Wild Dogs

By:cathicksartist

REVIEW

Concept

Greed. The whole concept is summed up perfectly by that one word. The script though could have been a bit more creative and could certainly have used dialogues.

Direction

The animation while nice lacked that punch. The expressions of the wild dogs were non-existent and you could only make out what the whole story was because you had heard it countless times.

The background music made the short seem like a kid movie. It certainly makes you feel that the short is not for elders. And if something is making you feel old, you are certainly not going to enjoy it.

Conclusion

I can berate Wild Dogs for not doing much, but actually I feel sorry for it. The moviemakers missed a great chance to make this short into something better. It could have been more funny and interesting if they had put a bit more time on it. It feels to be put together hastily. And with no dialogues it misses out on a lot of jokes it could have made. Groans and grunts seem okay for a little bit, but why go for the realistic touch when already the dogs are walking on their hind legs!

Wild Dogs – should be left in the wild.

Score: 4/10

Oktapodi

By:LinusOo

REVIEW

Concept

Oktapodi is about two octopuses that are fighting against the evil forces to stay together forever. This is an age-old tale of the world creating hurdles and problems for the lovers, yet it’s presented in an interesting and fascinating way.

Direction

The animation is at quite a high level for a short. The details that separate good from great are certainly there. One thing that needs to be appreciated is the expression that the octopuses deliver. They only have two eyes, but they exhibit all the necessary feelings through them. Sometimes they are convoluted, sometimes open wide, sometimes you see a dreamy look in them. Here the animator deserves a pat on the back for treating them as humans and not as some animals who can not express their feelings.

Conclusion

Oktapodi deserves a lot of credit for picking up a simple plot and giving it a completely different spin. It will not only appeal to the kids, but also to the elders and that’s what makes this short special.

But, one thing I would like to mention is that the short is probably too small to create a major impact on you. You will have a laugh or two while watching it, but its length means that you will forget it sooner rather than later. You might even be watching it for some relief during work and in that case you are never going to remember it for long.

Score: 7.5/10

TarBoy

By: Jameslee03

REVIEW

Concept

A Robin Hood of sorts, Tar Boy is about a person fighting against the corrupt and power hungry people.

The script was really well written and makes the movie very captivating.

Direction

The direction goes in perfect tandem to the story. As the storyline is fast-paced, the animation complements it, by being done in an all-action and sometimes very rogue way. Sometimes it is so fast-paced that its difficult to take it all in or understand the narration in the background. You need to be wide-awake to understand and appreciate it.

The animation being done in flash is not of a very high standard, but it’s done in an enchanting way and blows you away with its surreal surroundings and action.

Conclusion

Tar Boy is a breathless, all-action movie that will give you little time to think about the nonsensical storyline and will sweep you away with some compelling storytelling and awesome action sequences.

It doesn’t teach you any morals and it doesn’t try to be too clever. Its pure, unadulterated action and leaves making “sense of life” to other more serious productions.

For sheer entertainment value its awesome!

Score: 7.5/10

Distraxion

By: sternio

REVIEW

Concept

This short is about a guy who lets his imagination run a little too wild and which eventually gets him into trouble.

Direction

Its good to see so many animated shorts coming out, but after watching Pixar and Dreamworks at work, it’s sometimes difficult to properly gauge them. The animation here was not of the standard I wanted it to be. It was a bit bland. The detail that separates good animation from great was missing. Having said that, it was way better than many other shorts that I have seen. And it was pretty fast paced, so you will definitely enjoy it.

Conclusion

I am probably being a mean old meany above – animation isn’t entirely that bad (considering I have seen a lot worse). And even the music featured in this short is done nicely. Though the absence of dialogues is a let down.

Distraxion might give you a laugh or two, but that’s just about it. It is hardly 2 minutes so you can’t expect much more. I would have liked it to be a bit longer so the director could be a bit more expressive in his illustration. Even for a short movie it was too darn short.

Distraxion might not be enough to make a crappy day good, but it will just be able to distract you from your problems for a couple of minutes.

By the way, an “x” in the title doesn’t make it look cooler!

