Wednesday Filler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBktKOQGBYA

Wednesday Filler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EGPOkP-9II&feature=player_embedded

Aspen Recap Report

Sorry for the delay on the recap report. It's been a hectic week back in St. Louis capped off with a trip to Chicago tomorrow for C2E2.

As covered in the previous Aspen Reports, the festival was enjoyable overall, though I wasn't particularly blown away by any particular program. Something that may have exacerbated the feeling is that the festival seemed too all-encompassing. The shorts selected covered the whole word, featuring stories and characters that were unique, yet presented themes and tones strikingly similar to our own culture. Regardless, I felt that out of 2500+ submissions, there may have been stronger, better pieces overlooked so as to make the fest seem far reaching and culturally embracing.

With that said, here are my favorite shorts of the fest:
Angry Man
The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers
Franswa Sharl
Glen Owen Dodds
God of Love
The Hardest Part (trailer)
Lebensader
Mother of Many (excerpt)
Only One Boss
Plank (trailer)
Q&A (excerpt)
The Queen
Rita
Roof Rattling
The Six Dollar Fifty Man (excerpt)
Wagah
Yellow Belly End (excerpt)

Once I returned to work on Monday I discovered that several of the shorts, including "Rita" and "God of Love," had already been to SLIFF - much to my excitement.

You can check out the full slate of films from Aspen Shortsfest here. Also be sure to check out the list of award winners, many worthy winners and hopefully several of which that will be screening at SLIFF in November.

Wednesday Filler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OinrOnjzH_A&feature=player_embedded

Aspen Report #2

Aspen Shortsfest wrapped up last night with the two strongest programs of the whole event. Friday had its share of memorable pieces, which coupled with Saturday's strong effort, helped salvage an otherwise mundane festival.

Friday's Programs (Seven & Eight): The first set of shorts on Friday featured

several stories centered around kids. Two that stood out were "Franswa Sharl" and "Rita." Sharls is based on the true story of a vacationing Australian family and the outgoing son who enters - and wins - a girls beauty pageant.

The short was funny, sweet, and the lead was really captivating. It was a great all around family short. On the opposite side of the kids film coin is Rita. The story centers on Rita, a blind girl who soon finds herself forced outside the comfort of her home and taking a chance she's always wanted to. A majority of the film is close on Rita's face so the audience sees how she reacts to what she - and the audience - can't see. It's a filmmaking tactic that worked very well.

The second program had more dreck, some snakes, and two pretty good shorts. "Yellow Belly End" was an interesting animation that is absurd and quirky. A man dressed as a bird watches people dressed as assorted members of the animal kingdom jump to their deaths. The short was well-paced, funny, and strange - just my type of short.

Saturday's Programs (Nine & Ten): Saturday brought out the best of all the programs with two strong sets to finish out the festival. Program Nine delivered one great short after another, headlined by "The Queen," "Mother of Many," and "The Six Dollar Fifty Man." Queen was a charming fantasy tale about a young man who is quiet, shy and overlooked at his school. As he closes up the family laundromat one night, a random encounter with a classmate sends him into a beautiful fantasy. This piece was short, sharp, and featured Pat Benatar in the soundtrack (bonus points). Mother was a wild animation about a midwife with graphic depictions of women in labor. Six Dollar was a New Zealand short about a young, illiterate man who lives in a fantasy world all his own and the women who love him. The short was clever, imaginative and fun. The young lead (seen above in all his red and blonde glory) was quite good - he was deep, emotive and captivating.

