Month: September 2016

Movie Review: JAILBREAK (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERJAILBREAK, 1min., USA, Animation/Crime
Directed by Alise Munson

Shot in black and white, “Jailbreak” follows the daring escape of a prisoner fleeing his cell and his quest for sweet punishment. The animated short from HouseSpecial Director Aaron Sorenson is a German Expressionist-inspired design mash-up of stop-motion and illustration with a decidedly adult twist.

Seen at the August 2016 ANIMATION FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Jail Break coming to us from the USA and directed by Alise Munson is a delight for the senses.

The curious duet of stop-motion and art illusion is superb creating a reality and
otherworldliness that is both engaging and visually decadent.

The animation in this piece is detailed, lush and highly satisfying. The story packs of humourous punch for so short a film coming in at just under one minute in length. You can’t help but side with our hard bitten hero, a complex criminal with some choice eclectic tastes.

Jail Break follows our criminal hero as he escapes from prison, narrowly missing guards and various obstacles only to get himself chained up in another, more pleasureably sense.

Comic irony that adults will enjoy, and might just go over the heads of a young audience. (Hopefully.)

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: TIME SMASH (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERTIME SMASH, 2min., USA, Animation/Sci-Fi
Directed by Benjamin Reicher

A time traveler goes back 2 weeks to stop himself from going to Cynthia’s new years party. Unfortunately, he brings his cat along and forgets to let him back into the machine when he returns to the present. The cat grabs onto the machine last second, becomes radioactive, and ends up in ancient Egypt. What the time traveler finds when he returns to the present is pretty messed up….

Seen at the August 2016 ANIMATION FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Time Smash by USA director Benjamin Reicher, is frankly, hilarious. This is due to simple cinematic mathematics. The plot is clear, simple and concise, the visuals are strong and punchy, the story is strong and the punchline is fantastic.

The result is quick, effective comedy.

Our story opens on a young man bent on time traveling into the past by two weeks to tell his past self to avoid going to a party. Yet on his way back he has an unexpected guest in his travel machine his pet cat.

The cat stumbles out of the craft halfway through the journey getting hurled somewhere into the depths of space and time. When our hero returns to the present the future has been utterly altered.

It’s “an Oldie but a Goodie” plot line that nevertheless relies on a killer pay off to make the story really sing. And Oh Boy, does Time Smash deliver. The only line in the entire film, is well worth the wait.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: 1916 (2016)

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MOVIE POSTER1916, 4min, UK, Animation/Drama
Directed by Oscar Lewis

An old man remembers the last time he saw his father, walking with him to the train station in rural England. This short film was made to mark the centenary of men with families being conscripted to the army in 1916 during WW1.

Seen at the August 2016 ANIMATION FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Oscar Lewis, director of UK film 1 916 has chosen a story that is poetic and heartbreaking and it is visually interesting. The story appears to be the retold memory of that last time a boy sees his father.

The writing is poetic, thoughtful, abstract and heart wrenching as it slowly dawns on the viewer that the charcoal flip book style drawings we are seeing, are the worn and smudged memories of these final moments the child can recall with his father.

This piece is compelling, although slow moving. It is not a laugh a minute, raucous comedy, nor a bright whimsical romp through imagination.

It is a farewell letter from a son to his father, arriving a lifetime later. We know the narrator recognizes now what he did not recognize then that this one moment as his father walks him towards a the train that will carry the father off to war will be their final moments together.

Despite this mournful undertone the piece is not outrightly sad. It is reflective, pensive, and thought provoking.

Perhaps it is meant to remind us that memories can fade, like sketches in a book, and only with careful keeping, can we recall them and keep them close to us.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: SEA OF INK (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERSEA OF INK, 3min, USA, Animation/Drama
Directed by Chenxin Yang

Sea of Ink is a two-minute animation about an artist struggling with his creative block and his journey under the sea.

Seen at the August 2016 ANIMATION FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Engaging and visually lush Sea Of Ink directed by Chenxin Yang is a stunning visual adventure.

High concept and open for interpretation, it seems to display one artist’s struggles to find the creative inspiration in his work. As he tries to make his hands do what his heart feels he finds himself sucked deep down into the bottom of a creative ocean.

Full of fantastic imagery and beautifully composed animation, this piece could be about a creative struggling with mental illness, creative writers’ block, or some sort of emotional turmoil.

It could be the artist falling deeper into their own mind or retreating into their own creative world. As the viewer, we may place onto the film whatever lenses we like regardless, enjoy the ride that is Sea of Ink it
will take your breath away.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: BOTTOMLESS (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERBOTTOMLESS, 2min, USA, Animation/Biography
Directed by Veronique Vanblaere

A Belgian woman seeks citizenship in the United States, and finds that her experiences are bottomless.

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

This comical inversion on the classic fish out of water story is brought to us by Veronique Vanderlaere of the USA. An unapologetic and endearing story of immigration and assimilation, this piece will appeal to anyone who has ever felt the “otherness” of living what they know and becoming engulfed in someplace new.

