Lights Out : A Decent Little Jump Scare

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Lights Out short film review

Today we are staying in the world of scary short films. This one is boasted as the 2014 winner of the Who’s There film challenge. From my understanding it is a short film contest for horror shorts. The film is called Lights Out and it’s directed and written by David Sandberg and Lota Losten.

The film is about a woman who, in the middle of the night has to use the rest room. But when she turned out the light the hallway she sees some kind of ghoul. When she turns the light back on, it disappears. So she has a great plan. Tape down the light switch and then the light can’t go off and the monster can’t get her. With reassurance that came with her magical roll of duct tape, she assumes she’s safe, but that is not the case.

The good? The camera work is great. The simple effects are used smartly where the low budget film does not appear cheap. The ghoul is simplistic and I kind of love it for minimalistic approach rather than use of CGI. And it’s incredibly tense.

So the bad? Well let’s address the elephant in the room here. She tapes down a light switch and she thought she would be safe. This equivalent of Shaun pulling down a shade over the window revealing hordes of zombies breaking into the Winchester. Its ridiculous concept and they play this for chills. I’m surprised something so silly is in there. If it was this me, I wouldn’t sleep in the house. I would leave. I wouldn’t stay.

Overall, it’s a fun little jump scare piece It’s a little creepy, but not over the top. Its mediocre but well done. If you’re looking for something creepy, this is for you.

2 Flicks out of Four

Overall Rating : A Decent Little Jump Scare

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Peter Goes To Hell : A Classic Tale of a Deal Between A Man and the Devil

Peter Goes to Hell

Its Halloween, (Or it was. I realize how late this is going up.) so I decided to watch something scary or at least Halloween themed. And guess what, as I searched I found our recent friend and somewhat favorite of these reviews, Danny Dunlop made a Halloween short film called Peter Goes to Hell. And seeing how A Short Story and Dear Eva was incredibly well made films, I thought I would give this a chance.

The film focuses on Peter. A teenage trouble maker, who is visited by the devil. They chat and the devil says he needs his help on Halloween for a simple task. Peter reluctantly agrees with and from there, things go south.

The good? It’s a clever little flick. It may be predictable to appoint, but this is all smartly done. Also since Danny’s previous films were all narration, I was impressed by the good acting and great soundtrack.

The bad? The camera work is all or mostly natural lighting which left a few scenes grainy. Also the part where he goes to hell, is disappointing as the film switches over to black and white in an empty room with very fake looking fire effects.

Overall, its an incredibly well made fun dark little piece that is fun to watch. Though its low budget, it cleverly made, making up for any effects. So I recommend this to everyone.

4 flicks out of four

Overall Rating: A Classic Tale of a Deal Between a man and the devil

Here’s the film below.

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

The Little Mermaid : A Dark Grim Take on The Classic Tale

The Little Mermaid

Today for short film theatre we’re staying in the land of fairy tales. But this time it’s not a dancing musical, but is an incredibly dark adaption of The Little Mermaid. Directed by Nicholas Humphries the film is called The Little Mermaid (Not that original of a name) that was made in 2012.

The film takes place at what appears to be 1940s in the somewhat dying freak show where the only attraction is a mermaid. She is held against her will by an evil and sinister show runner who will keep her forever to make as much money as he can. But desperately wanting revenge as well as freedom, the mermaid comes up with a plan to get back at the evil man.

The good? The mermaid is a monster here. She has sharp teeth, gills stretching across her face and eats meat. She’s animalistic, wild with shreds of humanity bleeding through here and there. I appreciate that they went against the traditional fish lady. Also the special effects are great. It’s very dark, grim, and bloody.

The bad? I kind of wished there was more. There should have been more I felt. Like what happens after the ending. How did the mermaid get there? I guess we’ll never know

Overall, it’s a beautiful dark amazing film. It’s a true fairy tale horror, that every fairy tale and horror fan should watch.

Overall Ratting: A Dark Grim Take on The Classic Tale

4 Flicks out of four

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Red Riding : A Beautiful Charming Fairy Tale Ballet

Red Riding

Today for short film theatre, we’re returning to a world of dancing. The 2012 film is an incredibly artsy piece directed and written by a very talented duo of Louis J Parker and Domonique Meranda. The film is called Red Riding.

Given the name of Red Riding, one may assume it has something to do with Red Riding Hood. And it does to an extent. The films tarts with a pretty naïve girl in red dress dancing in the woods. And as she dances a very handsome suited man comes out of the woods. There’s a mutual attraction between them, and they run and dance through the wood to musical ballet where things become increasingly darker as the girl learns this man is a monster toward the end. It’s a ballet, played to the metaphorical themes of Red Riding Hood.

