I Love Sarah Jane… But Only As A Very Good Friend! // I Love Sarah Jane Short Film Review

Plot Synopsis:

Jimbo is 13 and can think of only one girl — Sarah Jane. And no matter what stands in his way-bullies, violence, chaos, or zombies-nothing will stop him from finding a way into her world.

Full Review:

I am absolutely drained out from all of my exams. Never have I carried out so much revision in my life and I still have a few more exams to go! I am as exhausted as Rick Ross on a treadmill. So when it came to deciding what film to review this week, I thought to myself “What is the cinematic equivalent to how I feel at the minute?” And the answer? Zombies!!! But not just any zombie flick… A romantic zombie flick! The reason for this is because I’ve seen quite a few attractive ladies in the exam hall!!! There is always a reason.

Anyway, I Love Sarah Jane is a quirky and very gritty romantic drama that, ironically, has very humanistic characters and rather compelling dramatic friction between each of them. But at the end of the day, I feel the same way about this that I do about my recent Psychology exam: the bits that were done well were done REALLY well but overall could’ve been just a tad better.

I’ll start with what I liked. The characters. There is a healthy variety between each character’s personality; our lead is shy and timid, his love interest Sarah Jane (played by Mia Wasikowska!) is bitter and owns one hell of a foul mouth, and those around them resemble chavs that think they’re so cool but are actually weak as brittle. Visit North London if you want to know what I mean!They all behave and act just as they should in an dystopian apocalypse; sad, angry, and hopeless. And they interact accordingly too. Everyone’s nerves are slowly shredding and they are unsure of what to do with themselves for good reason: it’s the zombie apocalypse! In short, each character felt relatable, authentic, and deserving to be included in the film.

Of course, no character is made without a great actor behind them. And thankfully, the acting talent in this short is IN SPADES!!! BA DUM TSS! (if you’ve seen the film, you’ll understand that pun!). Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland, Lawless) stars in one of her early roles as the no-bullsh*t persona Sarah Jane, and you can absolutely tell she was gonna go places! She is lean, fierce and commands every scene she’s in. And even better, the boy who plays our adorably sympathetic lead Jimbo (Brad Ashby) adds a lot of much needed heart to the film. The other three characters all kind of feel the same as each other and there isn’t anything greatly unique with how they portray their characters, so they unfortunately don’t make such a grand contribution to the film as much as Ashby or Wasikowska.

On the other hand, the screenwriter contributes something of his own: substance. Even though this is technically a zombie film, the divine characters carry the most significance throughout which makes it more of a gripping drama in the vein of The Road and The Walking Dead rather than a guns-blazing shoot-em-up. The film cleverly uses the zombie theme only to assist and heighten the drama and increase the conflict between our characters.

Unfortunately, the script trips over the hands of a brain devouring zombie and falls flat on its face, ready to be eaten for lunch, near the end. From frame one all the way to roughly the 12 minute mark, the film told a engaging story that took a unique twist of the tired tropes of its own genre. But sadly, as the film reaches a close, it retreats from it’s humble base and decides to take cover in the Cliché Camp. I won’t spoil what happens but the film’s final frames very quickly became painfully predictable and lost most of the overall credibility that made the film intriguing to begin with. Also, I feel that for what’s only a fifteen minute movie that it kind of dragged along a little bit too slowly which (only slightly) dulled the punch of the otherwise compelling drama.

But as a whole, did I think I Love Sarah Jane was a bad movie because of this? Hell no! There are way too many great assets of this film that are too hard to ignore, despite a few of them being tainted by the film’s faults. I still recommend this film as it’s a refreshing change to your movie loving system and overall it is indeed a extremely well made short. And as well as being cliché, the ending is quite gruesome. So this might not be for the faint hearted!

Fergie’s Final Fifteen:

Solid acting, coupled with arresting characters and bewitching turmoil. An invigorating experience despite inadequate ending.

Here’s a link to the short for you to enjoy in all of it’s gruesome and slightly heartwarming glory!