Score: 6.5/10

Give Up Yer Aul Sins

By: monsterdistributes

REVIEW

Concept

This short tells a famous story that is found not only in Christian scriptures, but also in Islamic book, The Quran (although with variations). I don’t wanna mention even an itsy bitsy bit about the story to maintain a bit of suspense :). But, its not a straightforward history lesson, as the story is told by a child and is animated.

Direction

It’s an animated movie, but it’s done very nicely. As this is based upon a 1960’s series of recordings in which children tell Bible stories, the animation is done so that it looks to belong to that decade. That’s probably the best thing about this short – its animation. With all the CGI now, we do miss the old cartoons and this certainly gives the feeling of one.

However, the child who tells the story – I am sorry but his accent is very difficult to understand. This movie is for international audience and a person with such a strong accent is not suitable for reading in such a short. It might look cute for a little while, but it becomes irksome when you can’t understand what he is saying.

Conclusion

“Give up Yer Aul Sins” is nice, but nice doesn’t cut it in this bloodthirsty industry of shorts! (No seriously it doesn’t). The short has to be something more. And this is where it fails. It makes no impact on the viewer and it might make you feel nostalgic, but that feeling will be replaced by irritation when you won’t be able to understand what the child is saying.

It’s a Bible story so people who have read the Bible already know it, but those who haven’t, they will barely be able to make head or tail of the short because of the very strong accent of the kid.

Give up Yer Aul Sins is a short that you won’t remember for long.

Score: 4.5/10

I shot your ex-girlfriend

By:PatrickBoivin

REVIEW

Concept

The title pretty much blurts out the story. But, it’s still a very interesting and funny short to watch. Who hasn’t thought of shooting your boyfriend/girlfriend’s ex – this short shows the lady actually doing it, and thus fulfills many people’s wish.

Direction & Acting

Nothing to complain about here. It’s pretty standard though there is hardly any soundtrack.

The acting wasn’t all that nice. Although the plot didn’t give much depth to their characters, but it didn’t seem like they were in a war situation apart from all the swearing. And they swear a lot. They probably concentrated on it a bit too much and forgot to act! They seemed a bit too relaxed to be in a war.

Conclusion

The surprising thing about this short was its length. It could have been longer. The idea was nice and they could have made a lot of jokes and maybe even created a lot more tension then they did. They just didn’t try hard enough.

I shot your ex-girlfriend might not amaze you with its acting or direction, but the idea is presented in a very different scenario. And that makes it a very good effort and quite an enjoyable short. Though the swearing does make this a short not for kids, the elders are going to enjoy it I am sure.

Score: 5.5/10

My Name Is Lisa

By:Sheltonfilms

REVIEW

Concept

It is based around a girl, Lisa, and her relationship with her mom who is suffering from a disease that I shall not mention so as not to give the story away.

Direction

While the camera work does seem a bit shoddy at times, the direction is pretty satisfactory overall. One thing I would certainly like to mention is the soundtrack. Keeping in mind the nature of the movie they could have made it pretty heavy and sad. They could have tried to make the viewer really sad and depressed. Thank God they did neither. The background music while sensitive to the situation does not try to take advantage of the viewer and that’s cool.

Acting

Carlie Nettles as Lisa was brilliant. This is not the first time she has appeared in a short and she has some serious talent. Her acting was very realistic and she really did seem like a kid who is having trouble dealing with all the problems.

Sally Smythe as her mom did well too. I actually started feeling sorry for her.

Overall, this short has some of the best actors on display and its nice to see such good acting in a short.

Conclusion

My Name is Lisa doesn’t try to force the viewer into liking it, but it’s the subtle things that make this a short worth watching. The acting is really good and the concept is different. We mostly see mothers having ill children in shorts, but it’s the other way round here.

This short will certainly touch you. It might not make you cry or feel depressed, but its not there to do all these things. It’s not even about the disease itself, but about the people who have a loved one suffering from it. It’s their plight that this short portrays and its darn successful in doing it too.

Recommended for sure.

Score: 7.5/10

Connected

By: Trailer Brasil

REVIEW

Concept

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where people breathe off each other (its depiction is less disgusting (or arousing) then it sounds), Connected has a rather bland script.

Direction & Acting

It blew me away! Seriously! The landscape shots through out the short are some of the best I have seen. They really do paint a picture of bleakness and combined with the humans wearing some sort of mask and suits to survive, it gives an uneasy feel to the viewer (as it should).