Bottomless is refreshing! The artistic tastes are unique, the story is charming and most engaging perhaps is that the central story revolves around a tiny detail the nature of North American drinking glasses. It is not always the obvious change in scenery that gives a traveler culture shock it is the small things that remind us how far from home we are.

But our Heroine embraces her new home, and not only accepts the changes but loves them. A delightful story with some upbeat humor that will make you smile and long for an extra large soft drink.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: A SMALL VOICE (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERA SMALL VOICE, 2min, UK, Animation/Drama
Directed by Michelle Brand

A shy young boy is confronted with the relentless demands of an overbearing adult forcing him to sing in front of a crowd. Vivid imagery conveys the child’s trauma as it helplessly stands facing the expectant onlookers, unable to sing through fear. Overwhelmed by the ordeal, the only alternative is to run away.

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Michelle Brand, director of UK Film A Small Voice, has a story to tell us. It is the story of a boy who experiences doubt, fear and anxiety. All universal feelings felt by us all, yet demonstrated through the eyes of one animated character retreating into a world of their own.

One of the points to touch on in this piece is the animation itself. The color scheme is very strategic. Our hero is drastically different in color from the clamoring background, occasionally represented as a white outline against a colorful backdrop. The piece can seem disorienting at times with its’ stylistic intensity. This intensity acts to establish meaning on a subtextual level as it demonstrates the disorienting experiences of mental illness.

A Small Voice is not a long film, but it is a powerful one. It conveys a very human experience through the lenses of colorful animation. It is a small voice, with much to say.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: SPARROW DUET (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERSPARROW DUET, 4min, USA, Animation/Experimental
Directed by Steve Socki

Animated abstract shapes and gestures dance together playfully with bird-like motion. The original music score was composed and performed by Gary Chang .

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

This disarmingly simple and yet stunningly beautiful avantgarde
film comes to us from the USA by director Steve Stock. It tells no clear story, has no clear characters, makes no clear message and yet its’ composition is so well put together, and it’s facets so richly tuned that it cannot help but engage and delight its’ viewers.

Set against a black void, whimsical bright geometric colors move, flow, and intertwine themselves in an unearthly dance to music. The concept seems very simple but is also incredibly hard to execute well.

Sparrow Duet however, creates something wonderful in its’ style, as its’ lack of form creates endless abilities for interpretation. Instead of the director pressing their story onto the viewer, the viewer projects their version of the story onto what they are experiencing. The result? A film of cinematic pleasure that can be exactly what you want it to be. Are these colors the personification of humans? Of emotions? Of animals? Of life itself?

The viewer gets’ to choose.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: 5476 MILES (2016)

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MOVIE POSTER5476 Miles, 4min, UK, Animation/Music Video
Directed by Terry Thomas

A handmade paper stop motion music video that tells the story of a lonely starling waiting for love.

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

This UK music video directed by Terry Thomas is a reflective, pensive and poetic tribute to both the visual and auditory art forms. Done completely by hand, this paper cutout stop-motion art style is hauntingly beautiful.

The piece is layered with strong symbolism, and rich with poetic and visual undertones. Visual motifs and colour palettes are harmonic with the music and lyrics. As with any form of art, it is open to interpretation: a debate exists as to what the intent of the piece is.

However, whether the music makes you wistful, sorrowful, remensianct or peaceful, it will certainly make you feel something. In this way, 5476 Miles is a beautiful work of art.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: INSIDE (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERINSIDE, 3min., Belguim, Animation/Comedy
Directed by Pepijn Claus

A story about a worm, a beetle and a very hungry bird…

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Belgium director Pepijn Claus invites us into the world of insects with his delightful short Inside, which follows a terrified worm and an anger prone beetle as they run from, and our devoured by, a pesky bird. Humorous and charming with its’ classic schtick humor, the piece has a saturday morning cartoon feel, that is nostalgic for adults and enjoyable for kids.

The premise of the piece is simple and effective a classic tale of not giving up, in this case, even when you’ve been swallowed by a predator. Humor arises from our unlikely (and unlucky) duo who must join forces to escape certain demise.

Clear, fun ny, well executed Inside is a perfect family animation that will have you considering what life is like for the little critters of this world. It also teaches a valuable lesson about the early bird catching the worm.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: AWESOME BEETLES COLORS

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MOVIE POSTERAWESOME BEETLE’S COLORS, 3min, Latvia, Animation/Musical
Directed by Indra Sproge

“Awesome Beetle’s Colors” is a 2:57 minutes long, fun and educative plasticine animation.

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Hailing from Latvia, and directed by Indra Sproge, Awesome Beetles Colors has a musical, colorful, educational tone. Highly reminiscent of the famous Sesame Street in its whimsy, this short film brings the alphabet to life with bright, highly stylized interactive words.

The brightness of the piece is dazzling to the senses and brimming with the type of creative imagination that appeals to viewers of all ages. It is instantly enjoyable by younger members of an average audience although it may leave adult viewers scratching their heads.

At first glance, it is not clear that the musical film is about the alphabet; until the end, when all the musical words are strung together with their corresponding letters.

Magically, the discovery that the wild colorful animated adventure is really teaching us our ABC’s is no less enjoyable, whether we are 8 months old, or 80.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film: