Shorts

Bang Up or Pay Back? - Short Film (2010)

2010-10-30T15:31:00.001-07:00

Rating (0 votes): Not yet rated Added: 21-10-2010
From: DanWagstaffe09 ( Send PM )
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Written and Directed by Dan Wagstaffe - www.danwagstaffe.co.uk 'This is my house' says Carl Leighton (Paul Joseph). He's talking about life in prison where he's serving nine months for theft. This is Carl's seventh jail term in as many years. This fictional drama takes us on a journey through two very different sentence options given by a magistrate. Carl is relaxed and imaginative in the confines of a prison cell; a Community Payback sentence is his worst nightmare. Many months spent living in the safe haven of a prison routine have been replaced by a need for personal responsibility, not to mention payback for his crime.
Channels: Action Reality Other Short Films
Tags: Action, Dan Wagstaffe, Drama, Short Film, Paul Joseph, Prison, Short

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Direct Mail

2008-04-23T17:36:00.001-07:00

USA - 2007

A story of a man that is confronted with the possibility of changing his life....

CAST
Jon Krupp
H. Golightly Perlo
Ross Hewitt
David Trites

Directed by Paulo Costa

Little Victim

2008-04-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

USA - 2005

Little Victim ventures into the realms of the supernatural with a straight face. Brian Ronalds is Duane, a shady character meeting his upper crust divorced father Howard (the legendary Robert Wagner) in a parking garage. Howard has trophy Tracey (Lori Singer) draped in the passenger seat, while Duane has his rather lower-class mother Irene (Laura Durant) in tow. Duane has a treasure to deliver. However, he also has a surprise in the trunk that warrants a lot of discussion and debate.

The script is talky, but the talk is quite worthwhile. Dellis likes his humor presented with the kind of delivery that borders on dramatic. All four of the actors prove adept at saying the impossible as though it were routine. Wagner is strong. Always known for his natural suaveness, he uses his sonorous voice to espouse some pretty fantastical lines. In the opposite extreme, Durant is very funny as trailer trash, making her character into a mockery even while proving the most knowledgeable about the subject. Ronalds plays deadly serious quite well, while the weakest performance comes from Singer, who starts off disjointedly as the stereotypical dumb blonde but gains momentum when given more to play.

Dean Ronalds’ camera work is consistent and sometimes clever. The scenes are quite professionally shot and edited, visually keeping the tone of earnestness set forth by the script and actors.

CAST
Robert Wagner ... Howard
Lori Singer ... Tracy
Brian Ronalds ... Duane
Laura Durant ... Irene
Mark Trombino ... Little Victim

Directed by Dean Matthew Ronalds

Skin Deep

2008-04-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

BRITAIN - 2001
Romo is a mixed race kid (half Pakistani and half white), but he lives on an all white housing estate. He starts work as an engineer and finds he can pass himself off as white. However when he falls in with a group of NF guys he gets involved in an attack on another Asian youth and is forced to confront himself with emotional results

If films confront racist issues they are usually toasted as being brave or something like that. However this deserves even more praise for looking at racial-self-loathing in no uncertain terms. The plot follows Romo as he tries to integrate himself into the white world around him. This is done well as, at the start, we understand him and almost accept his decision. However we learn how deeply this affects him at almost the same time as he does himself.

The film is violent and has lots of swearing throughout but is all the more powerful for it's realism. It isn't a comfortable watch and the ending is difficult but brave. It almost is a bit OTT and student-film-like but manages to be powerful rather than silly.

Sheppard is excellent in the range he has to deliver on. The rest of the cast are good as well but only really have to do characters where Sheppard must deliver in so many areas. The final scene is delivered with such force and realism that he totally makes the scene.
CAST
Darren Sheppard ... Romo
George Russo ... Skeggs
John Hudson ... Rutzie
Freddie White ... Caino
James Bannerman ... Pete
Scarlett Liebenhals ... Jameela
Mary Sheen ... Mum
Marc Zuber ... Dad
Tanisha Rehal ... Baby
Directed by Yousaf Ali Khan

The Shade

2008-03-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

CANADA/IRAN - 2007
On a scorching hot summer day Nima blows a tire and finds himself stranded in a village two hours outside Tehran. A local girl tells Nima of a bus leaving for Tehran 5km away, a bus she was planning on taking herself. Because of the heat and Nima's attire, she offers to take the morning bus and insists on giving Nima her umbrella for shade as a gift and something to remember his visit with. Nima returns a few days later to give the umbrella back to the kind stranger only to realize that the bus she took the next morning crashed into the hillside, killing all on board.

CAST
Aryan Atri
Camyar Chai
Jaleh Chaichian
Shaghayegh Mohammadali
Shahryar Yamini

Directed by Mohammad Gorjestani

In Vivid Detail

2008-03-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

USA - 2007
This tender love story profiles Justin, an architect who is face blind, as he begins a new romance. Face blindness, or prosopagnosia, an impairment to recognize faces, is the result of damage to the right temporal lobe. Similar to people who are colorblind and still see colors but are unable to tell them apart, prosopagnosiacs perceive faces but cannot distinguish them. Justin and Leslie must decide whether their new relationship can overcome the obstacles ahead of them as they try to cope with this bizarre and rare diagnosis. In Vivid Detail addresses the following questions: What are the details we notice about other people and how is this information processed? Can elements, perceived in wholes, be broken down to basic math points? And on a simpler note, how is beauty measured?

CAST
John Ventimiglia ... Justin
Piper Perabo ... Leslie
Kylie Delre ... Kim

Directed by Dara Bratt

Soledad

2008-03-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

SPAIN - 2007
Every day in Sandra's life is exactly the same: taking care of her mother, who suffers from alzheimer. Routine is a constant in her life. Until, one day, everything changes forever...

CAST
Maria Sola
Marga Loriente
Estel Sole
Agurtzane Zallo

Directed by Tony Garcia

Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill

2008-03-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

IRELAND - 2002
During the Cuban missile crisis in 1963 a young woman from a small Irish town has a fascination with H.G Wells “War of the Worlds” and slowly her imagination and reality merge between the potentially real war of the worlds and Science Fiction, as she sets out to meet Che Guevara in a bid to save the world from the Martian Invasion.

Unbeknownst to her, Che Guevara has stopped over on the West of Ireland to refuel on a flight from Cuba to Algeria, and its only a matter of time before she catches up with him to deliver a letter that the Man from Maybury Hill has told her to deliver. The real and surreal become fantastically blurred as they slowly and surely draw their plans against us.
CAST
Vincent Fegan ... Aide to Che
John Hurt ... Man from Maybury Hill
Fiona O'Shaughnessy ... Beth
Karl Sheils ... Che Guevara

Directed by Anthony Byrne

12:01 PM

2008-03-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

USA - 1990

12:01 PM is a 1990 Academy Award nominated short film starring Kurtwood Smith in 1990. Directed by Jonathan Heap, it originally aired on cable television in 1990 as part of the Showtime 30-Minute Movie anthology series.

It is the first film adaptation of the short story 12:01 PM by Richard A. Lupoff, which was published in the December 1973 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The major plot device is a time loop or time bounce.

In this version, Kurtwood Smith plays Myron Castleman, an everyman who keeps repeating the same hour of his life, from 12:01 PM to 1:00 PM. The character is fully aware that the time loop is occurring, although no one else appears to be aware of the repeating hour. Each time the hour resets, Myron retains his memory (or as the film puts it, his consciousness), and despite his best attempts to understand what is happening, he ultimately realizes that he is entirely helpless to prevent the time bounce. Myron cannot even break the loop by killing himself, as he reappears, alive, at the next iteration; he is trapped in the loop for eternity.

CAST
Jane Alden ... Stephanie
Kurtwood Smith ... Myron Castleman
Don Amendolia ... Prof. Nathan Rosenbluth
John Bachelder ... Blazer driver
F. Richards Ford ... Junior executive #2
Laura Harrington ... Dolores

Directed by Jonathan Heap

Simone's Labyrinth

2008-02-29T16:13:00.000-08:00

SPAIN/GERMANY - 2003
An eerie, atmospheric film which explores the obscure inner world of the introverted and mysterious Simone.
Simone is woken up for her father and, after kissing her sleeping mother goodbye, is taken to school in time for the coach trip to Austria. On the bus, the kids swap stories, but when Simone declares that they are all in her dream, and an accident is imminent, events become somewhat peculiar.

CAST
Laura Sonntag
Catherine H. Flemming
Hilmar Henjes
Andrea Losleben
Nola Nicole Oehming
Jan Kollarik
Fabian von Klitzing
Franziska Birnkammer

Directed by Iván Sáinz-Pardo

The Glitch

2008-02-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

USA - 2007
Having commitment issues? Then check out "The Glitch," a hilarious, smartly-conceived comedy short starring American Pie's Jason Biggs, which mixes the inevitable question, "Where do you see us going?" with Groundhog Day-like insanity. Having achieved "immortal" status at FunnyorDie.com since it was posted last week, "The Glitch" has been seen more 13,000 times. While director Mike Samonek always figured the movie would find a home on the web, "it was never my intention to see this become a 'viral' video," he says.

