It is there where a shortage of paraffin is threatening the town with a complete darkness; if no one will come up with a great new invention that will brighten up any night, that is.
The film is filled with bright colors that take over the village, more than just lovely narration, and great camera work.

Seeing his town slowly falling into darkness a young inventor, Walter Hlase, sets on a mission to create a new renewable energy source that would not only make everyone 'see' again, but also to finally gain the respect and friendship of the townsfolk. Soon our introverted, shy friend shuts the door to his lab beginning his long journey to the invention that will surely change his life. He works tirelessly day and night, but every time there is a sign of a victory there is also a sign of a failure just seconds after the presentation. Will Hlase come up with a solution on his own?

E-lectricity is filled with more than just colorful set of characters, all of whom will certainly make you smile. At times it even seems as if the entire village helped with a shooting the movie.

Being a graduation film, E-lectricity will surely win you over with its overall presentation; from camerawork, to acting, set, and music flawlessly setting up the mood of this lovely creation. This well thought out, 'feel good' storyline does not come without some valuable life lessons, so go ahead and check it out. Download available through Vimeo.

Related Links:
E-lectricity on Vimeo

Directed by Santiago Grasso and written by Patricio Plaza, this brilliant five-minute animation produced by Opusbou Animations had already garnered 100 international awards and participated in 190 film festivals.

It tells the story of a nameless working man performing his usual journey to work set in a bizarre world where human beings are used as inanimate objects. This simple yet strong representation convey the tedious nature of each job and how we utilize man power in the modern era.

The film thoroughly explores the subject of human workforce connecting it to day-to-day reality. The filmmakers successfully executed structured images to present a unifying idea relatable to the audience. 

Overall, it's a candy treat for the film buffs--great idea and brilliant execution rolled into one. It will delight the eye and engage the mind showcasing clever images blended with social consciousness.

The short film is a refreshing take on animation compared to its main-stream counterparts. It's simple, tight and profound. It clearly showed the involvement of a bigger workforce behind the machines that makes our life easier.

The Employment is indeed a distinctive fresh addition to the genre, proving that it only takes a clever mind to convey a complex message. So sit back, press play and indulge in this highly-recommended animation.

Related Links:
Opusbou Animation's Official Website
The Employment on IMDb
The Employment on Facebook

Yes, its bad; we know. In fact Santa Claus Conquers the Martians was hailed as one of 100 worst movies of all time on IMDb and described by many as the worst of all the Christmas movie flops to date. Yet, its there. And for the past 47 years it made thousands cry... with laughter. So why not share some of that unconventional cheer this holiday season.
Are you ready than? Get your family, some popcorn, and open your heart for the poorly written and silly children's movie which according to one movie critic is "like a car accident unfolding before your eyes, it's impossible to look away even if only to see how bad it can get."

Written by Paul L Jacobson and directed by Nicholas Webster in 1964, this science fiction Holiday flick was made on a shoe string budget and received mix response, some very extreme. Yet, putting aside the somewhat poorly written script, the storyline is very sweet and could just be the thing your family needs this holiday season.
Basically, its Christmas time even on Mars. And just like anywhere else the children are all glued up to the family TV sets watching the countless reports about Santa. There is only one problem; the leaders of this famous Red Planet are not that sure what to do with their kids awaiting the visit of the "gift-bearing earthling". They know, however, that something needs to be done, and so two of the martians, Voldar and Dropo, are sent to earth on a mission to kidnap the one and only Santa Claus.
Search for Santa is not an easy task thou and so the martians kidnap two local kids, Betty and Billy, so that they lead them to the residence of this lovely and chubby old man; a point in the story where the action really takes off.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians might not have the best script, the best of editing, or... well the list goes on, but sometimes all you need is one silly movie to truly bright up your day. Give it a try! You just might be surprised.

Related Links:
SCCTM on Rotten Tomatoes
SCCTM on Facebook

An old time classic coming from Warner Bros, "Uncle Tom's Bungalow", can be only described as all fun and laughter - exactly what the Looney Tunes are famous for and doing best.
With a run-time of 08:33, it is great to see how the environment manages to look convincing with just sketches. On top of that the cartoon features some really epic "characters", from a little kid with the meanest expressions to the sleeping hounds. These little personalities sport varied voice-tones and emotions that words simply cannot do justice.

The cartoon tells a story of Uncle Tom who is fearfully put up at Simon-Simon Legree's "Used Slave Co" and is being whipped at various occasions. Not a long time passes, however, when Topsy and Eva (two little girls) rescue him out of slavery. The plot is quite intense and heavy for an animation of this kind (in fact it is one of Tex Avery's banned cartoons), but a half a century later it makes it that much more important to see.

