Cinematical

Each and every single day, it's our job here at Cinematical to provide you with, not only movie news, but refreshing new content. From time to time, I'll take it upon myself to ask friends, relatives and the occasional random person on a street corner what they would like to see more of on this unbelievably awesome blog. Recently, the same two words have been slipping out the mouths of those around me -- short films.

Short films (or shorts) have been around since the early 1900's. Back then, when one would visit a movie theater, they would have a chance to watch a variety of short films before the feature began. Be it animated or live-action, most shorts were comedic in nature and helped launch the careers of folks like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy. However, mainly due to the rise of television in the 1950's, commercially-produced shorts were about to disappear, paving the way for today's standard of one movie per showing.

Now, short films cover an array of topics and are often used by the filmmaker as a "calling card" or as entrance into Hollywood's heavily guarded front doors. With more and more film festivals cropping up each year, short films are slowly climbing their way back into our hearts. There are now a multitude of websites dedicated to helping filmmakers find more of an audience for their shorts by streaming them online for free. And this is where we come in. Each week, I'm going to scan the internet and bring back an assortment of short films for you to watch and discuss. Oh, and I'll also need your help. Since most of you are already watching shorts online, feel free to send all tips, links and suggestions to shorts@cinematical.com. I'll keep an eye out and may even use some of your stuff for future editions of Eat My Shorts. Got it? Good. Let's go watch some shorts:

This week I'm going to focus on short films that could be deemed experimental. Seeing as we're doing some experimenting of our own with a brand new feature on Cinematical, I figured the subject would be fitting. The 'experimental' in experimental films can really mean anything. Most of the time, it has to do with the way a film was shot. As you'll see with a few of the following films, these days, indie filmmakers are trying just about anything to separate themselves from the pack.

• Written, directed and shot by Patryk Rebisz, Between You and Me is a wonderful short, shot entirely with a digital camera. Utilizing the camera's burst mode -- in which a series of stills are taken in rapid succession -- the story revolves around a man and woman's chance encounter on a street in New York. Between You and Me has taken home a number of awards including Best Experimental Film at the Triburton International Film Festival and Best Cinematography at The Gotham City International Film Festival.
• Okay, though I have no idea what in the world is happening in the short film Tea, its images are hypnotizing and forced me to throw it up here for all to see. Sure, the music isn't great, but the stop-motion manner in which it is shot simply dazzled me. Directed by Tim Amonson, Matthew Amonson and Sherrill Crosby, Tea begins with two people, well, making tea. From there, I don't know -- you try figuring it out.

Some short films are experimental in their storytelling. Whether its covering a very taboo topic or simply merging genres, I often find these are the most fun to watch.

• Written and directed by Tim Kerns, Ripple asks a simple question: What would you do if, while fishing with a friend, you suddenly discovered Jesus floating in the water? Me? I'd probably take a bunch of pictures and sell them to the highest bidder. However, the two stars of our film decide that Jesus may have come from a nearby church and thus attempt to bring him back home. Ripple has screened at Slamdance and The Austin Film Festival, taking home the Best Short and Audience Award at the Saguaro Film Festival. 
• Hey, remember those two writer/directors from the second season of Project Greenlight? Ya know, the season that brought us -- ahem -- The Battle of Shaker Heights. (I have to say, the only battle present in that film is the one between myself and I in deciding how much more of it I needed to watch before ejecting the thing and throwing it out a window.) Well, Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin are back at it again, still trying to make a name for themselves in Hollywood. In their short film InSex, Kyle Rankin plays a guy who's about to score with a girl on their first date. Everything is moving along great until she decides to slip into something a little more comfortable and show him her "bug." From that point on, this one turns into a pretty hilarious little gem.
• Our next short film is great, though I wish it were longer. Fears of a Clown tells the story of a child clown who, after acquiring a new, human-like doll, becomes terrified of the thing and can't fall asleep because he thinks it's alive. Directed by Seth Gordon, pic certainly flips around your ordinary clown/human relationship. Seeing as most children are terrified of clowns (I know I was), it's fun to watch a film in which the roles are reversed. Oh, and the ending is great -- check it out.

Once again folks, please send all tips, links and suggestions regarding Eat My Shorts to shorts@cinematical.com.