Shot over two days, the film took five months to complete from conception to final cut. Directly inspired by Groundhog Day, Samonek says, "I've always liked the idea of a guy who thinks he can dodge an uncomfortable question only to see it come back and bite him in the ass again and again until he's forced to confront it." Samonek, a self-described "comedy junky" who appreciates the "absurdist comedy of Mel Brooks and Monty Python," and the "character driven, reality based" laughs of Alexander Payne and Judd Apatow, says he's using "The Glitch" as a calling card to put together a feature comedy to star Biggs, whom he met after selling his first screenplay in 2003. "Jason has a very smart, dark sensibility and I think that is a huge part of why this film works," he says, regarding "The Glitch." "Truth is, he's a jerk and the more roles he gets that allow him to be his true self, the better.
CAST
Jason Biggs
Melinda Sward
Ed Ackerman
Directed by Mike Samonek

Terminus

2008-02-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

CANADA - 2001
Terminus (Latin for “boundary stone”) is a dark comedy about the self-destructive nature of the human mind and the dangers of urban isolation. In this film, a colossus made of concrete pilings follows a lonely man throughout the city tormenting him as he goes about his daily life on the subway, at the doctor’s office, and elsewhere. All the while, a strong, foreboding sense of mental anxiety builds as the man is ultimately driven to extreme ends.
CAST
Rob Carpenter
Tristam Gieni
Les Quinn
Trent Opaloch
Directed by Trevor Cawood

Der Schwarzfahrer (The Black Rider)

2008-02-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

GERMANY - 1993
A young black man rides on a German bus while an older racist woman starts laying in the bigot commentary so harshly that the passengers have no choice but to sit around and listen to her silently. Eventually the black rider (Schwartzfahrer) exacts his deft revenge in a small and clever way.
The short itself could use some paring down, though. It's roughly 12 minutes long and could easily be about 7 or even 5. It introduces at great length one character that doesn't matter, and seems to spend unnecessary time introducing other characters as well. Having multiple characters unable to stand up against the woman's racism is fine, but they don't all have to have some history. For the most part, the film's timing is off enough that it works against its comedic timing. I think it could have used a little reworking.
However,more people care about the story than they do the craftmanship, and it is a good story. Ultimately it's a satisfying movie for what it is.
CAST
Senta Moira ... Old Woman
Paul Outlaw ... Black Man
Stefan Merki ... Biker
Klaus Tilsner ... Controller
Andrea Katzenberger ... Mother
Mark Tiedemann ... Child
Andreas Schmid ... 'Walkman'
Directed by Pepe Danquart

I Love Sarah Jane

2008-02-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

AUSTRALIA - 2007
Jimbo is 13. All he can think about is one girl, Sarah Jane. And no matter what stands in his way - bullies, violence, chaos, zombies - nothing is going to stop him from finding a way into her world.
The zombie movie has thrived in recent years, with re-imaginings from 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead, and is still being successfully tweaked—as this Australian import shows. Shot digitally using the Thomson HD Viper Camera, I Love Sarah Jane is set in a parent-free neighborhood where the adults are either dead or undead. Without anyone to tell the kids to clean up the house, it just isn’t going to happen.
What makes Susser’s film so effective is the matter-of-fact way that the kids deal with their bleak situation. It’s nothing special to anyone to be carrying a bow with a quiver of arrows on your back like 13-year old Jimbo does. That’s just survival. Dark clouds loom—literally—overhead as he rides his bike around a trash-strewn, smoldering street. Amidst this awful backdrop blooms a chance for love—at least in Jimbo’s head. As a bored Sarah Jane watches a newscaster on TV describe the proper way to handle undead body disposal (incineration, of course), Jimbo sits down to make his move.
Any movie, even a short one, is reliant on a strong ending to make a good lasting impression. Without giving anything away, let’s just say that I Love Sarah Jane, written by Susser and David Michod, has a very satisfying one.
CAST
Brad Ashby ... Jimbo
Mia Wasikowska ... Sarah Jane
Vladimir Matovic ... Joey
Beau South ... Rory
Peter Yacoub ... Gram
Richard Mueck ... Zombie
Anton Enus ... Newsreader
Directed by Spencer Susser

Jungle Jail

2008-02-12T23:53:00.000-08:00

FRANCE - 2007
A prisoner arrives in a wacky prison . Smaller than others,he is becoming fast the new scapegoat of the prison until the day while rocking ...
A movie created by french students of ESMA (Ecole Supérieur des métiers artistiques / School of Artistic Trades).
Directed by Mathieu Arnoux-Hugo Cierzniak-Bruce Nguyen Van Lan -Aymeric Palermo

Alive In Joburg

2008-02-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

SOUTH AFRICA - 2005

In 1990, Johannesburg is home to a number of Extraterrestrial refugees, whose large spaceships (estimated to be nearly one kilometer in length) can be seen hovering above the city. When the visitors arrived, the human population was enamored with, among other aspects, the aliens' advanced "bio-suits", and supposedly welcomed them with open arms. However, later on, the aliens began moving into other areas of the city, committing crimes in order to survive, and frequently clashing with the police. The film goes on, playing as a documentary, complete with interviews and footage taken from handheld cameras, highlights the growing tension between the civilian population and the visitors, especially once the ships began to steal electricity and other natural resources from the city.
According to individuals "interviewed" in the film, the aliens were captive labor, forced to live in "conditions that were not good" and had escaped to Earth. As the film takes place in 1990, while Apartheid was still effect in South Africa, the aliens were forced to live amongst the already-oppressed black population, causing conflict with them as well as the non-white population.

The alien species in Alive in Joburg are never named, and are frequently referred to simply as "them" or "the aliens." One black citizen referred to them as "the poleepkwa." In their biosuits, they resembled bipedal, humanoid robots. Outside of their suits, their most obvious non-human features are a lack of hair and ears, and protruding tentacles where a human's mouth would be, features very reminiscent of H.P Lovecraft's fictional monster Cthulhu. In the film, the area where one would expect eyes to be is pixelated.The aliens' language is not clearly defined, and seems to be made up of gurgles and animal noises, not unlike Wookies in the Star Wars films.One scene in early in the film, shown as television news footage, shows an alien fending off an attack by two police officers by telekinetically, while wearing one of their biosuits, throwing large vehicles towards them. Whether or not they themselves have this ability or whether it is done through the use of the suit is never explained.

CAST
Dawie Ackermann ... Afrikaans Professor
Jason Cope ... UN Official / Alien
Sharlto Copley ... Sniper
Braam Greyling ... Cop 1
Godfrey Seome ... Cop 2

Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Asparagus

2008-02-04T13:52:00.000-08:00

USA - 2007
Guy Camilleri (Danika, Rx) and Charles O’Hair (Secret Agent, Shamelove) star as brothers in this dramatic story of a seemingly perfect family, and the forbidden desire between two cousins that threatens to put an end to the family’s Christmas dinner.
During this reunion of both brothers’ families, Daniel’s existence is immediately threatened by Uncle Guy’s free spirit. When Daniel’s daughter Brie refuses to eat her asparagus, Daniel feels the need to teach his brother a lesson in parenting...
While their parents are arguing in the dining room, cousins Jacob and Gwen are sent to Jacob’s room to play with a jigsaw puzzle..
CAST
Guy Camilleri
Ho-Jung
Charles O' Hair
Caroline Bielskis
Renata Su Obal
Michael Jolly
Natalie Vigil
Directed by Roman Wyden

Fait D'Hiver

2008-01-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

BELGIUM - 2001

On a cold winter evening a young manager gets stuck in traffic on his way home from work. He takes his brand new mobile to call his wife, not knowing that by doing so he’s about to cause irreparable damage…

Cast
Tom van Dyck
Ellen Van Cutsem
Aza Declerq
Kris Swinnen

Directed by Dirk Beliën

Witchwise

2008-01-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

USA - 2006
Everyone adores Andrew, including his old Aunt Mary. Rather, she did... until she died. Now, standing at her funeral, his Aunt's casket open before him, Andrew reflects on the last time he saw Mary alive, as well as the shocking, secret chain of events that led to her death: While raking leaves outside his Aunt's house, Andrew hears a thunderclap overhead, followed by a flash of light. Only the sun is shining bright, not a cloud in the sky. The light came from the upstairs window and curious Andrew just has to find out the source. But first he has to deal with Aunt Mary, a doting old lady Andrew believes has everybody fooled. He suspects her of hiding great power and aims to uncover her secret. As he tip-toes around the house, up the steep staircase and into his old Aunt's bedroom, Andrew shows he's up to the task. What follows is a frenzied search through a spooky old house where magic is discovered and unleashed, a frail old woman is revealed to be a being of great, enviable power and a little boy thought innocent by all is proven to be anything but. Is Andrew's Aunt Mary a witch? What's the source of her power? And, most importantly, how can he make it his? WITCHWISE is a swirling tale of horror and magic, murder and vengeance in which one bad little boy learns an important lesson- Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it!
CAST
Amy Anzel ... Mother
Spencer Daniels ... Andrew
Colby French ... Father
Mary Eileen O'Donnell ... Aunt Mary
DIRECTED BY Joe Harris

The Trainee

2008-01-25T22:59:00.000-08:00

SINGAPORE - 2006

Somewhere along the equator on the Far East side of the world lies Singapore— a city made famous by beautiful, ever-smiling Singapore Airlines stewardesses. At 30,000 feet these dainty and demure creatures are only too happy to serve you beef, chicken, or a vegetarian option. But on the ground, customer service is a different story. Meet “The Trainee”. She works the long haul, late shift in a 24-hour convenience store along Keong Saik Road – a road better known for the special customer service received in the brothels here. Tonight she’s broken a freshly painted fingernail while closing the register. So you better think twice before venturing into her inconvenience store …

CAST
Sunny Pang
Serena Sim
Directed by Craig Rosenthal

Nothing Serious

2008-01-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

FRANCE - 2004

A passenger plane in great danger is about to make a crash landing. Luckily, a flight instructor is speeding towards the airport with his trusty mobile phone giving instructions to the plane's crew. Everything is going fine and a catastrophe is being avoided when suddenly the call is dropped.
CAST
Jean Dujardin
Artus de Penguern
Karim Adda
Philippe Bénard
Directed by Renaud Philipps

AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central

Sukki's Story

2007-12-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

AUSTRALIA - 2005

Sukki's Story reflects on Thomas Leung's changing relationship with his mother when he leaves Hong Kong to start his new life in a new country.

