short film Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It's always hard to believe it when filmmakers say they had never seen or heard of another, similar film when they made theirs. Such is the case with Black Button, a 7-minute short from some aspiring Australians made for a mere $200 featuring a well dressed man who offers a person $10,000,000 if he'll simply press a button, killing someone else in the process.

Dark Heart Productions, the makers of Black Button, claim to have no knowledge of Richard Matheson's Button, Button, the Twilight Zone episode that inspired The Box, and in this particular case I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Their short has a very different ending and moral core than either incarnation of Matheson's story; and unlike The Box, at only a handful of minutes, Black Button doesn't have nearly enough time to spread itself too thin.

Watch the short film over at SciFi Squad, then let us know which one you liked better: Black Button or The Box?

It was only a matter of time before this sort of thing popped up on YouTube, and I'm kinda diggin' it. First we have a short called The Time Machine, which lets you choose which path Chad, Matt and Rob take -- so long as they make it to their 12 o'clock meeting without dying. Yes, you actually have to pay attention and make decisions while watching this short (I know, bonkers!), but it's kinda fun and the leads are dopey and likable. Check it out below.



Next up we have a short created by SpecBox that looks to be part of a larger series as they've launched with Episode One: Baby, It's Been A Long Day. Here, this dude's girlfriend is pissed off at her man for loving his computer more than her, and so she steals the thing. Once he arrives home, the viewer then has a few options as to which course he takes next ... though I will say they could've been a bit more creative here since it appears there's really no way to change the outcome of the story. Check it out below.



Do you like the whole Choose Your Own Adventure short film, or is it too bothersome?

I'm not sure when the short film officially arrived online, thus I might be a little behind the ball here -- but this freaking thing had me hysterical this morning. It's the first I've seen of it, and if you're looking for something to raise your spirits on a crummy Monday, then this short should do the trick. The Landlord stars Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and, um, Pearl (not sure what the actress' name is -- perhaps one of you can help me out there), and seeing as Ferrell is sporting his Semi-Pro afro, I tend to think it was filmed fairly recently. Why these guys shot this is beyond me, however I'm certainly glad they did.

In the film, Ferrell plays a guy that's fallen on hard times (blood tests have recently proven that his father is gay), and he's about to get a visit from his nasty, alcohol-abusing landlord. McKay doesn't have too big of a role; he's just there as the friend in the corner who you bounce jokes off of early on. The real comedy here comes with the exchange between Ferrell and his landlord, Pearl. Seeing as I don't want to ruin the big gag here, I'll leave it at that. Here's where you might ask, "But Erik, why is it disturbing?" Well, you'll have to check it out for yourself to see what I mean. Since the country is in Imus recovery mode (and Ferrell currently has a film in theaters), I'm not so sure this is the wisest piece of material to start spreading around. Then again, it's only comedy ... and Ferrell is known for taking it right to the edge, convincing us that his jokes are funny, and not in poor taste. You be the judge -- did Ferrell and McKay cross a line with this? Or is it a harmless comedic short?

Not long ago, we told you about a neat little contest that Delta Airlines was hosting as part of a collaboration with Gen Art. The concept: Gen Art would invite filmmakers to submit their short films and, along with Delta, the two would choose five finalists -- all of which would be available to watch on select Delta flights, as well as online. Whichever short collects the highest rating (both in the air and on the computer) will receive a sweeet prize package that includes $10,000 in cash, a trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival (where they'll be invited to attend a celebratory party and watch as their short film is screened at said party), a pair of two round-trip international tickets for any Delta flight and a $2500 Gen Art membership. (I'm not sure what in the world you get for $2500 over at Gen Art, but I'd expect a ton of invites to some really cool parties, on top of a slew of free liquor and lots of ass-kissing.)

Personally, I love the idea that short films will have a chance to find a new audience (one that's not so tapped in to the festival scene) at 35,000 feet. Sure, folks who read this site probably watch shorts regularly, but people like my parents (who fly Delta all the time because my sister-in-law is a flight attendant with them) don't go to festivals and they don't do a ton of surfing online, save for the occasional shopping spree and stupid email forwards. (I told you mom, I don't open those stupid things -- they're a waste of my time. Stop sending them to me.) Needless to say, this will be a fabulous way for a filmmaker to get their short film in front of a mass audience, the kind that looks to Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood when trying to decide which movie to watch over the weekend. That's not necessarily a bad thing but ... let's carry on, shall we?

I wish I had more opportunities to watch short films. Erik's Eat My Shorts column isn't enough -- I always try to see at least one shorts program at film festivals (I'm especially fond of the animated films), and I'm usually thrilled when shorts appear before feature films. It's one reason why I look forward to Pixar movies: you get not only the feature but also a cool short. So you can imagine how pleased I am today to learn that once again, Magnolia Pictures and Shorts International are teaming up to distribute the 2006 Oscar-nominated shorts. Even better, the films will be shown in theaters before the Academy Awards ceremony, so we can actually make informed choices in the Oscar pool.