On a personal note, I really loved the way the proverbial bad guy of the cartoon "Simon-Simon Legree" (pronounced as SEEMOAN-SEEMOAN) looked with a long fine moustache stretching from point A to B, big teeth, large hat and the evilness that oozes out from his smile. Quite a heady mix for a cartoon and enough spice for a good laugh.

If you really want to know what is all the hype surrounding the bungalow of Uncle Tom, then the best way to find out is by watching this old time classic and living through brief moments of fun.

Related Links:
Uncle Tom's Bungalow on Wikipedia
Uncle Tom's Bungalow on Facebook

For a $200 budget, independent movie outfit, Dingoman Productions has created a funny and very entertaining film. Now, the poster might not be much to look at but trust me, this one will be worth it.

The Legend of Action Man is a 100 minute film about a guy who likes to dress up like a superhero. Everything would have been dandy if only he wasn't the one causing so much of the problems in the first place. Think Kick-Ass minus the Hollywood costumes, special effects and budget.

Created by Derek Papa and Andy Young, the storyline was based on a short film that the duo created while they were still in high school. With more time on their hands, they've turned their quirky idea into a hilarious, home made film that's worth checking out.

Like most die-hard wannabe superheroes, they're always out there in search for the bad guys. The only problem for "Action Man" is that in his sleepy town of Sugarland, TX, there's hardly any crime to fight. Plus, when he does set out to "help" he always ends up making everything worse. After a couple of mishaps, the authorities warn him that if he causes more trouble, he'll be placed in house arrest.

Enter Mark, a young news intern looking for a scoop. He thinks that Action Man might be news worthy until they hear about a murder. The duo turn their sights and suspect the new millionaire, John Magnum, that just moved around the block. Will Action Man really save the day this time or is this gonna end up in a ball of flames like his previous stunts?

The Legend of Action Man might not be Hollywood flick but it gets the job done in capturing the watcher's interest. Even though there were times when the shots got blurry and instances where the storyline was a bit confusing (it is a home made film after all) you still wanted to watch the entire thing through the end. It's a fun and entertaining flick that'll be worth your time.

You can stream the film online or download it. However, if you're feeling a little generous and want to show support to the makers, you can also purchase a DVD copy of the film via Amazon. It features extras like commentaries and interviews apart from the film itself.

Related Links:
The Legend of Action Man on Archive
The Legend of Action Man on Wikipedia
The Legend of Action Man on Action Flick Reviews
The Legend of Action Man on Watch This Flick

Yes, we live in the age of Iron-Man, Avatar, Harry Potter, Inception and a number of other cinematic hits that took over our movie theater screens. But that does not mean that the Hollywood classics are dead.

In fact, as some of them have safely crossed over into the sphere of public domain they can be easily accessed and downloaded for free; just like His Girl Friday - called no. 13 best comedy film of all time by Guardian (and a 97% from rating from Rotten Tomatoes), a film that put journalism among the most glamorous professions, and most importantly a film with stellar performances from Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. A treat for everyone.

His Girl Friday, 'a timeless masterpiece' as called by many, is filled with rapid-fire dialogue, tones of wit, and quick pace with the cast never missing a beat. Written by Lederer and directed by Howard Hawks, famous for Gentlemen Prefer Blonds (with Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe) as well as a screenplay for the future Ocean's Eleven, among others, the film follows characters of Walter Burns (Grant) an editor at The Morning Post and his ex-wife and journalist Hildy Johnson (Russell).

The story does more than talking about a struggle between an editor and a reporter - it also conveys the battle between the sexes as Hildy is not only leaving the life of a journalist for a quiet life in Albany, New York, but she is leaving it on account of getting engaged. So when Burns learns about Hildy leaving the business to marry a dull insurance salesman (a total opposite of flamboyant Grant) he becomes more than determined to get her back, both as a wife and a reporter, by sabotaging her plans. And so here is where the real action begins as Walter, trying to do everything he can to keep Hildy from leaving, entices her to cover one last story - the upcoming execution of convicted murderer Earl Williams (John Qualen).

His Girl Friday was originally intended as a straightforward adaptation of The Front Page (a hit Broadway comedy produced in 1928), where both, the editor and reporter, were men. However during auditions, as Hawks's secretary read reporter Hildy Johnson's lines the director noticed that the dialogue sounded much better while coming from a woman. Soon the script has been rewritten to make Hildy female and the ex-wife of editor Walter Burns while most of the dialogue and character's names were left the same.

Whether you already saw this comedy classic and want a piece of cinematic history for yourself or if its the very first time you came across it, I hope you will enjoy it the same way I did.