Directed by Thomas Leung

Tiny Magic

2007-10-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

USA - 2003
Nick will make you believe in magic!
It is open mic night at a local club. Nick takes the stage. His performance is nothing less than amazing, captivating the audience as he makes a magic wand float around the room. The trick is no simple illusion, Nick has magical powers.
Later that evening, he sits at the bar as a beautiful girl named Michelle walks up and orders a drink. Soft spoken, Nick attempts to strike up conversation. They make small talk, building interest and energy. Nick attempts to be charming. He performs a simple card trick – I can guess your card. After a touching soliloquy about tricks and the possibility of real magic, he slowly and methodically makes his selection. He picks the wrong card! An awkward moment ensues, she amused and he embarrassed. Just then he looks at her quizzically, as if something is different. There is. Michelle’s earrings are switched!Not to be outdone, Michelle performs a trick of her own. She asks Nick to close his eyes. She gives him a simple kiss, which penetrates his very being. He savors the moment, then opens his eyes. She is gone. Scanning the bar, he sees that she has returned to her friends. Nick performs one final trick before he leaves, a charm Michelle will later discover.
The film ends in Nick’s rundown apartment. As Nick falls asleep the tale of his magical power and his true situation unfolds. It is an ending that can only be described as magical.
CAST
MATT MESLER
STEPHANIE CADMAN
REBEKAH BOISVERT
KATE LOCONTI
PETER CUMBO
REED RANKIN
LISA VITRANO
DAVID "POKEY" RAASCH
STEPHEN BRISCOE
BRIAN ROBERT TABERSKI
ANDREW BOORADY
KELLY CRANGLE
GERALD INGLUT
AMY INGLUT
CHRISTINA COURTIN
ENRIQUE OVIEDO
Directed by JOHN TAKACS

The Yes Men

2007-10-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

USA - 2006
A man wakes up and finds himself in a dress but can’t remember what happened the night before. Will Bigham’s short is about a tyrant boss, who attempts to make light of waking in a dress by addressing his staff of employees with an ultimatum.Will Bigham won Fox's 'On the Lot' reality filmmaking competition with this short film.
CAST
Greg Collins
Lin Shaye
Fred Koehler
Travis Wester.
Directed by Will Bigham

The Parlor

2007-10-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

USA - 2001
A group of people come together in an anonymous waiting room. All are wearing name tags. As they exchange small talk, though, we realize there's something odd: some of them are saying things about themselves that are clearly false, like the middle-aged man "Beth" and another middle-aged man hitting on a 14-year-old girl.

Jerry: Cool name.
Mandybear: Thanks.
Jerry: Do you like bears?
Mandybear: They're okay, I guess.
Jerry: Yeah. I think bears are definitely where it's at. So how old are you?
Mandybear: I'm 14. You?
Jerry: [Jerry is obviously a middle-aged man] I'm 15.
Mandybear: Cool.

CAST
Ian Vogt ... Skater
Reggie Lee ... Slappy Sue
Scott Alan Smith ... Jerry
Jan Hoag ... Bambi
Richard Riehle ... Beth
David Starwalt ... Schizo
Jesse McClurg ... Joey
Mariana Geschke ... Mandybear
Aaron Henry ... Freaker
Matt Hannigan ... Security Guard
Directed by Geoffrey Haley

City Paradise

2007-10-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND - 2004
Gaelle Denis initially draws a gray, desolate picture of the metropolis, depicting it as an intimidating presence. And so it is with Tomoko, a young Japanese girl who comes to London to learn English. At first, she doesn't like it a bit there. She hardly even leaves the house. But that changes radically when, quite by accident, she discovers a mysterious, secret underground city below London, a place that's colorful and friendly. In the wake of this experience, she meets a lot of new friends, learns English and makes one wonderful discovery after another
CAST
Hiroe Takei
Robert Stevenson
Rachel Phillips
Katerina Athanasopoulou
Directed by Gaëlle Denis

Spider

2007-09-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIA - 2007

Straight out of Down-Under, explosive stuntman-editor-producer-writer-actor-director Nash Edgerton delivers his latest effort, "Spider", a 9-minute action-thriller that gives an all-new meaning to old Peugeots, stunning blondes and love-jokes. Just remember: it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

CAST

Nash Michod

Mirrah Foulkes

Directed by Nash Michod

Genesis and Catastrophe

2007-09-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

USA - 2000
Should we slap the father or the mother--or the baby? The struggle for life is a double-edged sword in this gut-wrenching story, as a painfully difficult childbirth raises questions of fate, love and the meaning of humanity
In a squalid German hospital, an overworked doctor tends to the difficult childbirth of Karla. We learn that Karla has lost three previous babies, and her husband is pessimistic about the survival of this one. But both Karla and the doctor believe this one will survive unfortunately, it turns out."Genesis and Catastrophe" should be required viewing for all short filmmakers. With a perfect three act structure, pristine direction, eagle-eye cinematography, flawless editing, stellar performances, superb art direction, and dazzling producing, it is a masterpiece of the short film genre.

CAST
Connor Collins
Kenya De Rosa
Isabelle Flachsmann
Judith Griegossies
Nadja K. Rutkowski
Dieter Traier
Ulrich Trimpo
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman

Domination

2007-09-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

TURKEY - 2007
It is year 2092 and vegetation is almost completely perished all over the world. A police team has just followed a suspect to a roof. There, they will learn a bitter truth that will affect all human race.
Domination is one of the biggest independent short movies ever made. A complete skyscrapper rooftop was built in a sport center and movie was shot in that set with blue screen background. Special effect team Dukkan-ul Hayal designed and prepeared a make up for our lead creature, a plant in the shape of a human. Then it took almost 7 months to finish the movies post production with striking visuals.
CAST
Özge Özberk
Şevket Çoruh
Nuran Eşici
H. Mücahit Pehlivan
Esra Şahin
Efe Erdoğan
Meriç Marşoğlu
Directed by Alican Serbest

Love is a Shotgun

2007-09-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIA - 2006
Some Love Never Dies. Literally. This horror film explores the hard decisions that must be made when we fall for the living dead. "Love is a Shotgun" won the best Zombie Film Award in A night of Horror International Film Festival in 2006.Beautifully shot and nice tight little package..
CAST
James Inabenet
Jennifer Howe
Directed by Jim Batt

An Angel's Mark

2007-09-11T07:06:00.001-07:00

FRANCE -2004

A highly evolved civilization sends a space ship to a parallel universe. Oria, the female pilote, will discover that in fact, she’s travelled through the living body of a pregnant woman which turns out to be her awn in the parallel universe.

CAST

Marie-Christine Barrault

Christian Charmetant

Thierry Frémont

Héléna Noguerra

Directed by Christophe Reynaud

PART ONE

PART TWO

Hippocrate

2007-09-07T21:26:00.001-07:00

TURKEY - 2007
Life always want us to make promises. One must keep his/her promises when s/he makes a promise like doctors do. Their oath aims to prioritize the patient’s well-beingto their own lives. However, there is something that is not said to them in life.
Mehtap goes to meet her lover, Emre, in their usual place. Something unexpected happens just as another meeting is about to end in happiness. Mehtap who has had an accident is taken to the hospital. The hospital corridor and operating room become the center of an exciting suspense, self-contradictions and turn into a place of examination where the oaths taken are tested.
CAST
Bülent Yıldırım
Sevgül Akbuz
Yılmaz Yiğiter
Tuğba Ece Şakar
Directed by Abdulbaki Yavuz

Father and Daughter

2007-08-30T16:59:00.001-07:00

BELGIUM - 2000

A father says goodbye to his young daughter and leaves. As the wide Dutch landscapes live through their seasons so the girl lives through hers. She becomes a young woman, has a family and in time she becomes old, yet within her there is always a deep longing for her father.

Written and Directed by Michael Dudok de Wit

Left Turn

2007-08-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND - 2001
Horror is a genre that has been parodied to pieces and just about everybody has copied Alfred Hitchcock and John Carpenter, until there's nothing new under the bed.
Sean Ellis's 15 minutes of fright is beautifully choreographed and exceptionally well acted. The tension builds slowly. The storyline is innovative, the thrills unexpected. A sense of unease runs through the opening sequences and you don't know why. This is pure athmospheric cinema, nothing to do with shock tactics.
When the wife of an architect picks up an old woman in a yellow mac during a rain storm, there is something not right about her inability to communicate. She carries a big bag, which suggests woodshed nastiness.
Nightmares are made of this.
CAST
Lucy Russell
Andrew Tiernan
Una Brandon-Jones
Howard Ward

Directed by Sean Ellis

Bus 44

2007-08-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

CHINA - 2001
On the outskirts of a small town, a bus driver and her
passengers encounter highway robbers. "Bus 44" carries a
universal theme that travels across all boundaries and societies,
trespassing the dark side and bright side of human behavior.
CAST
Gong Beibi
WU Chao
LI Yixiang
ZHOU Kui
Directed by Dayyan Eng

I'll Wait for the Next One

2007-08-22T05:15:00.001-07:00

FRANCE -2002

A man enters a subway train and starts to speak: "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sorry to bother you. Don’t worry, I’m not here to beg for money... Let me introduce myself. My name is Antoine, I’m 29... I recently read in a magazine that there are about 5 million single women in France... Where are they ? I’m looking for a lady aged between 18 and 55 who‘s also had trouble meeting someone in a conventional way and who wouldn’t mind giving a honest relationship with someone a shot..." "J’attendrai le suivant..." was nominated for the Oscar in 2003 and won the European Short Film Prize in 2004.

I'll Wait for the Next One sets itself up as a cute little comedy skit, and it delivers on that premise but also surprises you with an incredibly moving finale. Four minute comedies are not supposed to be as moving as this film is, it's funny, charming, and heartbreaking all at the same time, showing you your emotions in a combination that they are not generally found. I can't recommend this movie enough. By the end of the diminutive film you feel like you have known the characters for years, especially the lead man and the woman looking for love, probably because they so perfectly represent. The look on the man's face and the woman's face at the end of the film are brief moments of sheer performing brilliance rarely seen, especially in a short film, which itself is rarely seen. Seek this one out, you will laugh and you will cry, and most of all you will be moved.

CAST

Sophie Forte

Thomas Gaudin

Pascal Casanova

Directed by Philippe Orreindy

On Edge

2007-08-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

USA - 1999

CAST
Doug Bradley

Charley Boorman

Beth Murray

Directed by Frazer Lee

This film is guaranteed to set your teeth On Edge. Based on the story by
renowned horror writer CHRISTOPHER FOWLER (Roofworld, Spanky, Soho Black)
On Edge tells the story of stroppy businessman, Thurlow, who goes to a dentists
without an appointment and is forced to wait. Fed up of waiting, Thurlow
wanders off, only to meet the enigmatic Doctor Matthews. Thurlow gets more
than he bargained for in the dental surgery, to the horror and surprise of
the receptionist, and the audience!