So the good? First of all, I applaud Domonique and Louis here, because not only are they the writer as and directors of this piece, but are wonderful dancers. The choreography here is amazing. And the characteristics of both red riding hood and the big bad wolf show are thrown metaphorically so well that I’m not sure that it could be done any better. The costumes are great. The music is wonderful. It portrays both whimsical and dark nature of the film. Also the cinematography is great but the use of the setting was good too. They were clearly filmed in a small area, but are not making it so noticeable because its done so well.

The bad? Well its artsy. And I’m not trying to be sexist here. But a lot of guys I know don’t care for an artsy musical fairy tale ballet. I could be generalizing but I’m just speaking from experience. So I can’t imagine very many guys liking this. If you don’t like dancing or artsy fartsy stuff, this isn’t for you. Also if you’re looking for a deep story here, don’t expect one. It’s all metaphorical and film lets you piece it together as a story you already know.

Overall, this is a beautiful well-crafted ballet. If you have a soft spot for theatre and fairy tales, then this whimsical romantic piece is for you. Its incredibly charming and such a beautiful piece. I recommend it to everyone who like dancing and fairy tales.

Overall Rating: A Beautiful Charming Fairy Tale Ballet.

4 Flicks out of Four

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Sharp Fires : Dumb Fun Featuring Assassins

Sharp Fires

Today I wanted to watch a short film with some action to it. So I did a little youtube search and selected an action short movie at random. The film is 2013 short called the Sharp Fires which is written and directed by Justen Helson.

So what is the film about? It about a hunt for these stones that give the possessor god like powers. The government, mob, and even assassins are after these stones. The films follows a kid who is abducted by some bad people who know that he knows who has those stones. He knows it’s in possession of an assassin but will give nothing other than that. So the bad guys take him to the desert to kill him. There they all encounter the assassin he spoke of and action pursues.

The bad? The acting is pretty bad. Not the worse. But it was pretty bad. The sound is also a bit off. Also most of people had their funny little mask that made it silly at times.

The good? Though it’s not groundbreaking, it’s imaginative. The mystical stones made it a little more fun than the typical action flick. Also the choreography is really well done, making it enjoyable watch. The cinematography is well done and special effects are great.

Overall, its dumb fun. It’s not brilliant or divine story telling. If you like comic book stuff and can tolerate a bit of bad acting, then you’ll enjoy it.

3 flicks out of four.

Overall Rating: Dumb Fun Featuring Assassins

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Reborn : An Oddball Shape Shifting Adventure of a Thespian

Reborn Short film review

Today is another student project film. It’s an animated French film called Reborn. The animated film is a fantasy that is made by Sylven Wolff.

The film focuses on a somewhat obnoxious aspiring thespian who is obsessive with works of Shakespeare. But while he’s complaining after a show, time suddenly stops and he’s pulled into an jungle where a strange old man turns him into a series of different animals. Baffled and confused, he bears with the ordeal until he discovers the meaning to it all.

The good? The aspiring actor character is an unusual and somewhat original character to work with. The guy seems to have a good heart being somewhat egocentric. So way to go not creating a 2D generic character. Also the ending was kind of charming.

The bad? The movie has very little story. Even at the end the point as to why this happen is not all that clear. Also the while sub titles are placed against a lot of light colored scenes making it hard to tell what is being said since its French. So if you’re not fluent in French be prepared to struggle to read what is being said.

Overall, the film is almost kind of sort of good. I can just tell the person was trying to make something meaningful and missed the mark. But it’s still a descent little flick but not a must watch.

2 Flicks out of Four.

Overall Rating: An Oddball Shape Shifting Adventure of a Thespian

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Mighty Antlers : A Surrealistic Tale Featuring an Antlered Monster

Mighty Antlers

Today we have to short film theatre with a rather bizarre film. It’s a pseudo horror piece called Mighty Antlers. It’s a 2011 film created by Sane Recnchardt Fogtmann.

So what is Mighty Antlers? It is an animated film that starts with a guy driving down a back woods road on a sunny day. But when he sees a deer, instead of stopping, he presses his foot down on the gas pedal with full intention of murdering the animal. Right before he hits the deer, it suddenly goes dark and strange creepy man with antlers is sitting in the back seat. Angered by the man’s desire to kill the deer, he punishes him.

The good? We’ll start with animation. It looked like a cross between paper mache and subdued cell shading. It has a bizarre unusual look that matched the surrealism of the craziness of this film. The concept and monster in this film is original. The sound design is wonderful, doing its best to give the film a creepy vibe.

The bad? Well it’s very short and I feel it could have been longer. Also film tries so hard to be creepy when it’s not. But I give them a cookie for trying.

