Thursday, April 2, 2015

Review of "Reverb", a short film

Pill-popper Helia has just lost her boyfriend, and is living in a big empty house all by herself. The first night we meet Helia, she is annoyed by late-night phone call attempts from her ex, “Cupcake” (although she denies to friends having heard from him). Soon, though, she is soon more disturbed by a creepy presence outside her home at night. Could it be her ex, hoping to get some of his things? Could it be some new stalker, or could it just be her imagination? She is a pill-popper, remember… (and over the course of the first 3 days, she doesn’t seem to change her shorts – if I were her boyfriend, I would’ve bailed too). One day, though, when we don’t see Helia take her pills, things start to get a bit more wild, and whomever has been outside her house (or on the fringes of her mind?) gets closer.



Review of "World Spins Madly On" - hipster cell-phone commercial or art film?

This short is wonderfully shot by Roger Metcalf, but it feels like an extended Verizon commercial that Director Jeremy Jed Hammel wanted to fit at least 3 of his favorite indie bands’ songs into (though he bested my sarcasm by actually fitting 5 in).

The highlight of this short came from the performances of the 2 guys behind the main character in line at the crosswalk (Dennis Hurley and Quentin James, from Friends of Gertrude). Whether written or improvised, their comedic banter was the only point of realism in this fairy tale – reminding viewers not to take the short too seriously.