: Nick White
Running Time: 7 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Surreal
Dunes has the feel of a practical joke. Following an unknown man wandering through the desert as he desperately searches for water, it plays with the age old themes of caution in what you wish for as he stumbles upon a lamp and from the lamp, as you might expect, a beautiful genie appears. What the film lacks in acting ability and dialogue it makes up for in camera work and vibrancy, a dash of humor in a very dry place amongst the dunes. Perhaps a little childish, the story nevertheless holds up and the feel of the short is very intriguing.
Review: “BEAUTIFUL EXPOSURE”
Director: Geoff McGee
Running Time: 12 minutes
Genre: Suspense
IMDB Page
Beautiful Exposure is a well shot black and white suspense story about a photographer and the woman he’s obsessed with. Stylized and lyrical as the photographer quotes a poem by Thomas O’Brian, the short tries so hard to be intense and read between the lines that audiences run the risk of being confused. It is in images that the film is strongest, showing what is seen and unseen and delving into the gray lines between black and white, what we can see and what lies hidden in shadow.
review: “Greetings from Mackenzie, B.C.”
Director: Andrew McIntosh
Running Time: 12 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Greetings from Mackenzie, B.C. is a documentary about the title mining town and the impact the financial downturn has had on it. While mediocre in its technical elements, it is a look at the economic crisis that most people outside of the remote regions of Canada would never consider otherwise. While the image doesn’t always match what is being said, the narration nevertheless speaks to the most simple, human impact of something so vast and global we often miss the down to earth implications.
review: “Rain Rain”
Director: Matt Brown
Running Time: 11 minutes
Genre: Fantasy, Science-Fiction
IMDB Page
Rain Rain is a cute, wondrous little fairy tale that hearkens to the daydreams every child has. In this case a little girl finds a fantastic laser gun her father keeps in his office and spends the day chasing an imaginary plane through the house, wrecking havoc and having incredible fun all the while. Great camera work, sound editing and lighting make for a world of few words but a childlike simplicity that will bring a bemused smile to the audience’s face. While in its rush to be so cute and over the top the story may lose itself, never does the short lose its greatest asset, its youthful wonderment at a fantastic, if dangerous, new toy.
review: “JUST ANOTHER DAY”
Director: Gioele Donnamaria
Running Time: 14:32
Genre: Drama
Just Another Day is a simple but heartrending story about a young boy who must care for his mother after she is left catatonic in the same car crash that killed his father. While the actors have difficulty embracing what is fairly typical dialogue, the story is one that largely tells itself. Viewers are made to truly feel for a story rooted in its tragic simplicity. The short is supported by good camera work and music that does an excellent job of setting a mood of tragedy and tedium, pushing through each day just like the day before it with nothing but an identical day lying ahead.
Review: “LET ME GO”
Director: Alex Raskin
Running Time: 7 minutes
Genre: Horror, Comedy
IMDB Page
Let Me Go plays into the fears we all have about relationships, something casual that turns into a man or in this case a woman who instantly begins planning your wedding and absolutely, positively will not go away. While working with an easily understood concept, the film places so much emphasis on proving just how annoying the clinger is that it runs the risk of turning the audience off. The short moves along from scene to scene logically but might have trouble captivating viewers.
review: “Aphrodite’s Farm”
Director: Adam Strange
Running Time: 15 minutes
Genre: Fantasy, drama
IMDB Page
Website
Aphrodite’s Farm is a cute and endearing short that nevertheless runs the risk of confusing audiences. Part fantasy, part love story, it is whimsical and stylized out of another time, depicting the magic of the title farm. When the man of the family who runs it dies, it is up to a new farmhand, Friday, to save the day while the matron of the family comically shoos him away from her three young daughters. An innovative approach with modest attempts at humor, the short is well shot and is fully the fairytale it tries to be, one so fantastical that it might perhaps lose viewers.
review: “A NIGHTCLUB STORY”
Director: Jeffrey Nesker
Running Time: 17 minutes
Genre: Drama
Web Site
IMDB Page
Nightclub Story is a well written short about life’s chance encounters, a man and a woman randomly meeting in line to enter a club. An excellent depiction of the irrationality of love and how quickly the light is turned on and off, the film has all the awkwardness of two strangers trying to understand each other but without the chemistry. Well shot and edited, the story is intriguing but the two characters appear to largely be going through the motions, a pair that is perhaps never meant to be as the short might suggest.
review: “God of Love”
Director: Narcel Reedus
Running Time: 7 minutes
Genre: Drama
God of Love gets off to a great, visceral start but quickly loses itself in its intensity. Well shot with great dialogue, the short tries so hard to be emotional that the story runs the risk of being lost on the audience.
