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The Watchmaker's Son - a whimsical film for the whole family

Mona — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:00:29 +0000

Close this season of love with The Watchmaker's Son, a heartwarming treat for the whole family.

Produced by Whitestone Motion Pictures under the direction of Brandon McCormick, this short film revolves around the concept of pursuing one's dream and the desire to be loved.

It tells the story of a watchmaker who thrives to make a watch worthy of his father's approval, little did he know that the only thing his father wants was a little bit of his time.

The narration is quite clever, it's told in a third person perspective giving a story book experience to the audience. The rhyming lines were also cleverly penned.

Zachary Burke (son) and Tom Thon (father) were both flawless in their acting skills. Burke has perfectly executed the son's frustration and longing for recognition.

One thing I liked about the film is its top-notch production. The lighting and music are mounted in such a way that the overall piece evokes a whimsical and magical vibe. It's quite Tim Burton-esque but still plays on a league of its own.

The Watcmaker's Son is a brilliant film that recognizes the two definition of love between a father and a son-- the desire for approval and time.

This piece is a richly-mounted short film that has a personality of its own and a visual aesthetic that goes beyond levels. It's that kind of film that will grow beautifully in the hearts of both kids and adults.

Electroshock - brilliant and humorous superhero tale

Mona — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 14:00:20 +0000

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Re-animating the thrill of old-school comic books and pulp adventure comes Electroshock, a spell-binding superhero parody created by Hugo Jackson, Pascal Chandelier, Valentin Michel, Bastien Mortelecque and Elliot Maren of ESMA (Ecole Supérieure des Métiers Artistiques).

The story revolves around Buck, a lovable loser who after an electrical shock discovers the ability to 'slow-down' the time. With his newly found power, he poses as a superhero trying to impress the girl of his dreams.

The story will certainly appeal to kids and adults; reminding all of us that bravery is the best power of all and that hidden in all of us is a superhero waiting to be awakened. The addition of action-packed scenes and witty humor maintains the audience entertained throughout.

Technically, the short film is a visual gem. You can clearly see that it’s assembled with an intense amount of dedication and love so that every scene, every sound and every moment builds to an amazing masterpiece. I personally liked the comic book scene where the hero’s adventure is showcased by doodled cartoons.

Once again, creators of ESMA have proved themselves by surpassing its own standards of quality and humor. Electroshock is a brilliant action-comedy perfect for superb family entertaining.

Die Beauty - award-winning surreal thriller film from Sweden

Mona — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:00:57 +0000

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After four years in the making, Stina Bergman's Die Beauty is ready to face the world.

This full-feature film written by Åsa Björklund was premiered on September 17, 2010 at the Rio Cinema, SWE Museum and at The Pirate Bay on the web. Since its release, Die Beauty had appeared on international film festivals such as the Camerimage Festival in Poland and the Barcelona Creative Commons Film Festival.

As described by its makers, the film is a surreal thriller in a feverish fairytale world. A story about friendship, alienation, family ties and kindred blood. It revolves around five redhead girls living in a small village by the river looking for something to happen. They figured a dead body would be exciting and just like in fairytales, wishes do come true.

Bergman's approach was seamless and subtle. She sews a complete montage of the family's lives without resorting to sappy melodramatic scenes.

What makes this film strong is its brilliant touch on gender roles and adulthood. The women here are empowered. They learn to fight and maneuver their own lives without depending on a husband, or a man. This switching of power roles adds depth to the simple village life.

I am at awe how each scene earns its sentiments without getting over manipulative and preachy. The film manages to show the absurdity of the dysfunctional adult world and how children view it.

Overall, Die Beauty is a remarkable and ground-breaking film for the Swedish and Indie movie industry. It proved that there's also good in not conforming to Hollywood traditions. By releasing it on the world wide web, the potential audience is limitless. The piece of art will travel to different parts of the world instead of confining it within a big screen.

