Year: 2017

Movie Review: REQUEMBARREN (Spain, Experimental)

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Played at the July 2017 Experimental Short Film Festival

REQUEMBARREN, 16min, Spain, Experimental
Directed by Roman Rubert Bernat 

Beatrice is a young woman who leaves home to look for Requembarren. After listening to the sad man, to the profaner, and to the incestuous man, she reflects on what happens to her on the journey.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

This short, highly metaphorical experimental piece, coming to use from Spain and directed by Roman Rubert Bernat, follows the story of a young woman, given a map by her parents and sent out in the world. The world, however, is dangerous, horrifying and wildly unpredictable. Our heroine, much like any on an epic quest, battles feat after feat, meeting stranger after stranger in increasingly periciliary circumstances.

Shot in black and white with keen attention to detail and style, this is a piece with truly admirable cinematic qualities. Thickly laced with fairy tale elements REQUEMBARREN asks its’ audience to examine its meaning from multiple angles; it may be a piece about the passage between life and death, or the link between heaven and hell, or between fairy reality and fantasy.

Regardless of the meaning intended by the creator, there is something lush and gorgeous behind this work of art- with special acknowledgment going to the various rich locations of shooting and the filters used to give brightness to the piece. A worthy watch indeed.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

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Movie Review: STRANGE BEASTS (UK, Experimental)

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Played at the July 2017 Experimental Short Film Festival

STRANGE BEASTS, 5min, UK, Experimental
Directed by Magali Barbe

‘Strange Beasts’ is an augmented reality game. It allows you to create and grow your own ‘pet’. How far can it go?

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

A bright, authentic and chillingly vibrant piece of speculative fiction, STRANGE BEASTS follows a software and game developer on his new groundbreaking game. One where you create and care for a digital pet. The catch? The game exists in a device embedded in your eye.

Our hero is loveable, bright, energetic and trusting. The game looks authentic, dazzling and instantly addictive. As a film the colors, graphics and visuals are flawless. The film is a master of attention to detail.

But what sets this film apart is its believability, and its gut wrenching twist. Without spoiling this remarkable ending- this film hits frighteningly close to home.

With this only a five-minutes-in-the-future kind of science fiction, the audience is hit with the sudden realization that this type of technology already exists, and the we are not watching a film about what could be, but what will be.

STRANGE BEASTS will haunt you, with its disarmingly charming approach to the future, and send a chill up your spine when it ends.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video

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Movie Review: 65.5 WOMEN (Norway, Experimental)

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Played at the July 2017 Experimental Short Film Festival

65.5 WOMEN, 6min, Norway, Experimental
Directed by Liv Mari Mortensen

To understand a recent failure, a young man writes a statistic of all the women he ever slept with. As he tries to simplify all of his affairs into simple characteristics the memories start to take over, leaving him to face the only one he truly wanted.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Dramatic, collaborative and unbarred, 65.5 WOMEN is the story of one man recounting his sexual exploits to the woman he might bed next. But his descriptions of his conquests are not told from his voice- but from the women he speaks of. Subtle and often humorous, 65.5 WOMEN has an unmistakable charm in it, and an interesting dissection of genre and sexual politics.

Our narrator is never seen, in fact, other than his opening lines and closing lines he is rarely even heard. The focus, instead, is on the statistically way he recounts his sexual partners- the actual lines said by those very women while they break the fourth wall in a nonchalant and unassuming way. It is open for dense discussion as to who has the power in this piece- our male hero, the woman the hero is speaking to, or the women he is recounting.

Perhaps the depth in this piece comes from its subversion of gender power. The man, who is recounting his conquests with an almost unemotional air, has his very voice removed. The piece follows the women, and the descriptive factors that define them (“This one had a drug problem…this one had red hair.”) are said instead by the women who own the descriptors. The woman take agency, by using their own voices, and owning their descriptions.

A piece worthy of discussion on an academic level, but no less enjoyable to anyone simply looking for an introspective short film, 65.5 WOMEN is a deep and intellectual piece that packs an emotional punch.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

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Movie Review: ICARO (Brazil, Experimental)

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Played at the July 2017 Experimental Short Film Festival

ICARO, 11min, Brazil, Experimental
Directed by Carla Jay Shah Laroche

Based on the Greek tragedy, Icaro is a Brazilian modern adaptation of the iconic struggle; a man who seeks liberation from an environment in which he feels caged and powerless. Where myths tell us that our fate is determined by a greater force than our own, Icaro is a poetic film which illustrates how our fate is also determined by choice. Icaro must reach his own decisions on how his profession as an elevator operator will ultimately affect him, a profession which is still widely in use in Brazil. The film touches multiple aspects of Brazil’s complex society.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

An experimental Brazilian short following one man’s journey into the sky, ICARO is a reimagined work of art inspired by the tales of Icarus, who flew to close to the sun. ICARO, our hero, is a highly intelligent man working as a lift operator, when he is transported into a world where he has no socially structured limits.

