15 of the 22 films qualified for contest entry… all 22 groups turned something in!
Group A- nemesis of the mind ( I think?) was the Noir, and pretty good- the first 20 seconds were exactly like a hard-boiled detective noir. It sort of slid a little from there… also the festival dorks accidentally chopped the ending!
- Wax Romantix was really damn funny. The Latina girlfriend was amazing, her delivery (and I’m assuming improvisation) was hysterical. I need to send her fan mail.
- The musical (damn what was it called?) was great and shot really well. It was a little long for me though…
Group B reviews below.
- Strong Hand– how was this even a Western? It had a gypsy fortune teller in it. Maybe that’s how they were disqualified? It was very pretty though, I think they must have boosted the color in post production. Directed by Angel Vasquez of Single Frame Alliance.
- Face the Music was this group’s Noir- it was basically nonsensical and sadistic, with the main character (a sax player) tying up the smoky mystery woman while she sobbed. Lame. (D.V.I.)
- Waiting with Shuhorne was the Romance offering from Bad Squirrel, and I have to say it was one of the best directed of all the entries (including mine!). It was three people waiting in a video dating waiting room- the dorky misfit Ronld Shuhorne (not a typo!), the incredibly bitchy loft-woman played by the director, and the wigger Hugh Simon, Bouncer.
- Donuts are Forever was a close second on this batch- a Spy movie exactly like 007. All his weapons are donuts, and he fights Dofeld, a evil genius who strokes a pet donut. One of Dofeld’s minions decapitates someone with a vinyl record thrown like a frisbee, or a hat say.
- The Best Plastic in the World had to be the most half-assed, but it was suprisingly good. It was in the Fantasy genre, and consisted mainly of this woman showing off her giant Tupperware collection. Then, in the last 30 seconds, they tossed in all the required elements without even tying them into the movie. Some of her pieces are totally insane, including a cup caddy, and at one point she crams a vinyl record in one of the larger bowls. Towards the end she imagines herself in bed with all her Tupperware. Done by Zip-pow Films.
- Flight of the Icarus (Club Waller) was a mockumentary which integrated the Red Bull Flügtag. They seemed to have their own plane ready. So my question is, what would they have done if they didn’t pick Mockumentary? Or did they really build it in the 48 hours? They never show the plane going into the ocean in the actual event, so maybe it wasn’t really entered!
- Fancy Coffee Drink (God Called and He Wants His Talent Back) was a Comedy about a New Jersey man trying to act like a SF native. It had a musical number and a romantic theme, which is VERY suspicious to me- like they wrote it in advance.