Overall, this is a pretty good film. It’s bizarre and well made. And it’s probably one of the most unusual shorts you’ll see. So I recommend it to most.

3 flick out of four.

Overall Rating: A Surrealistic Tale Featuring an Antlered Monster

Here’s the film below. I recommend you to check it out.

Short Horror : The Dull Boring Life of a Zombie

Short Horror by Ted Laird

Okay today I was looking for something spooky for short film theatre. And horror films are hard to find. Descent ones that is. I tend to have an uncanny ability to find a lot of bad ones. But I just gave up on looking for something descent and watched the first one that showed up on youtube today. It’s a 2009 title less film by Tim Laird

The horror short is a computer animated flick. It focuses on a corpse who rises from the grave with a mission to do something very important. But the goal is not revealed until the end.

So the good? The twist at the end was nice. It was not what I was expecting at all.

The bad? Though the animation is not terrible, it’s simplistic. The three minute film feels long and drug out as it most features the zombie walking from various angles. I honestly feel this is more of a creation film from the director playing with a new software than a director’s vision. And that’s okay. Only way to learn animation is to animate something and this appears to the film makers first animated film.

Overall, the film’s dull and boring, The ending was nice, but not anything especially witty. Twenty minute after the first viewing you may completely forget it. So I really don’t recommend this to anyone.

½ flick out of four

Overall Rating: The Dull Boring Life of a Zombie

Here’s the film below if you want to watch it.

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Agni’s Philosophy: A Beautiful Final Fantasy Worth Watching

Agni’s Philosophy

For short film theatre today, we are entering back into the video gam world. This time around its final fantasy. Reading those words either gave you a sense of joy or dread as it’s a love it or hate it series. But I love final fantasy and I decided today I would review the 2013 short film Agni’s Philosophy.

The film is a four minute short created by the Square Enix studio to show case a new graphics engine as well as ask the public if they liked the potential setting for a new final fantasy game. Which they should ask. The franchise has lost its way a bit. Any ways its set in an Arabic, heavily middle eastern influenced setting where a religious leader and his followers are trying to bring alive this creature. Whether it’s a god or beast, is unclear. What is clear is that a number of rebels don’t agree and rush in guns blazing. A hooded follower turn out to be a young witch and takes a valuable crystal from the leader during the attack and runs. The rebels along with their mutant dogs chase after her.

The good? It’s a wonderful film that is fun to watch. Its down right beautiful. There is so much detail to every little scene. And the portrayal of something as simple as a potion pulling bullet out of her flesh is something I wouldn’t expect. The film is darker than recent final fantasies, reflecting something closer to final fantasy seven than the recent iterations. And the setting is great. I just adore the look of it all.

The bad? Not much to say. I wish it was longer, I guess. And most of the film is in chants or in a foreign language of the rebels so don’t expect to know what they are saying. Also story is a very piece it together yourself sort of thing.

Overall it’s a beautiful movie that everyone should watch. If you love fantasy and action you’ll love this If you like animation you will be wowed. So check it out.

4 Flicks out of four

Overall Rating : A Beautiful Final Fantasy Worth Watching

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Dark Noir : A Stunning Imaginative Must Watch

Dark Noir

So it’s been a long time since I reviewed an animated film. So I thought I would return to the world of animation for a review or two. So I decided to review this little film called Dark Noir. It was a 2014 film directed by Rafeal Grampa.

So first off the film has an interesting mythology. Everyone has these spirits attached to them called daemons. They are part of their souls in a sense that allows the person to come up with new ideas and creativity. It’s part of the person. If you ever read the His Dark Materials trilogy you’ve seen this done before and may a better understanding than with my explanation here. But in the film people cannot see the daemons they’re paired with. Our lead though is a detective who all his life could see these spirits attached to people. One day in a bar an old man asks him to find the woman who stole his daemon and all his ideas. So he goes to find the woman and learns some things about his own past.

The good? This film has incredible animation. Not only is the CGI down right beautiful, but the spirits are all hand drawn. The blending of the two animation styles are phenomenal. Its something that I have never seen before and its gorgeous. The imagination here for the story is fantastic. The world, the characters, and spirits were like a breath of fresh air.

The bad? This film is too darn short for having such a great story and world. I wish it was a longer film. Four minutes is just too short.

Overall, this I a gorgeous film. And its something never seen before and I’m sure most people haven’t seen anything like this before. It’s just down right annoying. I recommend this to everyone. Now go watch it.
4 flicks out of four

Overall Rating: A Stunning Imaginative Must Watch

Here’s the film below. I recommend you to check it out.

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/