A series of interconnecting stories of love, religion and the limits of human compassion, the short possesses a fantastic energy that entrances audiences. However, that energy is at times wasted in a script that leaves too much unsaid and relies too much on audience interpretation. Even so, strong acting and great camera work make for powerful viewing.
review: “AFTER THE STORM”
Director: Michael Lloyd Green
Running Time: 18 minutes
Genre: Drama, thriller
After the Storm is a drama-thriller about a family trying to piece their lives back together in the immediate aftermath of a Florida hurricane. While the acting is mediocre and the script gets caught up on itself halfway through, what the film lacks in acting and script, it more than makes up for in technical direction and editing. Taking an admittedly long time to get there, the climax is heart pounding and profoundly emotional.
Human beings at their best and worst, After the Storm manages to capture all the desperation, anger and hope that we experience at times of tragedy. The vivid picture quality and sound effects more than make up for a story that is a bit too long but nevertheless heartfelt and powerful.
review: “MIRACLE INVESTIGATORS”
Director: Jeremy Dehn
Running Time: 13 minutes
Genre: Action-Comedy
IMDB Page
Web Site
Miracle Investigators is the answer to a lack of action in depictions of the Catholic Church. Combining elements of Buddy Cop, Bond and Wire-Fu films, it is the story of two Catholic Priests who, as the title suggests, investigate miracles and arrest those who fake them, charging them with “the right to remain penitent.” The fight scenes between frocked priests and altar boys are well choreographed and the conspiracy theories hearken to the more serious moments of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson’s remake of Starsky and Hutch. However, in its attempts to lampoon and amuse, the short has a tendency to come across more as insulting than funny.
Review: “WALLS”
Director: Emerie Snyder
Running Time: 13 minutes
Genre: Drama
Director Emerie Snyder’s Walls may be filmed in black and white but there is nothing two dimensional or polar about it. A conversation between a woman and a self professed hobo waiting for a subway train, the short is layered in a lyrical rhythm that casts a whole spectrum of insight into the colorless world.
While at times punctuated by a shaky camera, the well edited sound effects and exceptional dialogue are what make the short existential yet very, very real to audiences. Philosophy for the subway passenger, Walls manages to delve into the nature of the universe without ever going over the audience’s head, staying firmly rooted in reality and a conversation that one could easily see playing out in real life. Perhaps a little confusing at first, once the audience catches on to what the film is trying to do, they will find themselves on the very same subway platform as the characters.
Review: “FARMER JOE”
Director: Jim Parker
Running Time: 20 minutes
Genre: Documentary, farming
Contact: http://www.vimeo.com/2839912
Jim Parker’s Farmer Joe is a well shot twenty minute documentary about Joe, the owner of a family farm in Colorado. Audiences can expect nothing more complicated than the daily tasks required to ready crops for farmer’s markets on the weekend.
If you are interested in seeing how an American family farmer works, this is the short. However, for those completely uninterested in such things, the short might seem a bit too long and seems to get caught up on the physical processes of farming without a great deal of human depth. Even without such depth, it is an interesting look into a world most city and suburban dwellers never see, set against the beautiful scenery of Colorado farming.
Review: “PARKING GARAGE”
Director: Justin Lazernick
Running Time: 9 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Parking Garage is a comedy about a woman seeking her car with the aid of those who’ve taken shelter in the garage, having lost and been unable to find their own cars as much as 25 years earlier.
Anyone who’s ever had to deal with parking garages can understand the frustration of being lost in their labyrinthine dungeons of concrete and light, unaided by rent-a-cops who border on the sadistic. However, that understanding may have some difficulty translating in Parking Garage. The short seems uncertain of itself, at first appearing to be a horror movie about being lost in a cold, metallic world. From there it becomes the comedy it is about how attached we are to our cars and how lost and alone we feel when we have difficulty finding them.
The problem with Parking Garage as a comedy is that once it settles into that role, the inspirational speeches and shows of camaraderie begin and audiences run the risk of getting lost. Even so, parking garages are often threatening, scary places, a reality the short capitalizes on to the full extent.
Review: “THE MOTH AND THE FIREFLY”
Director: Daniel Stedman and Aron Epstein
Running Time: 5 minutes
Genre: Alternative
Web Site
IMDB Page
Told with a child’s simplicity, Directors Daniel Stedman and Aron Epstein’s The Moth and the Firefly is a cute fairy tale about the most basic kind of love, about need in a lonely night. With no spoken words and only the smallest written narration, The Moth and the Firefly is quite literally about a moth’s search for a bulb to flit around.