This story deals with one of the things that the human kind dislike the most : going to the dentist’s.The plot is mainly based on the actor skills of Doug Bradley whose performance is absolutely fantastic with contradictory emotions switches and
is both convincing by his attitude and the look in his eyes, but also both in
his charming and his threatening sides of his character.The camerawork is great too. Indeed, the camera is mainly fixed on Doctor Mathews so that we are put into the place of this poor Mr Thurlow.
This way of shooting also allows not to see what is happening until the director
chooses to show you, allowing the viewer to set his mind free and imagine
what happens… be patient… you’ll get to see that in time!Moreover, the characteristic noises at the dentist’s, that we all know about,
confirms the horror of the image that we all can imagine in our mind. All the
movie long, you suffer as much as that poor patient! Simple but successful!Horror also lays in the monologue established by Doctor Mathews, the patient
founding himself in the impossibility to answer. Here also, Doug Bradley is
absolutely marvellous and shows his great acting skills, outside of his
Pinhead part in the “HELLRAISER” series for which he’s very popular. The
scenario and the script are very well written and lead us, from a moment to
another, though dark humour or fear. All is well until the last scene I won’t
tell you about except that the make-up made by Bob Keen, another “HELLRAISER”
veteran, is outstanding and is worth being seen!!! The horror of the whole
short movie is at last visualized in this great scene! One thing’s for sure : after watching that, you’ll look at your dentist
differently!Finally, both industrial and metal music fans will enjoy the music both in
the prologue and the epilogue!

The Insane

2007-08-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND -2006

John Vincent is a cop on a quest for vengeance. After finding his wife and unborn child murdered in his own home, he decides to dispense his own justice on the murderers creatures who have destroyed his life, which are now running amok in the city. Armed with only a crowbar and his wits, John takes to the city streets and takes out the insane hideous beings. By the end you will wonder who is the more insane, John or the creatures that made him?

CAST

Harry Evans

James Spofforth

John Altman

Jenny Scully

Directed by Mark Cripps & David J Ellison.

Night Shift

2007-08-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

ITALY - 1987

Extracted from a popular tv series,this short deals with a lady taxi driver's trouble with a passenger .
CAST
Lamberto Bava
Asia Argento
Directed by Lamberto Bava

PART ONE

PART TWO

Spank

2007-07-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

CANADA - 2003
SPANK” is a short film, set 6 years into the future. The Year is 2013. Advanced Technology has made it possible for people to interact with one another over the internet via means of a virtual hologram program. This Hologram Interface Technology (or H.I.T. as it's sometimes called) allows the public to live out their deepest fantasies from the comfort of their living rooms.
In this techno-future with a twist, a common domestic psycho-drama is not all it seems. Whether counseling session or virtual reality masochism, an enterprising therapist/technician makes an unexpected change in the program. We follow a day in the life of one young actor/therapist, Chavez (Blaze), as he takes us through a typical day of his work. Ashlin (Hopps), one of his long-time clients, is the first to log-on this evening. Usually, she gets Chavez to act as her husband the night she told him about her affair with another man. What she isn't prepared for, is that Chavez has a different scene he is going to play with her tonight, and Ashlin is in for some long-awaited news.......
CAST
Christian Blaze ... Chavez
Leslie Hopps ... Ashlin
Todd Hann ... Jarvis
Aubrey Arnason ... Amber
Damon Gregory ... Brian
Mare Shepherd ... Older Ashlin
Directed by Christian Blaze

The Prophet

2007-07-17T02:24:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND - 2002
A moral tale on why it always pays to be nice.
Flynt, a mean and twisted astro-miner, rescues a mysterious Old Man from an apocalyptic planet. Remembering an ancient legend, Flynt decides to put the man and the myth to the test.
Written and directed by Ian Power, with narration by John Hurt, this C.G.I. laden black comedy clearly illustrates why it is better not to know your future as the force may not always be with you.
CAST
Ned Dennehy
Jer O'Leary
Directed by Ian Power

The Spook House

2007-07-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

SPAIN - 2003

A man volunteers to take part in an experiment that attempts to analyse human behaviour under extreme conditions of terror. His mission is to remain seated inside a dark room for a length of time of 15 minutes. If he manages to hold on, he will receive in return a generous sum of money. Is it possible to terrify an individual who knows beforehand that everything is a farce?
It bases the terror on the simple fact that neither we nor the man sitting in the chair knows (or can see) what is happening around him. Is it a dream? Is it just a big hoax? ...Or is he in fact about to be tortured to death? Eli Roth tried to base the terrors in his foul piece of dogturd, Hostel, in very much the same emotions (spiced with over-the-top gore and naked tits) - and he failed miserably!
Coldo Serra's El tren de la bruja doesn't

CAST

Manolo Solo
Jon Ariño
Héctor Alterio
Nacho Marcos
Santiago Guibert
Jesús Pueyo
Fernando Calvo
Elena Mendiola
Nacho Vigalondo
Directed by Koldo Serra

Who Wants To Be An Amerikan

2007-07-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

CANADA - 2006

25-year-old director/producer/musician Aaron Beckum's “Who Wants To Be An Amerikan” is a satirical film set in soviet Russia where a young man appears on a game show offering the grand prize of a new life in America.Amerikan has received some negative comments from some though who think the closing statement, “People are more important than places,” to be anti-American.“I wanted to make a point about the ugliness of extreme nationalism, but I’m not anti-American and neither is the film,” Beckum says. He attributes his success in this increasingly violent and profane world to his walk with God and his commitment to uphold his values.
“I’m lucky to be pursuing my passions while surrounded by people I love. I thank God every day for the gift of being able to create and speak through art.”
CAST
Ben Martin
Anastacia Bendey
Alexandra Rea
Richard Bernard
Directed by Aaron Beckum

Heavenly Peace

2007-07-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

HUNGARY - 2005

Father Phillip confronts all the ghosts of a shooting in the local Chinese fast food restaurant. A well executed short film with tough words and deaths.

CAST

Jeges Krisztián
Lengyel Tamás Fodor Annamária

Bernáth Dénes Köllő Babett

Zsemlye Flóra Tóth József Fazekas Péter

Directed by Sándor Bisztray

They Are Made Out Of Meat

2007-07-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

USA - 2005

After years of probing humans in every possible manner, two alien researchers meet at a late night diner to discuss a most unusual discovery about our species.
A short-film adaptation of science fiction author Terry Bisson's short story "They're Made Out of Meat." Directed by Stephen O'Reagan, and starring Tom Noonan (The X-Files, Robocop 2) and New York standup Ben Bailey, it won grand prize at the Science Fiction Museum's First Annual Short Film Festival.

They're made out of meat."
"Meat?"
"Meat. They're made out of meat."
"Meat?"
"There's no doubt about it. We picked up several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, and probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."
"That's impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to the stars?"
"They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don't come from them. The signals come from machines."
"So who made the machines? That's who we want to contact."
"They made the machines. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Meat made the machines."
CAST
Tom Noonan ... Duncan
Ben Bailey ... Dexter
Gbenga Akinnagbe ... Merlin
Brenda Dellacasa ... Stacy
Stephen Campenella ... Andre

Directed by Stephen O'Reagan

Utopiec

2007-07-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

POLAND - 2005
A woman arrives to the house at the lake. She had a bad experience there and will have worse one.
CAST
Viola Simolinska
Michal Torbus
Dorota Spazcynska
Rafal Pilorz
Directed by Pawel J. Rodan

Trevor

2007-07-01T01:17:00.000-07:00

USA - 1994
Trevor is your average 70's high schooler in Bible Belt, USA: He listens to records, hangs out with his friends, and goes to the movies. But one day things change: He hits puberty, and everything seems different. He doesn't want to make out with the girls at a party. He starts to pay more attention to the other boys in his class. He starts to realize that people make fun of him for his love of ballet and theatre and Diana Ross. Eventually, Trevor comes to the realization that he's gay. Now, his friends don't want to be seen anywhere around him, his parents ignore him, his priest accuses him of being a pervert, and his best friend Pinky tells him that he's a weak person. With no one offering any support, Trevor decides to kill himself. But help comes in an unexpected form.
A film that deals with the very real issue of one's self worth in the eyes of people that matter in your life.
Trevor is a film many people will identify with. It takes a sensitive yet blunt approach to suicide. It deals with a young boy's thoughts about his sexuality at a very important stage of his life.Whilst being a serious film it successfully manages to entertain the viewer at the same time. Trevor has a camp and very funny side. This helps makes the film all the more real. Anyone that has ever listened to a Diana Ross song and enjoyed it will relate. And if you have a theatrical bone in your body...
CAST
Brett Barsky ... Trevor
Judy Kain ... Trevor's Mom
John Lizzi ... Trevor's Dad
Jonah Rooney ... Pinky Farraday
Stephen Tobolowsky ... Father Jon
Cory M. Miller ... Jack (as Corey Miller)
Allen Dorane ... Walter Stiltman
Lindsay Pomerantz ... Cathy Quinn
Directed by Peggy Rajski

Fashion Victim

2007-06-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

USA - 2003
A verbal spat amongst two stylish denizens in a nightclub bathroom concludes with an explosive bloody splash – when one attempts to stifle a sneezing fit by pinching her nostrils shut