 

These Flaws Almost Scared Me To Death!!! // Stage Fright – Short Film Review

Plot Synopsis:

A vaudevillian’s act involving the juggling of dogs is no longer a hit. He and his partner must face a brutal villain and assorted obstacles in order to secure their future.

Full Review:

Last week, I discussed the very under-rated action film Collateral (see review HERE). So, I thought it would be fitting to talk about a fairly under-rated short film. And to go the extra mile, an under-rated animated short film! After winning the BAFTA for Best Animated Short in 1997, Stage Fright has sort of faded away into the fog produced by modern day CGI animated films. With this in mind, it brings me the (somewhat) pleasure to reintroduce this quirky, dark tale from yesteryear.

To begin, let’s get the obvious out the way. This is beautifully animated. Produced by Aardman, who are responsible for classic animated films such as Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run, the use of stop motion is stupendously executed and is utterly seamless. You may not know this, but I’m a HUUUGE fan of claymation; it is obvious how much work goes into making these types of films and I’m astounded each and every time this studio produces something that exceeds my expectations of what they can achieve. Although this was made in 1997, it is somewhat refreshing to see this type of animation put to use in a midst of CGI.

And I’m kind of glad this was made in 1997 as opposed to modern day. Why? Because chances are this would’ve got shunned out almost immediately by modern day audiences. The gothic themes that are being expressed are out of the norm for most animations which makes it stand out more than it would without. Also, it was very wise for the writers to set the film during Vaudeville times since it doesn’t make these gothic themes seem out of place nor unneccesary; they fit perfectly into the short and even lend themselves to create a stunning scene at the end. There’s another reason why they set the film during this time period, which acts as a minor subplot (which I’ll touch upon in a minute), but I’m glad they took advantage of this era to give us some delicious visuals.

Despite the film being under-rated, I feel this is under-rated for a specific reason. Particularly because it isn’t all that great!!! The film has several issues which mainly relate to the overall narative and the sub-par character development. I should say beforehand that I understand that it is much more difficult to make the audience feel for the characters through such a small space of time, considering that feature length have a runtime of two hours to fully flesh out their characters. But Aardman have been quite successful in this area in their previous short films, especially Wallace & Gromit and their TV series Creature Comforts, so it’s a bit of a shock to the system that these characters don’t deserve 12 minutes of my time in the slightest.

First off, the protagonist doesn’t do anything worthwhile. He just mopes and doesn’t really do anything significant; his only purpose is to trigger sympathy in the audience. His predictament is understandable and definitely relatable to some but as a character he just isn’t cutting it. Off to the dog basket you go!!! His stage partner had a bit more interesting devleopment behind her, but her voice was so annoying! It just bothered me since she narrates part of the film and it unfortunately did not work at all, and it didn’t really seem as if she was putting in a lot of effort to give the best performance she could; it just came across as painfully monotone. Finally, the villain. Good lord, this is a generic villain. He has no reason to act the way he does; he’s just evil for the sake of it. Hell, his appearance looks evil purely because they could animate someone of that design! The worst kind of villain is one without any purpose, and unfortunately the villain is not the only character in this short that serves little to no purpose; it’s the entire cast.

I mentioned how there were a few narrative issues, specifically the lack of completeness for some of the story’s sub-plots, including the one I was eluding to earlier. The story deals with our characters transitioning between the age of theatre to the age of cinema. Unfortunately, the conflict and drama that occurs because of this only lasts for approximately two minutes. After that, it sort of meanders in the background like a passer-by foolishly waving behind a news reporter. It appears to focus more time on developing the friction between our protagonist (who’s by no means a hero!) and our antagonist (who’s by no means a villain!). But the trouble is, this friction isn’t interesting. The gist of the main conflict of the film is that the protagonist is annoyed of taking orders from the antagonist. That’s it!!! Stage Fright doesn’t try to go beyond a fairly dull humanistic conflict, which makes me question why it wasn’t a live action short when it very easily could’ve been.

