View Full Version : The 5th Short Film Hall of Fame
Captain Terror
06-16-22, 10:08 PM
Yeah, the last place on my list is still going to be something I enjoyed.
On the Maddin front, Brand Upon the Brain or Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary are both fun places to start that lean in the horror direction.
It's embarrassing to admit but I think my brain has often confused the Guys Maddin and Ritchie. I know, I know.
But after watching this I've looked up some trailers and realized I've been missing out on what could potentially be a new favorite director. I'm all about eye candy and it seems he delivers the goods.
I forgot to mention in my review the near perfect recreation of 20s films. The editing is not period accurate of course, but it did still remind me at times of the more intense moments from Gance's Napoleon, as well as the more obvious Russian influences. And whoever did the makeup for the lead actress deserves an Oscar. If I didn't know better I'd swear her scenes were actual vintage footage
Takoma11
06-16-22, 10:52 PM
It's embarrassing to admit but I think my brain has often confused the Guys Maddin and Ritchie. I know, I know.
One of my favorite all-time director's commentary lines comes from Maddin's commentary on Pages from a Virgin's Diary. He's talking about the character of Dracula and the threat he poses to the woman he is seducing, talking about how the danger he presents is bound to his sexuality. And he says, "I mean look at him. He's basically a penis in a vest." LOL.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fbb%2F1d%2F33%2Fbb1d332746e7b57199b188e7676942bd.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Night and Fog
I enjoyed this Holocaust documentary for the way it treats the crime against humanity as just that and asks how, well...anyone - us, the planet Earth, God, what have you - could have allowed it to happen. After all, is there a question that stings in it more than "who is responsible, then?" Speaking of our planet, the most interesting thing about the short is how it makes it seem like an accomplice for how peaceful the concentration camps appear at the time it was filmed. If you somehow had no knowledge of the Holocaust and visited Auschwitz, you wouldn't be a bad person for assuming that the buildings belong to a failed factory. You also have to credit Resnais and company for how meticulous they are in their descriptions of what happened during each stage from the ghetto evacuation to the Final Solution, and every time the narration paused, I'm sure it's not just my imagination that there's the implied question of why nothing or nobody stepped in to end it. The photographs and footage from this part of the short would be all for naught - or at least heavily diluted - if they shied away from the hardest parts to watch in each stage. While I wouldn't rank this movie above Shoah, which I somehow subjected myself to the entirety of, I would rank it as the best short Holocaust documentary I've seen, so much so that I don't feel like I have to see any other ones. Another question the short asks that also gave me chills is how long humanity will remember this atrocity. Thanks to it, we haven't yet. Even so, and sorry for getting political, but since it's easier to spread misinformation than it ever has been before, how long will we?
Citizen Rules
06-17-22, 01:15 PM
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=87568
Seven (2018)
I missed my calling! I should've been a producer with a big bank roll and if I was I'd fund a feature length movie based on Seven. Bet I'd make a profit off it too.
I was instantly intrigued and wanted to see more, much more...and that's why I'm not a fan of short films per se, as the well made ones give me a craving for the whole story and I suppose that's the point...but I'd sure love to see Seven made as a feature film.
Pluses are many: loved the shooting locating and more importantly the cinematography, for a 10 minute film the film maker really packs the beauty shots in. I liked the actors too, they felt endemic to their surroundings. I don't know what else to say other than I was impressed!
Takoma11
06-17-22, 04:30 PM
Night and Fog
] I would rank it as the best short Holocaust documentary I've seen, so much so that I don't feel like I have to see any other ones. Another question the short asks that also gave me chills is how long humanity will remember this atrocity. Thanks to it, we haven't yet. Even so, and sorry for getting political, but since it's easier to spread misinformation than it ever has been before, how long will we?
I don't think it's inappropriate to think about the cultural and political importance of remembering the Holocaust. There was a quote from some dude involved in basically neo-Nazi stuff who said something really chilling. The gist was that the generation that actually fought in WW2 was dying off, and you no longer have a grandfather there to tell you just how bad the Nazis were. And he was saying that this gives an "in" for neo-Nazi groups with younger people because there's no longer that first-hand account that's something they are growing up with. Likewise, the generation of people who survived concentration camps has mostly died off, so those first-hand accounts are also lost.
I think it's great that Night and Fog is a short, because it says so much in so little time. It makes itself incredibly accessible in ways that longer films aren't.
I don't think it's inappropriate to think about the cultural and political importance of remembering the Holocaust. There was a quote from some dude involved in basically neo-Nazi stuff who said something really chilling. The gist was that the generation that actually fought in WW2 was dying off, and you no longer have a grandfather there to tell you just how bad the Nazis were. And he was saying that this gives an "in" for neo-Nazi groups with younger people because there's no longer that first-hand account that's something they are growing up with. Likewise, the generation of people who survived concentration camps has mostly died off, so those first-hand accounts are also lost.
I think it's great that Night and Fog is a short, because it says so much in so little time. It makes itself incredibly accessible in ways that longer films aren't.I agree with everything you said. I guess it's just ingrained with me to avoid political discussion here! For what it's worth, I was going to add InfoWars pretending that Sandy Hook never happened and Fox News not airing the January 6 hearings to my review as examples of the worst kind of misinformation lately.
Again, Shoah is long and difficult to watch, but it's worth it, as is The World at War documentary series from the 1970s. Oh, and some interesting trivia: Chris Marker (La Jetee, Sans Soleil) was an assistant on Night and Fog, which also explains why it stands up.
Takoma11
06-17-22, 05:19 PM
Again, Shoah is long and difficult to watch, but it's worth it, as is The World at War documentary series from the 1970s. Oh, and some interesting trivia: Chris Marker (La Jetee, Sans Soleil) was an assistant on Night and Fog, which also explains why it stands up.
It's been on my list for ages, but 6 hours is intimidating along with the content.
That's a neat piece of trivia about Marker!
SpelingError
06-17-22, 07:27 PM
Un Obus Partout (2015) - 3.5
I found this to be a pretty good short film. I enjoyed the usage of black for the visual aesthetic, especially in the second half of the short which takes place at night as this caused the flashes of color to stick out more. I also enjoyed the sense of futility throughout the short as, even if Gabriel and Mokhatr would make it across the bridge, that's not going to make their political situation any better as they're still going to live in the same war-torn environment where civilians are killed each day. This knowledge gave the suspense set piece at the end an extra layer of resonance. I also appreciated how the short built tension by cutting back and forth between the snipers watching the World Cup premier and the drive across the bridge as, even though that sequence could've done more in the way of suspense, it was still a nice editing technique. Finally, that the snipers and many of the civilians were spending the night watching the World Cup premiere, there's a sense of futility to the conflict as, since both groups seemed to share some of the same interests, they could potentially get along with each other. Overall, it's a solid short film that I enjoyed watching. In terms of animated films about the Lebanon War though, I prefer Waltz With Bashir by a decent margin and highly recommend watching that film.
jiraffejustin
06-19-22, 02:40 AM
op updated
jiraffejustin
06-19-22, 04:36 PM
Brats
Going in, I wasn't the biggest Laurel and Hardy fan around. As someone who likes Buster Keaton and some of the other silent clowns, I couldn't really put my finger on wasn't working for me with this duo. It had to be something other than sound. It was probably just that I didn't give them enough chances. There is no reinvention of the wheel in this short, and some of the setup-punches are predictable, but the best thing a comedy can be is funny. This film is pretty funny. Having the duo represented two different ways in the same film probably helps with the freshness of the group, I can't say as it has been a long while since I've seen any of their work, and it's not like I've a comprehensive knowledge of it anyway. This is good, this is funny. I can't imagine doing well against such a stiff set of competition though.
