We’re nearing the end of the year, and after a brief break following the HollyShorts Film Festival, we’re back with another set of excellent films to check out. As usual with our monthlies, there’s over a dozen films to check out, many of them leaning towards indulging in the spirit of this month’s holiday. The screening will take place at the LOOK! Cinemas in Glendale, CA on October 29th with tickets for both blocks available for purchase. (Block 1 here, Block 2 here), and will be available on BitPix shortly after for those who can’t attend in person. So let’s not waste any more time and get to this month’s films!
Shit On Your Lip – A wild comedy by Elvira Ibragimova (co-written by Anna Lockheart), this short film sees a whistleblower who is going public with a scandal from a beloved toy company, only for his appearance during the press conference to completely derail his reveal. Arnold Crowe (Andrew Knox) has some information, speaking out at a press conference, only for him to have something mysterious and brown unknowingly on his lip during. This fact takes the world by storm, the unknown and mysterious nature of whatever was on his face completely taking away from the scandal itself. After the uproar, Crowe disappears from sight, not explaining and hiding from the public, the mystery growing by leaps and bounds. It takes a reporter (Emily Pendergast) and his frustrating and annoying brother (Tim Baltz) to let the mystery come to light. It’s ridiculous, silly and a lot of fun, with a cast full of very funny people coming together to make something that is so enjoyable.
Show And Tell – A film by J.M. Kallet, this horror short stars Mary Cameron Rogers and Kalama Epstein as two 50’s-era teens out on an old-fashioned date. But as Caleb (Epstein) brings up that he heard that Emily (Rogers) has a hidden talent, Emily convinces Caleb to reveal the secret of what really happened with Emily’s best friend, revealing an terrible at committed under the influence by Caleb. It’s then that Emily reveals her own secret, and one that will have a severe impact. It’s a fun horror short, with revenge and a great twist on the menu. The effects were also excellent, leaving this as a nice bite-sized piece of horror that is sure to delight audiences.
Babushka – Jon James Smith’s horror short about a supernatural force that has taken hold of and followed the family for generations. Annie Parker-Reed (Hayley McFarland) was dealt a terrible blow during her childhood when an evil force took hold of her father, whose brutal murder of his wife left a trauma that Annie has yet to recover from. Now with her daughter Sophie (Quinn Aune) to take care of, the scars of the past are reopened when Annie finds a babushka doll in her attic, bringing the evil that marked her family back into it.
Where The Shadows Feast – Aaron M. Cabrera’s genre-blending short takes the tough intensity of a noir and the quiet tension of a classic black and white monster film and brings them together in this intense and gripping horror short. As a Detective (Corey Allen) and a distraught mother (Alicia Blasingame) are forced to confront the darkness itself while looking to find the mother’s missing child. Along the way they are forced to confront terrifying sights and an anxiety above all else as they make the attempt, only to find out that they aren’t the only ones moving around in the darkness. It’s a deeply unsettling film that really keeps you on the edge of your seat, allowing it to do what every good horror film should: scare you.
Maraschino – Alyssa Cody Garcia’s tale of love and madness is an absolute rollercoaster of a film as we meet Bunni Rabbit (Lacey Claire Rogers), a centerfold who beings a relationship with her photographer, Lio (Justin Usle), seemingly right in front of Lio’s wife, Blaire (Kristen DiMercurio). With their relationship solidified (as an affair), Bunni makes a surprise visit to her beau for his birthday, using his smart home speaker Per-C (Chad Doreck) as a guide to assist her, only for Per-C to have a mind of his own, taunting Bunni for what’s she doing, and what she’s done, the film slowly revealing the lengths Bunni has actually gone to in order to surprise her love, and the ways in which her own delusions fuel her motivations. It’s a stunning film that lets itself unfold naturally, with wonderful visuals and an impressive performance from Rogers, whose emotional range was seemingly endless in this film.
Prick – When a podcaster (Nicole Balsam) gets a chance to do an interview with the President (Paul Calderon), she takes her chance, bringing every tool at her disposal and even some she’s hidden in an attempt to put the President’s feet to the fire for their actions. While not a political commentator, this podcaster forgoes the softball questions and instead goes for the throat, leading to an interesting reveal on how this President handles running their administration and all the tribulations it holds. Despite asking the right questions, this film feels like it wanted to and should have gone farther in its look into politics, but for the story being told, it really hit the nail on the head as to how difficult it can be to take a stand and use your platform to do something you think is right.
When Everything Was Blue – Christina Chironna directs and co-writes this film (alongside Karl Janisse) that tells the heartbreaking story of those effected by the attack on September 11th, the years and decades after it happened. Luke (Bryant Carroll) and Julie (Mel House) are joined by their kids throughout the years through the lens of a home video camera as we see the children learn and grow as the effects of Luke’s career as a firefighter, including as support on that tragic day, impact not only his life, but those of his family. Meant to highlight the suffering and challenges still faced by those who responded to the attack that day and the health risks that have followed them since, this film puts names and faces to those still suffering, and who have been mostly forgotten by the country they stepped in to rescue when no one else would.
Texas Strange – Justin Eugene Evans writes and directs this science fiction short that sees cowboy John Thurston (Jason R. Moore) return from two months away on another planet on a rescue mission to save one of his own team. When he returns, mission successful, his expected welcome of praise for his heroics is instead a full-on mutiny, with his team no longer having faith in him after a mission that goes awry and a rescue that takes much, much longer than expected. It’s fun, with beautiful effects and a story that feels like a small piece of something bigger, leaving much to enjoy and look forward to in the future.
Wavelength – A gorgeous animated film about love, loss, connection and the ways we communicate through not only words, but through the shifts and adjustments in our body language, in our facial expressions, in just general aura. Coming in at under four minutes, this short but powerful film manages to make a huge impact in such a short time. Buoyed by Lily Manning’s narration, Holly Warburton’s animation with direction by Kate Auster and a script by Benjamin Verrall, this film might be the most emotionally affecting four minutes of film seen in a long time.
Pure Euphoria – 128 time Ironman finisher Todd Crandell explains his motivations, his history and his battles with addiction in this documentary by Edward Knowles and Timo Bruun. The film follows him on his training, with his narration over top of it. His journey from drug and alcohol abuse, from family strife and from his own struggles with self-worth are outlined here as he gives his insights into how he overcame, his changes in perspective and his advice to others who are struggling. It’s uplifting, empowering and inspiring, with Crandell’s path from addict to marathon athlete (who has also obtained LPCC-S and LICDC-CS (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor – Supervisor and Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor- Clinical Supervisor respectively) licenses serving as an example as to how people can heal and get themselves to a better place.
Moderator – Based on real, anonymous stories from actual content moderators, Eli Staub writes and directs this short film that looks at a day in the life of this harrowing job sacrifices their well being for our curated entertainment. Starring Paula Rebelo, this might be one the more terrifying films of this block, as this very real job does irreparable harm to those who don’t get paid enough to do it. An excellent and tense film that gives just enough of a glimpse of this job to be unsettling without giving so much away that it does the same harm that the people doing it have enacted upon them.
That’ll do it for us this month! A big thank you to all the filmmakers who were able to display their hard work this month! Be sure to check back in for more news, reviews and interviews, all of which will be recapped here, and can be seen only on BitPix.
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