YorkMix Reviews 2013
Review: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, day one: Diverse
documentaries
As York hosts a world of film again Ian J Cole set off in search of new cinematic territory
The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) officially started on Thursday, November 7, with the opening bash at the City Screen. I missed it this year but I don’t expect it was very different to last year with dodgy speeches, free wine, a selection of short films, goody bags and a ropy after show party that is all too Hollywood for me (see last year’s review for details).
The first full day of the ASFF (Friday) started with a trip up to venue 5 at Monk Bar Museum which is one of the stranger ASFF venues with tourists wandering round museum exhibitions while the films are being shown.
This included a rather large man who walked in front of the screen more than once which was a little irritating.
The venues are ASFF’s strength and weakness, some are amazing and quirky, others are just wrong. Monk Bar Museum is very uncomfortable after the first ten minutes because I was sat on what can only be called a pouffe (or square ottoman with no back support according to an online dictionary).
I was able to move to the back row after the first two films which luckily had some back support so I didn’t need a trip to the osteopath’s.
This first block of short films were all documentaries (there is usually five or six films in a particular screening) with the first film being a documentary about the birthplace of Gilbert Prousch of Gilbert & George fame.
Who Is Gilbert Prousch was an fascinating film about a tiny Italian village who didn’t treat Gilbert very well while he lived there. Their museum’s room dedicated to contemporary art has to be seen to be believed.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Next up was an enlightening film, Born Positive, about three young Londoners who were born with HIV. It was poignant, sad, lyrical and shocking in places.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
Next was a strange film Ole Hansen: The Salmon Smoker about a chap in Stoke Newington who smokes salmon. I didn’t really get it but luckily it was only five minutes long so not enough time to get bored.
Ian’s rating: ★
The fourth offering was a film I saw last year, Abuelas. I gave it five stars last year and wasn’t really looking forward to seeing it again – but it is worth see twice. Absolutely brilliant.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★★
Next on screen was a fantastic little document about the people who live on Abbey Road in London near where The Beatles had their famous photo shoot. The Other Side of The Road reveals that there is never any rest from the fans wanting to recreate the Abbey Road album cover.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
The last film in this screening was a boring film about the Dutch artist Toer Van Schaijk A Small Episode who mumbled while painting one of his canvases. It was well shot but didn’t tell the viewer anything about the artist or his art which was a shame and a missed opportunity.
Ian’s rating: ★
Review: Aesthetica Short Film Festival – drama and a masterclass
Ian J Cole continues his reviews of the movies and talks at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival
BAFTA Masterclass with Joakim SundstromI had missed this session in the programme until a fellow media composer had said on Facebook that she was hoping to go, so I popped a quick e-mail off to my ASFF contact asking if I could be add to me the list of participants. Although the email didn’t get through to the guy on the ASFF stand at the York Theatre Royal he just added me to the list.
I think it’s important to say that I feel all of the ASFF staff I’ve come in contact with have been brilliant and deserve recognition for making this festival a success.
The masterclass opened with the showing of a piece of film that Joakim Sundstrom had been involved with, Berberian Sound Studio. This excellent, feature-length excellent psychological thriller set in a 1970s Italian horror film studio is by British director and screenwriter Peter Strickland.
The problem with this initial clip was the sound… it was too loud and distorted thorough the Theatre Royal PA system which was a shame as this brilliant masterclass was all about sound.
It seemed that Joakim had worked on most of the films I’ve seen in the few years including one of my favourites, 24 Hour Party People of which a couple of clips were shown.
Joakim along with the compere, producer Mia Bays, give us a fascinating insight into the work of the sound designer (a title Joakim doesn’t like). He showed us the breakdown of the elements of a film soundtrack by playing first dialogue then effects and finally music for a couple of the movies he’s worked on.
All too soon the masterclass was over so I headed for some drama in the superbly luxurious armchairs at the Thirteen Thirty One cinema.