The House is Black
At the most basic level, I'm thankful that this short exists. I had never seen a leper colony and neither knew what life is like for their residents nor much about the condition before watching this and it answers all these questions. That the short is so unflinching in its depiction of even the worst cases of the condition is a bonus. Besides, to not do this would belie the movie's themes of beauty versus ugliness and why God allows some to thrive and some to suffer. Forugh Farrokhzad deserves credit for exploring these themes in the most simple and elegant of ways, i.e., with images, scripture, poetry, and minimal dialogue - none of which seem redundant - especially since this is her first and sadly only movie. I especially like each time there are rapid edits that show a different person in each cut for how it made me wonder why so many had to suffer this ailment as well as whenever the residents try their best to add joy to their difficult circumstances by playing games and sports. The moments when the victims give thanks to God also struck a chord and make me want to find out if Ingmar Bergman ever watched this and what he thought about it. With that said, the short's simplicity and elegance make it difficult to come up with much else to write about. Writing about it is like writing about a song without words or an abstract painting. That's hardly a fault of the movie, though, and with that, I'll conclude by saying I'm grateful that a movie about leprosy exists that manages to be so uncompromising while maintaining the victims' dignity at the same time. Oh, and if you don't at least get teary-eyed during the classroom finale, check your pulse.
Long story short, that was fun. I enjoyed all the shorts and believe it will be hard to rank them. I would be down for another one of these.
I'll submit my ballot very soon.
PHOENIX74
06-22-22, 01:34 AM
https://i.postimg.cc/Hs0svs4V/heart-of-the-world.jpg
The Heart of the World - (2000)
Directed by Guy Maddin
I first saw The Heart of the World not more than a year ago, and it was the beginning of my Guy Maddin adventure - one I haven't got very far into yet, but one which I've enjoyed very much so far, having seen Brand Upon the Brain (thank you Takoma11) and numerous other short films of his. The Heart of the World drew me in straight away, with it's silent film era visual quality and editing. Adding to that, was a spiritually soul-lifting musical score that wouldn't feel out of place in an old patriotic Soviet march. Those aren't usually found in anyone's films in the modern era, but wedded to that was a sense of humour that was quite ridiculous, but which didn't diminish the impact the film had as a whole. That's such a delicate calculation, and yet Guy Maddin seems to pull it off effortlessly over 6 eventful minutes.
The short is about two brothers who compete for the love of state scientist Anna, a woman who is studying the literal Heart of the World (which actually resembles a human heart.) By miraculous coincidence, Anna is studying it at a time when it's very nearly about to stop beating, which would mean the end of the world. In the meantime, a wealthy industrialist seduces Anna, and she marries him rather than either brother - but as the world nears it's end she can yet be depended upon to save mankind, with an invention which will change history. It's an ode to cinema that still gets me every time, and is quirky fun in many ways. Take the repetative, teasing introduction, which, during multiple takes, introduces the two brothers as a mortician and actor "...who love...." - "who love" - "the same...." - "brothers love the same..." - "the same" - "WomaN"! - a tantalising tease of an introduction to Anna, which is as funny as it is anticipatory.
I've watched this many times, and even though this is only 6 minutes long I still notice new and different things. Great montage work, and loving attention towards early Soviet cinema. Make-up and production design. Even the mini-performances. The bobbing up and down of the expectant masses. Nikolai (the mortician) and his strange invention. Osip (the actor) and the performance of a lifetime to win Anna's love. As far as short films go, I've hardly ever seen anything better than The Heart of the World.
5
PHOENIX74
06-22-22, 01:39 AM
That's it for me, a great Hall of Fame. I count 4 short films that got the full 5 popcorn boxes from me, and even the others provide great competition. I can't see anything beating Night and Fog though.
Captain Terror
06-22-22, 12:38 PM
UN OBUS PARTOUT
When it comes to animation I tend to focus more on design and technique than story. Before watching this, the stills I was seeing didn't suggest that I'd be overly fond of the look of it but I was pleased to find that the style really worked. Also, I watched this with headphones and kudos to the sound designer/mixer. The gunfire and car crashes etc were often jarring and made me jump, which helped amp up the tension of the piece. I was most impressed, I think, by the juxtaposition of the race over the bridge with the sportscaster's call of the football match. It was a clever approach and well-executed.
Again, with films of this length I feel bad about not having more to say but I will say that it did a good job of conveying the desperation one must feel to live in situations like this. Is it worth getting killed to just to steal a few moments with your girl? Yeah, I would think that it is and I'm lucky to not know what it feels like to have to make that choice. :up:
(still no bad nominees, y'all)
Captain Terror
06-22-22, 12:40 PM
Am I the only one that hasn't finished? I feel like I'm dragging my feet here.
If so I'll be extra diligent about watching the rest soon.
Citizen Rules
06-22-22, 12:42 PM
Am I the only one that hasn't finished? I feel like I'm dragging my feet here.
If so I'll be extra diligent about watching the rest soon.
You're in good company, with me:p I haven't finished yet either. Working on it though.
ueno_station54
06-22-22, 01:16 PM
i still got three left. will probably double feature Night and Fog and The House Is Black for the ultimate bad time.
MovieGal
06-22-22, 01:36 PM
I have 2 left. Theif's and my own.
ueno_station54
06-22-22, 03:14 PM
i still got three left. will probably double feature Night and Fog and The House Is Black for the ultimate bad time.
and that time is right now!
https://i0.wp.com/colinsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/night-and-fog-2.jpg?resize=752%2C423&ssl=1
Night and Fog (Alain Resnais, 1956)
I was pretty worried this would be just a dry presentation of the worst images you've ever seen in your life, and it certainly is that, certainly, but I should have trusted Resnais' eye and his sensibilities as a filmmaker more. The man knows what he's doing and I had no real reason to doubt that. This is presented is such a way that its approachable without sacrificing anything for it because f*****ck is this still horrific to look at (to bring back a topic from earlier in the thread, this is a far harder watch than The Act of Seeing with One's On Eyes). It actually weirdly feels like another Resnais doc about a plastics factory Le Chant du Styrene in terms of structure except instead of calmly walking you through the process of making a ladle its calmly walking you through the process of completely destroying people. The split between the new and old footage is handled well too with the modern footage feeling like such a relief with its excellent colour palette and trucking shots being so away far from the awful b&w photos and locked down footage we we're just subjected to, but its only a slight relief as what we're seeing in these parts still f*cking sucks. Expertly handled film I'm absolutely miserable.
4
ueno_station54
06-22-22, 04:53 PM
https://www.slantmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/houseisblack.jpg
The House Is Black (Forough Farrohkzad, 1962)
I am extremely torn on this one. Visually and in terms of presentation its everything I want... from a narrative film at least. The angles, the editing, the voiceover, all completely my jam but it makes me wonder about the intentions of the film. Like is this an honest look at life in a leper colony when every scene is this meticulously staged and directed? I'm just having a hard time shaking the feeling that this is more self-serving than anything else. I'm scared to throw out the word "exploitation" because that is a big accusation but when you're seemingly only using people as a backdrop it kind of feels that way. I'm not very smart so I'm open to being big wrong on this but something here just doesn't sit right with me. I just don't really feel like I gained any insight from this and the last scene in the classroom feels hokey even if it was real. But again, aesthetically? good shit.
2
SpelingError
06-22-22, 05:28 PM
https://www.slantmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/houseisblack.jpg
The House Is Black (Forough Farrohkzad, 1962)
I am extremely torn on this one. Visually and in terms of presentation its everything I want... from a narrative film at least. The angles, the editing, the voiceover, all completely my jam but it makes me wonder about the intentions of the film. Like is this an honest look at life in a leper colony when every scene is this meticulously staged and directed? I'm just having a hard time shaking the feeling that this is more self-serving than anything else. I'm scared to throw out the word "exploitation" because that is a big accusation but when you're seemingly only using people as a backdrop it kind of feels that way. I'm not very smart so I'm open to being big wrong on this but something here just doesn't sit right with me. I just don't really feel like I gained any insight from this and the last scene in the classroom feels hokey even if it was real. But again, aesthetically? good shit.