The unusual thing about the distribution deal this year is that it's so early -- no one knows yet exactly what the nominated shorts lineup will be. Last year, Magnolia announced a similar deal ... but not until February, after the Oscar nominations were publicized. It's a little weird to hear about distribution for as-yet-unnamed films, but I assume none of the filmmakers will object to this chance for wider exposure of their short films. The shorts will not only see theatrical release, but will distributed through Magnolia Home Entertainment (which I assume means a DVD release), and on other platforms. You may even be able to watch the films on your cell phone if that's your idea of a fun viewing experience. I prefer the theater myself. The shorts will appear in theaters in 20 cities (please please let one of them be Austin please) on Feb. 16, 2007, a little more than a week before the Oscars.

Two of the more entertaining indie horror flicks I've seen recently are Ryan Schifrin's Abominable and Adam Green's Hatchet. And after meeting both knuckleheads at Austin's Fantastic Fest, I can safely state that these guys are horror nerds on par with the guys who run Fangoria, Bloody-Disgusting and Weinberg's Own Brain. These guys know the body count from Friday 3, the DP on Elm Street 4, and what the hell actually happened at the end of Halloween 5. So when I saw that these two gorehounds had collaborated on a short film called King in the Box, I just knew I had to check it out.

The story is about one particular junk food mascot who earns the unholy wrath of a second drive-thru deity -- and the result is pretty darn amusing. The short is a comedy, to be sure, although I have a sneaky suspicion that the terror-fans might get a nice goofy kick out of the thing as well. And while the mini-movie does get a little gory towards the end, it's nothing that wouldn't clean up with a medium Coke and a super-sized fries.

(Unfortunately it looks like Mr. Green's official website was unable to withstand all the traffic, so I'll offer you an alternate link ... at YouTube, of course.)

And, of course, Happy Halloween.

It's not often that Variety reports on the production of a short film, but since we're talking Julia Stiles* here, I suppose that means it's important. According to the trade pub, Stiles will write and direct a short called Raving, based on a story featured in Elle magazine's Personal Style issue, due out in October.

The actual story (titled The Dress That Changed My Life) focuses on "the connection between a young woman and a lonely, disassociated older man after a chance encounter on a New York street corner." I assume this young woman will be wearing a special dress that, subsequently, winds up changing her life. Stiles was able to nab Zooey Deschanel and Bill Irwin to play the lead characters in the pic, which is sponsored by Elle and will be produced by Plum Pictures. Currently, there's no word on where we'll be able to catch the short, though I expect Elle will make it available on their website once everything is all wrapped up in a neat little bow.

*Am I the only one who thinks Julia Stiles and Erika Christensen are long-lost sisters?

Bloggers are writing some unusual stuff in the name of Oscar this week:

• The Gurgling Cod normally focuses on food, not film. However, this week, The 'Fesser provides tips on the best ways to prepare cuisine using ... Oscar nominees.  I'm particularly amused by the Phoenix Family Turducken, but you might prefer Keener carpaccio or braised shank of Giamatti.
• At The New York Times, David Carr (aka The Bagger) compiles a list of all the annoying pseudo-news about the Oscars that he hates. The list includes Oscar bloggers: "As a group, they are forced to feed a perpetual-motion machine with all sorts of rants, non-sequitur links, and theories built out of chicken wire, gum, and duct tape." And The Carpetbagger isn't part of that machine? Oh-kay. [via The Reeler]
• Doug Cummings at filmjourney reviews all the Oscar-nominated shorts, figuring (correctly) that most of us haven't heard of or seen the films even in their recent limited tour of the U.S. Now I feel guilty that I missed the shorts on their two-day run in Austin last week.
• Edward Copeland describes the first time he felt the Oscars betrayed him, and invites the rest of us to do the same. He also lists a number of Oscars that he believes were mistakes, from the silent era through the current decade. [via Green Cine Daily]

It took me a few days to work my way through The Ultimate Lesbian Short Film Festival DVD after I received a review copy. I don't like watching a number of short films one after another; I prefer to view one or two at a time, then taking a break to let them soak in and reflect on what I saw. Too many films at once can make your brain glaze over, whether they are shorts or features; ask anyone who's ever submerged themselves full-force into a film festival.

"Ultimate" seems rather strong to describe the content of the DVD. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from an ultimate DVD of lesbian films. Apart from a screening at aGLIFF last year, my exposure to lesbian-themed short films has been fairly limited, but I enjoyed the shorts on this DVD. The Ultimate Lesbian Short Film Festival runs the gamut from comedy to drama to fantasy, with only one film explicitly addressing sex.

I liked the fact that nearly all the films treated lesbians and women in general with dignity and respect. Blow  presents a funny and touching look at Australian teenage girls who don't seem to much like the boys, but who are quite realistic young women. Tina Paulina: Living on Hope Street is a short documentary about a one-eyed gay homeless woman whom the filmmaker happens to meet on a street corner. Many filmmakers might consider the woman a prime subject for slyly mocking comedy, but Michelle Boyaner and Barbara Green portray her as a multi-dimensional human being ... in under 10 minutes, yet. Dani & Alice provides a glimpse into the end of an abusive relationship, but offers some understanding of both parties involved.