Film Festivals
LAFF ’08 : Salute Your Shorts
Here to bring a little entertainment to your pre-Fourth of July festivities, here is a small sampling of some quality shorts that screened at the LA Film Fest which you can either watch for free or get your filthy little paws on relatively cheaply.
CHONTO – DIRECTED BY CARSON MEL
As the film is described online, “In 1977 Bobby Bird adopted a chimpanzee in an attempt to fill the hole in his soul. It did not work out for him.” Unfolding beneath the hypnotizing ramble of burnout musician Bobby Bird’s narrative is a darkly funny short created out of a mix of animation and real photographed backgrounds. Check out the trailer (yes, a 14 minute short has a trailer, and yes it deserves one):
If you like what you see, you can buy that baby on iTunes for 1.99. Totally worth it.
CARLIN – DIRECTED BY BRENT GREEN
Shot in stop-motion in Brent Green’s childhood farmhouse, Carlin is a lyrical, song-like performance about his Aunt Carlin’s diabetes and her desire to die. Using taxidermied chickens, full sized wooden puppets, and any other objects laying around, Green creates another surreal visual poem in his signature style. You can watch it for free on youtube, but it sort of begs for a theater viewing, where its fuzzy style isn’t quite so hampered by the low-res of the internet:
But it’s not available on iTunes, so don’t cry to me if its too low-fi for you.
DENNIS – DIRECTED BY MADS MATTHIESEN
Shot in Denmark, Dennis is the story of a hulking, yet shy, bodybuilder who lives with his aging mother
and desires the company of a woman not related to him. Against his controlling mother’s wishes, he reaches out to a woman, and his night out is both heart-breaking and hilarious. But guess, what, I can’t find the short anywhere online, so maybe this sample clip will appease you?
I LOVE SARAH JANE – DIRECTED BY SPENCER SUSSER
I’ll leave you with a crowd-pleaser, the apocalyptic love story / zombie film, I Love Sarah Jane. Wait, I know how this sounds. It’s not a rehash. In fact, I’m sorry I told you it was a zombie film, it’s kind of besides the point. It’s restrained, and well shot, and sort of touching. Do the right thing, buy it on iTunes for 1.99, and you won’t be sorry. But don’t take my word for it, check out the trailer!
Sorry for all the links today, the youtube embedding is giving me hell. Enjoy!
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