Drama at Thirteen Thirty One
The first film of the Drama 1 screening was Blackstory by Christoph Brunner and Stefan Brunner and is described as an intertwining story of Lucille, Gabriel, Fred, Sylvester and Max. it’s a very dark tale about sex, drugs, god, death and feng-shui.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
This was followed by Sell By Date by Emma Savage, a witty and poignant look at the challenges of trying to get pregnant and the stress that can put on a relationship.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
The third film was Dirty On The Outside by Leonardo Lafferte. Zaida Belarbi is a foreign woman working in Spain as a cleaner who finds a magic cleaning spray while working in an old man’s flat. This film just missed the beat for me. It was OK but I didn’t really care about the characters or the magic spray.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Days Of Awe by Rehana Rose Khan was a tale told through voice messages left on a young woman’s answerphone but what has happened to her. You need to watch the film to find out.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Lastly was The Case Of Mary Ford by Ben Mole set in New York City in 1913. A supernatural drama about a Greek woman, her husband, and her lover, and their escape to America. This is a darkly entertaining gothic film with the sea’s equivalent to a zombie.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Review: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, day two
Ian J Cole overcomes locked gates and freezing rooms to discover more fascinating short films
I returned to the 1331 cinema for comedy screening 3. This I’m afraid was a mixed bag.
First up was Gin And Dry by Oscar Plewes, a tail of booze rationing at a retirement home where residents go in search of a late night Christmas drink. This gentle film is amusing in places with just the right amount of pathos.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
This wasn’t that case with Angelina Colom’s Pregnant which is too cutesy for its own good. The whole film hangs on a fantastic performance by Reece Lister as Ben as the five-year-old boy who decides he wants to become pregnant like him mum.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Next was the really nice, well written and directed: No Messages from Cian McGarrigle. This film manages to develop characters very quickly that were likeable and I cared about, The film cost 3,000 euros to make and the money was raised by crowd funding – it’s definitely worth seeing.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
The fourth film in this screening was the longest at just under 27 minutes, which was a shame because I won’t get that time back. Welcome and… our Condolences by Leon Prudovsky is a daft movie about a dead auntie and being stuck in an immigration centre in Israel. Not funny. OK – I smiled once.
Ian’s rating: ★
Last was Loot by Greg Rom, a South African comic drama about an unarmed man conducting a bank robbery with a twist. It’s a great story that manages to blur reality and fantasy together in a very inventive way.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Meet The Filmmakers
After spending the afternoon out of town I managed to get back for the Meet The Filmmakers event at The Yorkshire Museum – only after parking in the Marygate car park to the rear of Museum Gardens I found the gates locked. By the time I walked round to the front I was very late.
Once I arrived at the main entrance to the Gardens I was accosted by a very jobs-worth night watchman type who informed me that the park was closed and seemed reluctant to let me in so I could attend the event.
God know what this says to the visitors who come from all over the world to attend ASFF (nice one York council).
We had five films to view. The first was Anniversary by Curt Apduhan. This is a fantastic movie about a married couple who plan to spice up their 10th anniversary by hiring an exotic dancer to perform for them. It took Curt eight years to develop and it shows. It’s made with a love of love and care. Curt has spent decades working in Hollywood as a cinematographer and came across in the panel discussion as a lovely guy and for his directorial debut it’s brilliant.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
The second film was Konnnichiwa Brick Lane by Saera Jin and is described as a romantic comedy about a Japanese girl losing love and finding a new love in a day, all happening on a multicultural urban London street, Brick Lane. The main actress Yurriri Naka is fantastic but all of the men lack direction and seem like caricatures which is a shame.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Next was a very surreal film from Prano Bailey-Bond, Man Vs Sand. Now I love challenging surreal art but I didn’t get this at all, it seemed to me to be a cross between Kafka and David Lynch but lacking something that just left me confused.
Ian’s rating: ★
Next was the best film I’d seen so far at the festival: Fifty People One Question by Kamil Krolak. A brilliant documentary that I’m not going to spoil by telling you what the question is. See this film, as it must be a contender for best film of the festival.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★★
Last up was Fran Petersson’s pop video for Laura Jean – Mechanical Friends. I don’t really know why this is here. Fran does a good job but it’s a pop video for a very average song. Fran was very engaging in the panel discussion and I’d like to see some of her other work because she is clearly passionate about filmmaking and I think she’s better than this offering.
Ian’s rating: ★★
The panel discussion was very entertaining and gave real insight into how these filmmakers went about their craft. My only niggle was that the Yorkshire Museum was absolutely freezing and most of us sat there with coats on – maybe this was connected to the park being closed…
Review: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, day three
In his review of the final day of the mini movie marathon Ian J Cole dishes out a last helping of brickbats and bouquets
The day started with a nice motorcycle ride into York on this last morning of the festival. My plan was to start at the New School House Gallery with an Artistscreening.
Unlike last year, when I picked specific films I wanted to see, this year I chose at random one of the screenings for each genre (I only missed Experimental and the screenings for specific countries).
When I got to Micklegate hill the traffic was gridlocked through town. This could have been because of the Remembrance service or because no cars are allowed across Lendal Bridge.
