Pandemic Playlist - 2020

BINGE THESE

The Great Beaver’s list of niche independent movies to watch during quarantine. All feature films, produced in the Pacific Northwest, are available for rent, and a list of short films and underground cinema are available to stream for free.

- WATCH THE FEATURES - 

- WATCH THE SHORTS - 

Review of "Name" - a Short Post-Zombie-Apocalypse Film

What’s in a name? For our lead protagonist, the one thing she can’t remember about the man she loved, a man who died violently from an outbreak that decimated the human race, is his name. All the memories of shared laughs, tears, and lust are there — but why can she not just remember his name?

The irony of this short film, directed by Jeremy M. Brown, is that neither the man or the woman who are the focus of this story, have a name. They are credited neatly as “Woman” and “Man”. But as Woman continues to dwell over emotional memories of what love and life were like before the end of mankind, which has left her stranded and alone in a desolate world, she struggles to remember just that one last detail: what was his name?

- Read the Full Review at BeaverMedia.net - 

Review of "Intrigue", a Short Film

With light-hearted fun, director Mikel J. Wisler brings the audience into a campy spy thriller, and just when you think you think you’ve figured out each of the possible ways the story can go, he pulls the rug out from you in the most unexpected way, bringing some very authentic laughter and finishing the short movie in a most relatable way.

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Review of "Wipeout", a short film

A man with chronic Obsessive Compulsive Disorder falls in love with a beautiful female jogger, and takes up running in a bid to win her heart.

Made in 7 days in conjunction with the Aarhus Short Film Challenge 2014 in Denmark, this silent film is full of heart and plenty of chuckles.

Read the Full Review at BeaverMedia.net

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.

Read the Full Review at BeaverMedia.net

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.

Read the Full Review at BeaverMedia.net

Review of "Sad Clown", a short film

What do you do if your job is to make people laugh, but you can’t find joy for yourself? 

I recently watched Jason ’P. Schumacher’s short film, “Sad Clown”, a new 11-minute story featuring the tortured but treasured and timeless character. The film opens with a professional clown, putting on his makeup before a live show. The ringmaster enters and is alarmed, as this clown is not wearing a big red smile, but instead is in the process of painting on a frown and little blue teardrops. How can this be? With the show only moments from starting, what can be done to make this clown change his mood?

While in the traditional story of the clown and the doctor, we never know why the clown is depressed, but in “Sad Clown”, we learn the history… a jovial clown, once in love with a beautiful lady clown, has had his happiness whisked away by the whizz-bang flash of the circus magician… or should I say, illusionist? And now, this poor clown has no joy left to share with the world.

Read the Full Review at BeaverMedia.net