Nick Burton’s Chekhov’s: A Work of Art is a 14-minute adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s short story of the same name. A satire with its eye on the hypocrisy of the refined and well-off, it haunts its characters with a sculpture that equally sparks fascination and aversion. As in the story, the film does not bestow… Continue reading Chekhov’s: A Work Of Art: Refinement, and All the Measures to Preserve its Illusion
Tag: Comedy Short Film Review
Julian: In Search of a Missing Villain
Vivian Kerr’s Julian is a short comedy whose protagonist is not only faced with the sister she has seen only thrice in ten years but also the sister’s fiance, a melon. The film uses this Lars and the Real Girl situation (and which the film directly references) to explore a sibling relationship that is mired… Continue reading Julian: In Search of a Missing Villain
That’s Just Rocks: Coming Back to Childhood
John Strelec’s That’s Just Rocks is the story of a man getting reacquainted with himself after waking up with amnesia. Through its comedic form, the film tries to attune the adult’s perspective with that of the child’s innocence and naivete. Herman (Strelec) wakes up with a bleeding head and no memory. With all of Forrest… Continue reading That’s Just Rocks: Coming Back to Childhood
Awkward Endeavors: Emptiness and All We Do to Get Away from it
In Derek Frey’s Awkward Endeavors the lives of three men intersect, for barely an hour, but which shines a bright, unflattering light on who they are. Only one of them may have any awareness of it. Itself nine minutes long, the film brings together these three lonely men as they make varying attempts to find… Continue reading Awkward Endeavors: Emptiness and All We Do to Get Away from it
Boomslang 3: The Blood, Disdain and Snobbery Continues
The third instalment in the Boomslang series, Justin Schwan’s Boomslang 3: Your Future takes the viewer back to the titular Erik Boomslang, returned fresh from a murder. This time, the victims of his scorn are a psychic and her assistant. The stage is set before Erik (Ryan Vincent) dives into the scene. A psychic (June,… Continue reading Boomslang 3: The Blood, Disdain and Snobbery Continues
Düsseldorf: Comedy as the Product of Clashing Dramas
Mike Lars White’s Düsseldorf is a 10-minute short about the chance encounter of four people leading to a comedy of errors. Two of them are in the midst of a fight. The third wants to mediate it. The fourth wants to leave. This takes place in the parking lot of a mall. The scene opens… Continue reading Düsseldorf: Comedy as the Product of Clashing Dramas
Taste the Difference: Comedy and a Bit of Horror in this Parody
Sohale Dezfoli’s 5-minute Taste the Difference is an obvious parody of the Pepsi Challenge, but with cola swapped for painkillers and a few other narrative choices, it becomes more than what it advertises itself as. Instead of an informal setting as in the case of the actual Pepsi challenge, the film creates a precisely scientific… Continue reading Taste the Difference: Comedy and a Bit of Horror in this Parody
Autumn Never Dies: Love and Heartbreak for a Simple Ostrich
Chris Quick’s 26-minute comedy Autumn Never Dies is the sequel to The Greyness of Autumn, centred on the life and misadventures of Danny the ostrich and Nelson the monkey. In Autumn Never Dies, Danny tries to move past his heartbreak, while Nelson moves deeper into his shenanigans. Co-written by Andy S. McEwan, the film enjoys… Continue reading Autumn Never Dies: Love and Heartbreak for a Simple Ostrich
Unbridaled: Post-Bachelorette Party Disasters in Vermont
Chelsea B. Lockie’s Unbridaled (written by Thom Harp) is the quintessential slapstick comedy. Centred around two best friends and stepsisters, the film follows as they try to figure out what happened at the previous night’s bachelorette party and how to get to the wedding in time. Along the way, tensions surface and their friendship is… Continue reading Unbridaled: Post-Bachelorette Party Disasters in Vermont
Flames: Symbolic Demolition of Oppressive Ways of Being
Matthew Manhire’s Flames is a 6-minute film that witnesses self-expression and liberation from despotic control. Two young men take centre stage, enacting the tussle with their draconian grandfather over expectation and desire. Dialogue is sparsely used. Beyond a brief conversation in the car between the two men (Jabar Bains, Akshat Sharma), they almost do not… Continue reading Flames: Symbolic Demolition of Oppressive Ways of Being