CAST
Alyssa Lobit
Michael Lucid
Directed by Rachel Tejada

Prey Alone

2007-06-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

IRELAND - 2005
Believe it or not it took only 4 days to shoot all of the live action elements of Prey Alone in a green screen studio at Ardmore Studios in Dublin. One can appreciate the amount of preparation this took. Every head turn, look and movement had to be worked out in advance by directors Stephen St Leger and James Mather and agreed upon for it to cut together. There are approximately 350 shots in the completed movie and each one is at least digitally enhanced if not completely created on a computer. The self-taught James Mather spent at least 18 months preparing and building all the necessary 3d objects and elements. After seeing a short clip, producer John McDonnell was successful in securing some short film funding from the Irish Film Board. With a budget most Hollywood producers spend on lunch, Technical director John O’Connell set up the domestic nine-computer render farm. Then James, Lead animator & compositor Jonathan Ridge and graphic artist Eddie Sheanon had only three and a half months to animate, model, light, render and complete the film.
It was filmed entirely against a green screen background on 16mm film.
Believe it or not it took only 4 days to shoot all of the live action elements of Prey Alone in a green screen studio at Ardmore Studios in Dublin. One can appreciate the amount of preparation this took. Every head turn, look and movement had to be worked out in advance by directors Stephen St Leger and James Mather and agreed upon for it to cut together. There are approximately 350 shots in the completed movie and each one is at least digitally enhanced if not completely created on a computer. The self-taught James Mather spent at least 18 months preparing and building all the necessary 3d objects and elements. After seeing a short clip, producer John McDonnell was successful in securing some short film funding from the Irish Film Board. With a budget most Hollywood producers spend on lunch, Technical director John O’Connell set up the domestic nine-computer render farm. Then James, Lead animator & compositor Jonathan Ridge and graphic artist Eddie Sheanon had only three and a half months to animate, model, light, render and complete the film.
It was filmed entirely against a green screen background on 16mm film.
“Ideally 35mm would have been a better format for compositing and tracking, but we didn’t have the money…so it had to be 16mm…James and I also wanted to shoot a lot of it hand held so that made things even more difficult for tracking, more difficult for everything in fact…but it’s a much better way…more exciting, realistic and unobtrusive.”
Stephen St Leger
Director

“I felt that the camera should always be trying to catch up with the action. In real life the camera operator would be struggling to shoot what is happening so that should be reflected in the 3d generated camera moves. Camera shake, camera focusing up, crash zooming into the action”…”The more unpredictable the better”
James Mather
D.O.P. / Director
CAST
Ger Carey
Andy Moore
Kurt Savage
Eric Gill, Alex Bravo,
Elias Escobedo, Jun Li
Colin Tannen, Daniel Katz,
Michael Rooney,
Brian Halford,
Franklin Egbe
John O'Connell,
Neal (Vinny) Finnie,
Shay Kirwan
John Costelloe
Saul Casey
Lynsey Kelleher
John McDonnell
Directed by Stephen St. Leger and James Mather

Spring in Awe

2007-06-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

USA - 2004

Martina Radwan :"My story behind the film is very simple and very direct. I have been a political person all my life. I was amazed to see so many people, worldwide, on the streets protesting against the war in Iraq, and it didn’t seem to matter to the government. I felt very helpless and wanted to be heard.
I have also had a lifelong fascination with Times Square. Times Square is a symbol of entertainment and glamour everywhere in the world — that changed drastically when Disney took over and it became the Mecca of commerce. Seeing the horrible news of the war melting into the colorful fluorescent lights and therefore making them seem less horrible, made me very angry.
I told a friend of mine, Moira Demos, an editor, about my idea and she immediately agreed to collaborate with me. I went out to shoot on Times Square almost every night, depending on the news, and the next morning Moira would load in the footage and we would edit.
We had a very quick turnaround, roughly eight weeks, which I thought was important, because it was such an important and timely topic.
From the very beginning I was thinking about Natacha Atlas’s version of “I Put a Spell on You” because I like the double meaning of the lyrics. Her interpretation gives the song another layer, it could be a love song, but you cannot miss the military choir in the background. I screened this film at Docu Days in Beirut. It was rewarding for me for the film to be shown in another affected country and to see people understand what I am aiming at."

Directed by Martina Radwan

405: The Movie

2007-06-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

USA - 2000

405 was created by Bruce Branit and Jeremy Hunt using only consumer level computers, off-the-shelf software, and their imaginative talents. This short film was shot in two days on location on the busy I-405 freeway in Los Angeles and Orange County. But it really came to be only after three more months of hard work using computer graphics.

Much of the movie, featuring a DC-10 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee, was created entirely inside these computers. There are 62 shots in this 3 minute film and 42 of those shots are enhanced with digital visual effects. Nineteen shots are entirely digital creations, using no live action footage whatsoever. There is no real airplane in this film. The DC-10 was created digitally in a 3D environment. Both cars in this film are also created digitally using Lightwave 3D. Both actors were shot inside real vehicles, however, most shots--including all of the old woman's scenes--were shot standing still. Even the freeway backgrounds were created digitally and added to the filmed footage later.
CAST
Jeremy Hunt
Angela Burns
Directed by Bruce Branit and Jeremy Hunt

The Silent City

2007-06-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

IRELAND - 2006
This film is about three soldiers struggling for survival on a dust-laden, war-torn planet that may or may not be Earth.
Robinson directs and edits “The Silent City” with virtually a non-existent budget and has created a stunning visual effects film with a gripping character study of the ultimate futility of war that rivals anything I’ve seen since Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” or Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket” only on a smaller scale.
CAST
Cillian Murphy
Don Wycherley
Garvan McGrath
Directed by Ruairí Robinson

Thinning The Herd

2007-06-18T14:38:00.001-07:00

FRANCE - 2004

Having finished the graveyard shift a young albino returns to her apartment to find that a vicious killer of the disabled has made her next victim. What attracts some humans to the dark side? Is it a cry for pop culture attention in a world where serial killers are more famous than nobel prize winners? Society's sum of the disenfranchised or do dark forces really call to them? Why does a young man feel compeled to act out brutal murders inspired by satanic music? This simple premise becomes the set for a little game of show and tell between predator and prey.

CAST

Travis Marchall
Rie Rasmussen
Directed by Rie Rasmussen

The Youth in Us

2007-06-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

USA - 2005

Every once in while on WTTW’s Image Union (the long-running half-hour short film showcase) you come across a real gem. In this case, the jewel is The Youth In Us, and the good news is, you don’t have to TIVO Image Union (which I recommend) to see it, since director Joshua Leonard has constructed a modest website to share his work. Leonard, an actor who is best known (apparently) from The Blair Witch Project (the only human image that sticks with me from that film involves a flashlight and snot), shows talent with this 2005 short, his first directing gig. However, it is the writing and cinematography that make The Youth In Us stand out among the large population of short films that are made and never seen.
While short form cinema allows for multiple viewings, good short form cinema encourages it. On first blush here we have an intimate conversation between two kids in love, played with impressive restraint by Lukas Haas (Brick, Last Days) and Kelli Garner. However, both the structure of the script and its attention to detail produce one of my favorite cinematic experiences: the multi-layered reveal. Even though your brain will begin to untangle its mistaken assumptions after the “Oh” moment in the film, the second viewing provides an entirely different take on the same words. I love that. And while the writing keeps your interest, it is the photography which initially grabs it, using overexposure and color saturation to great effect. While not without flaws, The Youth In Us is a substantial little film.

CAST
Lukas Haas ... Jack
Kelli Garner ... Alicia
Nathan Norton ... Young Jack
Mariah Bess ... Young Girl
Directed by Joshua Leonard

Love Without Socks

2007-06-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

CANADA - 1998
It's the little things that count. A simple pair of socks produce a critical moment in Fanny and Frank's relationship. Very first short film from Filmmakers Alliance co-Founder Jacques Thelemaque starring Diane Gaidry.
CAST
G. Larry Butler
Frank Como
Diane Gaidry
Andrew M. Somers
Directed by Jacques Thelemaque

Oscar Pinta

2007-06-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIA - 2004
A young boy takes a photograph of a stranger and is slowly consumed by the man's soul.
CAST
Michael Kotaridis
Rod Barr
Sienna Taylor Gibson
Directed by Joanna Quintanilla

Thomas

2007-06-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

CANADA - 1995
Keith Behrman’s first short film, THOMAS, deals with a family waiting for a snowstorm to abate in order to bury their eldest son. It’s a stark, lonely story and more than a little reminiscent of Claude Jutra’s classic MON ONCLE ANTOINE
CAST
Adam Frost
Jamie Babb
Directed by Keith Behrman

Spin

2007-05-31T22:45:00.000-07:00

USA - 2005

A mysterious DJ is sent to a city block to mend a series of chain reactions that occur in our everyday lives.It concerns a DJ who has the ability to control time, but every time he makes an adjustment to prevent a tragedy, some bigger catastrophe occurs. The guy who plays the DJ is super-cool and has some great one-takes. The audience really got into it. Although there is no dialog, it has some great sound design. Unlike other short films, this one is actually SHORT and does not wear out its welcome. The acting, production values, special effects, and editing are all first rate -- and it's very, very funny.
Raymond Andrew Bailey ... Drug Dealer
Cesar Bejarano ... Tough Cholo 1
Brandon Carrillo ... Armed Cholo
Troy Garner ... Businessman
Jamey Geston ... Little Girl
Gale Grove ... Elderly Woman
Jonny Hayz II ... Scratch
Megan Heffernan ... Mother
Kerry Knuppe ... Reading Girl
Pooch ... Dog
Jeffrey Richardson ... Shy Guy
Mike Saleeb ... Tough Cholo 2
Alan Shackelford ... Elderly Man
Bama Slama ... Breakdancer
Aaron Strobel ... Bicycler
Directed by Jamin Winans

Doll Face

2007-05-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

USA - 2005
A machine struggles to construct its own identity as it mimics images on a television screen. Doll Face presents a visual account of desires misplaced and identities fractured by our technological extension into the future.
It's a very simple set, only a few objects. But they are very well designed, modelled, textured and lit, and the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. It takes a lot of talent to make something so simple seem so believable.
But the real strength of "Doll Face" is in its content. This is a film that speaks on many different levels about the struggle between individuality and conformity in response to external ideals. But I think it's also a comment on reaching ever higher for physical perfection in our image-obsessed society.
Andy Huang has directed and animated short films that have received both national and international recognition. His past animated work has been showcased at the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and the Chicago International Children's Film Festival.
His latest independent short film “Doll Face” was accepted into the Official Selection at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, as well as the Electronic Theater at SIGGRAPH 2006 in Boston. Andy continues to study fine arts and animation at the University of Southern California.
CAST
Christina Frenzel
Directed by Andy Huang

Cashback

2007-05-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

2006 - ENGLAND

When art student Ben Willis is dumped by his girlfriend Suzy, he develops insomnia. To pass the long hours of the night, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket. There he meets a colorful cast of characters, all of whom have their own 'art' in dealing with the boredom of an eight-hour-shift. Ben's art is that he imagines himself stopping time. This way, he can appreciate the artistic beauty of the frozen world and the people inside it - especially Sharon, the quiet checkout girl, who perhaps holds the answer to solving the problem of Ben's insomnia.
'Cashback' is director Sean Ellis' debut feature and he recreates the atmosphere of his same-titled short film with deft strokes, breathing life into a fantasy movie masking as a romantic comedy. Do not write it off on the basis of this negatively-connoted label, rather see it as a creative drama that delivers comedy by the bucketload. The fact is that 'Cashback' delves deep into the emotions of its protagonist Ben Willis (Sean Biggerstaff) much like a drama. It opens with his girlfriend dumping him, screaming and throwing things. In the following weeks, Ben suffers from insomnia and thus finds that he has eight extra hours at his disposal. To pass the time, he works the dreary nightshift at Sainsbury's.