The film with non-Swedes subtitles is available at The Pirate Bay. The beautiful artwork is done by the amazing Karin Broos, check out more of her Die Beauty paintings in the film's Facebook page.

That's Magic! - a brilliant musical about an illusionist's enlightenment

Mona — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:00:28 +0000

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Brilliant as always, Whitestone Motion Pictures once again dazzles our eyes with That's Magic!

This 14-minute musical revolves around a disenchanted magician who comes face to face with his own self doubt about magic in the world. A mysterious woman enters revealing the true meaning of magic, far from what the magician had originally conceived.

This musical offers an antidote to its garish mainstream counterparts. The story is cleverly penned, it's concise but still captures the soul message of the short--that there's magic around us.

One thing that helped this film to standout is the superior lighting. It was a significant player to the short because it gave the an ambience of surrealism and magic. It showed the audience that the story digs deeper from real events. The transition of dark to well-lit scenes clearly represents the magician's progress to enlightenment.

The performances of the magician (Jackson Walker) and the mysterious woman (Sorrel Sanders) were equally off the hook. They have perfectly portrayed the emotions written in the songs which are rich and unforgettable.

What director Brandon McCormick, composer Nicholas Kirk and their colleagues have done is to entrance us with a richly acted, aesthetically lovely story creating a world where you'll find magic from the simplest of things.

That's Magic! soundtrack is also available as free download in both iTunes and 200megs version.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - a poignant short that's worth every second

Mona — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:00:08 +0000

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Perfectly blending heart and humor, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore offers a one-of-a-kind heartwarming experience.

This animated short was crafted by the talented hands of illustrator William Joyce and co-director Brandon Oldenburg under Moonboot Studios. It has already scored prestigious awards such as the Best Animated Short (Cinequest Film Fest), Audience Favorite Award (Palm Springs International Shortfest), Best Show (SIGGRAPH) and now also an official winner in the 84th Academy Awards.

As described by the makers, the short is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor. It takes inspiration from the Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz and a love for books.

Morris Lessmore takes the style of a vintage silent film while incorporating top-notch animation. The creators used miniatures, computer and 2D animation along with M-G-M technicolor musical breathing pops of life to the short.

Technicality aside, the story in itself is strong. I personally liked how it has some current events and cultural references making it more accessible to the audience. It tells us that there is always hope after all the bad things that may happen. That it's up to us to start writing a new chapter of our lives.

All in All, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a triumphant masterstroke for the creators. It's emotionally satisfying that's ideal for the whole family to enjoy.

This masterpiece is also available on iTunes.

Escape from City 17 (Part One & Part Two) - must-see fan film based on Half Life 2

Valerie — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:00:15 +0000

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If you were a big fan of the Half-Life video games, you'll certainly enjoy and find Escape from City 17 nostalgic. Created by The Purchase Brothers, part one of this fan film adaptation was released around February 2009. Now, over two years have passed and the company finally gave Half-Life fans an early Christmas present by releasing part two of the project.

Armed with handy camera equipment and a $500 budget for both films, the Canadian duo set out to create an amazing adaptation that's critically acclaimed by many and even praised by Valve, the video game company responsible for the popular first person shooter.

Being fans of the video game themselves, the Toronto commercial directors known professionally as The Purchase Brothers, created their own film depicting the escape of several members of the citizens resistance from City 17.

Part one is a bit short but when watching it, you can hardly tell that it was made from scratch with very little time, money and with hardly any crew or script. It's well made and the effects are pretty cool. The brothers themselves also take part in the action. The first film features Ian Purchase and Derek Chang playing two resistance members trying to escape the city before the bomb explodes.

After the first episode came out, it received rave reviews from fans. Hence, when they finally released Part two last August, a lot of people were ecstatic. True enough, the film didn't disappoint. This time around it's a bit longer and set shortly before the events of part one. Additional characters include a Russian Resistance heroine, played by Julia Tourianski, as well as the third Resistance member, played by David Purchase.