2
I definitely don't think the people in the leper colony are used as backdrop for the film's visuals and aesthetics. In spite of how much it shows the ailments of the people in the leper colony, I think the film remains beautiful from beginning to end. To summarize what I got out of the film, I think it's implied that the government failed the people in the film by herding them into a leper colony instead of attempting to treat their illness (i.e., "Leprosy is not incurable" being repeated twice in the opening) and that the film also explores some of the ironies of the people in the colony since they thank God for various features many of them don't have (e.g., hands, eyes, and ears), as if religion is an abstract concept in their lives. I also found a couple sequences powerful, like some women making an effort to look beautiful in spite of their physical appearances by putting on makeup and brushing their hair and how a scene of several boys playing ball is followed by a shot on an elderly man limping a path, implying that the boys may end up like him if nothing is done. As for the classroom scene, I imagine people will be pretty split on it. I personally found it devastating, but I wouldn't disagree with someone who thinks it doesn't work as it's not my favorite part of the short, tbh.
Citizen Rules
06-22-22, 08:52 PM
87664
Nu (2003)
That's not quite the image I wanted for my lead-in photo. I wanted the wide shot of Mads standing in a rocky isolated place, alone...with one lone tree. I thought that shot composition said volumes, but I couldn't find it.
The photo I ended up using also says a lot. Mads seems uncomfortable on his wedding day..he's unsure of what to do and during the consummation of his marriage he's mechanical in his moments. Of course later we find out why he's so unsure during his first encounter with his wife.
What intrigued me the most was that this short works like a silent film in that the movements and body language of the actors tells the story. We don't need dialogue. The scene compositions and the way the story ended also works as a pictorial record of a persons life. Nu reminded of a Fellini film in it's use of artsy compositions & editing...and it reminded me of a Bergman film in it's austereness and bleak outlook both visual and emotional. Good film.
Citizen Rules
06-22-22, 09:03 PM
Ballot sent it and I really don't know how to rank the short films??? I mean most were excellent and the others still pretty interesting. In fact I'd say they were all well made. So good choices everyone!
THE HEART OF THE WORLD
(2000, Maddin)
https://i.imgur.com/fEMeDAQ.jpg
"Tragic calculations! Triple-checked! No mistakes! The world is dying of heart failure!"
Set in an alternate reality, The Heart of the World follows Anna (Leslie Lais), a scientist studying the Earth's core (or "heart"). As she is being courted by two brothers: Nikolai (Shaun Balbar) and Osip (Caelum Vatnsdal), a theater actor, she discovers that the "heart" of the world is in danger and she must warn the population to avoid a catastrophe.
This is a very interesting short film, not only for its odd plot but mostly for the way it is constructed. Writer and director Guy Maddin set out to make a film that was as frenetic as possible, at roughly two shots per second, but also constructed in a style that is reminiscent of very early German and Russian silent films, like Metropolis.
The plot doesn't make a lot of sense; there is a fairly evident subtext of science vs. religion vs. capitalism, the latter represented by an industralist that seduces Anna, but everything is presented in such a frantic pace that it doesn't quite let you absorb it. Still, at the end of the day, it all takes a backseat to the interesting execution which is the driving force of this short film.
Grade: 3
PHOENIX74
06-23-22, 02:54 AM
Ballot sent it and I really don't know how to rank the short films??? I mean most were excellent and the others still pretty interesting. In fact I'd say they were all well made. So good choices everyone!
A breaks a person's heart when you're having to rank absolute masterpieces in 4th and 5th place because the there is so much quality here.
ueno_station54
06-24-22, 12:35 AM
https://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/6574582/740full-nu----------------------------------%282003%29-screenshot.jpg
Nu (Simon Staho, 2003)
Now (lol), y'all know I'm more than okay with surrealism, and don't get me wrong there's some things to like here, but this is such a by-the-numbers take on the genre and it really does not have the visual flair to elevate it. I always like jump cuts and dudes making out, so there's that, but not really feeling it otherwise (not in a dislike way just in a not moving the needle kind of way). Oh, and Mads' haircut is god awful.
2.5
Currently writing reviews on The House Is Black, A Gun for George, and Brats. Will try to have them ready by tomorrow.
Captain Terror
06-24-22, 01:10 AM
GOODBYE MOMMY
So this one fully commits to its aesthetic, but that aesthetic happens to go against everything I enjoy looking at. Character design, color scheme, deliberately crude rendering-- none of it was appealing to me. But that's my baggage. Like I said, this film is its own thing and I respect it for that. Unfortunately the story didn't grab me either, so I was left with very little to latch on to here. I liked the aliens. :)
I've been avoiding everyone's reviews until after I've watched the films, and something funny just happened. At one point during the film I thought to myself, "this Jack Wedge guy must've grown up watching those s--tty Barbie movies". And then afterwards I read Ueno's write-up:
Growing up with shows from Mainframe Entertainment and 64-bit video games, janky 3D just hits right for me
A quick Googling confirms that Mainframe Entertainment was responsible for those s--tty Barbie movies. So I was proud of that little bit of insight I exhibited and as a result I'm relatively confident that I got what they were going for here. I got it, I just didn't want it. :)
Ueno and I seem to have some similar interests based on what I've read (waiting for the sci-fi thread to get going again), but I think this is where our age difference rears its head.
EDIT, a day later:
I can never gauge if my tone is coming across when I post, so I just want to clarify that the Barbie stuff wasn't meant to be disparaging. What I meant there was that, in trying to appreciate what they were going for, it occurred to me that this aesthetic would probably appeal to the age group that grew up watching those early low-budget attempts at 3D animation, so I was pleased to read Ueno state exactly that in their review.
I was in college when Toy Story came out, so I haven't even fully embraced 3D when it's done to perfection let alone the deliberately unpolished stuff, and therefore I'm going to have less patience with such things. I've no doubt that Ueno was not insulted by my review, but I just wanted to make sure of it anyway. I hate giving bad reviews to things people like. :(
THE HOUSE IS BLACK
(1963, Farrokhzad)
https://i.imgur.com/wQZx6gL.png
"There is no shortage of ugliness in the world, but by closing our eyes on ugliness, we will intensify it."
Written and directed by Forugh Farrokhzad, The House Is Black is a documentary that follows life at a leper colony in rural Iran. It features footage of various residents going on about their daily routines while contrasting it with frequent narration of quotes from the Bible or the Qur'an by Farrokhzad herself; quotes that often, like the one above, clash with the visuals of the film.
The visuals are tough, especially when seeing the toll that leprosy has taken on the children. However, Farrokhzad makes a point of showing us the casualness of life in the colony, men playing board games or talking, the happiness of children while playing ball, or women putting on makeup and brushing their hair.
When I watched this a couple of weeks ago, I had no idea what it was about; didn't even know it was a documentary, so it caught me by surprise. But then again, I suppose that's the intention. Per the opening quote, it's obvious that Farrokhzad's intention was to open our eyes to this "ugliness", and let us know that there are ways to remedy it, but moreover, that there is still beauty in it.
Grade: 4
Captain Terror
06-25-22, 07:00 PM
SEVEN
Visually this felt like a miniature A24 film. I was pleased to read in the Vimeo bio of the director that he is working on a feature version of this. His short Sea Dragon also sounds intriguing but it seems he hasn't posted it online yet. Looking forward to both.
I spoil the story here so don't read if you haven't watched it yet.
On the surface this is a trial for murder, or wrongful death at least, but it's also obviously an allegory for industry-vs-nature or progress-vs-tradition. Watching this as a US citizen in 2022, I was mildly depressed by the premise of the film as it led me to lament that opposing sides of arguments feel the need to "punish" the other side. It's not enough to win the argument or get your law passed, we must also make the other side feel terrible about losing. Is this what the English filmmaker had in mind with his Norway-set short film? Probably not, but it's where I'm at right now as a viewer. So Yohanna's decision to spare the guy was just what I needed to see today. It doesn't change anything about the hellscape I'm living in, but for 12 minutes I was reminded that sometimes humans are ok.