The second set of the night was a proper send off for the festival - several awesome pieces of animation, a couple of taut thrillers, and a sweet romantic-comedy that was tops of the fest. "The Art of Drowning" was a visual stunner that looked at the act of drowning and whether or not, in the throes of death, one's life passes before his eyes. "Wolves" was a strange animated short about dreams, reality, and love's missed opportunities. "The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger" was one of the newest films from Bill Plympton and contains all the insanity one would expect from a Plymptoon. "Battered," "Cigarette Candy," and "Roar" (a SLIFF alum) were deeply moving, well produced dramas that strengthened the final program. More shorts like those sprinkled throughout the fest would have made it thoroughly more enjoyable. The closing film, "God of Love," was a snappy, jazzy love story that put a twist on Cupid folklore. The short was one of those rare student films that transcends the boundaries of academic limitations and exceeded even the best of major productions. The piece was funny, smart, well photographed and hit all the beats of a well produced piece. It didn't have anything unnecessary or over-indulgence of the filmmakers. It's a piece I definitely hope to bring to St. Louis in November.

I'll conduct a fest wrap-up tomorrow, but for now I'm just ready for bed. I'll part by saying the festival was a lot of fun and it was great to see so many shorts in a short amount of time by actually being in a theater. In the coming weeks, I'll work on following up contact with the many pieces I'm interested and I'll keep you posted on the progress for the SLIFF programs this fall.

Aspen Report #1

Karibe and I pulled into Aspen too late on Tuesday to make either of the first competition programs, but we made both shows on Wednesday and Thursday. Each program featured several strong pieces, but a few clunkers as well.

Wednesday's Programs (Three & Four): The first program on Wednesday featured several enjoyable shorts. "Angry Man" was a delightful, yet haunting animation that told the story of an abusive father as seen through the son's eyes. The animation was really neat and fit the mood of the film perfectly. "Glenn Owen Dodds" was a charming comedy about "an ordinary man who meets an extraordinary man" and pretty extraordinary events ensue.

The later show included an animation made from wood-block images, a StoryCorps recording, and Keira Knightley. My favorite piece from this program was "The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers," an absurd short that utilized green screen technology, German surrealism, a haunting score and well played dark comedic sensibility.

Overall, the programs were strong. There were a few pieces that were weaker in comparison to the better shorts but still fit into the overall themes of "identity" or "coming of age." I wasn't, however, blown away by each short as I had expected.

Thursday's Programs (Five & Six): The shows on Thursday were an eclectic collection of animation, documentary, and gripping dramatic pieces. The first program featured three very strong pieces in "The History of Aviation," "Home is Where You Find It," and "Roof Rattling." Aviation is a period piece about a lost little girl and the frantic search to find her. During her time away, the little girl witnesses a horrifying attempt at flight. Home was a touching account of AIDS orphans in Africa. Alcides Soares is a 16 year old orphan who is searching for his younger brother. Soares shoots most of the footage in the film and really becomes a natural filmmaker and charismatic personality. Rattling is a Kiwi short about a young boy, a friend, and their attempt to steal Playboys. After getting caught in the targeted house, James grows close to the old man living there - just in the course of one afternoon.

The second program was the strongest of the fest so far. It featured several styles of animation (including a screening of a short omitted from the previous show). "Alma" is a chilling, Twilight Zone-esque tale about a little girl infatuated with a doll with a hauntingly similar appearance (it also screened at SLIFF in 2009). "Flowerpots" is a fun, hand-drawn animation about outgrowing your surroundings but always ending up where you started.

"Lebensader" is a tale about seeing the universe from a unique perspective and knowing that existence goes far beyond what we can see. It's a colorful, imaginative short that was a lot of fun to watch.

The live action pieces that rounded out the night were highlighted by "The Cage," "Man and Boy," and "Plank." Cage sees a young boy care for an ailing pigeon, much to the disdain of his father. Soon, the father comes to care for the bird as well but it's too late. "Man and Boy" stars the intense Eddie Marsan caught between his past and the gregarious actions of a neighbor boy. "Plank" is a documentary about a Moroccan skateboarder who makes Ryan Sheckler look like the tool douche he really is.

So far, the programs have been enjoyable with a few dazzling pieces in the mix. There has yet to be, however, a short that blows me a way in the fashion of "Sugar" or "Ten for Grandpa." With four programs still to screen, hopefully that will change.