The soundtrack was okay, though the repetition of the breathing sound began to annoy me. I can understand that they want to emphasize on humans breathing and all, but its very annoying hearing someone gasping for air for 5 straight minutes!

One thing I would like appreciate though is the western music played at the climatic scenes. It was a very big risk but it pays off handsomely. It might make the scene a bit comical, but I liked the change. At least, it wasn’t more breathing noises.

Can’t really comment on acting, as we don’t get to see any person’s face through out the short. We do see people dying, but that was pretty routine stuff. Nothing too fancy there.

Conclusion

I am not sure what was the budget of this short, but it seems quite big as far as shorts go. However, it doesn’t tingle my senses nor make me excited at all. The script is too bland. It maybe moralistic, but I need a little bit of entertainment too!

Connected can be applauded for its cinematography, but for me, it fails to make a connection with the viewer.

Score: 6/10

Strangers

By: 1e42

REVIEW

Strangers

Concept

Making films that have a meaning and are there to teach something to the audience is a good thing – but repetition does make things boring. While the short does carry good intentions in bridging the gap between nations, I just don’t feel that it captivated me that much.

Direction & Acting

You expect a short produced by Fox to have no faults regarding direction and camera work, and yeah it was pretty much spot on. The tension created (which basically lasts through out the movie) is done nicely and it does make you wonder (if you have never seen such a movie before) how our heroes will get out of their predicament.

No complaints about acting either – it wasn’t great, but it didn’t need to be either as the short didn’t demand very little emotions.

Conclusion

For quite a while, I was at a loss. Seriously. I didn’t know what was wrong with the short. There is clearly something wrong, but I didn’t know what! Direction and acting was okay – the story might be a bit predictable, but it at least had meaning and purpose.

Then it hit me! Nothing, and absolutely NOTHING stands out! It takes no risks at all, the story isn’t new and no character development leads to no outstanding acting.

Hence, Strangers is just going to slip under the radar. It won’t be remembered for anything. Everything has been pretty much done before.

Strangers – thou I know from head to toe!

Score: 5/10  

Sign Language

By Semicolonic

REVIEW

Concept

I criticized a short for basing all of it on just one idea. This short too, revolved around one basic thought. But, the idea is original, likeable and best of all; it is not dragged on forcefully. It is about Ben, a static outdoor information technician (if you don’t know what that is, watch the short :)).

Direction & Acting

The camera work was great in the short. They played around with the focusing a bit and that actually made it all the better. Sometimes you have to take risks, and it certainly paid off. The direction was also steady and the last scenes were certainly one of the best-shot scenes I have ever witnessed in a short! Though I do feel that there should have been a change in background music at that time because of the change in mood of the movie. With that, the scene could have been even more memorable.

I can’t fault the actors for not doing much in the short because actually there wasn’t much acting margin in any of the roles. They were believable and that’s what counts the most.

Conclusion

Certainly a feel good short, Sign Language does not try to be too clever with the storyline and keeps it simple. Will you remember this movie for long? Not a chance! But, it does keep you entertained for the 3 minutes it’s on and for me that’s what matters.

Showing a guy actually enjoying his work and throws in a couple of deep and meaningful sentences, Sign Language might try to make us think, but the script isn’t powerful enough. It’s too simple. And it is this simplicity that I like.

Score: 7/10

Running

By: sheltonfilms

REVIEW

Concept

Running is about a dysfunctional family basically. Though, the concept is old there is a lot to like about Running.

Direction & Acting

If you have read my previous reviews (which I am sure you must have :)) you must know how important direction and acting is to the short. You can have a great idea executed poorly to make a lousy movie. But, if the direction and acting is nice you can get away with a lot.

That is the case with Running. Direction is quite good and though there are no major faults though the angles used, sometimes lacked imagination.

The acting however is pretty good. The girl is really talented for her age and her acting is remarkable. Though you sometimes do feel she is over-acting, but that’s so much better than being dull and expressionless.

Conclusion

All said and done Running is an okay short. I have nothing much to complain apart from a weak and done-to-death script, but its execution is pretty much spot on. The ending is pretty much left for the user to decipher. We are left to wonder what decision is she going to take (although signs are she will make the right one).