:up:
MovieGal
06-29-22, 09:48 PM
87767
Seven
(2018)
An interesting little film. I see it as "An Eye for An Eye". I loved the scenery and of course, it's Nordic, which is always a plus for me.
MovieGal
06-29-22, 10:04 PM
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/52/11/96/521196333aca9ca6a0e606ee4091d41b.gif
Now
(2003)
I picked this film because I am a huge fan of Mads Mikkelsen. He's a great actor and I found this when exploring his filmography. Everyone seems to have an opinion of the story but I just found it quietly beautiful.
I think to me, the film talks about a normal, man marrying a woman and creating a family, but the real desire he has is for another man, with who he remains in a relationship until death.
Mads went on to work with Mikael Persbrandt in "The Salvation" and the director, Simon Staho, seems to have some more interesting works under his belt.
MovieGal
06-29-22, 10:12 PM
Is JJ taking ballots yet?
Takoma11
06-29-22, 10:16 PM
Is JJ taking ballots yet?
I already sent my in, so I think yes.
MovieGal
06-29-22, 10:17 PM
I already sent my in, so I think yes.
Thank you!
Citizen Rules
06-29-22, 10:22 PM
Is JJ taking ballots yet?I think I'm the only HoF host who ever asked people not to send in their ballots until I've finalized my own ballot.
MovieGal
06-29-22, 10:24 PM
I think I'm the only HoF host who ever asked people not to send in their ballots until I've finalized my own ballot.
That's why I asked because I figured that was the norm.
Citizen Rules
06-29-22, 10:28 PM
That's why I asked because I figured that was the norm.Nah, just something I did...me being silly:p
Jesus H. Christ, even with short films, I can't catch a break. When's the deadline for this? I'm more or less halfway through, but I've been busy editing the podcast. Anyway, I'm sure I can knock a couple before the deadline, but the writing is that's been a problem lately.
jiraffejustin
07-03-22, 01:09 PM
Jesus H. Christ, even with short films, I can't catch a break. When's the deadline for this? I'm more or less halfway through, but I've been busy editing the podcast. Anyway, I'm sure I can knock a couple before the deadline, but the writing is that's been a problem lately.
Current deadline is July 9. I've been ridiculously busy myself, which was all unforeseen before we started, but I've pretty much watched everything that I haven't seen before. I just need to watch one more and then write everything up.
Captain Terror
07-04-22, 12:29 AM
THE HOUSE IS BLACK
I was looking forward to this one, as Leper Colonies are something I often heard about when I was young but didn't know much about. Didn't know much about leprosy in general, as a matter of fact. So I was ready for some learnin'.
Going into it with that attitude, I found myself wishing there was less poetry and more footage of the residents. Don't get me wrong, the shots of the leaves on the water were gorgeous, it just wasn't what I was here for, and that's more my fault than the film's. Also I've since learned that the filmmaker's main gig was poet, so....I get it.
But still, I feel like I learned a good bit. I was never quite sure if there was a medical reason to quarantine the afflicted or if these were just ghettos to keep them away from "normal" folks. I suspect it was a bit of both, but I was relieved, if that's the word, to learn that it is indeed contagious so there's at least that justification. Never really knew what the symptoms looked like either, so that's something else I learned. One of us expressed a concern that the film was somewhat exploitative. I didn't feel that way, but I also didn't find it as emotionally affecting as others seem to either. I'm an unabashed movie-crier so I was expecting to be a wreck but that wasn't the case.
This kind of sounds like a lukewarm review, but this is going to be pretty high in my rankings.
Captain Terror
07-04-22, 01:14 AM
NIGHT AND FOG
I've seen a lot of this footage elsewhere over the years. (The bulldozer is and always has been the worst of it for me.) So it was not so much a shock for me, but I kept thinking about what Crumbs said a while back, about audiences in '56 being confronted with this. I can't imagine that this footage was shown on newsreels at the cinema in the 40s after the camps were liberated (maybe I'm wrong), so I don't know how the average citizen would have found access to it at the time. For that matter, I'm not aware of how or where the average person would have seen Resnais' film.
But in 1956 we still weren't showing fake gore in horror films so what could possibly prepare you for this?? Holy cow.
But yeah, once again I'm bringing my 2022 American experience to a film and it was thoroughly depressing to watch this and know that some of my fellow countrymen are using these people's names and iconography as we speak. And the amount of hand-wringing going on right now about folks who aren't like other folks. Am I concerned that we're on the verge of shipping certain segments of our population to concentration camps? I'd like to think that's too far-fetched to believe, but how many German citizens expected things to escalate to this level back in '33? The fact remains that 80 years later we're still fighting over which god we believe in, or who we're sleeping with or what color our skin is.
jiraffejustin
07-04-22, 06:57 PM
The film selection in this hall is one of the best ever. Imagine how sick this hof would have been with a good host. Just something to think about for the good hosts out there. You know, we don't have to wait years for another shorts hof. So hopefully a good host will take up the mantle for the next one.
SpelingError
07-04-22, 07:07 PM
The film selection in this hall is one of the best ever. Imagine how sick this hof would have been with a good host. Just something to think about for the good hosts out there. You know, we don't have to wait years for another shorts hof. So hopefully a good host will take up the mantle for the next one.
For what it's worth, I think you've been a great host :up:
Just tackled three of these, back-to-back-to-back: Seven (my pick), Hedgehog in the Fog, and Shell All.
Just have three to finish: Nu, Night and Fog, and Goodnight Mommy... and write all damn reviews :laugh:
Captain Terror
07-05-22, 09:44 PM
The film selection in this hall is one of the best ever. Imagine how sick this hof would have been with a good host. Just something to think about for the good hosts out there. You know, we don't have to wait years for another shorts hof. So hopefully a good host will take up the mantle for the next one.
This is the first Hall I've joined, but I don't know what a "good" host would have done that you're not doing. I have not found you lacking as a host, is what I'm saying.
But I agree about the quality of the selections. If I'm ranking a Laurel and Hardy film this low on my ballot that means everything else is pretty great.
Captain Terror
07-07-22, 01:47 AM
NU
Despite its qualities, the short is a bit too cold and obtuse for me to fully embrace. While I expect a bit of iciness in Scandinavian art, it's perhaps too icy for my liking. Also - and despite what I like about its style - it often borders on parody of the stereotypical black and white European art movie and perfume commercials from the '80s and '90s.
Stealing this because it was my exact reaction as well.
The stylized nature of the acting (and script I guess) made it hard for me to connect with anything. I'm ok with that if the images are strong enough, but that was not the case here. The cinematography was fine, but not striking enough to make me overlook my lack of interest in the other aspects.
I know a guy who found himself in this situation and it's definitely a story worth telling, but the treatment they gave it here just didn't make an impression on me.
On the plus side, Mads is always solid and I'm using this for one of my B&W films in the 2022 Challenge, so I'm killing two birds with one stone here.
Captain Terror
07-07-22, 01:51 AM
And with that I'm done! 3 days before the deadline. *wipes sweat from brow*
Now I can heckle Thief for being last to finish. :)
And with that I'm done! 3 days before the deadline. *wipes sweat from brow*
Now I can heckle Thief for being last to finish. :)
Ha! I already finished. NOT!
Anyway, I just finished Goodbye Mommy and what an experience :laugh:
I know I still have a couple of films and a bunch of reviews to finish, but I still wanted to comment on something, since four of the 11 films put forward were animated... and I thought it was so interesting to see the diversity in all four; from the acid-trip sensory overload of Malice in Wonderland or this bizarro, trippy CGI world in Goodbye Mommy to the tangible and crudely cute figures of Hedgehog in the Fog or the stylized silhouetty sleekness of Shell All... it's been quite a thing to watch all of those almost back-to-back.
Anyway, I'm gonna try to sneak Nu before I go to sleep.