After about an hour winding my way across the city I arrived at the School House Gallery and settled into an armchair with a pair of headphones to watch Artist Film Screening 2.
Black Box Recorder by Abinadi Meza was the first film I watched. This is an experimental film based on found film footage and feels very much like a student project. I quite liked it but ultimately felt unmoved by the piece.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Next up was Emma Charles’ Fragments On Machines which according to the ASFF programme “reveals the physical framework and materiality of the internet and explores its connection to the evolution of architecture and economics in the city”. I didn’t get that but I quite liked the views of New York and the huge server rooms that control computer networks.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Ma by Imran Perretta was third and this film follows her grandmother as she reflects on the loss of her daughter (Imran’s Mother) this is a lovely, sad, poignant film told beautifully by Imran’s Bengali grandmother.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Intrusion by Natalie Plaskura is a surreal mismatched jumble of scenes that are just plain weird – I loved it, especially all the stuffed animals and I didn’t feel so bad about missing the Experimental section as this was definitely out there.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
The penultimate film in this screening was by Paul Turano. Not Clear Cut is a beautiful film involving a voice over conversation with the filmmaker’s father about the heart-breaking decision to harvest 70-year-old hardwood trees in an attempt to make up for money lost from the recent financial crisis
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
The last film was Paced by Stephen Chen, a multi-screened mess of moving images changing every ten seconds whereby I ended up counting to 10 a lot.
Ian’s rating: ★
I had decided to pop into White Stuff to watch a few pop videos before heading to Kings Manor to watch some animations but it was full as it was showing all of the screenings from the Micklegate Bar Museum which was closed because of ice on the bar walls (Health & Safety I guess).
So I took a leisurely walk to Kings Manor and just waited for the films to start in the Animation 2 Screening.
Oh Willy… by Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels
We find Willy returning to the naturist community where he spent his youth to visit his dying mother. In confused sadness, he flees to the forest, finding motherly protection in a big, gentle beast. This is funny and sad piece but be warned there is a lot of nudity.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
Ed by Gabriel Garcia
A confusing mismatch of a story that was hard to follow and understand so couldn’t tell you what it is about.
Ian’s rating: ★
Darkness by Benjael Halfmaderholz
The story of a carnival strongman who makes a chance discovery which brings back memories of a departed friend and subsequently transports him along on an out-of-this-world trip.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Tempest In A Bedroom by Laurence Arcadias and Juliette Marchand
Weird animated pornography and I still can’t believe the ending.
Ian’s rating: ★
Ctrl by Matt Waruszynski
A delightful daft movie where office worker Graham learns there is a fine line between having no control and having too much and that the copy and paste function on a computer keyboard is king.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
The Nether Regions by Maria Lee
We meet the Devil (voiced by Brian Blessed) who is surprisingly likeable in this funny movie about his visit to a massage parlour.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
Next at Kings Manor was Thriller Screening 2 so I decided to stay put…
The Black Scholes Conspiracy by Tim Bassford
A cracking good thriller set in the high-pressure world of global finance it could have been a major full length movie – so good it wasn’t long enough.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Pro Kopf by Sascha Zimmerman
A bored businessman makes a phone call home only for his maid to reveal a shocking discovery about his wife and her fidelity – a really good short film with a nice twist at the end
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Inertia by James Moffett
Just torture as for ten minutes an army deserter decides to take his own life then he doesn’t, and then he does, then he… You get the picture – I just wish he’d done the job in the first frame.
Ian’s rating: ★
Juaritos by HF Crum
A good thriller with a few holes in the story – from the depths of Juarez’s brutal drug war, a narcoblogger fights back to expose the gangs that are murdering his town. However, sooner or later he must venture outside and when he does he pops down the supermarket to buy a four-pack of Red Bull (oh please…)
Ian’s rating: ★★★
Shackled by Nour Wazzi
A five–minute psychological thriller in which Malu is held captive by a circus (we’re not sure why) and rescued from her shackles by her husband Jesse. As she anxiously waits in the darkness for her chance to escape, a disturbing memory she’s hidden away keeps her on edge. Malu is played by award winning actress Emilia Clarke (Daenerys in Game Of Thrones).
Ian’s rating: ★★
The Whole Picture by Louis Lagayette
An interesting look at three people who appear to have nothing in common and plays with our preconceived ideas of what is going on and who we think these characters are.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
And that’s it… See you next year.