Related Links:
His Girl Friday on IMDb
His Girl Friday on Internet Archive
His Girl Friday on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis
Notorious gunman Clayton Young is given a last minute pardon from death row, only to be sent on an assassination mission for the ruthless Governor Lafort. The target: Matthew Saberneck, a living legend of a mercenary. Saberneck didn't only disobey the gruelling orders of his former employer — he also freed one of his female slaves and married her. Now Clayton is supposed to make friends with that ageing gunslinger, in order to intrude his fortified ranch and strike when the opportunity arises. But the Governor's scheme didn't take into account the code of honour of those gunfighters — even less, it accounted for the ravishing attractivity of Naina, the newlywed Mrs. Saberneck. So in a flash, a love triangle is created — of the sort that concentrates on the exchange of bullets instead of niceties.

Snowblind was created by Mangofilm, a posse of German movie enthusiasts who were united by their strong love for 70s and 80s grindhouse cinema. With the daring concept of "cowboys with motorbikes" we were able to draw a lot of professionals to both sides of the camera. A cast of fresh talents from the US, the UK, Australia, Ireland and even South Africa make the film truly international.

About
Snowblind was produced entirely on private money, and used the help of the online community "wreckamovie.com", which was funded by the makers of internet phenomenon "Star Wreck". After 18 months of hard work, Snowblind had it's world premiere on the 20st Emden International Film Festival on the 7th of June 2010. Since then, the film has toured several countries, winning "Best International Picture" at Belfast's Yellow Fever International Film Festival.

Realisation
SNOWBLIND was shot entirely against green acreen — using the so-called "backlot" technique. Only through that method was is possible to bring our story's epic landscapes needs to the big screen on a low budget. In the impressive visualisation, realistic environmental factors such as snow, ice and fog clash with stylising elements like backlit silhouettes, slow motion effects and graphical elements straight from the pages of manga books. Maintaining typical features of the western genre at the same time creates a unique kind of visual irony, thus compensating the budgetary constraints with a lot of freshness and charme.

Donate
Since Mangofilms has put every last cent of its private money into Snowblind, they need your help raising the funds to shoot their next feature film.

Official Movie Page
Facebook Fanpage
Mangofilm on Twitter

Snowblind on VODO

A graduation film by a group of students led by writer Stian Hafstad, “Small Penis” briefly chronicles the story of Daniel who has huge insecurities about the size of his penis and joins a support group that's a bit out of ordinary.

Produced with a budget of US$400-500 and filmed in only five days in Bergen, Norway, this amusing short film is very well written, shot and composed of surprisingly good, convincing actors. For a film title, “Small Penis” gives a lot, despite its size. Different folks will have different reactions, naturally. Some will be quickly amused, others displeased, and others, stoked.

To elaborate, those who are quickly amused probably felt this film has a hilarious. They are right. Those who are displeased probably thought “Small Penis” is just another meaningless film guised as art by those who had nothing better to do. They should watch this. Those who are stoked probably assumed this is a product of playful and creative minds who take their sense of humor seriously. They couldn’t be more right on the money, at least when the first half of “Small Penis” is concerned.

The characters belong to a support group that would remind you of the usual AA meeting scenes in the movies. While these men’s feelings may be inconceivable for a woman like me, the amusing way in which the story is told did humor me every minute of it, until they started singing and dancing. The music is actually good and catchy (written by Erlend Myrstad), it is just the amount of time spent on singing and dancing that I have some issues with. It would have been better if the film further explored the thoughts and relationships of Daniel, instead of showing a song-and-dance and bloopers sequence. Bloopers are always welcome for me, but a short film has to be packed and every minute must be maximized. In the end, it seemed the creators just wanted to have fun and I see nothing really wrong with that.

The film was shot on Sony XDcam, 1920x1080, 25p, and edited in Final Cut. I've recommended this film to my friends (and I wasn’t embarrassed at all).

Related Links:
"Small Penis" on Vimeo
Download "You are not Your Penis" (mp3)
"Small Penis" on YouTube

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Mormor means “grandmother” in Norwegian. This short film is about a renewed bond that was formed between a granddaughter (Pia) and her mormor one fine summer.

Pia’s parents are too busy with their lives to take care of her when the school’s on a break, so Pia takes a spontaneous vacation to her mormor’s home. Mormor is a widow, and so the young girl is such a delightful presence in her home. They have lots fun and many adventures together until...

This entertaining dark satire is a fulfillment of the requirements of "Film and Television Production" at the University of Bergen, Norway. Mormor is directed by Marthe Igesund and edited by Espen Hobbesland. These young filmmakers successfully combined the aesthetics of postcard landscapes on film with the dark realities of an elder’s life. Compelling with a good sense of humor, Mormor will make you rethink your retirement options and evaluate your relationships with your parents and/or children. This short film is for everyone.

Related Links:
Mormor on Vimeo
Mormor on YouTube

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