Perhaps trying too hard for a kind of Red Balloon feel, the short is nevertheless a wonderful chance to look at things in the most simple light, without a multitude of emotions and thoughts, about nothing more complicated than a moth looking for light, a lonely soul looking for love. Well shot, the short loves to play with light and especially with dark, which can, however, at times make it very difficult to see but audiences will still see what they need to. Dainty music guides the moth and viewer’s emotions through the quest, a slight smile tickling their faces as they read the words etched across the screen, The End.
Review: “DANZAK”
Director: Gabriela Yepes
Running Time: 20 minutes
Genre: Drama
IMDB Entry
It’s a shame that I don’t speak Spanish because if I did I think I’d appreciate the visually beautiful and emotionally compelling Danzak, directed by Gabriela Yepes, even more. A wonderful blend of tradition and modern life, Danzak tells the story of Nina, a young girl living in the mountains of Peru with her mother and dying father. Nina’s father is accomplished in an ancient traditional Peruvian style of dance that he has passed on to his daughter, a dance which is used to incredible effect to tell a story that is at once laced with sorrow over the father’s fragile heart yet brimming with the power of faith and respect to ways that predate our own lives by centuries and will outlast us by just as long.
Limited by the necessity of reading the subtitles, Danzak nevertheless conveys an incredible level of emotional depth through the beautiful scenery of Peru and the blatant desperation that young Nina projects. Not yet ready to mourn, she is a little girl desperate to hold onto her father and so she grasps at what he has taught her, holding on as tight as she can to his costume and the dance he has taught her. The dialogue, actors and setting all make for a world that as far away from our own homes and lives as it may be, nevertheless unfolds before us as though a portal to Peru and a beautiful part of its culture were opened up.
Review: “UNPLUGGED”
Director: KC Early
Running Time: 7 minutes
Genre: Drama
IMDB Page
KC Early’s “Unplugged” is a unique look at how people break up in today’s modern age. Originally filmed in Amsterdam, the English voice overs are easily recognized and the camera tends to wobble.
Audiences may have difficulty understanding parts of the short as they watch a strange breakup in a bar between a man and woman told with a rather unique dialogue. Strange as the short is, due to the script and the translation, it does however mean the final reveal will catch viewers totally unawares.
Review: “A CHRISTMAS CARROT”
Director: Shawn Wines
Running Time: 11 minutes
Genre: Comedy
IMDB Page
Sometimes it takes a little while for a film to grow on its viewers. What starts off as strange and highly inappropriate can suddenly and inexplicably turn into extraordinary humor. Director Shawn Wines’ A Christmas Carrot employs gross out humor in what is somehow an incredibly innocuous fashion, one is mystified and amused but somehow never disgusted at the title’s carrot which finds itself embedded in protagonist Ramona’s vagina.
No, the stated plot is not a typo, and as in the film itself, it will take a few minutes to process. You will never look at female masturbation the same way again as Ramona attempts to dislodge the carrot and avoid what appears to be the most archetypal of teen angst families complete with clueless parents, a self professed teenager expert of an uncle and a senile grandmother obsessed with her time in ‘the war.’ That being said, Gamma, as Ramona calls her, is by far the strongest and funniest character, a graying version of ‘kids saying the darnedest things.’
Ramona herself is as postmodern as they come, vegan and astutely superior of the myopic world from which she tries to escape from the earliest moments of the film. Audiences might be tempted to share her pain because as strange as the film is, there is a level of disconnect that takes a while to breach before one can realize just how funny the short actually is. Once the realization is made, hysteria will ensue if for no other reason than it appears to be the only way to fully comprehend the film, as sheer lunacy and detachment from our own sphere of the world.
Review: “DANCE, DANCE BABY!”
Director: Larry Black
Running Time: 14 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Director Laura Black’s Dance, Dance Baby! may be difficult to understand. The film follows a logical train of events but try as it might, it isn’t very funny. Attempts at humor often come across as awkward and uncomfortable. The film shows Buddy trying out for a temporary acting position with ‘director’ Earl, with a few plot points about awkward encounters we can all relate to in some fashion thrown in for good measure.
The film can be an interesting look at the actor’s process, at trying to convey another person with little to no background on what exactly you are trying to portray. Earl asks Buddy to read a script and then refuses to tell him anything about his motivation. Buddy finds himself grasping in the dark for something to hold onto. In reality, audiences will feel even more awkward than Buddy, waiting for something to happen. Save for the final reveal, not much does.
Reviewed films were randomly selected from the hundreds of entries to the 2009 DC Shorts Film Festival. The reviews are written by Bryan Koenig, an intern with an interest in film review and journalism. The opinions expressed are his own, and not that of the independent judging panel, the DC Shorts Film Festival staff, or the staff and Board of the DC Film Alliance.
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