The supermarket job is mundane at first but soon offers an outlet for Ben's creative side. As an art student, he learns to find the beauty in still images every second of the day. This includes the unspeakable beauty in a spilled bag of green peas on aisle four. It also includes freezing time and undressing women (Ben finds great source of interest in the female form), arguably the film's most intense sequences. Here there is a kind of seamless intercutting of scenes, scenery, flashbacks, reality and fantasy that all melt together fluently as the director navigates through Ben's life and thoughts. The latter soothingly narrates the course of events, which cements his likability as a central character.

The unspeakable beauty in the dreamy cinematography is rivalled only by the other side of the tapestry – the comedy. I was rather unprepared for this diversion into hilarity, and expected Cashback to be a drama. Naturally, the amount of well-placed comedy floored my low expectations. In the front row for hilarity sits Ben's two colleagues at Sainsbury's, whom he introduces in brilliant ways. These are two dumb and goofy guys in their late teens who pass their time doing pranks and acting like idiots, such as smuggling sex toys in women's shopping bags at Sainsbury's and guffawing at the effect when she sees it and picks it up. The passing of time indeed proves a central theme in 'Cashback'.

But there is a wide array of noteworthy performances from the supporting cast, not just in Barry and Matt. Ben's boss also proves a massive crowd-pleaser and the level of seriousness which he applies to situations (such as the mighty football tournaments between supermarkets) is a goldmine for comedy. As ever, there is a romantic interest (Emilia Fox) – a girl who works at the same supermarket during the same shifts – who is the film's most likable and interesting character, bar none. My theatre audience also demanded Sean Biggerstaff on some info on this lovely actress.

It needs to be said that 'Cashback' is a sexually aggressive film with plenty of nudity and stories of sexual awakening. All women are also suspiciously attractive (it has often been brought up, beamed Biggerstaff in the Q&A session). It's funny, it's sexy and it's sweet – puffed full of insights in Ben's narration. Better yet, it is a surprisingly ambitious film that strikes me more as a mainstream feature than quirky indie fare (if it wasn't for the nudity). For instance, the classical score is so epic and well-fitted that it sounds like it belongs in 'Gladiator' or any other high-profile sweeping epic. For that matter, Sean Ellis has worked in a homage to the latter at one point when the boss gives a rallying speech during the football tournament, telling his employers to think of him 'as Russell Crowe'.

The film has only two faults as far as I can see it: its wildly unfocused story and its slightly cheesy ending. The former did not prove a problem or a distraction, but rather made it feel like 'Cashback' attempted a lot of different story lines and detours and diversions. That said, I can see how it could be considered a problem. The ending discards some of the unpredictable magic by tipping into saccharine but it is nothing fatal. The fact is that Cashback is a remarkable film in both comedy and drama aspects and I urge you to watch it if you are even a slight fan of Biggerstaff.

CAST
Sean Biggerstaff ... Ben Willis

Emilia Fox ... Sharon Pintey
Shaun Evans ... Sean Higgins
Michelle Ryan ... Suzy
Stuart Goodwin ... Jenkins

Michael Dixon ... Barry Brickman
Michael Lambourne ... Matt Stephens
Marc Pickering ... Brian
Nick Hancock ... Rory
Frank Hesketh ... Young Ben

Irene Bagach ... Beautiful Girl
Howard Ward ... Referee

Daphne Guinness ... Anna Shapiro
Samantha Bloom ... Mrs. Booth
Keeley Hazell ... Naked Girl
Directed by Sean Ellis

Star

2007-05-22T03:20:00.000-07:00

2001 - USA
The Driver carries an arrogant rock star who is visiting Pittsburgh. Played by Madonna, this title character wants to get away from her bodyguards in the Driver's BMW. He soon gets tired of her and decides to have a bit of fun.Guy Ritchie directs his wife Madonna and it is definitely his style, seen in 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Snatch'.

CAST
Clive Owen ... Driver
Michael Beattie ... Manager
Toru Tanaka Jr. ... Bodyguard
Troy Aguayo ... Bodyguard
Madonna ... Star
Woon Young Park ... Bodyguard
Directed by Guy Ritchie

Offside

2007-05-21T00:51:00.000-07:00

2001 - USA

This is the true story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, when British and German soldiers on the Western Front put down their guns and played a game of soccer in "No Man's Land.The film takes every exceptionally detailed & focused element and forms an extraordinary and inspiring piece. Not one detail is overlooked, from the superb acting to the outstanding production design.
CAST
Sam McConkey ... British Soldier
John Churchill ... German soldier
Chris Elwood ... Pvt. Bourne
Euan K. MacDonald ... Mac
Dominic Muller ... German Soldier
John Prosky ... Sergeant
Darren Richardson ... Chaplain
Chris Wallace ... German Soldier
Dewey Weber ... Soldier
Sye Williams ... German Soldier
Patrick Wuebben ... German Soldier

Directed by Leanna Creel

My Left Eye

2007-05-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

ARGENTINA - 2005

Clarin newspaper's sponsorship campaign for the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival includes five directors each giving their take on the same script. The directors include (in order of appearance) Ariel Winograd, Rodrigo Garcia Saiz, Plástico, Cayetana Vidal, and Nicólas Parodi.
Short Film 1
Production Company: Wasabi films
Director: Ariel Winograd
Producer: Fabian Zayat

Short Film 2
Production Company: Bendercine / Central Films
Director: Rodrigo Garcia Saiz
Producer: Jacqueline Ligtensten

Short Film 3
Production Company: Flehner
Director: Plástico
Producer: Gabriel Starna

Short Film 4
Production Company: Furia Films
Director: Cayetana Vidal
Producer: Alejandra Cohen

Short Film 5
Production Company: Blue Films
Director: Nicólas Parodi
Producer: Gonzalo Fontana

Production Director: Facundo Perez
Responsible for Client: Pablo Schcilnik / Javier Kravier / Diego Volcovich

Anna and The Soldier

2007-05-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

2005 - GERMANY
Between 1943 and the end of World War II in 1945 Italy was occupied by troops of Nazi-Germany. It was a time of cruelty and inhumanity for the Italian people in their own country...
Italy, 1950. The 18-year old Italian girl Anna is haunted by her past. Six years ago she lost her whole family in a massacre by the German Wehrmacht. Again and again she is drawing her horrific memories. Suddenly one of the Nazi soldiers returns. The moment for revenge has come.
CAST
Pheline Roggan Anna
Steffen Schroeder Soldier
Directed by Sören Hüper&Christian Prettin

Finite

2007-05-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

USA - 2005

Nothing lasts forever.
When a relationship is forced to change, how does one come to terms with the past and reconcile? Ultimately, relationships like life simply exist, persist, and endure for a limited period of time.
CAST
Rich McDonald
Gwendolynn Murphy
Directed by Eric Hyland&Dusty Culbertson

Quartier de la Madeleine

2007-05-10T23:56:00.000-07:00

2006 - USA

Vicenzo Natali, the filmmaker behind the mindbending cult classic The Cube, contributed this film to the collection Paris je t'aime. Starring Elijah Wood and Olga Kurylenko, Quartier de la Madeleine is an eerie dialogue-free vampire tale.A young guy stumbles upon a female vampire hunting at late midnight.He is bound to go to the extremes as he falls in her at first sight.

CAST

Olga Kurylenko

Elijah Wood

Wes Craven

Directed by Vincenzo Natali

The Girl in The Woods

2007-05-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

USA - 2005

CAST

Taylor Stephens Gus Holwerda Alysia Ferguson

Directed by Brad Murren

Deep in the heart of an isolated Midwestern forest, a small group of villagers have just beaten back a horrific army of the evil undead. But victory comes at a staggering cost for one family. Cassandra (Taylor Stephens) and her Father (Gus Holwerda) must deal with the bloody aftermath of the deadly zombie attack and mourn the loss of their loved ones. But not everything is as it seems in this short film by acclaimed filmmaking team Shirley Films

Farm Sluts

2007-05-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

2003 - USA
A successful 30 something (Chris Parnell) is fired for accidentally visiting a pornographic web site during office hours. His life unravels when the false accusation prevents him from gaining alternative employment. In despair, he commences a series of hilarious suicide attempts.
Chris Parnell ... Larry
Arden Myrin ... Larry's Co-worker
Roy Lee Jones ... Larry's Boss
Erin Leigh Price ... Larry's Girlfriend (as Erin Price)
Rick Hoffman ... Rick
Elizabeth Keener ... Janet
Brian Reddy ... Larry's Father
Carol Mansell ... Larry's Mother
Steve Hytner ... Evil Male Executive
Lisa Ann Walter ... Sexy Feminist Executive
Greg Allen Johnson ... Larry's Uncle
Leslie Jordan ... Coroner

Directed by: Collin Friesen

Smile

2007-05-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

ISRAEL - 2005

SMILE is an impressive 2005 student film by Yuval Markovich and Noam Abta produced at Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design in Jerusalem. Horror films are all too rare in animation, and this short does a solid job of buiding the tension and creating a mood of paranoia and uncertainty. Technically, it looks like the film was shot in live-action, with oversized CG heads placed on the live bodies. It’s a surprisingly effective technique that adds to the film’s uneasy mood.

Yuval goes to his friends house and begin to suspect that there is a plot to do him harm. The signs keep reappearing to a point where paranoia takes over.

