Short film links for your viewing pleasure...and HAPPY PRIDE!
Ah yes, the joys of falling asleep early. Waking up early! :)
Well, I survived 6 fabulous days of filmic goodness, seeing 16 programs with a grand total of 147 short films over about 30 hours. *cheers* And if I don't see peanut-butter-and-jam sandwiches, cheese and crackers, apples, carrots, Smartfood and granola bars for another year, that's JUST FINE.
As requested by krakkernuts , I have assembled a short list of some favourites that have trailers or the entire movie online, so you can see them, or at least a taste of them.
(And, er, it will quickly become evident I have a bit of a thing for the wacky and/or magic realism, not to mention animation. ;P)
#1 on my list is Madame Tutli-Putli, a National Film Board stop-motion animation (which means that it will no doubt be showing up on CBC and at local programs across the country). My single favourite short of the festival, and apparently I wasn't alone: it won Best Animated Short. As the program says, "A beautiful young woman boards a train that will soon be robbed of an unexpected commodity. A masteriece of animation that depicts a sinister, surreal fantasy." I have never seen such amazing stop-motion animation, and they digitally grafted in real actor's eyes (a first, apparently), giving the characters an incredible life that really draws you in. Stunning, and affecting in a way that reminds me of Pan's Labyrinth. The website has the trailer as well as several making-of featurettes.
Dream Kitchen. The gay son of a couple of slobs imagines coming out to his parents, and in his daydream they expound their delight in Shakespearian rhetoric. Okay, I have no link for this, but it was so awesome I had to include it. The director invited me to email him to try and get a copy so I'll keep you updated and I did find a quote that illustrates the brilliance of this script:
Da: Shall I die of old age before I learn what animates you so? Speak swiftly son. Lest you consign your poor father to the grave for curiosity.
Son: Father, I'm gay!
Da: Nay. 'Tis not true. I am not deserving of such good fortune. A son of mine gay?
Tyger. A remarkable combination of puppetry, animation and CGI show a giant tiger stalking through a city, bringing a vibrant jungle to life as he goes. I loved the concept, the idiosyncratic execution, and the ability of the puppeteers to capture the grace, majesty and sheer mass of the tiger. (In the interests of full disclosure, though, this short made a friend of mine fall asleep. :P)
In the incredibly-cool-animation department, I am delighted to offer the full films of Code Hunters, a cool and kickass sci-fi action piece, as well as my #2 favourite film at the entire festival: 458nm. The latter pushed all my buttons: an evocative electronic score, amazing shots, perfect pacing and the single finest piece of CGI animation I've ever seen, all applied to National-Greographic awesomeness of revisited in the form of biomechanical snails. Think The Matrix meets Microcosmos.
Finally, I have to recommend the campy but entirely awesome Terror on the 3918 (Terreur au 3918) - you can view the trailer or buy the right to view the film for 30 days at that link. As I described it in my previous post, "A Montreal apartment reimagined as a Star-Trek-like ship on a mission: bread and milk are the fuel, the bathroom is the medical bay, and the escape pod is the garbage can. It only gets picked up on Thursdays... FUCKING BRILLIANT."
And finally, the only non-sci-fi or fantasy-eque piece I'm going to recommend:
Undressing my Mother. A poignant documentary piece in which the filmmaker explores her mum's views on love, life and her aging body.
Also? Happy Pride Week, everyone! *cheers again, some more* Yes, I will be marching with the Gay Geeks again this year both at Saturday's Dyke March and Sunday's Pride Parade. If anyone has some awesome slogan ideas, do please let me know. Oh, and anyone in town is more than welcome to my annual Sunday evening hang-out. Just let me know!
And, er, because I've got events most nights this week, plus two brunches, two parades, a possible houseguest and the aforementioned get-together I'm involved in between now and next Sunday, I hope you'll all forgive me if I fall behind with everyone's LJ's and comments? I'm doing my best, really, but it's a tad crazy until the end of this weekend...