Despite being a low budget film, Escape from City 17 is definitely worth watching. Whether you're a fan of Half Life or not, you can't deny that this is one cool film. Considering the quality and how this was made using guerilla-style filmaking, you can't help but appreciate it.

Star Wars: Revelations (Fan Film) - the Star Wars episode you missed

Valerie — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:00:05 +0000

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Most of us cringe at the thought of fan films. We often think they're poorly done with bad actors, horrible dialogues etc. However, there are those that make the exception. Besides if you want a movie that's true to the craft, you are most likely to find it in a fan film.

Star Wars Revelations was released back in 2005. Unlike most fan made movies, this one was a bit more ambitious. It had a running time of close to an hour and a final budget of $15000-$20000.

The story takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and explains why the Jedi Order has become extinct in the original trilogy.

Since it first came out, the Star Wars Revelations has received mixed reviews. Some had only praises for it while others weren't so easily impressed. The film centers on a Jedi named, Taryn, who is ordered by Zhann, one of the Emperor's hands, to rescue the remaining Jedi's. However, the truth is that Zhann has converted into the dark side and seeks to fully destroy the order instead. As Taryn goes along, she eventually discovers the truth. In the movie she finds company with a pilot named Declan and another Jedi who still holds her in contempt for what she did while working under the Emperor's hand.

The entire 47 minutes of the film can be downloaded in various formats. There are also extra audio commentaries from the director and special effects if you're interested. And if you want to find out more about the making of the movie itself make sure to see a special segment on Anderson Cooper 360.

Star Wars Revelations may not win any awards for acting, but you have to give props to the heart and passion that went into this project. Every person in the cast volunteered their services with some even pitching in their own money to help fund the film. Special effects were also pretty good considering the budget. There were even genuine moments where it was hard to tell whether this was a big budget studio movie or not. Although there's not much to cheer about in the storyline department, anything with a cool Jedi is always worth checking out in my book.

After this, you might also want to check out our other fan films like Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy and Star Wreck: In The Pikinning.

Sintel - stunning animated short from The Blender Foundation

Kademlia — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:00:06 +0000

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Sintel is a next in a series of visually stunning and captivating short animation films initiated by the Blender Foundation. The previous - Big Buck Bunny and Elephant's Dream - have been a huge success and associated The Blender name and the Foundation itself with the highest quality animation worldwide.

Sintel tells a story of a young girl on a long and dangerous quest to save her best friend, a baby dragon. With plenty of time to tell the story (this short is little over 14min - the longest of all three), the team had a chance to fully showcase both their creative and technical skills and the capabilities of their animation software, Blender. Fast action scenes, fires, landscapes & complicated facial features - all you could expect from a multimillion animation studio, but done by a small, international team of creators working on open source, free software with a budget of $550k.

Here is the sneak peak, but for the entire short we highly recommend you download the HD file from the link above. More download options (file formats, resolutions) is available on the movie's website.

The Blender Foundation creates state of the art animation shorts to showcase the application's capabilities, stimulate its development, validate the open source creation pipeline & encourage young artists to participate in the creative process by licensing the raw material and the final product under Creative Commons.

For the entire creation pipeline in the studio, we will only use free/open source software. For 3D graphics, compositing and video editing we’ll obviously use Blender. For imaging and drawing we expect to use GIMP and Inkscape a lot.

You can find out more about the project, its timeline, team and the founding here.
A game based on the short is already in the works - check it out.

"The results of the Durian Open Movie project are being licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. This includes all the data we’ve published online and on the DVDs, and all of the contents on this website. If any content on this site is not licensed as such, it will be clearly indicated."

from sintel.org

Related Links:
Sintel's Website
Blender's Website
Blender Foundation's Website
Sintel on YouTube (but please do yourself a favor and download the full HD version - it's worth it!
Sintel on Wikipedia
Sintel on IMDB

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.