Jay Salahi’s horror-comedy Ding… You’re Dead is a paradise for 20-somethings on crack. Featuring a malevolent microwave (hence the title), and a housesitter in fuzzy slippers and a robe that do not look like they belong to him, Ding… You’re Dead goes all out to make a name in the world of all that is… Continue reading Ding… You’re Dead: Self-Aware Horror Comedy About Wonky Appliances
Category: Reviews
Also Patrick: Twisted, Insightful Teen Drama
Ryan Jamison taps into the inner lives of teen boys to craft an intricate drama in a mere seventeen minutes with his Also Patrick. The eponymous Patrick, played by Jamison himself, and the many dimensions of his morally ambiguous character are what makes this such a thrilling drama. The film introduces Patrick and a group… Continue reading Also Patrick: Twisted, Insightful Teen Drama
Yes, Virginia: Using Magical Realism To Demonstrate Emotional Manipulation
Virginia is everybody’s yes-man. She says yes to everyone, no matter what they wish. Because Virginia has the gift to grant wishes. Harvey Puttock explores a complex psyche, the bane of boons, and a most unmagical set of circumstances through his 9-minute Yes, Virginia. Virginia, played by Amy Whitworth, appears on TV at the peak… Continue reading Yes, Virginia: Using Magical Realism To Demonstrate Emotional Manipulation
Vanishing Louisiana: The Emotional Costs Of Climate Change
At the centre of Adam Chitayat’s documentary is the conflict between livelihood and conservation as both sides watch football-field-sized landmasses disappear every hour on average in coastal Louisiana. Vanishing Louisiana presents both sides against the backdrop of a dreaded inevitability: in fifty years, the marshlands will disappear completely, forcing residents to relocate. Chitayat expertly sets… Continue reading Vanishing Louisiana: The Emotional Costs Of Climate Change
Dead Ringer: Fresh Spin On Crime Comedy
Nathaniel Upshaw’s comedy Dead Ringer is a bottle film, designed to be all the more tense and claustrophobic through its unchanging visuals: the camera never shifts position, maintaining its low angle, two-shot framing throughout. The cast consists of an ageing mobster (Time Winters) and his rookie thug (Justin Avila), huddled over the trunk of a… Continue reading Dead Ringer: Fresh Spin On Crime Comedy
Hello, My Sweet Boy: Bittersweet Greetings Of Dementia
Raphael Dirani’s intent with Hello, My Sweet Boy is moving: to portray the heartbreak of a 30-something man coming out to his aged mother, sick with dementia. Darrel’s parents live alone in a big house, stumbling around with fast passing thoughts and memories that refuse to stick. Yet, for all that this is painful, the film… Continue reading Hello, My Sweet Boy: Bittersweet Greetings Of Dementia
Call The Shot: Beguiling Mastery Over Story, People And The Audience
When you first watch Call The Shot, it may be easy to pick who the suicidal man is. The film does not explicitly say, but surely, the morose man in his wrinkled work clothes must be the one? It is a small surprise perhaps, but a surprise nonetheless, that director Dean Parker turns this first… Continue reading Call The Shot: Beguiling Mastery Over Story, People And The Audience
That Thing I Had That One Time: Navigating Adulting Complications
The thing about OJ Reyes’s That Thing I Had That One Time (TTIHTOT) is that it tries, really tries, to get at something insightful through its story of unplanned pregnancy, but gross, drawn-out shots of puke floating in a toilet, terrifyingly resembling faeces, with the protagonist’s face hovering over it takes the audience and shoots… Continue reading That Thing I Had That One Time: Navigating Adulting Complications
1NS: How To Make The Most Of A Lockdown
The best of Fiona Campbell and Ella Exley’s 1NS comes in its opening shot. Great editing that puts together an opening that properly utilizes the energy of the idealised one night stand with smooth, fast-paced music and mood lighting. This energy fizzles out by the next morning and thereon, it becomes as devoid of connection… Continue reading 1NS: How To Make The Most Of A Lockdown
A Vital Sign: Confused Examination Of Religious Suicide
Paul Robinson’s A Vital Sign tackles a controversial subject, that of a religious suicide pact among a group of five. Spoiler: they go through with it. Robinson’s treatment uses a conventional narrative that succeeds in maintaining tension but what remains ambiguous is the stance of the film itself. The film observes these characters from the… Continue reading A Vital Sign: Confused Examination Of Religious Suicide