Well, I survived 6 fabulous days of filmic goodness, seeing 16 programs with a grand total of 147 short films over about 30 hours. *cheers* And if I don't see peanut-butter-and-jam sandwiches, cheese and crackers, apples, carrots, Smartfood and granola bars for another year, that's JUST FINE.
As requested by krakkernuts , I have assembled a short list of some favourites that have trailers or the entire movie online, so you can see them, or at least a taste of them.
(And, er, it will quickly become evident I have a bit of a thing for the wacky and/or magic realism, not to mention animation. ;P)
#1 on my list is Madame Tutli-Putli, a National Film Board stop-motion animation (which means that it will no doubt be showing up on CBC and at local programs across the country). My single favourite short of the festival, and apparently I wasn't alone: it won Best Animated Short. As the program says, "A beautiful young woman boards a train that will soon be robbed of an unexpected commodity. A masteriece of animation that depicts a sinister, surreal fantasy." I have never seen such amazing stop-motion animation, and they digitally grafted in real actor's eyes (a first, apparently), giving the characters an incredible life that really draws you in. Stunning, and affecting in a way that reminds me of Pan's Labyrinth. The website has the trailer as well as several making-of featurettes.
Dream Kitchen. The gay son of a couple of slobs imagines coming out to his parents, and in his daydream they expound their delight in Shakespearian rhetoric. Okay, I have no link for this, but it was so awesome I had to include it. The director invited me to email him to try and get a copy so I'll keep you updated and I did find a quote that illustrates the brilliance of this script:
Da: Shall I die of old age before I learn what animates you so? Speak swiftly son. Lest you consign your poor father to the grave for curiosity.
Son: Father, I'm gay!
Da: Nay. 'Tis not true. I am not deserving of such good fortune. A son of mine gay?
Tyger. A remarkable combination of puppetry, animation and CGI show a giant tiger stalking through a city, bringing a vibrant jungle to life as he goes. I loved the concept, the idiosyncratic execution, and the ability of the puppeteers to capture the grace, majesty and sheer mass of the tiger. (In the interests of full disclosure, though, this short made a friend of mine fall asleep. :P)
In the incredibly-cool-animation department, I am delighted to offer the full films of Code Hunters, a cool and kickass sci-fi action piece, as well as my #2 favourite film at the entire festival: 458nm. The latter pushed all my buttons: an evocative electronic score, amazing shots, perfect pacing and the single finest piece of CGI animation I've ever seen, all applied to National-Greographic awesomeness of revisited in the form of biomechanical snails. Think The Matrix meets Microcosmos.
Finally, I have to recommend the campy but entirely awesome Terror on the 3918 (Terreur au 3918) - you can view the trailer or buy the right to view the film for 30 days at that link. As I described it in my previous post, "A Montreal apartment reimagined as a Star-Trek-like ship on a mission: bread and milk are the fuel, the bathroom is the medical bay, and the escape pod is the garbage can. It only gets picked up on Thursdays... FUCKING BRILLIANT."
And finally, the only non-sci-fi or fantasy-eque piece I'm going to recommend:
Undressing my Mother. A poignant documentary piece in which the filmmaker explores her mum's views on love, life and her aging body.
Also? Happy Pride Week, everyone! *cheers again, some more* Yes, I will be marching with the Gay Geeks again this year both at Saturday's Dyke March and Sunday's Pride Parade. If anyone has some awesome slogan ideas, do please let me know. Oh, and anyone in town is more than welcome to my annual Sunday evening hang-out. Just let me know!
And, er, because I've got events most nights this week, plus two brunches, two parades, a possible houseguest and the aforementioned get-together I'm involved in between now and next Sunday, I hope you'll all forgive me if I fall behind with everyone's LJ's and comments? I'm doing my best, really, but it's a tad crazy until the end of this weekend...