Published on Yorkmix between 7th and 12th November 2013
documentaries
As York hosts a world of film again Ian J Cole set off in search of new cinematic territory
The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) officially started on Thursday, November 7, with the opening bash at the City Screen. I missed it this year but I don’t expect it was very different to last year with dodgy speeches, free wine, a selection of short films, goody bags and a ropy after show party that is all too Hollywood for me (see last year’s review for details).
The first full day of the ASFF (Friday) started with a trip up to venue 5 at Monk Bar Museum which is one of the stranger ASFF venues with tourists wandering round museum exhibitions while the films are being shown.
This included a rather large man who walked in front of the screen more than once which was a little irritating.
The venues are ASFF’s strength and weakness, some are amazing and quirky, others are just wrong. Monk Bar Museum is very uncomfortable after the first ten minutes because I was sat on what can only be called a pouffe (or square ottoman with no back support according to an online dictionary).
I was able to move to the back row after the first two films which luckily had some back support so I didn’t need a trip to the osteopath’s.
This first block of short films were all documentaries (there is usually five or six films in a particular screening) with the first film being a documentary about the birthplace of Gilbert Prousch of Gilbert & George fame.
Who Is Gilbert Prousch was an fascinating film about a tiny Italian village who didn’t treat Gilbert very well while he lived there. Their museum’s room dedicated to contemporary art has to be seen to be believed.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Next up was an enlightening film, Born Positive, about three young Londoners who were born with HIV. It was poignant, sad, lyrical and shocking in places.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
Next was a strange film Ole Hansen: The Salmon Smoker about a chap in Stoke Newington who smokes salmon. I didn’t really get it but luckily it was only five minutes long so not enough time to get bored.
Ian’s rating: ★
The fourth offering was a film I saw last year, Abuelas. I gave it five stars last year and wasn’t really looking forward to seeing it again – but it is worth see twice. Absolutely brilliant.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★★
Next on screen was a fantastic little document about the people who live on Abbey Road in London near where The Beatles had their famous photo shoot. The Other Side of The Road reveals that there is never any rest from the fans wanting to recreate the Abbey Road album cover.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
The last film in this screening was a boring film about the Dutch artist Toer Van Schaijk A Small Episode who mumbled while painting one of his canvases. It was well shot but didn’t tell the viewer anything about the artist or his art which was a shame and a missed opportunity.
Ian’s rating: ★
Review: Aesthetica Short Film Festival – drama and a masterclass
Ian J Cole continues his reviews of the movies and talks at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival
BAFTA Masterclass with Joakim SundstromI had missed this session in the programme until a fellow media composer had said on Facebook that she was hoping to go, so I popped a quick e-mail off to my ASFF contact asking if I could be add to me the list of participants. Although the email didn’t get through to the guy on the ASFF stand at the York Theatre Royal he just added me to the list.
I think it’s important to say that I feel all of the ASFF staff I’ve come in contact with have been brilliant and deserve recognition for making this festival a success.
The masterclass opened with the showing of a piece of film that Joakim Sundstrom had been involved with, Berberian Sound Studio. This excellent, feature-length excellent psychological thriller set in a 1970s Italian horror film studio is by British director and screenwriter Peter Strickland.
The problem with this initial clip was the sound… it was too loud and distorted thorough the Theatre Royal PA system which was a shame as this brilliant masterclass was all about sound.
It seemed that Joakim had worked on most of the films I’ve seen in the few years including one of my favourites, 24 Hour Party People of which a couple of clips were shown.
Joakim along with the compere, producer Mia Bays, give us a fascinating insight into the work of the sound designer (a title Joakim doesn’t like). He showed us the breakdown of the elements of a film soundtrack by playing first dialogue then effects and finally music for a couple of the movies he’s worked on.
All too soon the masterclass was over so I headed for some drama in the superbly luxurious armchairs at the Thirteen Thirty One cinema.
Drama at Thirteen Thirty One
The first film of the Drama 1 screening was Blackstory by Christoph Brunner and Stefan Brunner and is described as an intertwining story of Lucille, Gabriel, Fred, Sylvester and Max. it’s a very dark tale about sex, drugs, god, death and feng-shui.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
This was followed by Sell By Date by Emma Savage, a witty and poignant look at the challenges of trying to get pregnant and the stress that can put on a relationship.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
The third film was Dirty On The Outside by Leonardo Lafferte. Zaida Belarbi is a foreign woman working in Spain as a cleaner who finds a magic cleaning spray while working in an old man’s flat. This film just missed the beat for me. It was OK but I didn’t really care about the characters or the magic spray.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Days Of Awe by Rehana Rose Khan was a tale told through voice messages left on a young woman’s answerphone but what has happened to her. You need to watch the film to find out.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Lastly was The Case Of Mary Ford by Ben Mole set in New York City in 1913. A supernatural drama about a Greek woman, her husband, and her lover, and their escape to America. This is a darkly entertaining gothic film with the sea’s equivalent to a zombie.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Review: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, day two
Ian J Cole overcomes locked gates and freezing rooms to discover more fascinating short films
I returned to the 1331 cinema for comedy screening 3. This I’m afraid was a mixed bag.