While you may very well be satisfied after watching it, the next day you would have completely forgotten about it! Even the name is so common; you are not going to remember it.

Running won’t occupy your thoughts for long, and that is its biggest downside.

Score: 6/10 

Still Life

By: k0214315

REVIEW

Concept

The concept is really nice and original and does keep the viewer guessing till the last minute (and even after that if you are not paying attention).

Direction & Acting

While some of the parts of the short are great, especially the ghost town, I do feel that the movie could have been even more frightening if it had been shot at night. The soundtrack does complement the action and helps to create a feeling of uneasiness.

However, everything seems lost in the climax. The point where the whole story revolves around its head, the movie simply breaks down. It’s the climax where you need the director to be at his best, the music to be at its spookiest and the actors to be vigilant. None of these things happened. What could have been a great scene just falls flat and takes the whole movie with it.

The acting was not that good either it has to be said. Our protagonist’s lack of expressions was mind-boggling. He did not seem scared at what was happening around him not surprised. It was like everything was normal and usually his life is that crazy.

Conclusion

A psychological thriller, lacking in punch is Still Life. Like many other shorts its concept is nice and original, but its execution could have been a bit better. There is a reason horror movies are shot in the dark while this has not been.

Still Life is not a roller coaster ride from start to end, which it should have been. Somewhere in the middle everyone just stopped caring.

Score: 5.5/10  

Offside

By: 1e42

REVIEW

Concept

Different idea yeah, but that’s just it – its just an idea. And you can’t build a whole movie, even a short around a single idea. There has to be some progress. And sad to say I did not find any in Offside.

Direction & Acting

I am not sure if the director was told that the movie had to be at least 5 minutes long or did he seriously think he had to drag it to 5 minutes! Because, my God did he drag it! Some scenes just went on and on without serving any purpose. When the guys were listening to the commentary, it could all have ended much sooner. But, no – the director used the same type of shots over and over again – to make the short as unbearable as possible!

Can’t fault the acting though as there wasn’t much acting to do. No words uttered at all. They were okay, really.

Conclusion

Ideas don’t make movies directors do (and actors of course, but this sounded better :)). The concept was good, but one idea does not make a movie. This movie could have been a whole lot shorter and it might have made it better. But, it just dragged on and on and even 5 minutes seemed a lifetime.

So much so that I don’t even want to review it. It was like a player who was not only miles offside, but could not hit the target either.

Score: 3/10  

Nothing Special

By: HelenaBrooks

REVIEW

Concept

Every mom thinks her kid is special. Well, this one takes it to another level, when she says that he is Jesus!

The idea is a bit eccentric and different, but the script is really well written and makes it into a highly enjoyable short.

Direction

Apart from some quirks here and there, the film is shot very nicely. The editing is also quite smooth and the multiple-angled shots (that are missing in so many shorts) make it a pleasant viewing.

Acting

But, by far the best thing about this movie is the acting. I was surprised, astonished and even a bit shocked! It was so good. Billy’s mother, with her hilarious over-the-top yet believable antics stole the show for me. Billy’s acting was also pretty decent, with his shy, dumb and sometimes overly cautious approach to life.

It’s not often that you get to play roles in a short that have so much depth. And even rare is the fact that you have good actors playing them. But, Nothing Special provides two really great actors with the chance and they take it with arms wide open!

Conclusion

Nothing Special starts off rather timidly, but it roars into life with great acting and script. A comedy, a drama, I don’t care what you call it, but its certainly very engrossing.

It is light-hearted in its approach, but it also tells us that everyone is special in his own way and that mothers should really give their children a bit more breathing space!

You might not like the story, but you cannot fault them for not trying. Its different, and its full of life.

Nothing Special is something really really special!

Score: 8/10

Thrown Away

By: fcrabbath

REVIEW

Concept

Thrown Away does not bring anything new to the table concept wise. If you have seen Dawn, Dusk, Noon, Evening and What not of the Dead – it’s pretty much like that (and a lot more boring).

Direction & Acting

I am not sure if the director knew whether he was directing a comedy or a suspenseful thriller or something. He seemed lost. The start was promising, and there was a sense of forlornness created, which was pretty good. Then the actors started speaking and everything was lost!