Ok, Nu is done. Now I only need to do Night and Fog... and write a truckload of reviews!
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=87568
Seven (2018)
I missed my calling! I should've been a producer with a big bank roll and if I was I'd fund a feature length movie based on Seven. Bet I'd make a profit off it too.
I was instantly intrigued and wanted to see more, much more...and that's why I'm not a fan of short films per se, as the well made ones give me a craving for the whole story and I suppose that's the point...but I'd sure love to see Seven made as a feature film.
Pluses are many: loved the shooting locating and more importantly the cinematography, for a 10 minute film the film maker really packs the beauty shots in. I liked the actors too, they felt endemic to their surroundings. I don't know what else to say other than I was impressed!
Somehow missed this, but I'm so glad you liked it. It is indeed a stunningly shot short.
Well, the good news is that I just finished Night and Fog, which was the last one I needed to watch. The bad news is that I just finished Night and Fog and that was devastating... I need to watch something cheerful now.
jiraffejustin
07-09-22, 02:36 PM
Night and Fog
When I try to come up with my top ten favorite movies list, some films automatically spring to mind: Pulp Fiction, 2001, Ikiru, Passion of Joan, The Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes, Rear Window, TCM, and obviously Night and Fog as well. Some of those other films are there because of when I saw them, but this film shows up because I'm not sure I've seen another film hit this hard. I didn't get around to rewatching it, but the 2-3 times I've seen it before are enough for now. It's haunting to see the horrendous concentration camps shot so beautifully in color. Sure they are in ruins, but something about seeing them in color makes some of this stuff so real, when we are used to everything about WWII and the holocaust being in black and white. As much of this film is in, yet those parts in this film don't get that "back then" filter. When you watch a body get carried to a mass grave and the body no longer resembles a human, it doesn't feel right. As obvious as that sounds, it makes you feel something you can't quite explain. This movie is a day ruiner, but every capable adult should see this film.
A GUN FOR GEORGE
(2011, Holness)
https://i.imgur.com/dp50zWw.jpg
"Times change! I dare say your previous editor enjoyed your erratic plotting, your sledgehammer prose, and a disquieting ball fixation! A lone wolf vigilante hitting the streets of Thanet to avenge the same crime 658 times is literal, but not literally overkill."
A Gun for George follows Terry Finch (Holness), a struggling writer dealing with the aftermath of the murder of his brother George at the hands of local thugs. Finch channels his anger through a series of cheap crime novels about a viligante called "The Reprisalizer", who is determined to take on the thugs of Thanet in Kent.
The thing is that Finch's apparently not very good, if we believe the editor in the opening scene, who lashes at his "erratic plotting", "sledgehammer prose", and "disquieting ball fixation". But more importantly, his constant anger at everyone and everything seems to be driving him more into the shoes of his violent character, and therefore into insanity.
Set in the 1970s, A Gun for George does a great job balancing the real tragedy of its character and plot, with a cleverly handled dark humor and a more introspective character study. The way the tone is handled is masterful. It also manages to create a very real feeling of the time and place it's set in. From the locations and production to the way the film is shot, including some clever fantasy moments where Finch imagines himself as "The Reprisalizer", you really believe the film is from the 1970s.
Holness, who served as writer, director, and main actor, does a great job with all those roles. His performance is full of little moments that go beyond the comical and into the tragic. The awkward uneasiness of Finch and his bubbling anger at everybody, paired with the bits where we see him pondering about his life and the future while becoming more and more unhinged, it all makes for a worthy watch.
Grade: 4
BRATS
(1930, Parrott)
https://i.imgur.com/8Hx6yD8.jpg
"Will you brats keep quiet? How do you expect me to *concentrate*?"
Brats follows Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as two parents trying to relax and enjoy a night of checkers and pool while their two bratty children constantly interrupt them, with hilarious results. Something that I'm sure every parent in the world can understand and identify with (maybe not the "hilarious results").
The short is fairly simple, but notable for various reasons. First, it is one of those early insances where actors play two characters in the same film, and the result here is pretty seamless. Add to that the big/small special effects, and it makes for a really impressive short.
But other than that, I found it to be fairly amusing. As someone that's not that familiar with the comedy of Laurel & Hardy, I found their comedic timing to be great. Not something that blew my mind, but still made me chuckle.
Grade: 3
jiraffejustin
07-09-22, 09:30 PM
Hedgehog in the Fog
I've seen this short at least 5-6 times now, and considered not watching it again, but I'm glad I did. I've always considered it a gorgeous film, but perhaps I spent too much time comparing it to Tale of Tales or something. With it only being ten minutes long, I decided to pop it on real quick. Sadly humans are limited by the time we have, which limits how many different ways we can do the same things. I'd love to see this film a million times and think of a million different things to focus on each time. Sadly, there are a million other things I'd like to do too. This time around I trying to focus on what children would see in this and comparing that to children's entertainment in the U.S.. I get that children's entertainment has to be digestible for children, but I don't know that we need to treat them like morons. I also don't think we need to use children's entertainment to teach children basic math or letters or shit like that. Instead, let's show them a little hedgehog who bravely pushes through a fog that impairs his/her view the whole way through. The little hedgehog is brave and curious the whole way through and seems to come out the other side a different creature. Also, the animation is truly stunning at times in this film. It's interesting that the hedgehog looks kinda weird or off or whatever, but there are times where a frame will pop up that seems almost photorealistic. The water looks great, the near pov shot looking upwards at the tree that cuts through the fog is amazing. Rewatching this bumped it up a couple spots on my ballot, and solidified this hall of fame as being the one with the highest quality films.
Please, PLEEEEEASE, JJ! Don't eliminate me!!!1 I know it's July 9, but I'm trying to churn out my reviews!!! Pleeeeeasseee!!!11
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/GaseousWeirdGannet-size_restricted.gif
jiraffejustin
07-09-22, 09:55 PM
Malice in Wonderland
I nominated this film not just because it's great, but because it is pretty short and allows you to think about it as deeply as you choose. Personally, I'm not much of a deep thinker, but I think there is probably something in here for you intellectual types to think about regarding all kinds of things like puberty or gender relations or the deconstruction of literary classics or something like that. I just look at this film and think it's wonderfully animated and it trips me out, man. It is an exhausting explosion of kinetic energy
jiraffejustin
07-09-22, 09:55 PM
Please, PLEEEEEASE, JJ! Don't eliminate me!!!1 I know it's July 9, but I'm trying to churn out my reviews!!! Pleeeeeasseee!!!11
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/GaseousWeirdGannet-size_restricted.gif
Dude, I'm doing the same thing.
jiraffejustin
07-10-22, 12:01 AM
The Heart of the World
Guy Maddin, wearing his Soviet influences on his sleeves, crams a 90 minute movie into six breakneck minutes. As far as what the movie means, I don't know, but there are something going on here when we get biblical references and iconography, a scientist saving the Earth, an industrialist (or capitalist?) almost causing the scientist to fail, there was some phallic imagery thrown in there (maybe something about a pissing contest between the two brothers?), a woman becoming the new heart of the Earth. I don't know what all of it means. It's also pretty funny to see those Kino intertitles there at the end, filmmakers really believe films are important, don't they?
jiraffejustin
07-10-22, 12:21 AM
Nu
If you ever watch those video game making-of videos on youtube, you can see what a video game looks like before it really becomes a video game. There is this unpolished look to it or even before that, there is no texture anywhere and the buildings are blank walls, you can tell what the idea is, but it just isn't there yet. That's kind of what this film feels like to me. There is kind of some Maya Deren going on here, which for a lot of people would be a massive compliment, but I'm not a very big Deren fan, with the mystery and all of that, but it's missing something. I don't know if it's just atmosphere, or maybe I just think the film looks really dull. There's also maybe a Lynch thing going on or something. This film just didn't quite resonate with me.