First up was Gin And Dry by Oscar Plewes, a tail of booze rationing at a retirement home where residents go in search of a late night Christmas drink. This gentle film is amusing in places with just the right amount of pathos.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
This wasn’t that case with Angelina Colom’s Pregnant which is too cutesy for its own good. The whole film hangs on a fantastic performance by Reece Lister as Ben as the five-year-old boy who decides he wants to become pregnant like him mum.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Next was the really nice, well written and directed: No Messages from Cian McGarrigle. This film manages to develop characters very quickly that were likeable and I cared about, The film cost 3,000 euros to make and the money was raised by crowd funding – it’s definitely worth seeing.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
The fourth film in this screening was the longest at just under 27 minutes, which was a shame because I won’t get that time back. Welcome and… our Condolences by Leon Prudovsky is a daft movie about a dead auntie and being stuck in an immigration centre in Israel. Not funny. OK – I smiled once.
Ian’s rating: ★
Last was Loot by Greg Rom, a South African comic drama about an unarmed man conducting a bank robbery with a twist. It’s a great story that manages to blur reality and fantasy together in a very inventive way.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Meet The Filmmakers
After spending the afternoon out of town I managed to get back for the Meet The Filmmakers event at The Yorkshire Museum – only after parking in the Marygate car park to the rear of Museum Gardens I found the gates locked. By the time I walked round to the front I was very late.
Once I arrived at the main entrance to the Gardens I was accosted by a very jobs-worth night watchman type who informed me that the park was closed and seemed reluctant to let me in so I could attend the event.
God know what this says to the visitors who come from all over the world to attend ASFF (nice one York council).
We had five films to view. The first was Anniversary by Curt Apduhan. This is a fantastic movie about a married couple who plan to spice up their 10th anniversary by hiring an exotic dancer to perform for them. It took Curt eight years to develop and it shows. It’s made with a love of love and care. Curt has spent decades working in Hollywood as a cinematographer and came across in the panel discussion as a lovely guy and for his directorial debut it’s brilliant.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
The second film was Konnnichiwa Brick Lane by Saera Jin and is described as a romantic comedy about a Japanese girl losing love and finding a new love in a day, all happening on a multicultural urban London street, Brick Lane. The main actress Yurriri Naka is fantastic but all of the men lack direction and seem like caricatures which is a shame.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Next was a very surreal film from Prano Bailey-Bond, Man Vs Sand. Now I love challenging surreal art but I didn’t get this at all, it seemed to me to be a cross between Kafka and David Lynch but lacking something that just left me confused.
Ian’s rating: ★
Next was the best film I’d seen so far at the festival: Fifty People One Question by Kamil Krolak. A brilliant documentary that I’m not going to spoil by telling you what the question is. See this film, as it must be a contender for best film of the festival.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★★
Last up was Fran Petersson’s pop video for Laura Jean – Mechanical Friends. I don’t really know why this is here. Fran does a good job but it’s a pop video for a very average song. Fran was very engaging in the panel discussion and I’d like to see some of her other work because she is clearly passionate about filmmaking and I think she’s better than this offering.
Ian’s rating: ★★
The panel discussion was very entertaining and gave real insight into how these filmmakers went about their craft. My only niggle was that the Yorkshire Museum was absolutely freezing and most of us sat there with coats on – maybe this was connected to the park being closed…
Review: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, day three
In his review of the final day of the mini movie marathon Ian J Cole dishes out a last helping of brickbats and bouquets
The day started with a nice motorcycle ride into York on this last morning of the festival. My plan was to start at the New School House Gallery with an Artistscreening.
Unlike last year, when I picked specific films I wanted to see, this year I chose at random one of the screenings for each genre (I only missed Experimental and the screenings for specific countries).
When I got to Micklegate hill the traffic was gridlocked through town. This could have been because of the Remembrance service or because no cars are allowed across Lendal Bridge.