The actors had no chemistry, sentences were spoken as if they were just, you know, acting! They failed to realize that they might get killed any instant and that food is scarce. Yet, they are happy to make burger jokes!

Moreover, the mutated people they showed seemed more like mental retards to me. They actually made the whole movie even funnier!

Editing was bad, there were some awkward scenes and the background music that was supposed to make an ambience of suspense could not do its magic either.

Conclusion

Lousy, uninteresting, boring – any of the words can be used to describe Thrown Away. It started fine then all of a sudden, it lost all its charm, its charisma like a middle-aged wife!

Short filmmakers should really take their audience more seriously or at least try to take their movies seriously. Thrown Away should really be thrown away!

Score: 3/10

The Alpha Male

By:fcrabbath

REVIEW

Concept
Have you ever wondered what would happen if there was only one female alive? Well, this short does exactly this. A very original, and may I call it an eccentric idea, resulting in a sort-of enjoyable short.

Direction

I have seen other shorts by the same guy and he certainly puts a lot of effort in his work and here again it shows. While not as good as his other work, here some mistakes were visible in direction and camera work. But, such mistakes remained relatively minor and did not make the screening unpleasant.

Acting
The guy playing geek in this movie was the best of the lot by a fair margin. His acting was original, and he did not try to over-act, which is usually the case in most of the comedies.

I do have some reservations about the other three who were rather a let down. The guys seemed completely disinterested and the single actress did not do justice to her role either.

Conclusion

While the concept was really nice, The Alpha Male falls flat because of poor acting. The script was really good, but apart from one actor the others seemed to be amateurs who had no interest in the short and were there because the director had put some spell on them.

Alpha Male was a short I wanted to like, but the acting was disappointing. You might remember it for the story, but hardly for anything else. Recommended for those times when you have nothing else to do.

Score: 6.5/10

The Window

By:DarkHeartProductions

"From the makers of "Black Button" comes the third short film from Dark Heart Productions - "The Window".

- Finalist in the upcoming ROME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
- Shortlisted for TROPFEST, the world's largest short film festival.
- Front Page Feature on www.youtube.com.au

"Julian feels compelled to travel to his local pub. On arrival he finds his friends and family there celebrating, and they have some important news." " 

REVIEW

 Concept
The concept is pretty great, however the twist comes too late in the film to save it.

Direction
Its nicely done and you don’t see any major faults in direction, editing or camera work. However, sometimes the camera closes up on the people a bit too much for my liking. However, the last scenes where the whole story comes together, the director is pretty much spot on.

Acting
My major beef with shorts are that generally acting is pretty poor. And this short suffers in the same way. Moviemakers should at least go to the trouble of having trials for the actors.

The main actor was very dull in his delivery and half the times he seemed to be in a rush to speak! The guy playing his dad however was brilliant. His speech, his expressions were some of the best I have seen in short movies. You might have seen him in other shorts too as he is a professional actor and it showed.

Conclusion

Sometimes it’s nice to have complex storylines just to keep the viewers on the edge and interested. But, with a muddling storyline comes great responsibility :) – you need to make sure that everything is tied up properly in the end and it does not leave the viewer confused or disenchanted in the end. The storyline as I have said was nice, but neither acting nor direction could match it.

Score: 5/10

12 :12

By: iStick

"Synopsis; They say that 11:11 is the time to make a wish. If that is so, what would be special about 12:12..? This short film shows the weird, odd and unusual events that happen to a young man when the clock strikes 12:12. Enjoy!
--------------------
VideoInformation; This is my first major attempt at creating a creepy type of film, and I hope the video does give out a weird feeling. You'll probably never look at the time of 12:12 the same way again. I hope you like it!
--------------------
Music Made By Yours Truly - Jeremy Cathey :)
--------------------
#81 Top Rated Entertainment 11/13/07
#56 Most Discussed Entertainment 11/13/07"

Its very difficult reviewing shorts because not all of them are done by professionals. This one sadly is not and while the idea is nice and original, it seems too much inspired by other horror movies in its implementation.

I won’t delve into the story but I would like to the guys making this short for at least trying to create a short for the horror genre. Not many people do this. Moreover, they do succeed in creating suspense and a bit of thrill for the moviegoer. We have regularly seen in horror movies that instead of keeping the camera still they tend to move it around to give us chills and this is exactly how the makers have done it in this short.

