Tag: Short Film

Dance, Documentaries, Short Film, Tribeca Film Festival

Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather: Tribeca Film Festival Review

Year: 2022 Runtime: 2022 Director: Michael Shevloff Writer: Heather Ross By Joan Amenn Caution: This film may cause an unexpected urge to dance. “Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather” (2022) is twenty minutes of pure kinetic joy. While it could be seen as promotional material for the very popular, very talented hip hop duo known as Les Twins, it humbly acknowledges that they stand on the shoulders … Continue reading Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather: Tribeca Film Festival Review

jmamennLeave a comment
Female Filmmaker, Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Feminism, Reviews, Short Film, Women in Film

Review: “Stagiaire”

Year: 2021 Runtime: 10 minutes Director/Writer: Marina Michelson Cast: Marina Michelson, Spenser Granese, Chloe Wepper, Briana Venkus, Ramiz Monsef, Aaron Smith, Angel Halford, Michael Ashley, Patricio Cabrera-Sanchez By Morgan Roberts If reality television has taught us anything, the professional kitchen is a very male-dominated arena. So, what does it look like to walk into that environment as a woman? Writer/director Marina Michelson explores just that … Continue reading Review: “Stagiaire”

msmlrobertsLeave a comment
Documentaries, Female Filmmaker, Female Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Short Film

Femspectives Review: Stone Engravings and the Three-Colored Chickenpox Tale

Year: 2018 Runtime: 21 minutes Directors: Vinicius Lopes, Luciana Mazeto By Morgan Roberts “What is our oldest creation? Ghosts? Fear? Oppression? The world?” This is the first thing posed to audiences in Femspectives documentary short film, “Stone Engravings and the Three-Colored Chickenpox Tale” (2018). The short looks at archeological discoveries in the south of Brazil, showing the timeline of existence. We see and hear people … Continue reading Femspectives Review: Stone Engravings and the Three-Colored Chickenpox Tale

msmlrobertsLeave a comment
Film Festivals, Hall of Fame, LGBTQ Cinema

Scottish Queer International Film Festival: Love or Something Like It

Year: 2020 Runtime: 73 minutes Directors: Sungbin Byun, Yujie Cao, Akira Kamiki, Arun Fulara & Dan Dansen By Calum Cooper “Love or Something Like It” (2020) is a collection of short films that are united by a lot more than their identities as LGBTQ+ media. Although each short is unique, be it the visuals, length or even language, all of them are encompassed by their … Continue reading Scottish Queer International Film Festival: Love or Something Like It

calumcooperatthemoviesLeave a comment
Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Reviews, Short Film, Women in Film

Review: Dear Guest

Year: 2020 Runtime: 11 minutes Director: Megan Freels Johnston Writer: Megan Freels Johnston Actors: Ashley Bell, Noureen DeWulf By Joan Amenn The season of long, dark shadows can’t end now, when we have one last little gem of a scare to enjoy in “Dear Guest” (2020). Director Megan Freels Johnston concocted this quick potion of a disturbing “what if” scenario and although short, it packs … Continue reading Review: Dear Guest

jmamennLeave a comment
Film Festivals, Film Reviews, LGBTQ Cinema, LGBTQ Filmmakers, Short Film

Scottish Queer International Film Festival: Ashley

“Ashley” is the winner of the 2019/2020 Margaret Tait Award and is surprisingly complex for being a short film. Director Jamie Crewe, who also wrote and stars, gives an at times disorienting immersion into the mind of a deeply agonized and despondent soul. “Ashley” is brilliant in the use of sound to convey the inner turmoil of the title character’s struggle to affirm their identity. Continue reading Scottish Queer International Film Festival: Ashley

jmamennLeave a comment
Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Reviews, Short Film

Greenpoint Film Festival Review: Laundry Night

Just another lonely weeknight doing laundry in the creepy basement of an apartment building-what could possibly go wrong? With a nod to that benchmark of urban horror, “Candyman” (1992), “Laundry Night” has great fun in building up suspense and delivers on some chills in a very short runtime.

The cinematography is perfect in depicting an old, atmospherically dingy and slowly decaying basement laundry room where the lead, Nicole Weiss talks to a friend on her phone while engaging in the title domestic chore. She mentions that she has taken a self-defense class and is carrying a knife which is a nice foreshadowing of the showdown to come. Ancient and unreliable circuit breakers play a key role in the elusiveness of the stalker who lurks in the labyrinthine halls surrounding the laundry room. Continue reading Greenpoint Film Festival Review: Laundry Night

jmamennLeave a comment
Female Filmmaker, Film Festivals, Short Film

Greenpoint Film Festival Review: Ace

“Ace” (2020) is a wonderfully dark and atmospheric little tale perfectly animated in muted colours and stylized figure drawing. The setting is the “Eternity Circus” and various circus performers are costumed as playing cards. The Master of Ceremonies is brilliantly foreboding as he sets them in competition with each other to achieve a series of tasks. Continue reading Greenpoint Film Festival Review: Ace

jmamennLeave a comment