We may be looking through his day dream or his minds’ eye, but our hero is transported to an empty warehouse where his story, dream, struggle, his breaking free of social stagnation is able to be expressed through dance.

His is covered in paint (or possibly wax) and is able to act out his dreams of reaching far beyond the shackles of the modern world.

Ircaro is exquisitely shot, beautifully performed and exceptionally well composed. Balanced and perfectly cast, this is a work of experimental art that will have any film-goer looking to watch again. Well done, Carla Jay Shah Laroche, very well done.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

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Movie Review: HOPE (Iceland, Experimental)

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Played at the July 2017 Experimental Short Film Festival

HOPE, 4min, Iceland, Experimental
Directed by Knutur Haukstein Olafsson

The apocalypse is coming. A lonely and bitter nun seeks for help to let go of her past and finally be free. The lights go out. The lights are turned on. And suddenly there is a change.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

 HOPE is a four minute Icelandic experimental, heavy with religious symbology and musicality. It boasts an apocalyptic setting with a young nun faced with the prospect of eating a live head on a plate.

On a purely experience-only basis, this film is ripe with colors, dramatic imagery and memorably catchy music. Symbolically it is full of elaborate layers to be peeled back one by one.

Our young religious hero bitterly seeks some sort of solace for the end of the world and finds it in a singing head presented to her, yet the work ends with her defrocking and leaving the church in a bright red dress. She may be embodying the death and renewal of religion, or the passage of childhood to adulthood, or a bloody and metaphorical look at the ending of a romantic tryst.

We may never know, or the goal may be for us to form our own opinions. You’ll have to watch HOPE to find out.

Watch Audience FEEDBACK Video:

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Movie Review: NOVEMBER UNDER ASHES (France, Music Video)

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Played at the July 2017 Experimental Short Film Festival

NOVEMBER UNDER ASHES, 3min, France, Music Video
Directed by Camille Laloux

November under ashes is a cri du coeur, a song, an hymn in which personal and national mournings are melted, a heartbeat of fear, of strength and an ode to life. Under the ashes of a dear person and of scores of innocent people killed in Paris attacks, on the 13th of November, a young woman retraces her subway route and thoughts details which leads her to see the death by singing the life.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film

 A music video packing a strong experimental punch, NOVEMBER UNDER ASHES is a three minute French piece by Camille Laloux. With specific use of color and fantastically simple yet effective artistic style, what stands out most about this piece is the contrast between the bright upbeat tone of the song and the more darker lyrics.

A piece about life, death and mortality, the images of young adults and children in the piece soften the more ominous undertones hidden within the lyrics. Musically, this piece is Instantly catchy and visually, it jumps off the screen with color and symbology. Like any great experimental, it doesn’t spoon feed the motives of the art to the viewer.

Instead, it presents itself and leaves itself vulnerable to interpretations. Whether viewed as a music video, a musical animation, or an avant-garde short, NOVEMBER UNDER ASHES will always be an enjoyable watch.

Watch Audience FEEDBACK Video:

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Movie Review: BODY WITHOUT ORGANS (Experimental, USA)

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Played at the July 2017 Experimental Short Film Festival

BODY WITHOUT ORGANS, 2min, USA, Experimental
Directed by Mark Franz

Explores the mystical singularity of the body in terms of its separate functioning parts. Philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari use this term to refer to the “cosmic egg” of life.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

This two minute experimental hailing from the USA is a study is abstraction, art and simplicity. Set against a neutral background, animated images of body parts, from organs to nervous systems, is built together- assembled almost, to an abstract beat. Surrealist and highly experimental, this piece does not tell you it’s intent, but asks you to project your own emotion on it.

BODY WITHOUT ORGANS will remind us that we are so much more than the sum of our parts, while still showing us that those parts alone, are incredibly complex, intricate and marvelous. A special nod must be given to the detailed design put into the concept and animation. A strong piece, with even stronger style.

Watch Audience FEEDBACK Video:

 

TV REVIEW: GAME OF THRONES – SEASON 07 – EPISODE 04

festreviews Mary Cox, television, Television Reviews, tv, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , ,

the spoils of war1.jpgDaenerys strikes back. Jaime faces an unexpected situation. Arya comes home.

Director: Matt Shakman
Writers: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Stars: Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey

Review by Mary Cox

Tonight was an episode focused on both reunions and revenge. There haven’t been this manyStarks in the same room since the first season. We’re finally getting to see the plots we’ve been following for close to a decade now intertwine, and it is SO rewarding. Seeing Arya go one-on-one with Brienne of Tarth was incredible! Jon, who still believes that Theon murdered Bran and Rickon, barely manages to control himself when the last of the Greyjoys wash up on Dragonstone.

An obvious highlight of tonight’s episode is the battle between the Lannister army and Daenerys’ dragons. The tension between Bronn at the Scorpion and Daenerys on Drogon was incredible. After a close call with Drogon, some unknown person shoves Jaime out of the path of fire and into the bottom of a lake. Is this really how the Kingslayer dies? Probably not.