It’s a shame to see a misfire from Aardman Studios since part of my childhood was formed by watching their films. So with that in mind, I’m sort of glad I missed this since it would leave me feeling down for weeks on end and cautiously tearing apart my movie loving innocence. I mean, it isn’t awful. But it definitely isn’t anything of substance. It’s quite forgettable and, with the exception of one scene, doesn’t really win you over with what’s being projected on screen.

Fergie’s Final Fifteen:

Delightful animation that pleases the eye, but doesn’t help you forget about major overall issues.

I didn’t hate this short film but it could’ve been a hell of a lot better, especially for an award winning short. Luckily, Aardman have a vast choice of shorts and feature length films that are more memorable than this one so, although you won’t gouge your eyes out with Stage Fright, I suggest you check out those instead.

If you still want to check it out, you can do so by watching the video below:

 

Slurs, Spaceships, And Side-Splitting Stupidity // Star Wars Day Special!

*There isn’t a poster, so I thought this would make a good substitution!

Plot Synopsis:

What happens when a Captain and his crew take the star ship out for a joyride while drunk? Find out in this cinematic experiment involving an entirely drunk cast and crew.

Official Short:

Full Review:

May the 4th be with you! Yes that’s right. It’s officially Star Wars Day today and what better way to celebrate than reviewing a short film about drunk people! The five minute short features elements of the Star Wars universe so I thought this would be incredibly fitting for the occasion. However, I know some of you will complain and rip into me about how there are elements from bitter rivals Star Trek that are being used in the video. To which I say… Star Trek and Star Wars now have the same director! So it shouldn’t matter!! So, let’s shoot this review into warp speed and get started!

I shouldn’t have to point this out, but you definitely should not take this seriously in the slightest. I mean, with the name of Star Drunk, you’d be stupid to treat this with the same seriousness as a film about the tragedies of World War II. The main niche of the film is that all the actors on screen are (allegedly) drunk and that the script was written while the writers were under the influence. With this in mind, it’s easy to assume that this isn’t gonna be like any other short you’ve seen this year. And it definitely isn’t!

The reason for this is because, unlike other shorts, this film has no narrative structure whatsoever! It is so loosely put together and many scenes and small moments are incredibly insignificant and out of place; it can be irritating to the die hard film fan. But that’s why this is comedic genius! It somehow manages to satirise Sci-Fi as a genre and wonderfully succeeds in doing so, despite having little to no set-up for their jokes.

In fact, these aren’t even jokes. These are just moments moulded by atrocious writing and overdone acting which come across as funny. It’s exactly the reason why films like The Room are so funny; it’s so obviously horrendous we respond with laughter instead of hate. And yet, I wouldn’t say this is “So Bad, It’s Good”. It wasn’t trying to be good in the first place, knowing that the actors were intoxicated while filming. Because of this, what we receive at the end of the day is ludicrous cinema and downright absurdity but you’ll always find the funny side no matter how you look at it.

I don’t really have much else to say about this. It is what it is; a stupid YouTube video!. But the fact that this is a ‘stupid YouTube video’ is why it’s so enjoyable. Nothing like this would ever be produced by Hollywood studios for the simple reason that they want success and good quality content. Unfortunately Hollywood doesn’t always get what it wants, but they will strive for it by any means necessary. The beauty of this is that we’re exposing ourselves to a kind of humour that wouldn’t have been touched upon if it wasn’t for the existence of the internet and the abundance of memes and Vine videos. When Hollywood are unable to satisfy our sense of humour, we as a society will turn to the inter-webs to reinvigorate the feeling of laughter that we lost during our viewing of Movie 43!

Out of all the videos you can watch on YouTube and out of all the (short) films you can watch on Star Wars Day, make it this one. It’s painfully hilarious and, although sloppy in narrative, delightful on every level imaginable. But if you want to re-watch the original Star Wars trilogy for the 37th time, then be my guest; it’s probably what I’ll end up doing! Or better yet, take your copies of the prequels and burn them! Six children will be saved for every DVD of The Phantom Menace that is burned around the world. Please make this a tradition for every Star Wars Day!