jiraffejustin
07-10-22, 01:06 AM
A Gun for George
I may have underrated this film. I watched it for this HoF and it's the only time I've seen it, but when I think about it, I think very highly of it. It's kind of lost in the shuffle in this particular hall, but it deserves a little shine. It's very funny, but it's also as sad as it is funny. The main character provides both of those things, but underneath that layer of comedy and tragedy lies some horror as well. The saying "hurt people hurt people" is true, but there also seems to be something a little more going on with Terry Finch. He keeps getting closer and closer to that line that can't be uncrossed. He's a pathetic person, and pathetic people can be scary because they don't tend to hurt the people that hurt them. They tend to take it on people who are completely innocent. We see Terry fantasize about what he'd do with a gun, and of course at the end, he finds a gun. It's pretty obvious what we are supposed to infer there, and those scenes from before become a little less funny.
jiraffejustin
07-10-22, 01:45 AM
Un obus partout
The short review would be: pretty cool but not great. I do like this film, but it has better parts than its whole. The main negative I have is that short films are not the best medium for telling complete stories. The best short films usually aren't concerned with telling a story in the traditional way. That's not to say it can't be done, but for a story like this one, more development could have been helpful. They do utilize black and color backgrounds to create a pretty cool animation aesthetic. But the animation often feels a little too angular or clean, I guess. The colors are cool though and the visual style kept engaged throughout the runtime. I was also curious about the subject matter as I am not familiar with it at all. The concept of having these event run concurrently with the Maradona led Argentina World Cup was intriguing to me, because it highlighted something I was not fully aware of, and that's the importance of Maradona around the world. Maybe it's obvious to non-Americans, but it fascinated me.
jiraffejustin
07-10-22, 01:48 AM
Here are the highlights of the game that was being played during Un obus partout:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAkBWUysdrg&ab_channel=FIFA
jiraffejustin
07-10-22, 02:06 AM
Seven
A lot of short films get made so that they can spawn a feature film based on them. It feels like that was the plan here, as this film really needs to be expanded to be good. I mentioned before that shorts that rely on story can really struggle because they probably don't develop properly because of the runtime. It has a good location, I'm a fan non-tropical islands as a setting. In a recent hall of fame, The Secret of Roan Inish was nominated, and I loved it's island setting as well. That film was shot a little better because it had this more homey vibe, but that could have just been the limits of technology preventing the filmmakers from making mistakes. This film looks a little too clean for me.
Hey, JJ. Can I send my ranked list before finishing my reviews? I will try to finish off tonight, but I can send my list right now.
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 08:42 AM
Hey, JJ. Can I send my ranked list before finishing my reviews? I will try to finish off tonight, but I can send my list right now.
No problem.
I'll get everything tallied up today and the winner will be announced either tonight or tomorrow
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 05:02 PM
No. 11
Brats
https://c8.alamy.com/zooms/9/380ac2c42cd846e6ac1987a557b68e4f/djc8ra.jpg
35 points
Highest vote: 4th place - Allaby
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 05:04 PM
No. 10
Goodbye Mommy
https://www.lecinemaclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/gm1.jpg
45 points
Highest vote - 1st - ueno_station54
ueno_station54
07-11-22, 05:09 PM
once again right in my spot, second to last. perfect <3
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 05:33 PM
No. 9
Nu
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5b/86/b6/5b86b6caac1ffa79abfd2d0cea520e14.jpg
46 points
Highest vote - 2nd - MovieGal
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 05:38 PM
(Tie)No. 7
Shell All
https://carbonmade-media.accelerator.net/28660373;640x348.png?auto=webp
51 points
Highest vote - 5th (x2) - Torgo; Thief
(Tie)No. 7
Malice in Wonderland
https://cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/d983aac108bf88a4150803c3b3c8e7ca-750x537.jpg
51 points
Highest vote - 2nd - jiraffejustin
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 05:40 PM
No. 6
Seven
https://artpil.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Aesthetica-Short-Film-Festival-2018-Seven3.jpg
54 points
Highest vote - 2nd - Citizen Rules
SpelingError
07-11-22, 05:46 PM
So far, pretty decent rankings. Too lazy to check my ballot now.
MovieGal
07-11-22, 05:52 PM
I'm sure Citizen Rules has it with Night and Fog
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 06:00 PM
https://www.tidf.org.tw/sites/www.tidf.org.tw/files/imagecache/ye_yu_wu__0.jpghttps://worldscinema.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/The-House-is-Black-19631.pnghttps://hannianjia.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/p1331542902.jpghttps://directorslounge.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/guy-maddin.jpghttps://httpschannel4-a.akamaihd.net/1408993876/1408993876_2180722327001_900944612-148-1361468283903.jpg?pubId=1408993876&videoId=1982751108001
These are the top 5. Any predictions?
SpelingError
07-11-22, 06:04 PM
https://www.tidf.org.tw/sites/www.tidf.org.tw/files/imagecache/ye_yu_wu__0.jpghttps://worldscinema.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/The-House-is-Black-19631.pnghttps://hannianjia.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/p1331542902.jpghttps://directorslounge.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/guy-maddin.jpghttps://httpschannel4-a.akamaihd.net/1408993876/1408993876_2180722327001_900944612-148-1361468283903.jpg?pubId=1408993876&videoId=1982751108001
These are the top 5. Any predictions?
5. A Gun for George
4. The Heart of the World
3. The House is Black
2. Hedgehog in the Fog
1. Night and Fog
Predictions/Faildictions:
1. Night and Fog
2. The House Is Black
3. A Gun for George
4. Hedgehog in the Fog
5. The Heart of the World
ueno_station54
07-11-22, 06:14 PM
i think jj posted them in order 1-5
i think jj posted them in order 1-5
https://c.tenor.com/_GWrgI4QsDQAAAAC/clever-girl-jurassic-park.gif
In the meantime, I apologize for not having all my reviews ready by the deadline. Will try to finish today *lashes himself with whip*
SpelingError
07-11-22, 06:21 PM
In the meantime, I apologize for not having all my reviews ready by the deadline. Will try to finish today *lashes himself with whip*
I don't forgive you. We're no longer friends anymore!
Captain Terror
07-11-22, 06:23 PM
In the meantime, I apologize for not having all my reviews ready by the deadline. Will try to finish today *lashes himself with whip*
https://c.tenor.com/rec5dlPBK2cAAAAd/mr-bean-waiting.gif
I don't forgive you. We're no longer friends anymore!Begun, this short war has.
But anyway, for the rest of Thief's reviews, we have to subscribe to his podcast...
...don't we? ;)
SpelingError
07-11-22, 06:31 PM
My ballot so far:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Malice in Wonderland
6. Nu
7. Un Obus Partout
8.
9. Goodbye Mommy
10. Seven
11. Brats
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 07:09 PM
No. 5
The Heart of the World
https://directorslounge.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/guy-maddin.jpg
74 points
Highest vote - 1st - Captain Terror
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 07:10 PM
Edit: spoilers are so unwieldy for my dumb brain that I am just going to abandon my previous idea of putting all of the top in spoiler alerts
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 07:19 PM
No. 4
A Gun for George
https://httpschannel4-a.akamaihd.net/1408993876/1408993876_2180722327001_900944612-148-1361468283903.jpg?pubId=1408993876&videoId=1982751108001
78 Points
Highest vote - 1st - Torgo
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 07:21 PM
No. 3
The House Is Black
https://worldscinema.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/The-House-is-Black-19631.png
86 Points
Highest vote - 1st - SpelingError
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 07:22 PM
No. 2
Hedgehog in the Fog
https://hannianjia.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/p1331542902.jpg
93 points
Highest vote - 2nd (x4)
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 07:24 PM
No. 1
Night and Fog
https://www.tidf.org.tw/sites/www.tidf.org.tw/files/imagecache/ye_yu_wu__0.jpg
113 points
Highest vote - 1st (x7)
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 07:25 PM
7 out of 11 first place votes surely has to be the highest percentage of first place votes in any hall of fame, right?