Directed by: Yuval Markovich & Noam Abta

Duet

2007-05-04T00:45:00.000-07:00

modern and classical merge in a sky-blue scenery at the first peep of dawn...

2004 - HOLLAND

CAST

Judith Naber

Directed by Sil Van Der Woerd.

Deep Tissue

2007-05-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIA - 2004

Vince Lewis re-opens his practice after months of rehabilitation following a traumatic accident. In the waiting room Ms Brown waits patiently for her appointment time as her anxiety grows while witnessing the eccentric nature of the receptionist.In a place where time ticks by slowly, Ms Brown probably should have stayed home and had a hot bath instead! In his film directorial debut, Anthony Wallace joins a terrific cast including Anita Smith, Corinne Grant and Terence Donovan in bringing to life this short black comedy.

CAST

Corinne Grant

Anita Smith

Terence Donovan

Directed By Anthony Wallace

The Thing About Bannon's Lookout

2007-04-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

USA - 2006

While driving down a dark Kansas road, a policeman tells his partner about the "thing" that lives in the woods. Is it just a story?

Rea might be sick of hearing this, but its a compliment nonetheless. His work often resembles that quality that made the Twilight Zone so unique and enjoyable - and today, when there's so much that can be done with CGI and distracting pyrotechnics and hyperdrama - its almost originally refreshing in this day and age to be able to sink into the depths of some of his films. Once more, Patrick Rea takes a super familiar and mundane situation and unravels it quickly to expose a Hell in waiting. Two policemen driving down a dark road - the rookie and the veteran - one questioning the other about the legend of the "thing" at Bannon's Lookout. Simplicity lulls us all in and slows our heartbeats, until the two come upon an abandoned car at the titular location. The ending is a bloody twist with bite .

Craig Boyd Keens

Bradley Meehan Murrow

Ashley Kaczorowski Kelsi

Ari Bavel Unfortunate fellow

Directed by Patrick Rea

Vanish

2007-04-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

2005 - USA

Rachel Jones mysteriously vanished a year ago. We are about to find out why...

CAST
Justin Figueroa - Paul
Holly Persell - Rachel Jones
Kelli Shimada - The Girl

Directed by Matthew Junmar

Copy

2007-04-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

In creative writing class back in high school, we used to be given a noun from the dictionary and pretty much have to write a three page story on it each week. Be it a house, a car, or in this case, a copy machine. Take the atypical job interview with a nervous and desperate applicant, a wary employer (hottie Jennifer Plas) who gets a death prediction from her xerox, sprinkle in the tension and final twist of your average SenoReality production and you have Copy. You can go into this, as I did, wondering and anticipating what the turn-out will be - knowing Patrick Rea, you know you're in for an unexpected turn of fate, but as he is so good at doing, you can't guess what will happen, and youre smiling that "...genius" smirk at the end. Its short, to the point and highly recommended.
CAST
Jennifer Plas
Andy Stowers
Directed by Patrick Rea

Saw ( The Original Short Film)

2007-04-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

2003 - AUSTRALIA

David, an orderly at a hospital, tells his horrific story of being kidnapped and forced to play a vile game of survival . This is one of the very few thriller movies that have actually got my heart pumping and it's guaranteed to do the same to you. Even if you've been known not to react very emotionally to movies in the past (I definitely haven't until now), you'll find yourself to be holding your head at various times and yelling at the characters at others. Unlike other times i watched movies, i didn't stop watching this one when the credits appeared, partially because of the song (Bite the hand that bleeds by Fear Factory) which fits one of my favorite genres of music (industrial metal), but most importantly i personally thought that the makers of the movie were complete geniuses. I'm sure you've heard this in a lot of movie reviews but i sincerely and literally mean it when i say "You must watch this". Incredible movie i promise you'll enjoy it.

CAST

Leigh Whannell

Paul Moder

Katrina Mathers

Dean Francis

Directed by James Wan

The Long Walk Home

2007-04-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

A couple's newfound relationship is put to the test during a drive through San Gimignano, Italy. Told in under two glorious minutes!
Written & Directed by
Sean Becker
CAST
Cooper Daniels
Robyn Hannah
Joanne Engelhardt
Ray Doherty

The Engineers

2007-04-23T13:34:00.001-07:00

FINLAND - 2007
Thoughts travelling far on a short coffee break - and a sudden realisation that life could be completely different.
CAST
Rabbe Smedlund Tuffe Möller Markus Riuttu.
Directed by Oskar Silén.

The Man without Eyes

2007-04-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

SWEDEN - 2000

It's an autumn evening and it's time to go home from daycare but Tobias' mother doesn't show up. The staff leaves for the night and, soon, Tobias is left all alone, locked in the spooky center. But things get really creepy at midnight when Tobias is forced to confront the evils lurking in the darkness of daycare.

CAST

Fredrik Jonsdter
Bjvrn Benckert
Chimney Pot
Linus Nord
Gvran Klintberg

10 Minutes

2007-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

BOSNIA - 2002

10 Minutes (Deset Minuta), Ahmed ImamovicThe short film “Deset Minuta” juxtaposes the experiences of a carefree tourist and a hopeless child in Bosnia. The film relates the story of a tourist vacationing in Rome, who is amazed by the fact that photographs can be developed in ten minutes. The time passes quickly for this tourist. Yet for a Bosnian child living in a country shattered by war, the same ten minutes seem to last an eternity.

Ahmed Imamovic graduated from the Academy of Film & Dramatic Arts of the University of Sarajevo in 2002. During his time at the Academy, Imamovic worked for SaGA Production Company filming over thirty documentaries. He also helped to produce Ademir Kenovic’s film, “The Perfect Circle,” as well as Michael Winterbottom’s “Welcome to Sarajevo.” During his career, he has worked as a cameraman, an assistant director and a screenwriter producing documentaries and commercials. His documentary filmography includes “Father's Profession: Witchdoctor of Fortuneteller” (1996) and “Women” (1997). “Deset Minuta” was recently awarded the European Short Film Award presented by the European Film Academy.

Bullet in The Brain

2007-04-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

2001
Anders is an over-critical writing teacher who carries is criticism into his own life. When he is involved in a bank robbery his critical remarks lead to his death. In the instant the bullet travels into his brain we are treated to writing par excellence as his life passes before his eyes.
The opening of the film sets up the character of Anders as an critical unpleasant man who is unwilling to make compromise or be polite to other people. This is enjoyable a sit is well acted and well directed. When the bank robbery happens it is well staged but is only the step to what I think is the best 5 minutes of short I've seen in ages. The murder of Anders sparks a narrator telling us about Anders's life flashing before his eyes.

It's hard to describe but this is excellent. The narration is written in a literary style that Anders would have approved of and is accompanied by perfect shots and images that leave the side issue of the robbery long behind. What Anders does and doesn't remember is wonderful and really tells you a lot about the nature and brevity of life. Plimpton's voice is absolutely perfect for the narration and he makes it work very well. However the direction is what makes his short so arresting. Every shot is captivating – whether it be a washed out silent classroom or a sun-soaked cornfield where you can feel the summer heat from the screen in front of you.

Noonan is excellent in the lead role and makes Anders feel real despite how unpleasant he is. The cast member I was most excited about seeing was Dean Winters – better known as O'Reilly from HBO's Oz. He is so very good in Oz that I was glad to see him in something else. He is good here but only briefly and his bank robber is too close to his O'Reilly for my liking. As I've said the short is sublime in the second half and praise should be given to the casting people for selecting Plimpton for the narration.
CAST
Cecelia Antoinette Samara Harris
Gina Merchan Tom Noonan
George Plimpton Tade Reen
Dean Winters Matt Young
Directed by
David Von Ancken

High Maintenance

2007-04-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

2006

Jane is unhappy with her dull husband and monotonous marriage. Thankfully, in the near-future unhappiness can be made a thing of the past and upgrades are always available.

Directed byPhillip Van

CAST

Nicolette Krebitz ... Jane

Wanja Mues ... Paul

Judith Rohde ... Delivery woman

Anna Schenk-Rollman ... Marie

Das Rad

2007-04-18T03:29:00.000-07:00

2003
Apparently, rocks are having conversations all around us, but they talk very, very slowly.
The stone-people Hew and Kew have seen a lot in their everlasting lives on top of their mountain. Therefore they're only mildly amazed by the ongoings in the valley below, they've got their own little problems to deal with - But all of a sudden, Mankind is discovering and inventing, instead of just woozeling, and this new behavior starts to threaten Hew's and Kew's stoic peacefullness...

Directors
Chris Stenner Arvid Uibel

CAST

Rainer Basedow
Michael Habeck

Monster

2007-04-17T02:35:00.001-07:00

2005

The life of a single mother is never easy; and the domestic woes for one mom and her young boy are exacerbated by the child's visions of a haunting monster. Does the problem lie in his youthful imagination, or does the issue run deeper?
If you like F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, you will completely dig this short. This is one of the most creepy, atmospheric and scary shorts I’ve ever seen. I don’t really know if this is based on a kid’s spooky story like “Where The Wild Things Are” or “Hansel & Gretel” but it definitely creates a boogeyman all its own. This boogeyman is something that, if I had seen this as a kid, I would have spent many sleepless nights watching my closet door for the slightest creak or movement.

The film starts out with a young kid (Luke Ikimis-Healey) battling with a scary doll. The doll is quickly discarded into the basement by the boy’s mother (Susan Prior). The atmosphere and the beautiful attention to detail show in every frame as we aren’t quite sure what goes bump in the night. Through every passage and stairway we are lead on a childs nightmare. It’s hard to be sure early on if this short will be about a killer doll that is mad as hell at being tossed into the basement. The mood and tone slowly kick in as your not quite sure what awaits as the camera pans past each corner.
Director: Jennifer Kent
Writer: Jennifer Kent
Producer: Isabel Perez
CAST

Susan Prior

Luke Ikimis-Healy

Trash Vaudeville

The Shirt

2007-04-17T02:18:00.000-07:00

2006

A lonely man searches for a perfect shirt that will change his life.
Director:Drake Doremus

CAST

Tobias McKinney
Leslie Zang

Zombie Movie

2007-04-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

2005 NEW ZEALAND

Three mates are stuck in a car after running out of gas. Surrounded by Zombies they try to think of a way to get out of this mess. Running out of cigarettes does not help the situation the least bit.