Fergie’s Final Fifteen:

Beyond idiotic, but ridiculously funny and full of hilarious absurdity. This is why YouTube exists!

I’m not going to rate the video since I wouldn’t know how to! Like I said, this is it’s own thing! Let us embrace it!! There’s actually another reason why I won’t rate it but I’m gonna save that for another post. But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy your day of cosplaying, and pretending to swish light-sabres while you actually swing a very old broomstick!

Have a good Star Wars Day!!

 

Get Ready To Be Creeped The F*ck Out! // Tell Short Film Review

Plot Synopsis:

Tortured by guilt, Taylor (Todd Bruno) seeks to hide his sin in hopes that it will become another dirty little secret. However, as he begins to see menacing visions and the line between reality and paranoia becomes blurred, his plans quickly unravel. Also starring Brigitte Kali Canales.

Official Trailer:

Full Review:

That’s right! Another short film review!! My exams are coming up in the next couple of weeks so chances are the number of short film reviews will be significantly high until the end of June. Blimey! That’s a long time!! I understand, but at least I will still be posting! I was thinking about going on hiatus but I couldn’t even dream about doing that to you guys (despite my education and future being at stake), so if anything you should thank me!! Anyways, here’s my review of Ryan Connolly’s Tell.

Directed by the Film Riot frontman and released in 2012, Tell is a lengthy short horror film, clocking in at around 30 minutes, that will no doubt satisfy fans of the genre through it’s handling of suspense and tension, and most certainly will please the rest of the movie loving population through the array of talent scattered in each frame despite the occasional flaw. Long story short, this is a good film!!

First and foremost, I should say one thing. Horror is a fading genre. Now obviously horror movies are being released all the time, with this year already been subject to the dreadful Devil’s Due and the pathetic Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. But the problem is that good horror films are very rare nowadays since Hollywood is unfortunately relying on jump scares and loud noises in order to ‘scare’ an audience. Remember, there’s a difference between startling an audience and flat out scaring them!

Thankfully, Mr. Connolly understands this and takes advantage of it to a wonderful degree, by not filling his picture with undeserving pop outs and opting out of using grotesque images to conjure up reaction. Instead, he focuses on building tension and trying to creep us out to the max. A lot of Connolly’s shots linger on for quite a bit, which heightens the tension even further to the point where it could be cut with a butter knife. AAGGH! Sorry for the writing cliché!!! I should be burned at the stake for that.. AAAGGH! More writing clichés!!

Speaking of clichés, Tell very cleverly recognises the clichés that plague the horror genre and turns them on their heads, which not only makes me, a cinema fanatic that has seen these clichés done to death, appreciate the film even more it also makes it even scarier because you are not sure which path the film is gonna take. But do you want to know what else is scary? The acting talent!!

And what’s even scarier is the generic set-up for this paragraph! But in all seriousness, Todd Bruno (who also stars in Connolly’s other short Proximity) brings to the table his many years of expertise to give us a chilling, tortured and somehow sympathetic performance as the very complex-in-nature character Taylor; maintaining suspense through moments where his deeply layered psychological ordeal is slowly unfolding before us. The other actors, whom are small in quantity, do a fine job but I feel they don’t necessarily meet the standards of Bruno. Granted, they don’t get as much to work with but nevertheless the way they treat the material they are given isn’t handled as sublimely.

I keep mentioning how suspenseful and tense this film is but I should point out an underlying factor that makes the film so successful in this area. Tell wouldn’t be as suspenseful as it is without Daniel James’s slowly building yet pulsing soundtrack which moulds the main backbone of the film. Chords are struck only when they are needed and there is a surprising attention to detail in how the score compliments each particular scene. Watching and listening to Tell is a terrifying and nail-biting pleasure.