After about an hour winding my way across the city I arrived at the School House Gallery and settled into an armchair with a pair of headphones to watch Artist Film Screening 2.
Black Box Recorder by Abinadi Meza was the first film I watched. This is an experimental film based on found film footage and feels very much like a student project. I quite liked it but ultimately felt unmoved by the piece.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Next up was Emma Charles’ Fragments On Machines which according to the ASFF programme “reveals the physical framework and materiality of the internet and explores its connection to the evolution of architecture and economics in the city”. I didn’t get that but I quite liked the views of New York and the huge server rooms that control computer networks.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Ma by Imran Perretta was third and this film follows her grandmother as she reflects on the loss of her daughter (Imran’s Mother) this is a lovely, sad, poignant film told beautifully by Imran’s Bengali grandmother.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Intrusion by Natalie Plaskura is a surreal mismatched jumble of scenes that are just plain weird – I loved it, especially all the stuffed animals and I didn’t feel so bad about missing the Experimental section as this was definitely out there.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
The penultimate film in this screening was by Paul Turano. Not Clear Cut is a beautiful film involving a voice over conversation with the filmmaker’s father about the heart-breaking decision to harvest 70-year-old hardwood trees in an attempt to make up for money lost from the recent financial crisis
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
The last film was Paced by Stephen Chen, a multi-screened mess of moving images changing every ten seconds whereby I ended up counting to 10 a lot.
Ian’s rating: ★
I had decided to pop into White Stuff to watch a few pop videos before heading to Kings Manor to watch some animations but it was full as it was showing all of the screenings from the Micklegate Bar Museum which was closed because of ice on the bar walls (Health & Safety I guess).
So I took a leisurely walk to Kings Manor and just waited for the films to start in the Animation 2 Screening.
Oh Willy… by Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels
We find Willy returning to the naturist community where he spent his youth to visit his dying mother. In confused sadness, he flees to the forest, finding motherly protection in a big, gentle beast. This is funny and sad piece but be warned there is a lot of nudity.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
Ed by Gabriel Garcia
A confusing mismatch of a story that was hard to follow and understand so couldn’t tell you what it is about.
Ian’s rating: ★
Darkness by Benjael Halfmaderholz
The story of a carnival strongman who makes a chance discovery which brings back memories of a departed friend and subsequently transports him along on an out-of-this-world trip.
Ian’s rating: ★★
Tempest In A Bedroom by Laurence Arcadias and Juliette Marchand
Weird animated pornography and I still can’t believe the ending.
Ian’s rating: ★
Ctrl by Matt Waruszynski
A delightful daft movie where office worker Graham learns there is a fine line between having no control and having too much and that the copy and paste function on a computer keyboard is king.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
The Nether Regions by Maria Lee
We meet the Devil (voiced by Brian Blessed) who is surprisingly likeable in this funny movie about his visit to a massage parlour.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
Next at Kings Manor was Thriller Screening 2 so I decided to stay put…
The Black Scholes Conspiracy by Tim Bassford
A cracking good thriller set in the high-pressure world of global finance it could have been a major full length movie – so good it wasn’t long enough.
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Pro Kopf by Sascha Zimmerman
A bored businessman makes a phone call home only for his maid to reveal a shocking discovery about his wife and her fidelity – a really good short film with a nice twist at the end
Ian’s rating: ★★★★
Inertia by James Moffett
Just torture as for ten minutes an army deserter decides to take his own life then he doesn’t, and then he does, then he… You get the picture – I just wish he’d done the job in the first frame.
Ian’s rating: ★
Juaritos by HF Crum
A good thriller with a few holes in the story – from the depths of Juarez’s brutal drug war, a narcoblogger fights back to expose the gangs that are murdering his town. However, sooner or later he must venture outside and when he does he pops down the supermarket to buy a four-pack of Red Bull (oh please…)
Ian’s rating: ★★★
Shackled by Nour Wazzi
A five–minute psychological thriller in which Malu is held captive by a circus (we’re not sure why) and rescued from her shackles by her husband Jesse. As she anxiously waits in the darkness for her chance to escape, a disturbing memory she’s hidden away keeps her on edge. Malu is played by award winning actress Emilia Clarke (Daenerys in Game Of Thrones).
Ian’s rating: ★★
The Whole Picture by Louis Lagayette
An interesting look at three people who appear to have nothing in common and plays with our preconceived ideas of what is going on and who we think these characters are.
Ian’s rating: ★★★
And that’s it… See you next year.
Published on Yorkmix between 7th and 12th November 2013
