AFI Screenings - Reviews #3 (Shorts)

all of these were under an hour so I'm grouping them together.

ANIMATION
Carnivor Reflux, dir. Eddie White & James Calvert (7min)
Wow. This was just so fantastic. Hilarious, extremely well animated (using paper cutouts) and John Waters (the Australian actor, not the American director) does a great narration. Just a delight, really - despite it's subject matter. A

The Safe House, dir. Lee Whitmore (26min)
A fascinating animated film about a cold war spy who was seeking asylum Australia along with his wife in the 1950s. It's a true story (the spy thing) and this tale is also a true story apparently. The animation is supurb, with it's stunning self-painted canvases. Really great. B+

The Astronomer, dir. Kate McCartney (8min)
This was a nicely made animated short about how the modern world isn't was it used to be. Using quite unsophisticated looking charcoal animation, it is nice enough and thankfully doesn't outstay it's welcome. B-

Gargoyle, dir. Michael Cusack (10min)
Really well animated clay-mation, but I don't think I "got" this one. Seemed sort've pointless and when it was over it had absolutely zero impression on me. But, still, the gothic animation is great. C

For the record, I could see either of the first three getting Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Short. I think The Safe House may be more up their alley, but Carnivor Reflux is hysterical and this category is big on that. Don't tell me I didn't warn you.

LIVE-ACTION
Small Boxes, dir. Rene Hernandez (15min)
This short annoyed me. I think a short film should be like any film and make you want to see more, but it shouldn't DEMAND it. It shouldn't feel as if the makes simply cut a story off at an unlogical end. That's what happened here to Small Boxes. It was going nicely, I was enjoying the family dynamics and the performances by the two women (Vanessa Steele and Isabel Olivares) were great. But just as it was getting to a point where in a feature it would take off, they decided to just stop and end it rather abruptly. Sad. C+

Stranded, dir. Stuard McDonald (52min)
And then there's a movie like this that makes me really want to know more, but doesn't feel like it wasn't stopped at a logical spot. The end was completely okay with me. I would've liked this to be done as a feature and fleshed out more because I was really enjoying it. Emma Lung was great in the lead and Emily Browning (from Leminy Snickets) was fun as her bitchy sister. That David Hoflin was a hottie kleptomaniac too. B+

The 9:13, dir. Matthew Phipps (16min)
Frustrating. Normally this wouldn't have been anything particularly memorable, but what made it even worse was the sound. The makers seemed to make every sound effect and dialogue sound about 10 times louder than it normally should be. It made me wish it was over 5 minutes in. C-

The Desert, dir. Glendyn Ivin (9min)
Let me read to you the plot description that the producers submitted to the AFI. "I want to show you the desert. There's something out there. Something precious, something painful. I didn't think I'd need it anymore, but I do"

What is this thing out in the desert? A buried box containing the girl's twin. Or something like that. Absolutely ridiculously boring, even at 9minutes. I can't believe THIS is considering film making. I can put a camera anywhere, tell someone to walk and call it a movie then. Ugh. It's also an ad for Aussie band Magic Dirt. It has lead singer Adalita in it and features two Magic Dirt songs. D-

DOCUMENTARY
I already discussed the features Hunt Angel and Raul the Terrible, but these two were under an hour so they're here.

Welcome 2 My Deaf World, dir. Helen Gaynor (52min)
Man, did they pick the right two subjects for this documentary. It follows two students from the Melbourne School for the Deaf (or, whatever it's actual name it), Scott and Bethany. This doco is so much fun. The two kids are great fun. They really do put a smile on your face. Of course there are problems, but they're mostly washed over. While I would normally be against that, it's just a great time being with these two. Plus, that Scott is quite the catch. Bethany is a riot though. B+

Vietnam Nurses, dir. Polly Watkins
Simple idea. Get six Australian women who were nurses in the Vietnam war. Sit them down in a room together and show them slides from the war and film their reactions. Simple, moving and sweet. The ladies are darls and there are some great stories in there. It was also great to not only get a nurse's view of the war but also an Australian one. B