Of course, the film isn’t perfect; one issue is incredibly minor and the other a little bit larger. I felt that during a couple of scenes the tension drooped down a little, like a thin fibre string being stretched taught but then slowly loosened as the hands come to meet each other once again. Check me out with my hyperboles!! As I was saying, with tension this high being held onto throughout this much of a runtime, it felt somewhat out of place to be able to breathe normally! And I also sensed some jittery camera movement during some elaborately choreographed shots, which shamefully took me out of the film for a little bit. On such a low budget, of course Tell wasn’t going to be a technical and/or figurative masterpiece but these issues still need to be addressed as it is still Connolly’s contribution to short film cinema.

But at the end of the day, this is a film worthy of your time. If you’re a horror fan, you may have already seen this but even if you have, watching it for a second time may just prove to be beneficial in deciphering the scenes which expertly blur the lines between psychotic delusion and harsh reality. I know I benefited from it! And if haven’t seen this, then you will experience a eerie tale of terror that plays with your mind like a game of Scrabble, in which many events will stick in your mind long after the end credits.

Fergie’s Final Fifteen:

A frighteningly fulfilling horror that taunts the psychological mind and greatly gratifies the inner soul.

Rating:

A-

Check out the link below to watch Tell in it’s entirety and comment down below to tell me what you thought of it. And don’t worry guys. Next week, I’m gonna share with you a review that I just can’t wait to write. Trust me, you’ll know what I mean soon!!

 

*Insert Bear Pun Here* // Bear Short Film Review

Full Review:

Yes, it’s that time of the year again, where practical jokes and downright abuse, which is cleverly disguised as friendly banter, is all the rage. Of course, I’m talking about April Fools Day. But because we at Fergie Films are civilised people, we will not partake in giving people wedgies when they least expect it. Instead, we will celebrate the occasion by watching our favourite comedies. But just in case you don’t have a film to watch on April 1st, then I’ve got a hilarious short black comedy for you to enjoy!

Directed and starring by Nash Edgerton, brother of Joel Edgerton (Warrior, The Great Gatsby), Bear is a 10 minute comedy that is as black as night and wonderfully complimented my sick twisted sense of humour. Guaranteed to leave some people sitting in their seat wondering whether to burst out laughing or cry awkwardly, this is a humorously weird tale that has a pretty intriguing message despite a comedic narrative. And has a unpredictable and absurdly funny ending!

Unlike many comedies, a good chunk of this short film consists of drama and conflict. In fact, the first five minutes is primarily build-up and character development. If you’re unsure of the type of film this is (like I was when I first watched this), you can be left unsure of what the hell is happening and possibly end up slightly bored because of this. Opening with our characters getting themselves ready for the day that awaits them (i.e. brushing teeth, eating breakfast, etc.), the film feels slightly slow in pace for the first half but really finds it’s way onto its feet in the latter half, providing a hilarious sequence that is simultaneously tragic and hysterical. Trust me, hang in there and you’ll be rewarded by the end of the short.

This isn’t necessarily a laughing riot either, like other films such as The Wolf Of Wall Street (see review here). Instead, it’s more of a giant buildup for an insanely spectacular punch line. As previously mentioned, the first five minutes is purely development but it definitely doesn’t come across as unnecessary or unimportant. In order for the comedy to hit a home run, it is vital that we understand the scenario and the relationship between the characters therefore the opening sequence had to be included, despite it being slow sifting and somewhat dull.

Bear also deals with a fairly sophisticated message for it’s genre, telling an off-the-wall story about luck and misfortune. It goes to show that there are others out there who have it worse off than you do so there’s no need to whine and complain about the small things in life, such as the amount of chores you have to complete or the fact that your brother won’t share his Maryland cookies with you. That b*stard! Instead, keep your head up and enjoy your life for what it’s worth. It’s either that or I’m looking too deep into it and it’s really trying to say that you shouldn’t wear a bear suit in a forrest!