One question I keep having is: what is Littlefinger up to? His character seems almost undirected while he’s surrounded by a court of pragmatic Northerners who don’t give into manipulation as easily as the nobles at King’s Landing. Obviously, his long-term goal is Sansa, but how is he planning on getting there?

Something to watch out for in future episodes: Tyrion seems to be having his doubts about which side he wants to be on while watching his fellow Lannisters fall victim to the flames of Daenery’s dragons, but is he willing to throw away his alliance with the Targaryen queen for the sake of his blood? I doubt it.
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“Mary Cox is an entertainment writer from the United States. Her hobbies include making good beer and bad decisions, watching drag queens fight on the internet, and overanalyzing everything. Mary one day hopes to be the person shouting “World Star” in the back of a Waffle House brawl video. She is currently tolerating life in Toronto. You can follow her on Twitter at @M_K_Cox”

 

TV REVIEW: RICK AND MORTY – SEASON 03 – EPISODE 03

festreviews Mary Cox, television, Television Reviews, tv, TV Reviews, Uncategorized , , , , , , , ,

rickandmorty1Rick turns himself into a pickle.

Creators: Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland
Stars: Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer

Review by Mary Cox

“Pickle Rick”

It’s Pickle Rick! On this week’s Rick and Morty, we see Rick turn himself into a pickle (and gets himself into a pickle) in order to get out of going to family therapy with Beth, Morty, and Summer. Susan Sarandon guest stars in this episode as Dr. Wong, the family’s therapist.

This series does a great job of juxtaposing ridiculous and serious content, even as far back as the first season with episodes like Rixty Minutes. Tonight this was accomplished by flashing back and forth between Pickle Rick’s sewer adventures and Beth’s complete failure to embrace (and actively participate in) her family therapy session.

Beth seems to be taking center stage this season, where in past episodes, she’s been more of a supporting character. This season is spending a lot of time exploring the unhealthy dynamic between Beth and her father, and how she’s willing to put everything in her life, including her children, aside in order to make Rick happy.

I’m hopeful that this series’ exploration of this dynamic doesn’t delve into cliché “daddy issues” territories, but that it takes a broader look at how toxic relationships can function. Also, I seriously doubt this is the last time we’re going to see a reference made to Mr. Goldenfold’s literal shit-eating grin.
 
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“Mary Cox is an entertainment writer from the United States. Her hobbies include making good beer and bad decisions, watching drag queens fight on the internet, and overanalyzing everything. Mary one day hopes to be the person shouting “World Star” in the back of a Waffle House brawl video. She is currently tolerating life in Toronto. You can follow her on Twitter at @M_K_Cox”t

TV REVIEW: TWIN PEAKS – SEASON 03 – EPISODE 13

festreviews Mary Cox, television, Television Reviews, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

twin_peaks_13.jpg“Part 13: What Story is that, Charlie?”

Picks up 25 years after the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town are stunned when their homecoming queen is murdered.

Creators: Mark Frost, David Lynch
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Michael Horse

Review by Mary Cox

Tonight’s episode was all about looping energy and repeating patterns. This is the most obvious in our return to the Palmer household, but it’s present in other scenes. If you revisit Sonny Jim’s gym set scene, you’ll notice that the footage of him playing is looped as well.

After a cutesy conga line with the Mitchum Bros., Good Coop narrowly avoids being poisoned and continues with his obsession over cherry pie. Bad Coop wins an arm wrestling contest, the Owl Cave Ring makes its first appearance in the new season, and Phillip Jeffries is back in the game. Audrey’s character has flipped from a confident, embittered harpy to a weakwilled, terrified child. Watching her rapidly cycle between aggression and learned helplessness makes you wonder: what the hell happened to her? Is Audrey possibly even still in a coma?

Holy shit. The Roadhouse. Some people seem to think that Lynch’s stunning choice to feature James Hurley’s “Just You (and I)” is a part of a larger commentary about toxic nostalgia, and about unnecessary returns to twenty year-old TV shows or film franchises. Certainly, last week’s episode where Lynch, as FBI Director Gordon Cole, stares right at us with a shiteating grin as a French woman does nothing for close to five minutes, would support this theory. Cooper being reduced to a goofy shell of himself who obsesses over coffee and pie also adds evidence here.

However, thinking that Lynch is somehow sneering at his fans seems to totally ignore the notion the level of detail and craftsmanship put into this series. Lynch recorded the Log Lady scenes even before Season 3 was greenlit. Mark Frost’s companion book, The Secret History of Twin Peaks, is incredibly well thought-out and is rich in detail and nuance. There’s no way he’s making this series just to laugh at the people who love his work

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“Mary Cox is an entertainment writer from the United States. Her hobbies include making good beer and bad decisions, watching drag queens fight on the internet, and overanalyzing everything. Mary one day hopes to be the person shouting “World Star” in the back of a Waffle House brawl video. She is currently tolerating life in Toronto. You can follow her on Twitter at @M_K_Cox”t