SpelingError
07-11-22, 07:26 PM
1. The House is Black
2. Hedgehog in the Fog
3. Night and Fog
4. The Heart of the World
5. Malice in Wonderland
6. Nu
7. Un Obus Partout
8. A Gun for George
9. Goodbye Mommy
10. Seven
11. Brats
SpelingError
07-11-22, 07:26 PM
A very enjoyable Hall. Thanks to jiraffejustin for hosting and congrats to Citizen Rules for getting first place!
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 07:28 PM
1. Night and Fog
2. Malice in Wonderland
3. The House Is Black
4. Hedgehog in the Fog
5. Goodbye Mommy
6. The Heart of the World
7. A Gun for George
8. Brats
9. Un obus partout
10. Seven
11. Now
ueno_station54
07-11-22, 07:33 PM
i do not remember my ballot at all lmao. thanks for running this. v. good hall <3
crumbsroom
07-11-22, 07:36 PM
Even as a bystander, how can anything possibly beat Night and Fog? It's like 30 of the most important minutes in cinema.
jiraffejustin
07-11-22, 07:43 PM
Just dropping this here: we should make the shorts hall of fame an ongoing thing.
Takoma11
07-11-22, 07:49 PM
Great hall, everyone!
Once I saw Night and Fog in the mix, I had no doubt that it would grab that top spot, and hopefully anyone who hasn't seen it yet will be inspired to do so.
It was really fun to have an entire hall that was so enjoyable. And even if something isn't really your thing, most of the time watching it took less time than boiling an egg.
I liked everything I watched for this, with about 3/4 of them being first-time watches.
Captain Terror
07-11-22, 08:00 PM
Even as a bystander, how can anything possibly beat Night and Fog? It's like 30 of the most important minutes in cinema.
I chose to not rank it #1 because the day after I watched it, it occurred to me that I was remembering almost nothing of the Resnais-shot portions of the film. We all respond to the stock footage of the camps, and rightly so, but Resnais didn't shoot that. As I said in my review, I've encountered this footage many times in the past separate from N&F and it was no less disturbing in the context of some 80s PBS documentary made by an unknown director. I'm being glib here to make a point, but that footage is disturbing enough that as long as you don't accompany it with a ragtime piano score your film is going to make an impact, regardless of your input. Now, I'm not implying that Resnais just threw something together. I still ranked it in the top 3 (possibly 2nd, I don't remember). I just chose to rate the movie as opposed to the importance of the footage it contained.
SpelingError
07-11-22, 08:15 PM
Night and Fog is terrific, but I ordered my ballot from most to least favorite so, as important as Resnais' film is, it doesn't have quite the staying power that Hedgehog in the Fog and The House is Black do. I elaborated on this in my review of the short though.
MovieGal
07-11-22, 08:25 PM
I know my top 4 was The House Is Black, Night and Fog, my own nomination and Hedgehog in the Fog. Not sure what the order was others than Night and Fog #1 and mine #2.
I enjoyed this. Thanks to jiraffejustin for hosting. *I would be down for another shorts hall in the future. *And next time, I’m coming for the win!
Begun, this short war has.
But anyway, for the rest of Thief's reviews, we have to subscribe to his podcast...
...don't we? ;)
Ha! I'd be surprised if at least 3 people here have listened to it :laugh:
This was a lot of fun indeed. Lots of weird little films that I probably wouldn't have seen any other way. Thanks to everybody.
Congrats to Citizen and thanks to jj for hosting. It's the next best thing to attending a short film festival.
Just dropping this here: we should make the shorts hall of fame an ongoing thing.I concur. I've already thought of more shorts to share/inflict upon all of you.
crumbsroom
07-11-22, 10:11 PM
I chose to not rank it #1 because the day after I watched it, it occurred to me that I was remembering almost nothing of the Resnais-shot portions of the film. We all respond to the stock footage of the camps, and rightly so, but Resnais didn't shoot that. As I said in my review, I've encountered this footage many times in the past separate from N&F and it was no less disturbing in the context of some 80s PBS documentary made by an unknown director. I'm being glib here to make a point, but that footage is disturbing enough that as long as you don't accompany it with a ragtime piano score your film is going to make an impact, regardless of your input. Now, I'm not implying that Resnais just threw something together. I still ranked it in the top 3 (possibly 2nd, I don't remember). I just chose to rate the movie as opposed to the importance of the footage it contained.
I know this was my feeling the first time I watched it, and was one reason I never returned to it for more than 20 years. But upon revisiting last year, obviously the found footage it still what lingers, but the methods through which Renais allows these images to unfold, his poetic narration and the modern clips putting context to what has happened here, are all essential to how the film becomes something that transcends just being a parade of horrors. It's a beautifully made film, which adds an eerie grace to the degradation it depicts. It's a poem for.the worst in us.
SEVEN
(2018, Morgan)
https://i.imgur.com/f81ph12.jpg
"My father once told me that up here, this far north, with no day and night, it's easy to get lost. To think you're right when you're wrong."
Life is full of choices; choices we make because we know it's right, choices others make for us, and choices we make because others expect it from us, even though we know it's wrong. The latter seems to be at the center of this short film from James Morgan.
Set in a remote Scandinavian village, Seven follows Yohana (Dagny Backer Johnsen), a young woman that has to decide the fate of a kidnapped oil worker (Nicholas Boulton). We are told that oil companies and rigs have been threatening the peace and environment of their village, and apparently a conflict of some kind resulted in the death of Yohana's father and leader of the village.
But we don't get to see any of that; just the aftermath, the moral conflict of what to do. Should we pay an eye for an eye? Are there other motives to have this outsider die? Yohana is accompanied in her task by the village elder (Trond Teigen), who begs of her to go forward: "It's important you go through with this. We need to send a message."
So the film becomes a game of choices. Choices others make for us, like the elder stepping up after the death of their leader; and choices we make because others expect it from us, like Yohana's choice to carry on this trial or not. All three of them dealing with hesitancy in the face of tough choices and unknown consequences, trying not to get lost.
This is a great short in pretty much every aspect. First of all, it is beautifully shot, with some gorgeous cinematography and skilled editing. Second, all three main performances are pretty good, with Teigen being particularly notable for me. The way he conveys strength in spite of insecurity, with a little bit of shadiness, is perfect.
I like that the short film doesn't really try to take sides. It just puts us right in the middle of this ritual, along with the characters. It's up to us to decide what we think it's right or wrong.
Grade: 4
Citizen Rules
07-11-22, 10:21 PM
Just dropping this here: we should make the shorts hall of fame an ongoing thing.Thanks for hosting and hell yeah there should be a lot more Short HoFs in the near future. Are you up to host the 6th Short?
Citizen Rules
07-11-22, 10:24 PM
Just wanted to say I hope you guys are over those grim images in Night and Fog, but I hope no one forgets what happened there.
A BIG thanks to everyone for joining and picking some really neat short films. I liked or appreciated them all! So hard to rank them as they all have merit. Anyway here's my list:
1 Night and Fog
2 Seven
3 Nu
4 A Gun for George
5 Hedgehog in the Fog
6 The House Is Black
7 Goodbye Mommy
8 The Heart of the World
9 Brats
10 Un obus partout
11 Malice in Wonderland
HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG
(1975, Norstein)
https://i.imgur.com/R1Ig9zT.jpg
"If the horse goes to sleep, will it sink in the fog?"
That's the question that little Hedgehog (Mariya Vinogradova) asks himself as he stumbles upon a magical-looking white horse in the midle of the forest. Will it sink in the fog? Should he go explore? You see, little Hedgehog seems to be a bit too preoccupied about "creepy creatures" in the fog, but should he be?
Hedgehog in the Fog is an impressively made short, in terms of animation. But more importantly, an incredibly charming one. It follows Hedgehog as he embarks on a journey to meet his friend Bear (Vyacheslav Nevinnyy). But on the road, he gets lost in the fog as anxiety kicks in and he starts feeling terrified about the different creatures around him: an owl, a snail, a bat, an elephant, and much, much more.