I won’t say anymore in fear of treading on spoiler territory, so go on and check it out NOW! And once you’ve finished, check out Nash’s other short film entitled Spider which deals with a similar premise and is quite possibly much more twisted and dark than this short film. Both are great and highly recommended for those who’s sense of humour has no boundaries!

Fergie’s Final Fifteen:

Despite clear pacing issues, Bear is a disturbingly funny flick with a wonderfully twisted ending.

Rating:

A-

Here’s the link for you all to enjoy!

On Tuesday (April Fools), I will be doing a countdown of my Top Five Favourite Comedies. I feel like a list of some kind is long overdue since I LOVE countdowns relating to the best and worst of something. With this in mind, tell me what your favourite comedies are in the comments below while I compile my list over the weekend. Who knows? You may get a shoutout on Tuesday’s post!!

 

The Southern Belle // A Must-Watch Short Film

Plot Synopsis:

The paths of two starkly different men, a generation apart, converge late one evening for them to discover they have a dark and destructive bond. Starring Theodore Bouloukos and Ethan Sharrett.

Official Trailer:

Full Review:

Well, this is something different! I was planning to review The Inbetweeners Movie since someone made the request (you can do the same thing by visiting the ‘Make A Request‘ page!). But unfortunately, exams and schoolwork have snuck up on me faster than I expected, meaning my time to watch and review a full length film has (for the time being) gone down the drain, just like my possible success rate for these exams! But does that mean I won’t post a review? Of course not!. The only difference being that this is a review of a short film. A darn good short film at that!!

This slow-sifting yet intense 10 minute flick is slightly hard for me to review properly since I really don’t want to spoil anything. I think it’s best if you go into this movie without knowing too much as the plot isn’t incredibly complex and elaborate. The simplicity of The Southern Belle means there’s not a lot we, as an audience, need to keep track of which means that we can really appreciate the bare bones of the film and it’s story. And this definitely is not a bad thing at all! As Albert Einstein once said, “Keep it simple, but no simpler”

In a film like this, the screenplay really needs to shine. And boy, this script shines as bright as the sun! Filled with realistic, down to Earth dialogue that is crisp and engaging, the script makes The Southern Belle one of the most well written short films I’ve ever seen. To whoever wrote this film, you my friend have earned yourself a very well deserved pat-on-the-back from me! And the script gives us characters, although in a small quantity, that we can latch onto within the very first couple of minutes and also perfectly understand their behavioural characteristics within the ten minute time frame. If that’s not good writing, I don’t know what is!

The cinematography is really something to marvel at as well, especially considering the budget they had and the several constrictions they faced while filming because of this. Going for a dark and moody look, the film looks and therefore feels like a high budget movie. It really goes to show you that you don’t need a million dollar budget to make a good movie; you just need talent.

And by that, I mean you need talent both behind and in front of camera. Luckily, The Southern Belle has a lot of unknown but still fantastic talent in front of the camera! The only two actors in this short are stupendous, particularly the taxi driver Bob played by Theodore Bouloukos, who collectively are able to clearly and masterfully establish as well as maintain tension from the get-go as their conversation, and inherent suspense, grows to it’s teeth grinding climax.

I won’t say too much more in fear of spoiling it for you, so I guess I’ll end my review here! You can watch the film in full underneath this article; it will be the best ten minutes you will spend this week. Trust me!!

Fergie’s Final Fifteen:

A digestive, exhilarating and truly riveting piece of quality filmmaking, all squeezed within ten minutes.

Rating:

A+

The Southern Belle is definitely one of the best short films I’ve seen and it absolutely, without question, deserves your undivided attention. I highly urge you to check it out below. Now I’m off to try and not fail my exams by staring blankly at several convoluted and downright useless textbooks! Wish me luck!!

P.S I’m thinking of doing more short film reviews in the future since my schedule is getting tighter and tighter as time goes on. With this in mind, I would love to know your favourite short films (if you have any!) Tell me in the comments below!!