CAST

Jason Docherty ... Harry

Chris Guise ... Zombie 'Rotten Eyes'

Freya Blackwood ... Girl Zombie

Sivannah Bassant ... Angels

Micah Brown ... Angels

Sydney Jackson ... Broadcaster

Des Morgan ... Darryn

Simon Niblett ... Paul

Ben Stenbeck ... Sam

Stripped

2007-04-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious. What happens when a beautiful sexy woman takes it off... takes it all off. "Stripped" is a bit risqué but has an incredible and funny payoff. Brilliantly created by Mark Jackson. We'll never go on a date again without wondering

Director: Mark Jackson Writer: Mark Jackson Producer: Mark Jackson

Cast: Ashlie Walker, Brian Holdom, Mark Jackson

Tales From The Grudge

2007-04-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

Following in the footsteps of Rings, comes Tales from the Grudge – a short depicting outside events related to the curse of The Grudge series. However unlike Rings, these three short episodes, with a combined length of around 7 to 8 minutes, do not relate story-wise to the events of The Grudge or The Grudge 2 albeit the rumours of the cursed house in Tokyo. Instead these episodes carry a theme that is relevant in The Grudge 2 – the widespread growth of the curse whereby it is passed onto others without those persons ever entering the house.

The three episodes each contain their own protagonist, with that person coming into contact with another who becomes the protagonist of the next episode. In each, the curse has been placed upon the main character, and it gets passed on though cell phone conversations. In 'Hotel', Ross (Daniel Sykes) receives a call from his girlfriend, Abby (Stefanie Butler), which inevitably involves her with the curse. In the following episode, 'School', Abby makes a call to her friend Brooke (Ginny Weirick), and the curse subsequently takes out its wrath on her. The final episode, 'House', doesn't involve Brooke passing on the curse to someone else, but the ending implication that she could, is there.

To clearly understand the thematic theme of Tales from the Grudge, one would have to watch The Grudge 2, which was released later. By themselves, the three episodes only serve as non-canon spin-offs to the Grudge curse, but when put in context, they actually serve as a great extension of the curse itself, and the horror of its expansion is much better felt in these episodes than in The Grudge 2. Each episode is short, and for good reason. We are given a quick scenario in which the protagonist will meet his/ her end. 'Hotel' is the standard Grudge affair, with 'House' adding a nice spin and clearly depicting ones entrapment to the curse. 'School' serves to yield the best scare, and can perhaps help some understand a certain death in The Grudge 2. Still these episodes don't prove to answer any questions but perhaps alternate trains of thought.

The unknown actors who star in Tales from the Grudge do a good job in their portrayal of their respective characters, but with so little screen time it's difficult to determine a full analysis of their acting abilities. The director, Toby Wilkins, an acclaimed short film director, does a great job with the short, but accurate filming. However, the beginning of 'Hotel' looks more accustomed to a documentary, and the ending scenes of 'House' are sadly B-grade in technique.

Tales from the Grudge presents is an alternate story to the curse which plagues its original source material, and the idea it brings about the curse, while akin to that of Grudge 2, is exclusive enough to sport further direction. These episodes might be fleshed out more in The Grudge 3, but they needn't be; they work well because they are separate from the main story arc, and fans of The Grudge will definitely fine much to adore here.

HOTEL
Ross (Daniel Sykes) receives an unwelcomed guest in his hotel room.

SCHOOL
Abby (Stephanie Butler) receives a strange picture from her boyfriend.

HOUSE
Brooke (Ginny Weirick), a babysitter, disappears in a closet while playing hide-and-seek.

Snow White 2

2007-04-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

2005

A gangster cheating on his boss has to cope with more troubles.
CAST
Akasya Asilturkmen
Erkan Can
Serhat Ozcan
Levent Tulek
Ozan Daggez
Burak Gurpinar
Hakan Gercek
Kerem Kipcak
Rahmi Kerim Ozkan

Blind

2007-04-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

2004

When a vicious killer is set up on a Blind date, all hell breaks loose.

Aaron Chandler Vesser Lomou

Marta McGonagle Angela Rosfe

Heather Kafka Anne Campbell

Neil Cook Sam Campbell

I'll See You in My Dreams

2007-04-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

2003

In a village inexplicable haunted by a plague of zombies, Lucio, an honest worker, is the only person who can fight then. He has matrimonial problems and hides Ana, his adorable wife, now transformed in a horrible zombie with a violent behaviour and a bad attitude, in the basement of his house. This situation is temporarily forgotten in the local bar, where the strange inhabitants of the village get refugee. It's here where Lucio discovers again another chance for love in the relationship he starts up with Nancy, but the relation is threatened by the strange creatures and by the mortal jealousness of his wife. Will Lucio handle all his problems with the power of a gun and a cutlass?

CAST
Adelino Tavares Lúcio, the Zombie Killer

São José CorreiaNancy, the Girl in the Tavern

Sofia AparícioAna, Lúcio's Wife

Manuel João VieiraSam, the Man in the Tavern

João DideletDário, the Tavern Keeper

Rui UnasMiguel, the Priest

David AlmeidaMini Zombie - dwarf fighter

Cláudia JardimMain zombie - chubby

PART ONE

PART TWO

School of Life

2007-04-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

2004

Young Stanley is bullied at school and can only dream of the day when he can turn the tables. In a lesson his teacher Miss Given declares this the most valuable lesson the class will likely ever have and Stanley is excited by the prospect. However when bully Garth sits next to him he finds himself cut out of the class and unable to share the lesson material.

Stanley – Nick Stockwell
Garth – Jack Doolan
Gordon – Jonathan Readwin
Miss Given – Susan Lynch
Teachers –
Esther Hall
Derek Smith
Malachi Smyth
Barry Wasserman
Pupils –
Daniel Bowers
Thomas Drew
Chris Keeping
Chris Mant
Christobel Gyasi
Ryan Gould
Katie Clipp
Rosanna McHugh
Pippa Fisher
Rhia Sanches
Tommy Gould
Garry Barr
Shamila Amin
Noreen Abubacker
Danny Gardner
Jaygan Ayeh

R.I.P

2007-04-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

2001

Night has fallen. A thunderstorm approaches. In a lonely house a young woman mourns her deceased husband. In the cemetery across the street the shape of a man rises from a grave...

CAST

Huub van der Lubbe Zombie-man

Manouk van der Meulen Woman

Staring at The Sun

2007-04-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

Toby Wilkins' award wining 2005 short film "Staring at the Sun" tells the story of Clay Roberts, a Scottish expat, cautiously navigating his new life in America. Things take a turn for the unexpected when a fortune teller refuses to reveal her vision of his future. Clay becomes so obsessed with finding the truth that he unwittingly fulfills his fate.

Directed and Produced by Toby Wilkins

Starring Alec Newman with Saxon Trainor, Nick Nordella and Darin Brooks, Randy Crowder, Dirk Etchison, Jocko Sims

Still Life

2007-04-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

2005

A young college student suffering from sleep deprivation discovers the townspeople are mannequins and not everything is as it appears.

Directed By: Jon Knautz

Producer: Patrick White
CAST

TREVOR MATTHEWS

KYLE BRYDGES

JOE NEWTON

SAM POLLACK

STEPHANIE MEADOWS

MATTHEW BRULOTTE

84715

2007-04-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

URUGUAY - 2005

A man sees on his dreams a five-digit number. When he wakes up, the number starts to appear in various elements of his everyday life. Coincidence or a signal?

CAST

The Man GUILLERMO CARBONELL

Batman: Dead End

2007-04-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

2004 - USA

The Joker has escaped from Arkham and Batman must once again bring him in - once and for all. Unfortunately for the bat, there is something even more sinister than the Joker waiting in the alley for the dark knight detective..

CAST
Clark Bartram Batman

Andrew Koenig The Joker

Kurt Carley Predator #1

Jake McKinnon Alien

Dragon Dronet Left Predator

Patrick Magee Predator #3

Common Practice

2007-04-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

USA - 2005
CAST
ARTURO
Ryan Weltzier
BARBER
Steve Forbess
MOTHER & CHILD
Elsa & Halley Tabullo
GANG BANGER 1
Edward Meza
GANG BANGER 2
Cesar Garcia
SHOPKEEPER
Leticia Castillo
SHOPWORKER
Lauren Rigau
CUSTOMER
Renee Weltzier
YUPPIE COUPLE
Jennifer Goyne
Crispian Belfrage
LIMO DRIVER
Alan Hassan
BIKE MESSENGER
Hervé Clermont
GIRL ON FIRE ESCAPE
Yoivel Ferrero
LITTLE GIRL
Maira Soledad Diaz
LITTLE GIRL'S MOTHER
Gladys Corrizo
TEEN COUPLE
Monique Almanza
David Leon
FAN LADIES
Marina Pincus
Chi Chi Navarro
Socorra Mora

A young Mexican-American boy's gift for playing the violin brings his working class Latino neighborhood together in ways he never thought possible. Common Practice was conceived as a moving tribute to music's power to cross cultural boundaries and touch the hearts of everyone.

Elephant(Short Film Version)

2007-04-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

USA - 2003

CAST

Alex Frost (Alex)

Eric Deulen (Eric)

John Robinson (John McFarland)

Elias McConnell (Elias)

Elephant" is a film about a normal day in high school that ends in a Columbine-esque massacre. We become observers of the events that happen throughout the day, as the film is filled with long tracking shots of students going out of and into classes, the cafeteria, the gym, or the library. The characters in the film are mostly played by non-actors, and most of the film is improvised

The movie starts as a car has a hard time driving straight down the road in a residential area. We think some kid has stolen this car. Nah. It's the dad driving his son to school, and he's drunk. The teenage son must take over. So, adults give up all responsibility towards their children and mayhem can take place. The film shows one day in the life of several teenage students as they go in and out of classes. They live their student lives and we follow their steps through the corridors and doors, taking them as guides one by one, like avatars in a giant video game.