But not the horse. The horse draws him in, and perhaps helps him realize that not everything has to go wrong; not everything has to be bad or terrifying. The fog doesn't have to be bad, not every creature is out to get him, things that were lost can be found, paths that were missed can be retaken, and true friends will always worry for you and wait for you.
Grade: 4
PHOENIX74
07-11-22, 11:38 PM
Glad to see Hedgehog in the Fog win the coveted second place spot (nothing was going to beat Night and Fog in this Hall of Fame, so I had interest in which would rank highest out of the rest.) I really enjoyed it, and ranked it highest apart from my nom and of course Night and Fog which I simply had to vote in first place. All the films were great really, and I really enjoyed this particular Hall. There are some that I can't believe are near the bottom on my list, but that was because of the sheer quality of all the noms.
1 - Night and Fog
2 - The Heart of the World
3 - Hedgehog in the Fog
4 - The House is Black
5 - A Gun For George
6 - Goodbye Mommy
7 - Shell All
8 - Seven
9 - Nu
10 - Malice in Wonderland
11 - Brats
Edit - I meant to add : Thanks jiraffejustin a bunch for hosting!
I sent my ballot so hastily that I didn't even remember how I voted :laugh: Had to ask jj to send it back to me.
Anyway, here's my ranking...
1) Night and Fog
2) A Gun for George
3) Seven
4) The House Is Black
5) Shell All
6) Hedgehog in the Fog
7) Nu
8) The Heart of the World
9) Goodbye Mommy
10) Malice in Wonderland
11) Brats
If you've seen my reviews, you'll see that my lowest ranked one (Brats) got a 3, so not a weak one in the bunch. Also, as I wrote about Hedgehog in the Fog now, I realized I should probably swap it with Shell All, but what's done is done.
Ha! I'd be surprised if at least 3 people here have listened to it :laugh:
I've listened to it before and enjoyed it.
I've listened to it before and enjoyed it.
See? 1/3 :D
jiraffejustin
07-12-22, 01:49 AM
Thanks for hosting and hell yeah there should be a lot more Short HoFs in the near future. Are you up to host the 6th Short?
If somebody else would do it, I'd definitely let them do it instead of me. But if nobody else has any interest in running the next one, I'd do it just to make it happen.
I know my sense of urgency has waned, but...
UN OBUS PARTOUT
(2015, Najjar)
https://i.imgur.com/Hy683Hf.jpg
"You want to die"
"No, I want to live"
Lebanon, 1982. The country is right in the middle of a civil war, while also trying to fend off military occupations from both Syria and Israel. The times of peace are few and war has become part of regular life, although "life" might not be the best term. With explosions a common occurrence, snipers being a frequent sight, and destroyed buildings the norm, survival is the more appropriate term.
It is in that setting that Un obus partout takes place. It follows Gabriel (Arthur Dupont), a young man desperate to see his fiancée in the other side of the city. The problem? To get there, he has to cross a bridge heavily guarded by enemy snipers. The plan? He recruits his friend Mokhtar (Thomas Blumenthal) to make a mad dash through the bridge in an old car as the snipers are distracted watching the 1982 World Cup.
Director Zaven Najjar does a great job with a sleek animation style that uses silhouette-like figures. This serves to accentuate the kinetic nature of the story and makes the visuals pop out more. I also thought that the use of a soccer game to contrast against the violence of the setting was an effective choice, while also highlighting two elements that define our humanity: our desire to have fun and our need to love.
I can't imagine what it would be like to live in a situation like this, where this violence ends up becoming just part of the day. So in a way, I understand Gabriel's urgency to not put his life and his love on hold while the war recedes. His determination to risk his life to see his fiancée goes to the very nature of our humanity; our desire to do more than survive, but to live and love.
Grade: 4
GOODBYE MOMMY
(2019, Wedge)
https://i.imgur.com/9D654JH.png
"Like I said, I don't really fit into this world. Misunderstood. So I pushed my own mind at telling my story; and then at the end, I'll be saying goodbye."
A down-on-his-luck detective is hired by a Queen to find her husband and baby, but shady elements threaten his mission. Think you've seen this story done before? Well, think again, cause writer and director Jack Wedge takes that story and grinds it through an acid-trip kaleidoscope of color, noir-ish vibes, and bizarre CGI animation.
Goodbye Mommy is the third short film from Wedge, whose father Chris achieved fame by directing the first Ice Age film and for voicing the ill-fated squirrel Scrat all through the franchise. But the apple couldn't have fallen further from the tree, at least in terms of style. This short film is a dizzying and disorienting experience, not only because of the way the camera frantically moves around the environment, but also because of how convoluted the story is.
But to be clear, I don't mean any of that in a bad way. There is a hypnotizing quality to it that doesn't let you look away, and there is a certain melancholy to the way the story unfolds, even if you're not really sure what is happening. The lead detective (voiced by Chris Wedge) feels misunderstood and like he "doesn't really fit into this world", but much like this short film, this job will turn out to be not what he (or us!) expected.
Grade: 3
NU
(2003, Staho)
https://i.imgur.com/lKThM8T.png
"What we do *now* echoes in eternity" --Marcus Aurelius
Tough to pick a quote when a short film is entirely silent. Still, that quote from Roman emperor came to mind as I was thinking about this. I doubt it is what director and co-writer Simon Staho had in mind when writing and filming it, or choosing a title, but it is what kept coming back to me. The choices we make *now* will undoubtedly have repercussions, one way or the other, in our future and other people's future.
Now follows a man, Jakob (Mads Mikkelsen), making one of those choices when he marries Lisa (Elin Klinga). The thing is that Jakob eventually develops affections for someone else, Adam (Mikael Persbrandt), which maybe means that Jakob's choice was made for "now"; perhaps to please those around him, but not realizing that what he did *now* will echo into eternity.
There are some striking visuals and some powerful elements in this short film. However, the cold and distant direction doesn't really leave much space for a connection. Mikkelsen is great, which is a lot for a role that has no dialogue and demands a mostly stoic and emotionless performance. I just wish there could've been more for me to latch on to and give more weight to the powerful elements.
Grade: 3.5
NIGHT AND FOG
(1956, Resnais)
https://i.imgur.com/g1bzAHu.png
"Death makes its first choice. The second one is made on arrival in night and fog."
Night and Fog is a documentary that chronicles many of the events that happened at Nazi concentration camps during The Holocaust. Starting with the rise of Nazi ideology, the documentary offers details of how Jewish people were transported and led into camps, how they carried on their daily lives while imprisoned, and how they were treated, tortured, tested on, and eventually executed.
It is hard to write about this documentary from a filmmaking standpoint and not detour into the events it portrays. Resnais intercalates "modern" footage of the ruins of camps like Auschwitz and Majdanek, with stock footage taken during the Holocaust. The narration by Michel Bouquet offers a somber and melancholic account of the events. It is indeed a neatly constructed documentary.
But it is hard to write about this documentary and not detour into what it portrays. I consider myself a World War II buff, and I've seen dozens of photographs, videos, and documentaries about it and the Holocaust. Some are seen here, some are not. But even with those that I've seen, it never fails to crush my soul to see the utter disregard of humanity by those that perpetrated these crimes.
It's hard to imagine how something as horrible as this could be conceived, thought of, planned, put in motion, and carried on for years. It's hard to think how one would react if faced with these atrocities; to know that death can creep up in the darkness of night and responsibilities hidden under the cover of fog.
Grade: 4.5
https://c.tenor.com/pbucMdEU8IkAAAAC/finished-elijah-wood.gif
Thanks to everybody for your patience.
Just want to let you all know that I put Hedgehog in the Fog to my kids. Older one fell asleep (it was right before bedtime), but younger one saw it all through and seemed to be very much into it. Said it was a bit scary, but he wanted to see "another one" to see what happens with the horse :laugh:
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