One perplexing inclusion into two programs (the late shows on Wednesday and Thursday) has been the work of Lewis Teague, Charlotta-TS. From what I've gathered, he's connected to Aspen in some fashion but the work is beyond wretched and hampers the style, flow and quality of the programs. I understand including works as a favor or as some sort of political wrangling behind festival doors, but dedicating prestigious festival space on three occasions (another indulgence occurs on Friday) as well as a separate "special presentation" seminar on micro-filmmaking, boggles my mind and changes my perception of the fest. One of the mysteries of the universe, I suppose.

Also, last night Karibe and I saw Meg Ryan, who's cute, sweetheart face has been totally destroyed by Botox. The picture to the left is only a partial representation of the damage that has taken place. Boy, how Hollywood has bastardized the notions of beauty and perfection. I guess as long as roles don't call for Ryan to be emotive through facial features, she'll keep getting work.

Aspen Shortsfest

Today, Kara and I leave for a six-day stay in Aspen, CO, where I will be attending the Aspen Shortsfest festival. Over the course of our time there, I'll be taking in upwards of 100 short films - quite the daunting task. It'll be great fun, though, with the traveling, the locale, and the overall experience of the event.

Looking over the Aspen selections, there are a few films I selected for last year's festival. While I can't say how many Aspen films will eventually make the cut at SLIFF this year, it should be an enjoyable experience.

The regular posts will run as usual, including an unexpected review this Friday. Check in daily for Apsen updates as well. See you soon, St. Louis!

Off the Shelf

Create Your Own Kick-Ass Trailer - Submit your trailer to win tickets and other cool prizes!

If you haven't seen the shocking and hilarious Kick-Ass trailers yet, now is the time!

Star Clipper is your official St. Louis KICK-ASS HQ! Learn all about this unconventional film, based on the Marvel comic by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. We want YOU to create your very own Kick-Ass trailers featuring a self-styled super hero! The trailers will be featured on our Kick-Ass display at Star Clipper and winners will receive prizes including the new Kick-Ass hardcover, gift certificate, movie passes and more. The most kick-ass trailers will even have a chance to be featured on the air and the big screen!

Please keep your trailers 90 seconds or less. Don't hurt yourself (or others)! E-mail a link to your trailer to info@starclipper.com and we'll take care of the rest!

Not sure how to get started? Here are a few ideas to get you going: life's a party until you meet the Mardi Brawler; the skies burn with the might of The Aviator; and hell hath no fury like Templar!

Don't have a video camera? Go to www.iwillkickass.com and become a Superhero Instantly! Plus you'll be entered for a chance to win a cameo in Kick-Ass 2, the comic.

Sponsored by Star Clipper

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=LX72nSFGCUc


http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=z_Deo6Msw20


http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=R75tD8iHTro

The Ballad of Big Joe

Kudos to Mike!

Old Dog, New Trick

The new doc from Mike Steinberg and Thomas Crone:

OLD DOG NEW TRICK trailer from Mike Steinberg on Vimeo.

More details here.

And now for something completely different...

check out behind the scene details here

Meatloaf Productions

We got a logo!

What is SLIFF?

Wednesday Filler

A promo bumper for the Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX.

Thanks, Adam & Shaun!

Miniature Models

Thanks, David!

Wednesday Filler

Moustache Ride

Brilliantly Lazy

Daily Recap

The incomparable Mark Bielik.

St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase

The 9th Annual St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase runs July 18-24 at the Tivoli Theatre, the Regional Arts Commission, and Blueberry Hill's Duck Room. Two videos that I helped out with, "The Rotten Corpse" and Jason and the Beast's "Street Preacher" will both be showing on July 19th. "The Rotten Corpse" will play as part of the 'Comedy Shorts' program at 7:30pm, while "Street Preacher" screens at 9:45pm in the 'Experimental Shorts' program. You can check out the rest of the Showcase schedule here. If you make it to any of the shows, be sure to say 'hello.'