The music might not create that foreboding feeling, but seeing this as done by amateurs I am actually pleasantly surprised they remembered even making a soundtrack!

Nice effort, but they could have made it a bit longer to make it scarier for the audience. 

Black Button

 

By: DarkHeartProductions

"PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING
'The Box' is NOT a rip off of 'Black Button', nor vice versa. More details below.

-YouTube Awards 2007 - Top Six Finalist, Best Short Film
-WINNER: Fitzroy Short Film Festival (Melb, Aus)
-WINNER: DearCinemaFest Short Film Festival (Int.)
and more...

Mr Roberts finds himself awoken inexplicably in a white room. A man sits before him at a desk and in between them stands a black button. If Mr Roberts pushes it, he will receive a briefcase filled with millions of dollars. Or he can take the key to the door and leave penniless. The catch? Pushing the button will result in the death of a human being. What would you do?

EDIT 1: Some people have observed a similarity in the premise of this film and an revival episode of The Twilight Zone in 1986. Please note (1) We had never seen the episode and only learned of it long after we'd finished the film. (2) The Twilight Zone weren't the first to do it. There was a short story before that, which was in turn based on an old premise called the 'Faustian Bargain', around since the 16th century (deal with the 'devil'). An almost identical premise exists in several cultures. Richard Kelly is even making a film with this premise called 'The Box'. (3) Our film is similar in premise, but different in plot, characters, dialogue, aesthetics, setting, moral meaning, religious undertone, twist etc. Each version, including ours, aims to bring something new to an old idea. Please have the respect to not accuse us of plagiarism.

Additionally, we have no particular religious affiliation; this is a fictional work and its ideas are designed to encourage thought and debate, not comment on any particular theology.


Our first professional short film. We made it for $200 and shot it on the stage of our old school in Melbourne, Australia. Fortunately, professional actor Robert Grubb agreed to act in it for free after reading the script. This film took nearly a year to put together, working on it in stages and creating the 'white' effect on a home PC. Please note that the younger actor, unlike his father Robert Grubb, has no formal acting training whatsoever.

The Making of "Black Button" is now on YouTube.

Two of our other shorts have been released on YouTube, 'Campsite' and 'The Window'. Click on our profile if you'd like to see them and subscribe for updates on new films. Thanks!"



“God will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able. But will with the temptation also make a way to escape.”

This is how the Black Button starts and this is probably the best way to summarize it too. Black Button is about temptations and how one deals with them.

The script was really nice and dialogues were really powerful. You can tell by the use of the words that the writer had really put a thought to it. However, the acting did disappoint me a bit. It did not do justice to the level of writing. The older guy was good and gave nice expressions and his diction was faultless, but the younger guy (his son I am told) was way out of his depth. His acting was really poor. He should have watched Keanu Reeves in the Devil’s Advocate for pointers. Not once do you feel sorry for his character.

Overall the idea was excellent, the direction good but I do feel that the characters could have been a bit more expressive and tried a bit harder. 10 out of 10 for the idea, 6 for the execution. 

Nostalgia - Young Love

By: wildcardpix

 "Directed by Matthew Toffolo"

Thing is I don’t like romantic movies. I would rather watch paint drying. But, this job means that I have to go out and watch shorts belonging to different genres just to please my readers. And that is why I watched Nostalgia. I won’t talk about the story because I hate romantic stories and the storyline wasn’t much different from any other romantic movies.

But, to add to my misery the movie was poorly done too. Flashbacks are a good way to do a movie, but this movie went overboard with it. Why have them in black n white? Surely the moviemakers didn’t think that the audience would be dumb enough not to distinguish between the scenes happening in different times!

On top of that the acting wasn’t that great. The actress did all right and tried to do her job honestly, but the guy did not seem up for it! He lacked passion of any sense through out the movie and a love story devoid of passion makes a horrible experience for the moviegoer.

You won’t shed any tears while watching this movie, you might shed a tear or two for me who had to watch it and on top of it review it. The great Roger Ebert, in his famous review of the movie North, used the word “hated” ten times in the space of three sentences. And that’s exactly how I feel about this movie.