Medium Cool...
Despite the claim that this short was just a "dumb cartoon", I thought the idea had a lot of merit; this was the first time I've ever seen a film about a talking frig with a deity complex and "mighty powers". I think the situation truly has some humorous potential. Another plus was the art, which was just funky enough to be interesting. The piece begans to fall a bit short of the mark after you establish the basic situation, as there doesn't seem to be any exchange between the human and the frig that would indicate why the machine feels slighted. If you tweaked the timing a bit (pauses, vocal inflection) you might add a little punch to the gag of pulling the plug. Maybe you should consider doing a pantheon of kitchen appliances. Good luck!
Other Reviews by zoo101
20
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"Encounter" doesn't waste any time getting things started, and is equally swift at wrapping things up, but that long, long, l-o-n-g kissing scene in the middle just needs to be trimmed. The opening sequence is an expertly rendered, black & white montage. It quickly sketches in a series of near-encounters between the film's protagonists, as they (presumably) grow up in the same...
"Encounter" doesn't waste any time getting things started, and is equally swift at wrapping things up, but that long, long, l-o-n-g kissing scene in the middle just needs to be trimmed. The opening sequence is an expertly rendered, black & white montage. It quickly sketches in a series of near-encounters between the film's protagonists, as they (presumably) grow up in the same community. Since there's no narrative or dialogue, I had to fill in all of the blanks for myself, which was not too hard, although I felt their near-misses were a little too obvious. Propelling their (fantasy) relationship through time to its logical conclusion at their shared gravesite was as good a way as any to pull them out of their reverie, but since I never got a clue about what motivated these people (aside from sex) I felt as confused as both of them looked when the film ended. Don't get me wrong, this is a very, very lovely film; the actors are lovely, the photography is lovely, the moody lighting is lovely, the Yanni-like music track is lovely... but I think a good film, even a stylish one, ultimately requires an encounter with more substance to really be interesting.
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I rarely read a film's Synopsis or Production Notes before viewing it, as I prefer to let a work stand on its own merits, so imagine my surprise when I discovered that this piece was not shot as a conventional movie, relying instead on animation to bring it to life. With that single detail in mind, "Everything" is quite an accomplishment. The excellent composition and quality...
I rarely read a film's Synopsis or Production Notes before viewing it, as I prefer to let a work stand on its own merits, so imagine my surprise when I discovered that this piece was not shot as a conventional movie, relying instead on animation to bring it to life. With that single detail in mind, "Everything" is quite an accomplishment. The excellent composition and quality of the photography was probably the most outstanding feature of this short. Before I was aware of your technique, I was curious about the "strange" choice of using all the scene dissolves (but then, that was the point, wasn't it); however, I think the "petrified silence" referred to in your synopsis would have more impact if you were to slow the pace of transitions down toward the end, and simply let the stillness of the photography convey the resonance of couple's awful moment. The lovely music track (which I really liked very much) seemed to become jumbled with another melodic theme(?). If this was purposeful, I think it ruined an otherwise excellent soundtrack, but perhaps it was a glitch with the upload, as I also detected a few minor hops and skips in the rythym throughout. Even so, "Everything" is well done and technically very polished.
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Actually, "Banned in Boston" doesn't dash down the runway; it glides with a stately and respectful rhythm, underscored throughout by Richard Paynter's excellent music track. Katherine Fries thoughtful piece is a well-crafted presentation of one "working girl's" perspective of the Vaudeville stage. The opening montage of old newspaper clippings, promotional photos, and posters...
Actually, "Banned in Boston" doesn't dash down the runway; it glides with a stately and respectful rhythm, underscored throughout by Richard Paynter's excellent music track. Katherine Fries thoughtful piece is a well-crafted presentation of one "working girl's" perspective of the Vaudeville stage. The opening montage of old newspaper clippings, promotional photos, and posters showcases some talented camera work and offers an engaging visual balance for the narration of the film's subject, Lily Ann Rose. Ever the entertainer, Ms Rose spins her tales of "back-in-the-day" with a great deal of charm and just a hint of ladylike naughtiness. Although the prurient voyeur in me kept wanting to hear a detailed expose' of some of her friskier adventures, the "tease" was an important component of her stage act, so in that context, the film's restraint is a credit to its director's tasteful sensibilities. Technically, this piece is polished throughout, although a couple of minor tempo changes in the edited segways of Lillian Brown's narration might need to be nudged a bit to even out the transition. Overall, "Banned" is a very polished, very marketable piece.
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