A new set of short films for your delectation.
Blind Eye
Laura Degnan’s film Blind eye is chiefly so effective because it taps into one
of those fears that is so current and real and the reason why most sensible
people avoid the top decks of buses that populated by roving youths. Anchored
by a compelling performance from Liz White as the mother torn between doing the
right thing and protective self-interest for herself and her daughter, Degnan
explores the ‘what would you do’ scenario with visual interest and a little
imagination. And if it gets a little heavy-handed towards its ending, then it
worth remembering that it’s an issue where we’d all need a little prodding to
decide where we’d ultimately come down.
Post
I wonder if Eddie Marsan ever gets frustrated at the pigeon-hole he frequently
finds himself in or if he’s just grateful for the regular work. Either way,
even in the lead role as he is for this film by Phil Traill, he’s playing that
familiar hangdog everyman that he has parlayed into a highly successful career
as a character actor. And here he is perfectly respectable as a hapless office
worker in the City whose life is changed and popularity sky-rockets once he
discovers a magic lamp-post. It is essentially a bit of light-hearted fun and
romps along to its cheesy ending with a skip in its step and though it won’t
change anyone’s life, it will put a smile on your face.
Mainly relevant to my interests due to starring Dominic
Tighe, Claire Duffy’s 2009 film Remember is an odd thing. A horror short, it
works a kind of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” vibe with its tale of revenge
for schoolboy pranks but never really grabbed in the way that it should. Virtue
can come shining out of low-tech low-budget productions if handled in the right
way but here, the film never really alchemises into something better.
Shaky camerawork just looks shaky rather than suspenseful in the overly dark
outdoor scenes and the too-bright indoor scenes, that contrast strongly, just
end up looking overexposed. The clunkiness of the acting is thus too clear, the
intriguing atmosphere dissipated and for me, it tries too hard to be enigmatic
without actually giving us enough to hook us into the mystery.
No Pressure
Spotting Lyndsey Marshal’s name in the cast list for the upcoming NT production
of Othello reminded me of how much I like her as an actress and so off I popped
to IMDB to see if she’d been in any short film and sure enough, up popped No
Pressure. Co-written by Franny Armstrong and Richard Curtis, it was part of a
worldwide campaign – 1010Global.org – to try and get carbon emissions in 2010
reduced by 10%. Using a spiky vein of dark humour, it admonishes those in
schools, offices and beyond who don’t or won’t do their part, not even
celebrities escape as Gillian Anderson finds out to her peril. Marshal is
amusing as a nerdishly matter-of-fact schoolteacher but the funniest thing
about the video is the comments left beneath.
Siberia
And on a similar theme, Justine Mitchell's name on the credits for Children of the Sun got me all excited about her too, though I wasn't able to see the entirety of this film it does look intriguing.
Felicity
I was sent a link to this trailer but haven't actually been able to track down a copy of the film, but it does look good, not least for featuring Harry Melling in a delicious array of white vests and shirtless shots - sorry, I mean it has really good cinematography... ;-)
Baby Boom
Labels: Dominic Tighe, Eddie Marsan, Enzo Cilenti, Film, Gillian Anderson, Harry Melling, Hugh Ross, Josie Taylor, Justine Mitchell, Liz White, Lyndsey Marshal, Rebecca Humphries, Richard Lintern, Rob Hayes, Sally Hawkins